Untamed Adult Pair of Parrotlets

Hello Sandee!

I am the owner of 2 Parrotlets (pacific, male and female) for about 3 days. My husband purchased them for me at a Farmer's Market and we have little knowledge of their background or even age. They are very skittish around people (won't allow me to touch them) although they have started looking at me when I talk to them and whistling (which I am assuming is their way of talking).

I am not an avid bird lover but find these little creatures so adorable that I want to make an honest effort to make them a part of my family. I'd love to be able to hold them and teach them tricks and so forth but have NO IDEA where to start!

If you could provide any help on how I can first gain the trust and confidence of my newfound friends, I would certainly appreciate it!

Sincerely,

Sandra

Dear Sandra:

Thank you for your email. I just wrote a blog about the chances of taming an adult parrotlet and it is very detailed and extensive so I ‘m not going to go back into it other than to say that whether or not you will be successful depends on a) how old the birds are b) whether or not they were hand-raised c) the birds’ own personalities d) whether they are bonded to one another (which I can almost guarantee they are) and e) how much time, effort, patience and skill you are going to devote to taming these birds. The fact they are a pair probably means they are bonded to one another and that just makes this situation all the harder for you. This why breeders spend so much time, energy and effort to hand-feed parrotlets every 4 hours for weeks in order to make them good pets.
As for the necessary skills as well as environmental conditions – separating them, clipping their wings and dealing with getting bitten are things that are too extensive to put into a blog and is why I write books. Taming an untamed parrotlet is not something a novice bird owner can usually do – even experienced bird owners are not successful but if you want to try it, you are going to have to do more than just read a blog. My latest book is The Parrotlet Handbook and it is available at amazon.com or off my website. I also recommend you purchase Rebecca O’Connor’s book “A Parrot for Life” and if you can find it, Mattie Sue Athan’s Guide to a Companion Parrot.
Best of luck!
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
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