Parrotlet Picking Favorites

Hi Sandee,
I have been reading you blogs on facebook lately and I love the information you provide. I have a question that I am hoping you can help with.
My husband bought our pacific parrotlet september of 09 and he took a liking to us both, but recently we have noticed that he is very protective of me. He always choses me over my husband to land on and he attacks my husband if he tries to come close to me. Is there anything we can change to help with this?

Thank you,

Amanda

Dear Amanda:

Thank you for your email. Sorry for the delay in my response but I’ve had a family emergency this week.

This behavior is typical for parrots and of course, since parrotlets are true parrots, this kind of thing can develop. I do note that you say ‘he always chooses me to land on’, so I take it his wings aren’t clipped? I always recommend keeping a parrotlet’s wings clipped for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, safety. Parrotlets can easily fly into a window and be injured or killed. They can also drown in a sink or even cup of water, can be stepped on, sat on, crushed, electrocuted if they chew on wires, poisoned from chewing on plants or other toxic items including metal or painted or lacquered wood, burned on a stove or if there is an open flame or even escape.

The next reason is behavioral. You cannot control a parrotlet whose wings are clipped and negative behavior is often the result. They often learn to bite by simply biting harder and harder until the person lets go. They can also become territorial and aggressive, which is what your parrotlet is doing. Parrotlets are kings of all they survey and if they are free flying around the house, the entire house becomes their territory and they will become territorial with their owners. After all, they can fly and you can’t so obviously they must be in charge!

My suggestion would be to get your bird’s wings clipped and not allow him free rein of the house. He will soon settle down and go back to being manageable.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!

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