breeding suggestions?

[25k]

hi to all,
3 days ago, while searching through some classifieds, i found a p-let breeder about 10 minutes from my house. i called and talked with the woman several times about new babies she has, that might make Talon a good brother or girlfriend. when i went to her house the next day, she showed me 2 pairs of breeding parrotlets that are visual greens supposedly split to blue. the rest of her birds are color mutations. she was in an accident and has to downsize. she keeps her pet birds in the same general area as her breeders, this way they can not see each other but can hear each other. i thought, hmmm....i could do that with talon and then he will still remain pet quaility. so she made me a deal on 2 green pairs that i couldn't walk away from. now i have 4 breeder birds and Talon. 5 total. the bird room is shaping up and im am so excited. any suggestions on breeding parrotlets? they came with their breeding cages, nest boxes, swings, perches, and dishes. she told me no toys for breeders except for swings b/c then they dont pay attn. to the nest box, is this true? if it is, what a boring life. would it be okay if i filled the cages up with toys? i mean just b/c i bought the birds as breeders doesnt mean they have to, or that they will breed. they will always have a home here no matter what! one pair is very flighty and the other more calm. the flighty pair seem to be 100% bonded. he feeds her and last night they slept in the nest box. is this a good sign? the calmer pair wont even go near the nest box, granted they just got here 2 days ago and are still settling in. i just want them to be happy and healthy. my avian vet will be here today at 4 pm to check them out. they are still in quarantine, and will be for the next few weeks. i moved talon to a guest bedroom for now, and when he is out, the little booger has to fly to the birdroom door and pace back and forth in front of it, chirping, almost demanding that i open it. he is so worried that he is missing something lol. any advice would be greatly appriciated. thanks in advance and have a great day!

[chapala]

Well, looks like you are going to be a P'let breeder with your two pairs!

"she told me no toys for breeders except for swings b/c then they dont pay attn. to the nest box, is this true?"

That's a cruel myth that some breeders believe. Shredding and other toys are important for their quality of life. In the wild, look at the number of activities they have available to them, and they still breed. To put a pair in a sterile cage with no toys just isn't the right way to treat them in my opinion.

Sometimes parent birds don't feed their offspring or have other problems raising their young. If you don't know how to hand-feed yet, you may want to learn from a breeder now, before you might need the skill to save a bird.

[25k]

hi Reta, thanks for the info. i feel the same about toys and breeders, everything needs some kind of stress relieving outlet. even humans. i do know how to hand feed, i raised quakers last year and talon from ten days old about 3 months ago.

[chapala]

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

[25k]

anyone else have any suggestions or ideas on how to make my breeders happy enough to breed?

[Lori~D]

All my breeder Parrotlet cages were filled with toys. What got them going was when I first moved them to where they were in front of the window 24/7 and then eventually outside. I kept the breeder stack cages hung under my patio where they were protected from harsh weather but they still got the blowing rain some and were outside the entire summer until it gets down into the 40's - THEN i had plenty of babies! AND some pairs could see each other but there was several feet between them. They can see - just not too close. Lots of fresh food and toys is great and NO PEEKING in the nestboxes, they hate that.

[25k]

wow! thanks lori~d! i have both pairs in front of an east facing window with a huge tree in front of it, that way they can see out, but no sun hits them directly. i am slowly putting toys together for them. whew! i made 2 today but i need to go get more supplies!!!