asking for advice :-)

[jessicaboyer89]

Hi! I just got my parrotlet a week and a half ago. I have read a TON of info. on the internet, but I was wondering if anyone had any good advice or fun stories? How long will it take for my fuzz ball to adapt? I've heard that they travel pretty well? True? My bird is only interested in sead and millet. Is there a good way to get her to try some fresh veggies/fruit? I've heard that you should never stick your hand in their cage, and let them come out when changing their food so they don't see your hand inside. Is this good advice? She is so little, I am kind of scared about letting her fly around. (Her wings are clipped) I just don't know if it is wise to let her walk around on the floor?? Am I being over protective? One more thing... I haven't yet seen Tiki take a drink of water out of her dish. I have been giving her drops off of my finger. What is the best way to 'wean' her off this?

Sorry so many questions.
Any response would be greatly appreciated!!

[Joel]

Hello Jessica.............Just be real patient, some take longer than others to come around. I would not take my eyes off of her for even a second when she is out of the cage as she could pick up and swallow something off the floor or bite into an electrical cord etc. etc. etc.....I guess you already know about poisonous fumes from non-stick cookware when it is over-heated?

Keep giving the fresh fruits and veggies as often as possible, she may come around eventually, sometimes it takes a "teacher bird" to give them good eating habits.

Best to keep your hands out of cage if possible, really depends on the bird though IMO. You might want to invest in a good quality and good size cage that has the seed cups etc. swing out to service, thus you would not have to enter the cage.

To solve the possible water drinking problem, I would put some extra drinking vessels in there if ya have the room. If ya don't have the room then IMO the cage is way too small. I think it is best to use glass or stainless steel food bowls and drinking vessels.

Don't forget that if she is kept inside then you should IMO & IME invest in good quality F.S. lighting for your birdie......Good luck.... :)

[jessicaboyer89]

Hi Joel! Thanks for the advice. I think your right. She should never be able to roam around by herself. Parrotlets are so dainty, sometimes its hard to tell if she is even on my shoulder! My cage is pretty big. It is the size the breeder recommended. There is plenty of extra room for water so I'll try that. Although, last night when I came home I found out from my husband that she took a bath in one of her water dishes!! I don't know if it was on purpose or accident. Either way, it seems like she knows where the water is now. :D Someday I may get an even larger cage that is better quality. Mine is pretty standard (though roomy). Is it ok to change the cage after it has become home?? Also, forgive me, but I don't know what F.S. lighting is. Or IMO & IME.

Thanks!

[Joel]

Hi again Jessica,

IMO & IME means in my opinion & in my experience.

Full Spectrum indoor lighting is considered necessary by many bird keepers/breeders/researchers etc. for the health & welfare of any bird kept inside that does not get daily exposure to the benefits of outdoor direct bright yellow sunshine (the outdoor sunshine is still the best though)......Please read back into our numeropus comments, suggestions, advice concerning same. I have advised where to get the necessary equipment, light fixtures and IMO the best fluorescent "bird tubes" on the mkt so I won't go into that again now as I don't have the time. Please just study back in our discussions about it all.....Good luck... :)

Btw, IMO, a decent minimum size cage for your bird would be 4'x3'x3'tall and IMO bigger/longer is always better.

[jessicaboyer89]

My cage is definatly smaller than that. I live in a one bedroom apartment so it will have to do for now. Seeing that homes in S. Cal. start at just under half a million, I won't be buying a spacious place anytime soon. Someday...

[Joel]

Jessica, (IMO) as long as you let your bird out as much as possible & frequently under full supervized attention, daily, then the size of cage is not all that important however it is if ya don't do that. People always say they don't have room for a larger cage. I'll bet anyone that I can go into anyone's home or apt. and find the space for a larger cage even if it means suspending it from the ceiling where there is usually lots of room up around there. That was just another suggestion also. You did not comment on the F.S. lighting, I hope you do look into that for your bird also.

[jessicaboyer89]

Hmm...suspending it from the ceiling would be kind of fun. :-) Anyways, I will look into the full spectrum lighting soon. Just wondering, I take it you have alot of birds (from previous posts). Any parrotlets?

[Joel]

Four of them. One female is in the nest constantly lately so I may have more soon.....Wish me luck!!!!! :)

[jessicaboyer89]

If you have babies, I would love to see pictures!!! They must be tiny!
Good Luck!!!!

[blueroseaviary]

Hi Jessica,

Congratulations on your new baby! What did you name her?

You didn't say what kind of parrotlet you have? Sometimes the green rumps get a little bit lost in a cage that is on the larger side. But, a pacific will use every inch that you give them. They love toys, especially swings and bells.

Parrotlets, particullary pacifics can become quite territorial about their cage. That is why you were told to take her out before you put your hand in there and start moving things around. You may not have that problem, I find it is the males that are more aggressive about protecting their territory. If you find that it is a problem then you can take her out first, but if not I wouldn't even worry about it. I have a couple (yes two) parrotlets that will rip me to shreds if I put my hand in their cage. Some of my untamed breeders will just move to the other side of the cage, and the rest of them couldn't care less about my hand being in the cage. I have found that my breeders are much more territorial over their cages than my pets.

It is very common for young birds to revert to just seed and millet when they have moved to a new home. It can take several weeks for them to start to adjust to their new people and environment. Try feeding her some fresh broccoli while she is out of the cage with you. If she is not interested, try eating some yourself and make a big deal about how good it is and then try offering her another piece. She'll get the idea that it is really good and if you are eating it then she has got to have some also. I also feed my birds birdie bread with chopped up veggies in it. They gobble it down everytime. I haven't had much luck with fruits, my birds really are not interested. I have much better luck with veggies. But, keep offering her a variety and see what she likes and dislikes.

Never let your parrotlet on the floor. They are so tiny the floor is never safe. Get her a playstand and teach her to stay on it. I like to use small table top playgyms that I can easily move around the house and keep my parrotlets with me when they are out of the cage. Magnolia Bird Farm at Magnolia & Cerritos in Anaheim had some really cute play gyms a couple of weeks ago. They were made out of plastic trays (like a cafeteria tray) that were brighly colored and the perches were made out of manzanita. They were really cute and easy to clean and had two feeder cups. You might want to check those out if they still have them.

You can switch her to a tube for water, but leave the water dish in there until you have seen her drinking from the tube. It's great that she will bathe on her own in the bowl so I would continue to offer that to her as well. Just be sure to give her fresh water once it has been soiled.

It shouldn't be a problem to introduce a new cage if you want to upgrade. Like Joel said if she has plenty of out of cage time during the day then you have no worries. My breeder cages are about the dimensions that Joel mentioned, but my pet cages are not that large. But, they still have room for toys and space to move around.

Again, congratulations! You're gonna be a good parrotlet mom. :)