*PARROTLET INFO:

WE DO NOT PLAN TO HAVE PARROTLETS ANYMORE. HOWEVER, WE WILL LEAVE THIS INFO UP BECAUSE IT IS PRETTY HELPFUL & EXPLAINS THEIR BEHAVIOR.

Please do research on these before buying them from anyone. They are parrots in little bodies, hence the nickname "Pocket Parrots."

In our experience, parrotlets go through an adolescent stage. They will test you. If they bite, do not show that it bothered you or put them back. If you do, they win. They will learn that if they bite, they will be left alone. You need to push through this stage & the time it takes to break the stubbornness can vary. They do make great companions when you succeed.

They are smart & will test your patience. If you don't have time to work with them (through their first year), than please chose a different bird like the parakeets.

FYI: Parrotlets will bite harder because they have bigger beaks than parakeets. They could possibly draw blood.

PARROTLETS & THEIR STUBBORN STAGE AKA BITING STAGE:

Each Parrotlet (just like any bird) has its very own personality & you can not treat each one of them the same way. We sometimes forget that most birds are NOT domesticated & they are not tame and friendly by nature. It takes work & a lot of time and patience. There is no simple answer to why birds bite.

Parrotlets that are handfed as babies are usually not scared of anything. This of course depends greatly on the personality of each bird, but from our experience a handfed baby Parrotlet that grows up around people will not be scared of much. This can be very dangerous. They have the personality of a large Parrot and because they are so small they are not aware of all the dangers that come with this strong-headed personality. Please keep an eye out for dangers, it is your responsibility as a new bird owner to keep your new baby safe & away from things (also pets) that may cause harm. The Parrotlet will generally show you that he is not scared when he/she is secure in their cage. You may notice that he/she may go in to attack mode when a stranger, another bird or even another family pet (cat or dog) are close by.

The biting stage will normally start after being weaned & up to a year old. Parrotlets do love people. The biting does not mean that he/she does not love you anymore. He/she loves you so much it has chosen you for its mate. How exciting is that?! According to many bird experts, "the Parrotlet becomes frustrated that it cannot drive you to the nest and the two of you are not setting up housekeeping." Your Parrotlet will bite you to drive you away from a potential suitor (your human mate, child, acquaintance or other pet). The male Parrotlet also bites the female Parrotlet in the wild trying to wear her down. The Parrotlet is trying to drive you to the safety of his or her nest box. He/she may bite other people to communicate that you already have a partner. The bird may become territorial when you hold him/her & bite any one that comes in to your little bubble of space. Although these bites can be extremely painful & sometimes a little bloody, they are in fact love bites. If they are painful we suggest using a paper towel sheet to kind of hold/cuddle the bird with. Let your parrotlet bite on the paper towel if need be. Some people prefer soft cotton gloves but keep in mind that it may startle your bird & it may cause your bird to only allow you to handle him/her with those gloves.

Rules & limits must be set early. Parrotlets in this biting stage, DO NOT belong on your shoulder. They can grab hold of sensitive areas & bite down (example: ear). Hold your bird on your finger at a low level (chest or waist level). We believe that Parrotlets should also be stick or perch trained so you can always handle them even when they are in the stubborn biting stage. Do not engage in any rough play with your bird as that will bring out its natural aggression which can be ugly. Please discourage nibbling on your fingers or any part of your body. A jiggle of your finger and a firm "NO" is all that you need for young Parrotlets. You must be consistent for it to work. At this stage, do not give up on your bird. Please continue to hold and play with your Parrotlet during this stage even if he/she is biting you. Start using a perch in place of your finger to hold him or her. This is where perch training becomes handy. If you stop working with your bird at this point it will revert back to being wild & you lose the hand tame baby you were initially given. AS A BIRD OWNER, THIS IS THE WORST MISTAKE YOU COULD MAKE. Keep in mind that Parrotlets can live 15 to 30 years. How un-happy of a life he/she would have if they became wild (un-tame) & could no longer be held, petted or loved because he/she had lost their tameness. This is a natural stage for the parrotlet & they should nit be punished for it. Your Parrotlet may come into this same stubborn biting stage each year as it matures and enters breeding season.

Here's some stuff for you to think about when bringing your new baby Parrotlet in to your home.

The baby parrotlet is very loving and tame, however he/she was just purchased by his/her new owner and arrived at the new home for the first time.

Now your baby is going to be scared and stressed for a few days & up to a week (sometimes longer). Let him/her get used to their new home. Let him/her learn where the food & water are kept. Remember he/she as only known Momma their whole life up to this point. It will take him/her a few days to get used to everything. After they get settled, you should then start taking him/her out, holding & playing with them. This stage in their life is the most important stage! During the handfeeding stages your baby is learning & becoming tame. However, he/she is so interested in getting the baby food that nothing else around them really matters. He/she don't pay too much attention to anything except the food. At the stage where the baby arrives in the new home, the baby is weaned and no longer interested in just getting food. Now he/she is interested in everything & anyone around him/her. This is when the real bonding takes place. He/she is no longer focused on just food. Bonding does take time & patience!

Now that your baby is secure in their new home. He/she is now reaching the age of about 6 months and starting to mature. This age can come late and is not always 6 months. Each bird is different & some babies do not reach their mature age until they are 10 to 12 months old. However in most cases it will usually come around 6 months. At this point your bird will start to see you as his/her mate. It is very important to follow the steps that we talked about above. If he/she continues to bite you and if it hurts - start using a perch to hold them on. Also this is a good stage to use the birdie play grounds or playtops.

When Parrotlets go into the stubborn biting stage, continue to work with them daily. Remember that each bird has its very own personality & YOU have to be the judge as to what your little bird can handle because you don't want to put to much stress on them.

Keeping that in mind, sometimes you will have to force them (if needed) out of the cage. After pulling them out, move them to another part of the house where they can not see the cage. If they see the cage, they will continue to fly to it.

Now that you have your bird (wings clipped preferred), sit down on the floor with it and put him/her on your finger. If he/she jumps off, put him/her back on (you can also try using a perch in place of your finger). Do this over & over again until they gives up & remain on your hand. Also use millet treats holding them in one hand & letting them have the opportunity to have some each time he/she is on your finger. If you have one that just, no matter what will not give in, cuddle them in your hand placed up against your chest & stroke their back with your fingers & talk to them with a sweet voice for about 10 minutes & sometimes even walk about the house doing this.

Remember as we stated before, you have to be the judge of your own birds personality & stress level. Doing this the way we described above has worked for others. Parrotlets have very strong personalities & can be very strong headed, You must teach them that no matter how you hold them you are not going to hurt them and no matter how much they bites the paper towel (or your finger) you are not going to give up.

If your little one was handfed as a baby this will work, it may take longer for each bird depending on the personality and how much it was socialized as a baby. However, with time & patience you can succeed.

DO NOT just leave the bird in the cage & hope he/she will just some day get over it & run over and jump on your finger. It is very rare that will happen. If you stick your finger or hand in the cage & he/she runs away & you give up and let them continue to run away. You will loose your birds tameness completely. THIS GOES FOR ANY BIRD, NOT JUST PARROTLETS.

Be very gentle when holding your bird. Do not squeeze your baby, talk sweet to them, offer them treats, cuddle them & your little bird will tame back down in no time at all in most cases.