Saturday, January 29, 2011

Tracing Leg Band Information

Hi Sandee - I called and spoke with you last night about my Parrotlet. I had my husband get the numbers off of Chicklets foot band and this is what we were able to read.

0021 IPS (WHICH IS WRITTEN SIDE WAYS) PPV NYS (WHICH AGAIN IS WRITTEN SIDE WAYS) 07

I hope with this information you are able to let me know when my little Chicklet was born and where she comes from.

Please let me know if you have any information. I would so appreciate knowing. Thank you.

Lynn


Dear Lynn:

Thank you for contacting us. I can tell you from the information on the band that the breeder obtained the band from the International Parrotlet Society, the bird was bred in New York and that she was hatched in 2007.

I have found the breeder. He is a member of the International Parrotlet Society and lives in NY. I don’t have an email address for him but I have a phone number. If you give me your number, I’ll call him and ask him to contact you.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com

Join the International Parrotlet Society, – the World’s Largest and Oldest Parrotlet Organization www.internationalparrotletsociety.org

A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest.
Camaroonian Phrase


Dear Lynn:

I have left your name and numbers on his voice mail along with a detailed message about what you are looking for. Hopefully, you will hear from him soon. Take care and thank you again for contacting the International Parrotlet Society!

Sincerely yours,


Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
Secretary, International Parrotlet Society

Join the International Parrotlet Society, – the World’s Largest and Oldest Parrotlet Organization www.internationalparrotletsociety.org

A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest.
Camaroonian Phrase

Tracing Leg Bands

My bird has a band on its leg. Can you help me find the breeder?


Hi Sandee - I called and spoke with you last night about my Parrotlet. I had my husband get the numbers off of Chicklets foot band and this is what we were able to read.

Information removed....

I hope with this information you are able to let me know when my little Chicklet was born and where she comes from.

Please let me know if you have any information. I would so appreciate knowing. Thank you.

Lynn

I have found the breeder. He is a member of the International Parrotlet Society and lives in NY. I don’t have an email address for him but I have a phone number. If you give me your number, I’ll call him and ask him to contact you.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com

Join the International Parrotlet Society, – the World’s Largest and Oldest Parrotlet Organization www.internationalparrotletsociety.org

A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest.
Camaroonian Phrase

Sick/Dying Parrotlets

Greetings-

I hope you will be able to help me. I am at my wits end. I should begin with the fact that I have an indoor aviary where I raise finches. About 2 years ago I got my young son a parrotlet so he could have a more interactive bird. Despite being sold as 'hand-fed' and hand raised, he was always aggressive. About a month ago, a friend who has a small local pet shop decided to get rid of all her birds and offered me her 3 parrotlets at a fairly good price. I personally have seen them in the store for at least 6 months that I can recall and they appeared in good health. When I brought them home, I kept them separated from the other parrotlet and observed for any illness. To make a long story short, the first two died within two weeks, with no obvious signs of illness other than 'going light'. I tried many different types of seed, including millet spray since most birds seem to gobble that up and of course fed the previous food that they have been receiving. There were none of the obvious signs of illness. As a last resort, I tried hand feeding and given Amtex (amoxicillin). The only conclusion I could come to was that they may have not received the best care in the pet store and died from the stress of a new environment.

Now this is where things get a bit worse. I put the remaining, healthy bird in with mine (male+female) and my bird is now showing signs of being lethargic, sleeping, etc. Vent clean, droppings look good, I am observing for all the usual stuff. I am wondering if you are aware of any illness that is so lethal to these guys in such a short period of time. All the other birds in my aviary are healthy, including the remaining one from the pet shop. If anything, I would have expected to lose her if it was an issue of previous bad care. What, if anything can I do in terms of first aid?

I live is a rather rural area and have learned a long time ago that that the vets around here don't know much. I even drove an hour to see one that specialized in avian medicine and he was the least help. I have already lost two parrotlets and would be devastated by losing the one we have had for a couple years now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am grateful that you have taken the time to read this.

-Tina-

Dear Tina:

I am very sorry to hear about the problems with these birds. Obviously, I am not a vet nor does my 30 years of experience with parrotlets qualify me as someone who can definitively answer your questions. As someone who has birds, you know there is no way to absolutely know what happened or what illness, if any, these birds have had without a necropsy. I understand you live in a part of the country that doesn’t have vets you have confidence in although it is possible to have the birds transported to a facility that does necropsies. Most university veterinary centers will perform them (Texas A &, UC Davis, University of GA) and you can pack them in dry ice and ship them overnight. I am telling you this for the future and to let you know that no one can accurately tell you what is going on without one.

That being said, it is possible the birds could have any avian illness. Parrotlets are not unique and they are no more susceptible to illnesses than any other bird. They also do not have any specific diseases that ‘are so lethal to these guys they die in such a short period of time’. Of course, as a small bird they do have very quick metabolisms and ANY illness they get will go through them very quickly, just like your finches. Unfortunately, pet stores are not biosecure and every time that shop got a new bird in or even if anyone who owned a bird walked into that store, they were exposing every bird in it to all diseases. So if they kept them clean and fed them well, that’s great but it does not prevent diseases or illnesses from coming in. “Going light’ is an extremely serious medical condition for any bird but especially parrotlets since, again, they have such fast metabolisms and generally speaking if they lose a couple of grams of body weight over the course of a few days, they will starve to death regardless of clinical status. “Going light’ can indicate anything from a virus (such as PDD) to a fungal infection (Avian Gastric Yeast) or a bacterial infection (E. coli) or even a toxin (heavy metal poisoning from toys or the cage). Amoxicillin is an antibiotic and only works on specific bacterial infections but not all. If the birds did not have a bacterial infection or if the infection is not sensitive to amoxicillin, it would not work at all.

Unfortunately, the only way to diagnose the bird is to have it examined by a vet competent in avian medicine and have tests run. If you need to find a vet, you can contact the Association of Avian Veterinarians at www.aav.org They have link where you put in your zip code and they will give you the name of a member vet. More unfortunate, is that whatever is going on, it does sound contagious as the two birds died and now the third one appears to be ill. You can offer supportive care – such as heat, hand-feeding and isolation but the only hope for diagnosis and treatment is with a veterinarian.

Sorry, I wish I had better news.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com

Join the International Parrotlet Society, – the World’s Largest and Oldest Parrotlet Organization www.internationalparrotletsociety.org

A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest.
Camaroonian Phrase

International Parrotlet Society, Parrotlet Adoption & Shipping Parrotlets

Hi Sandee:

I am very interested in adopting a baby Parrotlet and I'm so excited that the International Parrotlet is based in my home state! I live in San Diego and there is a local bird store that sells Parrotlets but they are adults and I would like a baby Parrotlet that is not a mutation. Do you recommend any specific breeders? I found several based out of Florida but I would prefer to adopt a Parrotlet from a distance that I could pick it up personally rather than give the Parrotlet the added stress of being shipped. Please provide any information that you recommend I take a look at before adopting.

Many Thanks,
Karen

Dear Karen:

Thank you for your email. The International Parrotlet Society does run a Parrotlet Placement Program although the organization is not a rescue or shelter. IPS is 501c(3) educational organization and we offer this service as a courtesy. You can read more about it online but basically anyone can donate their bird to IPS and we will attempt to place it in a good permanent home with one of our members. Both the donor and the caregiver need to read our agreements, complete, sign and return them to us and arrangements will be made so the bird can be placed. This is a true adoption – no money changes hands and both parties must sign legally binding contracts. I do have to say that we have never placed babies – almost all of the birds are long-term pets whose owners can no longer keep them.

I do see that you have asked about breeders. IPS has many excellent breeders around the country including Southern California. However, they do not adopt birds. They sell them. I know a lot of people think is more politically correct to use the word ‘adopt’ as opposed to ‘buy’ but it is not legally correct. I am a breeder and do not adopt out birds. I sell them and barely make enough money to pay for their bird seed and most breeders are the same way. If you join IPS, you will receive a Breeder’s Directory so you can find local reputable breeders from which you can purchase birds.

Finally, you mention your concerns about shipping. While you probably will not need to have a bird shipped if you join IPS, I do have to say that it is my job to give people good information based on my 30 years of experience with parrotlets including more than 20 years of shipping them. I have shipped birds from Alaska to Florida in all kinds of weather and NEVER have had a single incident of ANY problems whatsoever. The airlines take excellent care of the birds as they are shipped in a climatized, pressurized part of the plane (some airlines will put parrotlets in the cabin) and they are hand-carried on the plane, hand-carried off and never are left on the tarmac or warehouse. Its not cheap for this service – generally they charge around $100 but it is worth every penny and again, I’ve never had a problem.

So, if you would like to join IPS, you can go to our website at www.internationalparrotletsociety.org and use our secure site to join the organization. You can also print off the Care Giver Agreement on our site, complete, sign and return it to us if you would like to adopt a bird.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions!

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
Secretary, International Parrotlet Society

Friday, January 7, 2011

3 Common Myths About Parrotlets

Hello Sandee,

I stumbled across your page today while trying to gain some insight into my parrotlets. I live in the uk. I bought my husband a green parrotlet for Christmas, we were told he was being tamed but seems as though he has had little or no contact. I treated him the same way I tamed our budgie ( I am aware that they are completely different species btw) so thought maybe as I was getting no where fast that maybe I should seek advice from parrotlet owners/breeders as I was almost certainly going to have to tame differently to budgie taming.

I took it slow, spoke very calmly, even singing softly to him which he seemed to relax when I did so, I offered millet and found he certainly calmed down when using this method, he will let me get around an inch away from him, he'll happily eat the millet I am offering, he will even lean forward for it. I was told by the breeder NOT to clip his wings as We read it helps with training and bonding, We joined a parrotlet forum and were advised to clip his wings, I then asked the parrot centre near us if they provided a wing clipping service, who advised strongly against wing clipping and said parrotlets are very sensitive stressful birds who when young can and do die from stress, and that they strongly advise against wing clipping as they are delicate little birds who can be harmed very easily, so now I feel very confused! I was also advised to keep them together! We currently have a pair one blue female and one green male, and another green male. We are very very confused on what to do for the best! The advice we have been given so far has been so conflicting! Could you please let us know what is best for our little feathered friends, I was also advised against taming our parrotlets as the stress may kill them? Any info would be so appreciated. Many thanks,

Kind regards Gemma.

Goodness Gemma. I'm not sure where to start with this! So much misinformation!

First, you absolutely need to have the bird's wings clipped. There is no way you are going to be able to control this bird and get him used to you with out it. Also, it is a safety issue. Parrotlets are very tiny and can easily be injured or killed if they are fully flighted and allowed out of their cage. They can drown in a toilet or sink, they can get stepped on, they can burn on the stove, another pet could attack them, they can escape and never be seen again. They also become very territorial and aggressive when they are fully flighted. After all, they can fly and you can't so all they have to do is bite you harder and harder until you let go and then viola! They have now been taught to bite! So, in the interest in training and for the bird's own safety, clip those wings. Please remember that unlike larger parrots that can barely make it around a room, a parrotlet can fly very fast in a small area and if they hit a window or mirror, they will certainly break their necks or have a skull fracture. Also, unlike the bigger parrots, parrotlets can still fly very well even with clipped wings because they are so aerodynamic and will still be able to get exercise and not get fat.

I can't believe after all this time people still believe the myth that parrotlets are fragile little creatures that will die if they become stressed. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you don't believe me, stick your hand in a nestbox with a hen on eggs or has babies. She will rip into your hand and certainly make you bleed. I clip all my babies before they go home and that's at 7-8 weeks of age. Parrotlets are one of the toughest birds you can have - they are fearless and indeed, one of their biggest problems is that they are often too bold and will attack other birds including other parrotlets or even other animals. My Doberman learned a long time ago to stay away from those nasty little things with feathers and beaks because they bite! And they bite hard!

Obviously, this is the same for the taming question. If the birds were hand-fed and imprinted (socialized) then they absolutely need human companionship. Parrotlets are true parrots and just because they are small, it doesn't mean they don't need interaction with their owners on a regular basis. I have clients whose birds go to school with them, work, go on vacations, I myself travel with breeders (who are not tamed or socialized) on airplanes and by car all the time. I travel thousands of miles with my birds and they enjoy the change of scenery and the interaction of new things. A pet parrotlet that has been socialized and trained is one of the most loving birds you can keep. I have sold them to children, the elderly and people who are handicapped. They make gentle, loving pets and enjoy their human families. Indeed, most will cling to the bars of the cage and chirp until you take them out and play with them.

Ok, the last myth. I almost NEVER recommend that people get two parrotlets. Again, this is because they are aggressive and territorial birds and even if they are siblings, one will usually become dominant over the other and 'share' is not a word in the parrotlet vocabulary. The dominant bird will not let the other eat, drink, perch, play or even interact with you. They look at the other bird as a competitor or rival not a companion. If you do get two, you will have to keep them in separate cages and only allow them physical contact with one another on neutral territory and only if they are supervised.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com

Join the International Parrotlet Society, – the World’s Largest and Oldest Parrotlet Organization www.internationalparrotletsociety.org

A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest.
Camaroonian Phrase