Determing Age by Iris Color

Hello, I rescued a female Parrotlet , this past March, she was flown to a lady that was suppose to get a male, the breeder did send the male , the next day and told her to keep the female. The lady didn't want to keep the female, so I offered to take her. She was suppose to be a baby and her iris show and around that is gray, so her eye's are not all black like my male, when I got him as a baby. Is there any way you can tell a Parrotlet's age? She isn't real friendly, and also was suppose to be hand fed. I do know she is not a baby. Thank you, Evelyn Dear Evelyn: Thank you for your email. Once a parrotlet has reached the age of 6 months, you cannot determine age by visual inspection. Also, parrotlets have different colored iris’ – some are light, some are dark and they are often different colors. This is especially true in color mutations including splits. You say you got this bird in March? It had to be at least 6 to 7 weeks old at that time as that is when they wean. Therefore, the bird absolutely could have been a baby when you got it in March. It would now be around 6 months old so the iris would have changed color. And while it is not a ‘baby’ it certainly could be a young bird. Also, just because a bird ‘isn’t friendly’ doesn’t mean it wasn’t handfed. In fact, unless the bird is screaming, flinging itself around the cage and biting so hard it draws blood and doesn’t let go, you can be assured it was hand-fed. Hand-fed doesn’t mean the bird is a good pet; it only means it was hand-fed and therefore isn’t afraid of people. Doesn’t’ mean it likes people or wants to be around people or that it would be a good pet. It only means that it was fed by a human. That is why I always tell people to evaluate the breeder and make sure it is one who not only hand-feeds but imprints their birds and is honest enough to sell a human-friendly bird as a pet. Not one that was just hand-fed. Its never fair to the bird to sell it as a pet when it prefers the company of other birds and not people. 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