parrotlet is bored ??

[khenaz]

sup everyone , nice forum btw

i have a pacific parrotlet , he is 6 months old , i tried finding information on parrotlet around the web , but all i managed to find was the bird 's description and care etc ... my pacific seem really bored , not playfull at all , i bought him all kind of toys , from balls to bells and swings ,ropes , climbing stuff , everything.... he has so many toys in his cage but only uses them as perches , at the begining he was scared of the balls , especially when it was rolling near him , he got used to it , but never cared about it , never even looked at it , same thing for the bell and all the stuff that parrotlets are suposed to enjoy , i tried everything , he just seem to be bored.

also he was'nt eating fruits and vedgies , but i finally found a way (might be helpfull for other people here ) . all i did was cutting in really small pieces all kinds of fruits and veggies + millets and his favorite seeds into a bowl , at first he was only looking for the seeds and throwing the rest of the mixture outside of the bowl , but day after day , i did put less seeds in the mixture untill he got to eat the fruits and vedgies. If i dont do that , he get scared of the pieces of fruits or vedgies , (if they are too big ) , and bite them or dont even approach them ... haha.

also he looks tired all the time , i try to give him at least 10 hours or 12 of sleep every night , but even with that he fall asleep on his perch during day.

whats wrong with him , he seem to have a lack of energy , or just a boring bird with no playfull feelings at all , the only things he enjoy are eating , sleeping and watching moovies with me on my couch ( that one is his favorite).

i dont think he is stressed or scared , i even trained him to lay on his back in my hand , i can even put him on a surface on his back and he will stay , until i call him or pick him up ,he also used to bite me but i thought him the no command and everytime he used to bite me i was putting him back in the cage and in the bathroom (the most boring place in the house ) and since he is attached to me (screaming for me when i get out of the room ) he understood that he was getting punished.

al also tried to teach him talking , every session he looks really interested , he has dilated pupils , he keep turning his head in directions making wierd faces , and when i stop talking he starts whistling until i talk etc...

anyways , the thing i would like the most to achieved is play with my parrot , throw him a ball , watch him play with it , or just watch him have fun with all the nice toys i buy him.

sorry for my bad english , i you feel you have an answer to my question feel free to post anything .

peace , khena

[khenaz]

i feed him a good cockatiel and small birds seed mix (70 %), with i think pellets in it , plus another bag with bigger nuts that contains the sunflower and stuff ( 30 % ) . i feed the veggies and stuff only once a day in a spetial bowl , iwich i never put in the cage , he eat em on the table while im eating too.

putting treats inside toys sounds interesting , like filling the small ball with millet , im sure hel do anything to get it out , simulating the act of playing with the ball , he might then realise its fun , who knows .

thanks for the quick reply , ima go right away try this hehehe

peace , khena

[khenaz]

nope doesnt work , how can i teach him to play if he is not intersted , even if i play and make funny noise ??? nuthing will work

[khenaz]

he only want to climb on my shoulder , he doesnt pay attention to anything else , what can i do ? any strategy , brainwash , hahaha

please

[khenaz]

is it caus he is young (6 months ) or they usually are curious , and playfull at that age ?

[danforth3]

Blake's suggestions were good.

As for playing with toys, you need to repeat, repeat, and repeat the playing process. They learn from example.

Napping is natural--all birds do it regardless of age.

How big is your companion's cage? What kind of toys? My experience, allbeit limited, is that parrotlets like small toys similar in size to those of parakeets. They like toys with small bells on them, a mirror and toys with bead or wicker or small leather strips. Most parrotlets like a toy then can shread.

As Blake suggested, if your bird had not had a well-bird visit, this would be a good opportunity. This will eliminate any health issues as lethargy can be a sign of possible health problems.

I would take the existing toys out of the cage and redo it. Sometimes the place of the toys is not what our companions' like and they will refuse to play because of that.

Check your perch sizes as well. One-half inch to 3/4 inch should be as big as you go. Perches of different sizes and various textures are good for their feet and stimulation. Also place toys near perches for easier access as well as hang som from the side bars (horizontal bars) of the cage.

When you take your companion out, talk to her, play with her, etc.

Blake has more experience than I with a parrotlet diet, but if she refuses fresh foods at this time, keep offering them, but also add into the seed pellet mixture some dried fruits and veggies that are available from a company called "Just Tomatoes." They are a good alternative and have no preservatives or chemicals. Always offer fresh and dice it small and take out any fresh offerings after 2 or 3 hours to avoid bacteria growth. Offer millet weekly as it is low in fat and good for the bird and aids in their digestive process.

[BettiJerseyGirl]

Is one (or more) of the toys you have in your parrotlets cage a swing? That seems to be the most fun toy for my parrotlets. They love to swing on it. Especially a small swing with bright colored beads and a small bell. Actually a ladder may be first and then a swing second. Just 2 thoughts.

i have a pacific parrotlet , he is 6 months old , i tried finding information on parrotlet around the web , but all i managed to find was the bird 's description and care etc ... my pacific seem really bored , not playfull at all , i bought him all kind of toys , from balls to bells and swings ,ropes , climbing stuff , everything.... he has so many toys in his cage but only uses them as perches , at the begining he was scared of the balls , especially when it was rolling near him , he got used to it , but never cared about it , never even looked at it , same thing for the bell and all the stuff that parrotlets are suposed to enjoy , i tried everything , he just seem to be bored.

also he was'nt eating fruits and vedgies , but i finally found a way (might be helpfull for other people here ) . all i did was cutting in really small pieces all kinds of fruits and veggies + millets and his favorite seeds into a bowl , at first he was only looking for the seeds and throwing the rest of the mixture outside of the bowl , but day after day , i did put less seeds in the mixture untill he got to eat the fruits and vedgies. If i dont do that , he get scared of the pieces of fruits or vedgies , (if they are too big ) , and bite them or dont even approach them ... haha.

also he looks tired all the time , i try to give him at least 10 hours or 12 of sleep every night , but even with that he fall asleep on his perch during day.

whats wrong with him , he seem to have a lack of energy , or just a boring bird with no playfull feelings at all , the only things he enjoy are eating , sleeping and watching moovies with me on my couch ( that one is his favorite).

i dont think he is stressed or scared , i even trained him to lay on his back in my hand , i can even put him on a surface on his back and he will stay , until i call him or pick him up ,he also used to bite me but i thought him the no command and everytime he used to bite me i was putting him back in the cage and in the bathroom (the most boring place in the house ) and since he is attached to me (screaming for me when i get out of the room ) he understood that he was getting punished.

al also tried to teach him talking , every session he looks really interested , he has dilated pupils , he keep turning his head in directions making wierd faces , and when i stop talking he starts whistling until i talk etc...

anyways , the thing i would like the most to achieved is play with my parrot , throw him a ball , watch him play with it , or just watch him have fun with all the nice toys i buy him.

sorry for my bad english , i you feel you have an answer to my question feel free to post anything .

peace , khena[/QUOTE]

[mamalovesrico]

khenaz, I read your post this morning. My U2 doesn't eat much veggies and fruits and I'm trying desperately to get him to do so. My brain is turning to mush to try and figure out ways to get him to eat them.
So, I figured if he saw me playing with them he would at least play with them too and accidently eat one.
This morning I bought some peas still in the peapod. I sat him on the counter while I shucked them. He thought it was fun to sit on my hand while I did so. He started pulling the peas out for me. Too funny. Seems like he had a good time. He would just pull the peas out and flip them in the air. That's fine to start I guess. Well, I made him his morning mush and put some of the peas in there. I let him eat on top of his cage to be out with me while I was cleaning the house. I kept taking peeks at him, because if I look too long he'll stop eating. When he was done eating I walked over to him and he had mashed peas all over his beak? :eusa_clap It worked. I'll shuck again tomorrow.
I have one of those hanging wire cages in his cage that is supposed to be filled with wooden toys. I took the toys out and put broccoli in there instead. I know he doesn't like broccoli....yet. Well before I put the wire cage back together I stuck an almond in there and a peanut so he could see it. He saw them! Before I came down to work on my computer he was trying to pull the broccoli out to get to the peanut and almond. Hope this works. Looks good so far!

[Crebain]

My parrotlet is 10 months old, and it takes him a long time to start playing with a new toy. His swing was in his cage for weeks before he figured it out, so be patient.

That is amazing that he will lay on his back on a surface until you command or pick him up.

PS. Your english is fine.

[curtissmith]

Originally Posted by khenaz

sup everyone , nice forum btw

i have a pacific parrotlet , he is 6 months old , i tried finding information on parrotlet around the web , but all i managed to find was the bird 's description and care etc ...
...
khena

Here's one of the better sites for basic info http://www.forpus.com/ But you said you found that stuff. :-)

My parrotlets are very inquisitive but don't seem to be that into toys. New places to explore especially with places to crawl into are their favorite. Once they've explored a toy they don't care to go back. The female is very active and the male more laid-back like yours. I don't think the difference is a species trait, more just the individual bird's personality.

Keep trying different fruits and vegetables. You will find some that your bird likes and others he won't touch. My birds' favorite is strawberry. They also really like broccoli – the broccoli is a food treat and a toy they can shred up and scatter all over the place (same with corn on the cob).

I use small ceramic crocks (sauce bowls work good) and leave the vegetable/fruit in their cage or where they can get to it for about an hour.

Thanks,
Curtis