Parrotlet Blog

Feather Destructive Behavior, Feeding Nuts

2012-01-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks Sandee for your great parrotlet work and your blog
I know myself and others look forward to new issues being brought up, and your articulate response to all questions.
Also is there a blog connected with yours for parrotlet fans to discuss parrotlet
tales and experiences ..?
On to the good feisty chattie pac. parrotlet named Odie....our special friend here ...
We waited for months for odies' beautiful tail feathers to grow back in after moulting and radiate
their shape and coloration.....well they grew in nicely but in the last few weeks he has
been nibbling and chewing on them....corncobbing' I call it ......picking off the sides and leaving
the center stem or rachis....he is healthy, gets oodles of attention ....as he wants,
and has a good and balanced diet....attention parrrotlet fans....snow peas have
become a favorite of his....organic with prizes in every pod.
So, my question for you this morning is does his picking at Those particular feathers only
indicate emotion stress or dietary absence...?
Your answer would be greatly appreciated
As Odie is aging and being male energized he has become nippy only on occasion
usually around his cage and food which you have always told your readers is quite
normal...acceptance of his moods and having patience is always essential.

I'll be doing an experiment nxt week that I'll send you and the ranch' readers
the result of.....Odie gets a nut bowl daily usually in the afternoon...consisting of
three cashews two almonds and five shelled pistachios...of course he doesn't
and isn't capable of eating all of it....a large amount of nut flour I call it is left in the bowl.
So, I'm planning to weigh the nuts combo before I place it in his bowl, then I will
weigh the nut flour that is left and report the amount of actual consumption to you
And your readers....should be an interesting experiment and eventual result

Thanks again for being there for us all with your tremendous knowledge and answers to
our parrotlet questions

Warm regards
Mark

Dear Mark:

Thank you for your kind note. Unfortunately, until we get bird psychiatrists no one can say why animals do anything. I have friends who chew their fingernails - who knows why? Same with birds. I am not one who believes that animals have emotions like people - their behavior is guided by instinct and it has been my experience over the last 30 years that there are as many reasons for feather destructive behavior in birds as there are birds who engage in it. We humans are always looking for a rational explanation and with animals, sometimes there are none or at least none that sense to us highly evolved humans. I sincerely doubt your bird is malnourished or not receiving an adequate diet but that is based on your behavior not the bird's. As for 'emotion' it could be stress or hormones as those are usually the two culprits when it comes to parrotlets. Sometimes you can figure it out and resolve it, sometimes you can't.

As for the nuts you are feeding, please be careful. That is so much fat that bird is receiving that alone could cause heart problems. Of course, he isn't going to eat it all - again, Nature designed birds to cohabitate in their environment and that includes spreading pollen, seeds and nuts to help disburse plants in the wild. Therefore, birds are very wasteful and both play with their food by tossing and carrying it around as well as only eating small amounts from each bite. If you ever have seen a flock of cockatoos in Australia land in a corn field and pick up each ear, take a bite and throw it on the ground or flick the corn out of their mouths, you can see Nature in action and how the symbiotic relationship between birds and their environment. To me a much more conclusive experiment would be to see how much weight that bird gains over the course of 6-12 months eating that many high fat nuts. Both in the wild and in zoos, studies are done to see both what birds are eating and how much but they do it by checking crop contents. That, or analyzing droppings' contents, are the only scientific ways of determining what birds eat as well as how much.

Best of luck with your bird. Please keep me posted.

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

Can a Shelter Import Birds?

2012-01-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks for your letter Sandee,

Yes, the situation is intolerable. I understand that the only way to import new birds is to become a bird sanctuary. Have you any input on this? I have been breeding birds for a long time, poultry mostly, and I know that it is very important to bring in new genetics regularly to keep the flock healthy. If there is a way to become a bird sanctuary and import more specs, would you see that as a benefit to the national flock?

Sincere warm regards,

Cailin

Dear Cailin:

No, that is not how you import birds. A sanctuary is a shelter for abused animals and they are ALWAYS against breeding. The entire purposed of the WBCA importation exceptions is to breed for conservation purposes only. NOT sell into the pet trade.

The ONLY way to import is to be a bona fide 501(c)(3) educational and/or conservation organization as is IPS. In fact, IPS was recognized as the ONLY organization able to import parrotlets and one that worked directly with USF & W. In fact, the ONLY reason there are ANY mutation parrotlets (or other parrots for that matter)is because IPS petitioned USF&W at the time of passage of the WBCA to include them because biologically, mutations can only be sustained in captivity. In the wild, Nature culls them out.

But people these days do not want to support organizations. Its so much easier to just get online and ask people. No one has to do any work, pay any money or support the avian community. In fact, I am writing an article, as well as submitting a paper to two national avian conventions, about how the loss of bird clubs will eventually lead to the loss of pretty much all of our birds eventually. This is a very real and distinct possibility and one that is largely being ignored by the avian community. Everyone is so caught up with animal rights and other 'red herrings' that by the time people realize, it will be too late.

For almost all the species of parrotlets, it already is. So, no. If you want to import parrotlets, you should join IPS and support it because once the bird clubs are gone there will be NO WAY to import anything unless you are a zoo or looking for color mutations. Normal birds will not be imported.

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

Spectacle Parrotlets

2012-01-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandy,

You may remember me. My name is Cailin Callahan and we have spoken on the phone a few times back when I was looking for breeder pairs of spectacled parrotlets. Presently I have two pairs -- only one of which has begun reproducing. This pair is unrelated and have produced 4 babies, presently fledging and appearing to be made up of 3 hens and a male. They are 4 weeks old having hatched all in the first week of December. I have another breeding pair which has yet to do anything. The male of this pair is the brother to the male of the reproducing pair and the hen of this pair is the sister of the hen of the reproducing pair. Offspiring from this couple will be double first cousins to the offspring of the first pair and so they would be a little too closely related to take the progeny of these two pairs and breed them.

I am writing to find out if you are still breeding spectacled parrotlets and if you know of an aviary called "three sisters" in North Carolina. I understand she was looking for specs to trade recently but I have been unable to find her. Also, I will soon be looking to sell these babies which have all been regularly handled and hand fed intermittantly. None of them bite but one does shout at you a bit at first when you handle him. They would all make great pets or breeder birds.

Thanks for any help you may be able to give and best of luck to you in 2012!

Cailin

Dear Cailin:

Thank you for your email. If you have read any of my materials you would know that Spectacles didn’t come into the US until 1992, right before the Wild Bird Conservation Act was passed. This prohibited the importation of all the species of parrotlets except for color mutation Pacifics. The birds that were imported in 1992 came from Europe so they were not wild caught birds and there were less than 20 pairs imported. This means that pretty much all of the birds around today are all related in some way – many of whom are very closely related. Just because you get birds from someone else, is no assurance that the birds are not related. I love to tell the story of a friend who bought WILD CAUGHT macaws – one from TX, one from FL and one from CA. He had them DNA’ed and ALL of them were related. And if that happened with wild caught birds, you can be assured that the original pairs that came in the country in 1992 were probably all related because they all came from one breeder in Belgium. The only reason the birds are still around today is because a) the International Parrotlet Society created a breeding cooperative and a managed studbook so that the original pairs’ offspring were as widely distributed as possible and b) the birds that came in were very healthy and were excellent founder stock. Unfortunately, each generation brings the inbreeding quotient higher and higher until eventually the birds will all be sterile or have incapacitating genetic abnormalities. There is no way to prevent this since the Federal government will not allow the importation of new stock. Very sad and as someone who was one of the first people in this country to breed Spectacles and is a co-founder of the International Parrotlet Society who worked for 2 decades to preserve these species, it is incredibly sad. But, people wanted to make money breeding color mutation Pacifics, as well as feeding their own ego’s to make pretty new colors, so the other species – Mexicans, Blue Wings, Yellow Face and even the more common ones such as Green Rumps and Spectacles are pretty much genetically, if not literally, extinct in this country. Another 10 years, and they will all be gone. Very sad.

3 Sisters Aviary used to be members of the International Parrotlet Society but no longer are so I have no idea if they are still around or not. All of my birds are in breeding cooperatives and are traded with zoos and biological parks. I do not sell them into the pet trade.

I wish I had better news for you but unfortunately, that is the state of birds these days. Best of luck to you in your endeavors and if you would like to get more detail, I have a blog as well as an article in the July/August 2011 IPS journal on genetically extinct species of parrotlets and how they came to be that way. It is sad but an interesting read and I am one of the few people in this country that can accurately report it since I was there.

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

Pacific or Green Rump?

2012-01-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Hello,
I was wondering if a Pacific Parrotlet can be just as nice and gentle as a Green Rumped? Or if a Green Rumped will like to come out of it's cage and be with me just as much as a Pacific would. I am having a hard time deciding on which type and not really sure of the real differences in temperment. Is it true the Green Rumped won't nip? And how can you tell if it is a good baby or not in temperment? Or is that not possible...
Thank you,
Apryl

Dear Apryl:

Thank you for your email. All birds are individuals and you cannot determine an individual bird’s personality or pet quality based solely on its species or even sex. A bird’s individual personality, how it was imprinted (socialized and handled as a young chick) and the training it receives from its owner are the biggest determining factors in how a bird is going to behave. Pacific parrotlets are the most popular pet parrotlets in the world. There are literally tens of thousands of them kept as pets and that includes being owned by children, older adults and the handicapped. Green Rumps, like all birds (or all animals for that matter) certainly DO bite any anyone who claims otherwise clearly doesn’t know what they are talking about. Parrotlets are not domesticated animals like puppies or even cockatiels or budgies and they will not act in their normal manner around strangers. This is a survival instinct ingrained in them by Nature in order to help them survive. Therefore, the judgment about which particular bird is right for you is best left to the breeder, which is why it is SO important to find one that a) has enough experience to be able to judge a parrotlet’s personality and b) is honest enough to match each bird’s personality with the appropriate owner.

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

Will One Pair of Parrotlets Breed?

2011-12-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandy,
I have been out of birds for a few yrs now because of my health.I have a dumb question..I want to get a pr of parrotlets again to have in my sunroom.(I miss the little munchkins).Will they breed with just having one pr in the room? It is a very quiet area,only I will be in going into that room.We are in our 60s and not much traffic in and out of the house.
Ann

Dear Ann:

Its wonderful to hear from you and no, that isn’t a dumb question. While it has been my experience the birds breed better when there are more than one pair and they can hear each other but not see each other, that doesn’t mean it is a hard and fast rule. Believe me, many people who have bought parrotlet pairs as pets and never expected them to breed have reported they have bred. You could certainly get a pair and see how it goes. You are not only an experienced breeder but an excellent one and I have complete faith in your ability to provide the birds with what they need. Also, at the risk of giving myself a plug, The Parrotlet Ranch does sell a CD of parrotlet aviary calls that many people have reported as being successful when played around their breeding pair. I would give it a try. You certainly are missed in the parrotlet world and it certainly needs more dedicated, wonderful breeders like yourself.

Hope you have a wonderful 2012!

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

Parrotlet's Sudden Death

2011-12-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee,
I have Very Bad news .Today My Parrotlet of 1 month Died…This morning it was acting just fine.. was out on our shoulders etc. eating & Drinking then back in its cage I noticed it was shacking its head as if trying to get something out of its throat or down its throat. But it seemed to manage ok ….I came back at noon and it was dead next to the water bowl. Of course my kids are devastated! I am wondering if it could have choked on the millet or something. Or what we could have done?

Your input would be appreciated.

Regards

Matt

Dear Matt:

I am so sorry to hear about the sudden loss of your parrotlet. I can’t imagine how upset the family must be. Unfortunately, no one can tell you what happened with that bird except a veterinarian trained in veterinary medicine who completed a necropsy (animal autopsy) with 24 hours of death. However, what you are describing sounds to me like some kind of seizure. It may have been caused by an injury – especially if the bird fell, flew into something or was dropped and hit its head. Or it could have been a stroke, a heart attack, a tumor, some kind of toxin exposure – most likely airborne, heavy metal poisoning or a number of other things. But, without a necropsy there is no definitive answer. It does sound to me like it was very sudden and probably nothing could have been done – especially if it were not an injury or the bird was exposed to some kind of toxin.

I am so sorry for you loss but I hope this helps as it does sound like nothing could have been done to prevent the bird’s death.

Sincerely yours,

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

Parrotlet Training Books

2011-12-27T08:04:00.000-08:00

Please advise me of any good books regarding Parrotlets

Matt

I only know of one that I can recommend and that’s the one I wrote. The Parrotlet Handbook published by Barron’s, written by Sandee L. Molenda and its available at amazon.com or on my Parrotlet Ranch website. www.parrotletranch.com

Sincerely yours,

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

Importing Chickens

2011-12-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Wow that is crazy to figure that all out, is the some 1 that imports for a living that you can send me there info? All i am interested in is a few rare chickens.

Dear Mike:

Thank you for your email. Chickens are not the same as parrots when it comes to importing. Chickens are domestic animals raised for the food industry. Parrots are wild animals, many of whom are rare and endangered and protected in their countries of origin.

I’m sure the poultry industry has professional importers but they don’t import a few chickens. They import by the hundreds of thousands. I’d contact USDA, they are in charge of all domestic poultry imports and exports. I can tell you because of chickens are not rare nor endangered (and no BREED of chicken is considered rare under Endangered Species Act or Convention in International Trade of Endangered Species) that they are much easier to import so long as there are no Avian Influenza or Exotic Newcastles Disease outbreaks in their countries of origin. But USDA is the governing authority.

Good luck.

Sincerely yours,

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

Egg Laying Female Pacific, Talking Male

2011-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee,

I rescued a five-year-old, female, parrotlet, from Vancouver last September. Since then she has laid two clutches of eggs. The first clutch was five eggs. At the present time (second clutch), she is sitting on six eggs. One fell out of the birdie hut, where she sleeps and keeps her eggs. The last egg was laid November 28th. I have decided to leave the eggs, until December 23rd, as this is the incubation period of the parrotlet. I am also taking away her lovely hut since she likes to lay eggs in it. I read your site, where you suggested reducing the hours of sunlight/natural light she receives (cover off at 8:00 am; cover on at 8:00 pm). I hope she doesn’t produce anymore eggs. Do you have any other suggestions? I also have three male parrotlets (she doesn’t like them), who talk. I put her in my bedroom after she laid her first clutch so she wouldn’t hear the other birds. I don’t like doing this, as I like them all together.

I thought you would be interested to know that I rescued a tiny green, male Pacific parrotlet from Vancouver, who is five-years-old. I don’t know his history, but he is very frightened. No one wanted him because he wasn’t tame. Since I adopted him, he has calmed down quite a bit. He is a very quiet little boy. Last night I was watching my other two blue males sitting on the counter in my kitchen, while they were eating a kiwi and birdie bread that I make. They both talk. To my amazement, I could hear talking and at first thought it was one of the birds on the counter. But it wasn’t because they were eating. It was the little green male, Riley, who was talking up a storm in his cage! This confirms that these little parrotlets (males) can learn to talk even if they are older. I absolutely love this species of bird. They continue to amaze me.

Kind regards,
Sylvia

Dear Sylvia:

Thank you for you email. As I have posted on my website, blog and in my 3 books, the two most important ways to prevent pet female parrotlets from laying eggs is a) to reduce the number of daylight hours to less than 12 and b) to remove any ‘nest-like’ structures in the cage. These two factors will stop 99.9% of most female parrotlets from laying eggs. Of course, there are no guarantees and should she continue, I would definitely have her vet checked. Certain medical conditions can be a factor but generally speaking it is a husbandry problem that can be rectified by changing the environmental factors that stimulate hormones and cause egg laying in pet hens.

I will say should also be supplementing her with additional calcium – both in the form of supplements such as sprinkling a powdered calcium supplement on her fresh foods, providing her with cuttlebone (as much as she will eat) and mineral block plus in her food sources such as green leafy vegetables and broccoli. Cup for cup, broccoli has more calcium than milk and green leafy vegetables such as bok choy, mustard and turnip greens and even the tops of carrots and beets are excellent sources of calcium. I would avoid spinach because spinach is thought to bind calcium and make it harder for the body to absorb. Boiled, chopped eggs with the shell are also excellent and will provide protein and vitamin e as well.

I would not remove the eggs. Mother Nature has hard-wired these birds to sit for a certain period of time and while incubation of eggs generally is 21 days to hatching, she may longer for a variety of reasons. Removing the eggs before she has completed her cycle, regardless of what the calendar says, may cause her to lay again. This is probably why she ‘double-clutched’ in the first place so just leave those eggs alone and let her do what she has been designed to. Not only can she become egg-bound with another clutch, she can also suffer from a prolapsed uterus, extreme blood calcium deficiency and brittle bones…all of those are extremely serious and can result in death.

Also, I would put all the birds back into the same room. There is no reason to believe that the males being in the same room had anything to do with causing her to lay. She doesn’t like males, has obviously imprinted on humans (which is why she is a good pet in the first place) and in the wild, parrotlets leave the company of the flock to go off and raise their offspring on their own. I would say that it has been my 30 year experience that a female would want to fight off these other birds not be so entranced with them that it has caused her to lay eggs. Unfortunately, there are no “Elvis Presley’s” or “Frank Sinatra’s” in the bird world. If there were, it would be a lot easier for people who are trying to breed parrotlets.

I do love the story about your male but I would have to say that he did not suddenly, spontaneously learn to imitate human speech. While you certainly can ‘teach an old parrotlet new tricks’ what you are describing is perfectly normal behavior for an adult male parrotlet that is going through the stress of a move and a learning to adapt in a new environment. I am certain he knew how to mimic human speech but was quiet since speaking in human words is extremely unnatural for a parrotlet and probably would have done it in a few months anyway but when he heard your birds, he joined the conversation. Probably just to say “hey, I’m here! Can I join your flock?” Besides, when parrotlets are learning to speak they take several weeks or months making very garbled sounds that don’t sound like human speech at all. They generally will say words or phrases to themselves for a while before they attempt it to their human owners. It is a well-known in the bird community that teaching any bird to talk is MUCH easier and faster when another bird teaches them – in fact there are videos and CDC’s of parrots talking available to teach birds to speak human language. But if your bird suddenly started “talking up a storm’ it was because he already knew how, he just didn’t feel comfortable until your other birds started talking.

I hope this helps and best of luck with your flock. As I’ve said, I’ve kept parrotlets for more than 3 decades and they are amazing little parrots, for sure! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday and I wish you a very happy New Year!

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Importing Parrotlets into Australia

2011-12-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hi

my name is Monika and I have a pair of parrotlets that are perfect pets. I live in Germany. Now I will go for three years to Australia. As I understand I'm not allowed to take the birds with me.

Now I search for breeders of parrotlets in Australia but I can't find any. Do you know if there is any possibility to get parrotlets in Australia. I love this birds so much.

Best regards

Monika

Dear Monika:

Thank you for your email. Australia is one of the few countries that neither allows the export of their birds nor the import of other countries. You are correct - they will not allow you to legally import parrotlets. As far as being able to purchase any birds there, I do have a few people who live in Australia and, although the last time Australia 'tried' importing was over a decade ago, you might be able to find a pair or two - they would cost at least $10,000 or more. And, in all likelihood they would be smuggled. If they had been imported legally, they would be very old. And still extraordinarily expensive. I'm so sorry.

Sincerely yours,

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

Traveling To Scotland With A Conure

2011-12-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I have just read your article online, thank you for making it
available; I found it very informative.

I own a seven year old green cheek conure. I am moving from the
United States to Scotland where I am getting married and settling
down. I am not willing to give him up so I will do whatever I can to
keep him with me.

I have found difficulty trying to get definite answers to questions
concerning my travel with my bird; for example, Continental said he
has to travel in cargo for the 8 hour flight. I am concerned about
the conditions in cargo and his survival as he is only 12 grams.
Edinbourgh airport does not grant entry to birds so it seems I have to
go through London, where they will quarantine him for 30 days which I
am afraid he will not survive well.

I am willing to fly to another country and then take the train into
the UK if that would work. I have heard of people doing that with
cats and dogs to avoid quarantine. Do you have any suggestions for
me? I would appreciate any information you can provide.

Thank you so much for your help.
Sincerely,
Taryn

Dear Taryn:

Thank you for your email. What you are reading on that website is about traveling in the United States with birds. Not taking the bird out of the country on international flights. That is because it is extremely difficult, time consuming, expensive and every country has their own rules about importing birds. It is not the airlines polices you have to deal with, it’s Federal, international and European Union, as well as the United Kingdom's (and quite possibly the government of Scotland as well) laws you have to deal with.

Generally speaking, most species of birds (other than budgies and cockatiels) are NOT domesticated animals but are considered wild animals and because many species are rare and endangered, they are not regulated like dogs and cats. The EU, just like the US, has a policy that prohibits the import of wild-caught parrots. You will have to prove to the EU as well as Scotland (and perhaps the UK) that the bird was legally captive-bred in the US. I have no idea what they require for that designation but I do know that the US does NOT recognize a leg band nor a microchip or even a bill of sale as 'proof' a bird was legally bred in the US. You will need to contact the EU and Scotland about that. I will say not having the proper paperwork or attempting to bring the bird in under the radar of the authorities is called 'smuggling'. Smuggling a bird into a country is a very serious and very dangerous international crime and in the US, it is punishable by YEARS in Federal prison.

You will need to go through US Fish and Wildlife. They will give you the application for the export (US) and CITES (international) permits as well as the arrangements for issuance of health certificates and inspections. This costs a lot of money and can take longer than 6 months. You will also need to get import permits from Scotland as well as possibly the UK and the EU. I have no idea what their requirements are but if they require quarantine (and almost all countries do in order to keep out poultry diseases as well as N5N1 bird flu) you will be required to place the bird there and pay for its keep as well as veterinary inspections. Again, trying to get around this requirement may cause you to be arrested and charged with international wildlife smuggling.

As for the airlines, ALL airlines follow the IATA guidelines and ALL birds MUST travel in the cargo hold. This isn't a problem if the bird is in the proper container and has food and a source of water. I ship parrotlets which are one of the world's smallest species of birds at 28 grams (and btw, there is no way ANY conure weighs 12 grams) and is smaller than half of your conure's tail without any ill effects all over the country including Alaska. Besides, back in the day when the US DID import wild caught birds these birds were captured, trekked out of the jungle, placed in holding facilities that were less than ideal and then shipped to the US from South America (in the case of your conures predecessors) and tens of thousands of birds arrived safely in the US. In all likelihood, your bird would simply go to sleep during the flight since most birds are used to small enclosed areas and Mother Nature designed them to be quiet in the dark so they don't get eaten by predators.

Anyway, you have a lot of work to get done so I wish you the best of luck. International law is designed to be difficult when it comes to bringing birds around the world. This is a) to protect them in their countries of origin from extinction and b) to protect the human population as well as the human food supply from diseases. But you need to start with USF&W.

Hope this helps and let me know how it goes.

Sincerely yours,

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

Appropriate Temperatures & Suggestions for a Picky Eater

2011-12-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee,

I recently inherited a parrotlet that is two years old. I have been reading about them and trying to make sure I’m providing the best care possible. When he first came into my home, he was very sweet and fun. However, he has settled in to a routine and since his wings are not clipped, he is now acting like a total barbarian. We are taking him to the vet to get his wings clipped and I will be following your instructions for curbing his new and terrible biting habit. My main concern is his diet and ambient room temperature. What temperature should he be kept at and does he need a full spectrum light if he’s in a room with a lot of windows? He is being fed the following seeds: spray millet, cockatiel mix and canary mix. I have offered various fruits and veggies but he mainly likes sunflower, safflower and millet. He also likes nuts like walnuts and pecans. Any suggestions for converting him to eating more fresh food?

Thanks so much
Melissa

Dear Melissa:

Thank you for your email and my apologies for the delay in responding. We had a terrible windstorm here last week and I was without power (as well as phone, cell and wifi) for 4 days. It was a mess.

I am sorry to hear that your little one is being, well, a typical parrotlet who is fully flighted and being bratty. I think you will see an immediate difference in his attitude as well as his behavior once you get those wings clipped again. Parrotlets are very territorial so when they are fully-flighted and have run of the house, they simply transfer that aggression to every where they go, not just with their cage. But most parrotlets immediately go back to being sweet the moment they realize they no longer are in control by flying around the house.

As far as room temperature goes, most adult parrotlets (and even youngsters who have been acclimated) are perfectly content in the same temperature as people. Generally speaking 60-80 degrees are ideal; however, most people don’t realize that they can withstand much lower temperatures. Its actually heat that is a problem – anything above 85 degrees can be dangerous. It has been my experience that anything below 60 degrees stops them from breeding but pet birds can easily withstand much lower temperatures. In fact, I know people that keep them outdoors, once they are acclimated, in places where the temperature drops to as low as 40. So long as they have shelter, are protected from strong drafts and have lots of food to keep their energy up, especially foods high in fat, they are just fine. So, a pet parrotlet kept in a home will certainly be safe and happy in the same temperatures that you and your family enjoy.

Getting parrotlets to eat a good diet, if they weren’t introduced to a wide variety of fresh and healthy foods at a young age, can be challenging. In my latest book, The Parrotlet Handbook, I include in the chapter on diet, ideas and strategies for getting picky eaters to accept a wider variety of food. It can be as simple as providing foods that have a lot of seeds (contrary to popular belief, seeds ARE a natural diet of birds – after all, there are no pellet trees in the jungle) such as peppers (both hot and mild), kiwi, strawberries, melon, papaya, squash, zucchini, etc. You can also place a small dish of thawed frozen peas and corn and sprinkle millet or another favorite food on it. Usually they start playing with it and eventually they start eating it. You can get a birdy kabob and string chunks of various kinds of veggies on it (most parrotlets prefer vegetables to fruit). Again, they start playing with it, eat part of it and then eventually decide “Hey, this stuff isn’t bad!”. You can also place pieces of broccoli or leafy greens in the cage clipped to a favorite perching spot. Another easy way to get them to eat is make a ‘bird bread’ with lots of vegetables it in or try some of the cooked diets they now have available. It really is a matter of trying different things as well as being patient and consistent until you figure out what works with your parrotlet.

I hope this helps. Best of luck with your bird and if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Hopefully, I will be able to answer in a much more timely manner. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday.

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

Hi Sandee,
Thanks for the response; I saw the wind-storm damage on the news; that was really shocking for the area!

We got Foghorn’s wings clipped at the vet and he’s already much better. He was acting very angry and biting, so we gave him some floor time and he was acting sheepish in no time once he realized he couldn’t fly to my head in order to bite my ears. Your blog was a life-saver!

I’m relieved to know I don’t have to keep the house at 75 in the winter or hook up a heat bulb; I’m a former iguana keeper so I assumed any semi-tropical critter might have special heat needs.

Wish me luck on the vegetable endeavor; he has already eaten the peas from inside a snow pea pod, so I have at least one victory!

Thanks again,
Melissa

You got the idea Melissa. Foods that are fun i.e., can be ripped, flinged, tossed or otherwise mutilated prior to consumption are great ways to introduce him into eating better. Best of luck and I’m glad I could help!

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.

Spectacle Parrotlets

2011-12-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

I am still looking for a weened male spectacled baby. Do you have any or are you expecting any soon?

Imagine peace,
Denise

I'm so sorry Denise but I have reduced the numbers of birds so I have nothing available and my waiting list is so long I can't take any more names. I am so sorry.

Sincerely yours,

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

Thank you for the response. I will keep looking. Maybe I should start breeding them. They are too dear to be so rare.

Imagine peace,
Denise

Unfortunately, it's really too late. We no longer import any birds other than Pacific color mutations and since most people got rid of their other species more than a decade ago to breed high dollar color mutations, all the other species are either literally 'extinct' in American aviculture - such as Yellow Face (which were imported in very small numbers back in the mid-1980's), Sclater's (only 1 pair proven to have been bred and then they all died in a house fire also in the 1980's) and Mexican parrotlets (most of which were smuggled birds that had avian TB) or genetically extinct, because there are no unrelated birds to breed to one another, such as Blue Wings, Spectacles, Green Rumps and even normal, wild-type (non-mutation) Pacifics. I wrote an article about it for the IPS journal. For me, after spending 30 years of my life trying to save these species it is beyond heartbreaking.

Sincerely yours,

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

IPS Band Tracing

2011-10-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am looking to contact the breeder of a pair of parrotlets that I bought Any information would be appreciated thank you

Bands are both silver and closed - Both are Green Parrotlets info on bands is as follows
Male - IPS(sideways) SFA MI(sideways) 054 03(sideways)
Female- IPS(Sideways)SFA MI(sidways)033 03 (sideways)

Thank You

Thank you for your email. This breeder is registered in our database although they are no longer a member. If you give me permission, I would be happy to forward your email to her and ask her to contact you. She is a wonderful woman and bred excellent birds.

Sincerely yours,

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

Thank you :) Yes please give her my email Thank you so much :)

Kelli

Dear Kelli:

I have been in contact with the breeder. She was one of the best parrotlet breeders in the country but when her husband became terminally ill, she had to stop breeding and find new homes for her birds. That was several years ago. Her husband, unfortunately, passed away and she had to sell her home and move from a large home to a small apartment in her daughter’s home. This arrangement did not allow her to bring many things including her breeding records; all of which were destroyed more than 5 years ago. So I am very sorry but she has no information on her birds available than what is on the band – the birds were hatched in 2003, they were unrelated and they were hatched in Michigan. Other than that, all the pedigree information has been destroyed.

I am sorry I could not find out more information for you. Unfortunately, as more and more breeders give up their birds due to the economy and family obligations as well as illnesses and other issues that develop over time, more and more of this information is going to be lost. As I said I do know that the breeder these birds came from took excellent care of her birds and you can be assured the birds came from strong, healthy stock.

I hope this helps and best of luck with your birds.

Sincerely yours,

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

Green Rump Parrotlet Life Span

2011-10-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sandee,

In September of 1996 we obtained a Greenrump parrotlet from you and named him "Tasi", which is Chamorru for "ocean". While he had some health issues in his early years (GI infections) which had to be treated and were avoided later with closer supervised and healthier nutrition, he lived to almost 15 years and passed away without any sign of illness overnight in June.
Dr. Dustin from the Bay Area Bird Hospital had been our trusted vet for all these years. We needed to see her almost every 6 weeks in the last few years of Tasi's life to have his beak trimmed, as the lower mandible tended to grow to much (or fast).

We thought you might be interested in feedback as far as the life expectancy is concerned. You had initially told us Parrotlets may live "up to the early 20s", Dr. Dustin estimated 15 to 20 years. Sadly, he did not even reach the lower end of that range.

Sincerely,

Alex

Dear Alex:

Thank you for your email. I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Tasi. I am sure you and your family must be grieving and I am so sorry for your loss.

I hope that someday you will find comfort in the fact that your bird lived a long, happy life where he was loved and enjoyed. Unfortunately, longevity in captive-bred parrotlets is proving not to be as lengthy, in many cases, as their wild-caught counterparts did. I bred wild-caught parrotlets for 15 years prior to the ban being instituted in 1992. We obviously did not know the age of the birds when they were imported but they routinely, at least in my aviary, for 18-20 years or more. I am one of the people in the US who is actually qualified to state that based on my own knowledge; very few people who keep parrotlets today were around 20 years ago so they, and I am assuming your vet is one of them, just repeating information they have read and have no direct knowledge of lifespans simply because they never had the birds as long as I did.

One thing that has become apparent in the last 20 years, is that captive bred parrotlets do not live as long as their wild-caught counterparts. This happens with many species of animals so it is not surprising. Today, a domestically-raised parrotlet’s average lifespan is much more like 10-15 years not the 15 to 20 like the originally imported birds. Also, please remember that the term ‘average’ means just that – its is an ‘average’ based on an entire population NOT something that can be applied to individual birds. I myself have lost 6 friends in the last 10 years to cancer ALL of them under the age of 40. That isn’t an average lifespan for a human so we simply cannot expect all of our birds to live as long as the ‘average’. Some have lives that are much shorter and some have lives that are longer (I have an uncle that is 97 – he too, does not have an ‘average’ human lifespan).

So, I do hope that you will not let something as nebulous as ‘average life span’ contribute to any grief or sorrow you feel over the loss of your bird. 15 is extremely old for a parrotlet these days and it is obviously due to your meticulous care and devotion. I hope you and your family will find comfort and even joy in remembering what a wonderful, happy and very long life you and your family gave Tasi.

Best of luck to you and your family and thank you for contacting me and letting me know.

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

"Snow" Parrotlets

2011-10-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

On a parrotlet breeder website they have listed Snows(Pure Snow White with dark eyes) parrotlets for $700. Is there such a mutation? Just curious as in cockatiels we would call that a clear pied.

Ginny
"Never think that a handful of people can't change the world ... in fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
~ Dr. Margaret Mead
Cultural Anthropologist

Thank you for your email. Snows? Goodness! I wish people would at least attempt to use correct nomenclature; just because this is new mutation in parrotlets doesn’t mean it isn’t a new mutation in other birds. While IPS would not call that bird a ‘clear pied’ we would also not call it a ‘snow’. But to answer your question there IS a pure white bird with black eyes and it is a new mutation, no matter what they call it.

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

Importing a Bird From Asia into Canada

2011-09-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the information provided on your website. And, I have a question for you.Can you offer any advice about bringing a bird from Asia to Canada?

I've been living overseas with my pet bird for 10 years. We are currently living in Thailand and because of the bird flu scare, there are all sorts of restrictions. The USA as you probably know had stopped their quarrantines and banned all imports. I want to relocate to N. America and would love to bring my bird. "Ginger" is healthy but old - she's a 10 year old finch (house sparrow, actually). She has never come in contact with another animal or bird. Her entire life has been lived in quarantine.

Suggestions?
Thanks,
Deb

Dear Deb:

Thank you for your email.

First, you will need to contact Canada - their ministry of agriculture, their wild-life conservation department and possibly their contagious disease center. This is because Canada, like the US, does ban the import of wild-caught birds. In the US its called the Wild Bird Conservation Act and has nothing to do with disease control. Btw, the US does NOT outlaw the importing of ALL birds although it is severely restricted, it does allow some birds to be imported under certain conditions. This was in place years before H5N1 was discovered.

However, in 1997 when the first case of H5N1 surfaced, the US and Canada outlawed the import of birds from countries that have H5N1 as well as Exotic Newcastle disease. But that is the case for almost every Western nation.I'm not sure what Canada's status is for Thailand but it pretty much mirrors what the US does.

Next you will need to find out whether or not Canada allows the importation of that bird. It may be covered under its Migratory Bird Act, Endangered Species Act or possibly an invasive species act but I am not Canadian and not sure how their rules work.

Finally, I believe that Canada does allow in home quarantine however you will need CITES permits, export permits, import permits and testing at your own expense at minimum However all of this is subject to the laws and rules governing both import of birds and disease control.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

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

Hello,

Pet Egg Laying Parrotlet

2011-09-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have a female who is laying eggs altho there is no male in the cage with her. She looks sick and is breathing heavily. I've
taken the eggs out-she lays one at a time and when the egg is gone she comes to life again. What's going on and what can I do for her?

I thank you in advance for any info you can provide!!

Susan

Dear Susan:

Thank you for your email. While it is uncommon for single parrotlet hens to lay eggs, it does happen and it is almost always due to management problems.

First, pet parrotlets should not be exposed to more than 12 hours a day of daylight. This is what puts their breeding hormones into action and causes them to lay eggs. Think of chickens that lay eggs for the breakfast table. They are induced to lay eggs, without a male, just because their eyes are receiving more than 12 hours a day of daylight. I always recommend that pet parrotlets not be exposed to more than 12 hours a day of daylight – 10 is better. Cover the bird at 8 PM and uncover it at 8 AM. It does not matter if the bird is sleeping during that time, only that the amount of light exposure is less than 12.

Second, make sure this hen is getting lots of calcium. She is depleting her body of calcium when she lays an egg so make sure she has lot of cuttlebone (it is not used to ‘sharpen or reduce the beak but it is a rich source of calcium) plus foods that have lots of calcium like broccoli and leafy greens (not lettuce). You can also give her some cooked egg with the shell or even provide some powdered calcium a few times a week on her fresh foods.

Finally, DO NOT REMOVE THE EGGS. Sorry to type in caps but I can’t tell you how important that is. Nature has designed them to replace eggs that are lost and every time you take the egg away, her instinct drives her to lay another one to replace it. The best thing you can do is just leave her alone and let her brood the eggs. Don’t interrupt her cycle. She will sit on the eggs until her instinct instructs her not to any more. Mother Nature is truly amazing in what she has designed these birds to do for the last millennia and they do not need our help or our interference. In fact, removing the eggs, especially as she lays them will cause her tremendous stress as their must be a predator in the area and she can’t find a new nesting place plus the physical stress of laying more and more eggs, can eventually kill her. This can happen from her blood calcium levels falling to dangerous lows or by laying the eggs themselves and causing either a condition called ‘egg binding’ where she can no longer eliminate the egg from her body or, worse, a prolapsed uterus which is almost always fatal.

As for her behavior, she probably is going to be more moody, territorial, aggressive and nippy. I would not handle her unless she wants to be and please don’t discipline or try and correct her actions. She is doing what Nature designed her to do and it won’t do any good to try and mold her behavior into what you want. Just be patient, leave her alone and eventually she will get her hormonal cycle back into sync and she’ll abandon the eggs and hopefully, if you have changed the environment accordingly, stop laying.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

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

Biting Parrotlet

2011-09-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee

Again I must say thank you so much for your web site and blog

Question....I just saw a recent email from Monica on your blog
She mentions the advice you gave her ..." several months ago about taming Toby "
...and she mentions " he doesn't bite anymore ".....could you let me know when
you helped her with taming advice.....the date or month of the blog Monica is
referring too...?......situational behaviors with my male pacific parrotlett the mighty small Odie
After two years from adoption approximately ,he drew blood on my finger
Never bit me that hard before....but knowing from you and others that Pacifics are
indeed quite aggressive and territorial ...still surprised and hurt...somewhat..
It was me who came at him too fast with my hand while he was sitting contentedly
with my wife .....going out that night and wanting to place him back in his cage....
where of course he didn't want to go....he's been more bitey around this issue of late
Total parrot normality....especially amazon parrot behavior similarities
I do get it and he's older and more male in actions....
So, reading your letter that Monica refers to would be appreciated
Let me know how to find it.....I know your academic and breeding chores and more
keep you busy so answer as you can
Greatly appreciated .....odies left foot healed well again and he's just great to have
as part of our family.....latest oration from Odie ....." do you need a poopy break "....then
he repeats the last part several times....likes the rhythm and words it seems

Thanks Sandee

Mark

Dear Mark:

Monica hired me as a consultant and I worked with her for 4-5 months. I did write about it my blogs but I really have no idea what dates. She also purchased my latest book so everything is out there but I really can't track it down. Especially these days. I am terribly busy dealing with the issues of my mother's estate so the information is out there and available or we could have some phone consultations if you wish.

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

Territorial Parrotlet

2011-09-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

He is 10 months old and seems somewhat well adjusted to his home. I got him when he was 3 months old. The breeder said he was very sweet and hand raised. I am very patient with him, but he really does not seem all that tame to me. He has not moulted yet as far as I can tell. He is not talking at all. He chirps a great deal and has his noisy times during the day. He plays with his toys occasionaly but not nearly as much as I expected from all the research I have done. He does not seem to interested in playing.

Well, it took him at least 4 months before I could hold him. He still backs off when I try to have him step up to my hand, but will jump on my shoulder when he wants to. He lets me scratch his neck and head and really enjoys that.

My problem is that in the last 2 weeks he has begun "attacking" my hand when I am near the cage. This is when he is on top of the cage. He will come at me and bite, back off and do it again. I don't know what prompted this. He does it wherever he is and I come near him even when I am filling up his food. He is free to come and go in and out of his cage all day. I keep him on a schedule of uncovering him at 8 am and bed at 10 pm.

Any info or thoughts on why this is happening would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Karen:

Sounds like a completely normal parrotlet to me. He’s just being territorial over ‘his’ stuff. Also, he is getting way too many hours of daylight which is probably interfering with his hormones and/or creating a perpetual molt.I have written tons of blogs, articles and chapters in my book so you can look up that information for details but he needs to be taught to step up, you need to keep control over where he goes including the top of his cage, keep his wings clipped, lower the day light hours to 12 or less and make sure he is not in a position of dominance – which may mean keeping him off the cage top and keeping him off your shoulder. Just takes some patience and training but all parrotlets are aggressive and territorial and he is simply doing what all parrotlets do.

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

Breeding Lifespan of Parrotlets

2011-09-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Sandee,

Can I ask a question. How old can Parrotletts get and still produce babies ?

Thanks.

Dear Kevin:

Usually, males have a longer breeding life than hens. It really depends on how the birds are managed especially with females. The younger they bred, the amount of clutches they had and the quality of the food, housing and rest periods are big determining factors with females but generally speaking they can last 4-8 years. I’ve had males continue to produce into their teens but generally its 7-10 years.

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

Vitamin D Requirements

2011-09-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee!
I had e-mailed you about my 4 month old parrotlet. She eats wholegrains, beans and lentils. Also sprouted seeds, and lots of veggies and some fruits in her diet. I provide her with Bee Pollen, spirulina and wheatgrass powder a couple times per week. I am also considering on giving free choice some dry lory powder for her. My question is, my parrotlet does not eat pellets, and only eats a bit of seed. I have heard of the importance of vitamin d3 in the diet. Should I be providing her with a supplement that contains vitamin d3. I don't want to be over supplementing her! Should I be supplementing? How much is too much? Does she need some vitamin D3? I do not provide artificial lighting for her. Hope you can explain the supplementation for her!
Thanks Sandee
Carol

Dear Carol:

For parrotlets that are breeding, the need for vitamin D is essential for the proper absorption of calcium in order to produce eggs. In pet birds, not so much. There is a lot of controversy over the efficiency of full spectrum lighting, however, it will not hurt your bird if you provided it so long as it isn’t too close to the cage. You can also feed cooked egg yolk a couple of times a week. This will provide both protein and vitamin D. Neither of these methods would be harmful since they are natural sources of vitamin D.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Pet Sitter For Vacation

2011-09-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

I will be going on vacation soon for two weeks and wonder if it will be sufficient if I have a friend feed and give fresh water to my parrotlet every other day while I am gone? I plan to leave two full dishes of seed mix (one Volkman's and the other a mix of black oil sunflower seeds and oats groats which he loves.) Normally I add some fresh chopped veggies too, but I don't want it to go bad in-between feedings. I'll also leave some millet in the cage too.

I thought he would be less stressed and not exposed to other birds, if he
stays in his nice big cage at home.

Does this sound ok ?

Thanks!

Monica

Dear Monica:

Thank you for your email. You are doing exactly what I advise people to do. It is much more risky, stressful and not comfortable for the bird to be anywhere but at home. Its ok if he goes without fresh food for a little while but not good to expose him to a new environment. You are making the best decision in my opinion.

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

Hi Sandee,

Thanks for your recommendations!

By the way, thanks to your expert advice on taming Toby several months ago, he is now a real sweetheart and NEVER bites anymore!! I am so happy!

Sincerely,
Monica

Unrelated Spectacles & Green Rumps

2011-09-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sandee,

Greetings!!

I was speaking with Ed Singh today he has some wonderful Blue Mutation Yellow Napped Amazons. Wow he is very smart as well, he had mentioned your name and spoke very highly of you. I have also been E-mailing with Brian Nielsen in Denmark he has a very good sense with Parrotlets. But he will not ship to USA.

I have purchased 3 Green Rumps from *****, these birds are so small and sweet. But they are related I was looking for an un-related male that was banded and have had no luck. I have spoke with **** and found that I am number four on his list to receive a Spectacled Parrotlet, which is very exciting except that I will be looking for a un-related female Spectacle Parrotlet AND and his stock of Green Rumps are related to these birds...

I am finding myself going around full circle each time and continue to write you. So I would like to say that with out your help I would have given up already. I can NOT believe how much I have learned./ I have read your book of Parrotlets endless times and nearly have it memorized. And I would like to ask if you would know where I could find a Banded male Green Rump, and a Female Spectacle Parrotlet. These birds are very difficult for me to locate.

There was one gentleman in Orlando interbreeding Green Rumps to Pacifics and have decided not to purchase ANY of his birds.

Please if you have any info I would be most grateful. Thanks
Sincerely,
Matt

Dear Matt:

Thank you for your email and your patience waiting for my response. As I responded earlier, I was on a much needed vacation and have just returned.

It is ironic that you mention Ed Singh. I had not heard from Ed in years and just recently ran into him at the AFA convention in August. It was wonderful catching up with him. He is an amazing man with an incredible knowledge of birds and I am very lucky to consider him a friend. As for Mr. Nielsen, neither he nor ANYONE else can legally export normal birds into the US. They can only export color mutation Pacifics and even then, only the color the US government says he can.

I understand your frustration with the extremely limited gene pool available in the US with regard to Green Rumps and Spectacles. If you think those birds are hard to come by, don’t even think about Blue Wings, Mexicans or Yellow Face. I am currently writing a very sad article on genetically extinct species of parrotlets in the US and ALL of them fall under that category except for Pacifics. Even with Pacifics it is almost impossible to find any normal, wild-type birds that do NOT have mutations in their genetic background. This is something that has been very hard for me to accept since I had worked tireless for the last almost 30 years to preserve these species by helping found the International Parrotlet Society, organizating breeding cooperatives, publishing books and countless magazine articles and of course, speaking about the need to preserve these species at national and international avian venues for decades. Unfortunately, however, human greed and ego, along with the passage of the Wild Bird Conservation Act in 1992 has led us to the place where we are now.

You do not mention the WBCA so I apologize in advance if you know about it but I am going to go into it briefly since its passage was instrumental in contributing to these birds no longer being available. In 1992, Congress passed the Wild Bird Conservation act which was intended to stop the importation of wild caught birds. It was required in order for the US to comply with its obligations as a member of CITES (Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species). Unfortunately, US Fish & Wildlife Service, which is responsible for its implementation and enforcement, decided that since there is no way to visually determine if a bird was hatched in captivity or the wild, regardless of being banded or microchipped, they set up regulations that made it so difficult to import birds that even zoos have had problems. For the average hobbyist or breeder, forget it. Only approved breeding cooperatives (usually managed by non-profit organizations not individuals), captive bred birds listed on the Approved Import list, approved foreign breeding facilities and pet birds traveling with their owners can be imported. Most species of parrotlets mature at 1 year of age and produce offspring. So in almost 20 years, we have had 20 generations of birds being produced. Every generation, of course, further drains the gene pool of unrelated birds. Ironically, the birds that were allowed to be imported under WBCA, i.e., color mutations, have proved to be the ultimate downfall of every species of parrotlet in the US except for Pacifics. This is because people got rid of all their other species of parrotlets and chose to breed color mutation Pacifics instead. This was because a) they could charge hundreds if not thousands of dollars for new color mutations and b) they could feed their egos by producing color mutation birds that did not previously exist. This further depleted the availability of birds and the birds that were still available can almost all be considered related.

By 1987 most South American countries had quit exporting their birds, including Green Rumps Obviously this was before the passage of WBCA so their genetic contributions to the US captive bred populations were cut off even earlier than 1992. Also, Green Rumps, were notoriously difficult birds to breed and keep. This was because they are very timid very shy birds. They are easily stressed, picky eaters and very unpredictable parents. Even proven pairs were known for suddenly stopping breeding, producing infertile eggs and abandoning/killing chicks. Today, they are almost impossible to find and for those that can be found, while I am not a betting woman, I would bet my last dollar they are all related. They have to be – otherwise they would not exist.

As far as Spectacles go, there were none in the US until 1992 when approximately 20-30 pairs of birds were imported. They came into the country right before the WBCA was enforced on Jan. 1, 1993. The International Parrotlet Society had been founded in 1992 and the first thing we did was set up a breeding cooperative. It obviously worked very well since the birds were bred and available to the pet trade in less than 2 years. This was due to the devotion and dedication of the breeders who traded birds rather than sell them and the birds’ own strong health and great parenting skills. Unfortunately, many people got rid of their Spectacles to breed color mutation Pacifics. Of the people who continued to breed, our already tiny gene pool was further depleted. I can guarantee you that all of the Spectacles available these days are related.

When it comes to the other species – Mexicans, Blue Wings, Yellow Face and Sclaters, the picture is even more dismal. They are truly extinct birds flying – at least in the US anyway.

Mexican parrotlets were always difficult to breed, only produced one clutch per year if you are lucky and since so many were smuggled many came in with avian t.b. and killed off any birds that were exposed. Not many people worked with Mexicans because of that; I only know of 1 other private breeder although there were a couple of zoos working with them. All of the birds are either related, too old or both to breed.

Blue Wings were a little easier to breed but they never made good pets being nervous and difficult even when hand-fed so very few people worked with them. To complicate things, a color mutation blue Blue Wing surfaced and, once again, due to the amount of money that could be made, everyone tried to breed these birds by breeding them to the few remaining normal birds so they are all related. Now, there are only 2 breeders of Blue Wings in the US and all the birds are very closely related. When they die, the species will officially be extinct in the US.

Yellow Face were never imported in large numbers. In fact, I can only verify 3 legal importations of the birds and the last one was in 1985. In the early 2000’s, there were two reported cases of the birds being smuggled – many of them had avian t.b. and died off; the others, due to their limited availability were hybridized with Pacifics. While some of these birds are still around everyone I have seen have been hybrids so they are now considered ‘extinct’ in this country.

Of the Sclater’s Parrotlet, only one pair was ever documented to have had offspring. That was in the late 1980’s and the birds, along with their single offspring, died in a house fire.

So I am sorry to take such a long time to get to my point, you are not going to be able to find any birds that are unrelated to yours. I do still breed Green Rumps and Spectacles but mine are certainly related to yours – if not directly from my stock. I was one of the first people in the US to breed Spectacles and my Green Rumps were spread far and wide across this country. And while I still breed, they are all getting older producing fewer and fewer birds – very soon I won’t have anything but my retired birds.

To say this is sad beyond belief is an understatement. I had made it my life’s work to be able to preserve these species but unfortunately I was not successful. I wish you the best of luck and perhaps you will be fortunate enough to find the birds you are looking for. After all, a Spix’s macaw was once located in the US but rarely does lightening strike. I do hope you have a better understanding of this situation so you do not get taken advantage of – anyone who claims to have birds unrelated to yours should produce a DNA pedigree and/or they should have been breeding these birds since before 1992.

I do wish you the 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

Parroltet Being Too Loud

2011-09-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,
Our parrotlet is quiet a lot of the time. Sometimes however when we leave the room and occasionally when we are still in it, he chirps loudly and repeatedly. Someone suggested spraying water at him, I don't know if this is the right thing to do. I know he just wants attention but we can't give it to him all the time. How is the best way to get him to stop? We do play with him in the mornings and evenings for 1/2 hour each and his cage is where he can see us when we are in the living room. Thanks

Dear Jean:

Sorry for the delay in responding. As I had explained I was on vacation and just returned.

What you are describing is a 'location call'. It is the way that an individual bird communicates and keeps track of its flock. This is the way they instinctually behave in order to survive in the wild. After all, it is how Nature designed them to protect them from predators and find food, shelter and mates. It truly is a bird saying "Hey, where are you? I'm over here!" All parrots, not just parrotlets engage in this behavior. If you think parrotlets are loud, you should listen to a sun conure or blue and gold macaw!

Unfortunately, it is one of the instinctive behaviors that may or may not be 'trained' out of a bird. It is part of their biological makeup for survival - just like them being territorial and aggressive when it comes to their cage. It really is up to the owner to change their behavior and their reaction rather than trying to punish a bird to make them stop, which is what happens when you spray them with water.

The best thing to do, is what you are doing. Ignore it. Do not react and that includes not yelling, screaming, spraying them or otherwise engaging them. Birds respond to any kind of attention, both bad and good so even if you punish them, they are still going to do the undesired behavior.

My pet parrotlet once developed a very annoying call. I have no idea where he learned it since he wasn't around other birds but at around 4 or 5 he started making this very shrill, very loud call that sounded a lot like a lovebird (and he had never been around lovebirds). I chose to ignore him but he kept making the noise. I realized that whenever he would make the sound, I would look at him. After all, that is a human characteristic and the minute we made eye contact, he got his reinforcement and kept doing it. I then started to train MYSELF to look down when he made the noise and then physically turn my back on him. As soon as he stopped making the sound, I would then talk to him and praise him in a soothing voice. I was irritating but after 2 days, it worked. He stopped making the sound.

So that is my best advice to you. Ignore the sound. Do not respond verbally, physically or by looking at him. All it does is reinforce the behavior. As soon as he is quiet, praise him. I can't guarantee he'll stop doing it but he probably will do it less often and eventually may stop altogether when he realizes that location call does not work with his flock. But it is important to remember that no only do you give the 'punishment' by ignoring him but that you reward him by acknowledging and engaging him immediately when he stops making the sound.

I know it can be annoying but remember he is not doing it to irritate you. He's a parrot and that's what parrots do. Be grateful that parrotlets are the quietest parrots you can have - a Moluccan cockatoo can literally rattle your teeth they are so loud. Remember, that many times behaviors that work to insure survival of the species are not desired in a captive pet situation but that is the burden that we must bear not the bird. The bird didn't ask to be a pet so we must learn to adapt ourselves as well as training our bird in order for everyone to live in harmony.

Hope this helps and 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

Life Expectancy of Blue Pacific Parrotlets

2011-09-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee-can you please tell me what you have been experiencing as the most average lifespan for a blue pacific parrotlet---I have read that they can live to age 20 depending on diet...another site listed 10-12 yrs. as the norm..I did read your comments on kidney issues with the color mutations---I was not aware of that until now...thanks so much,Jane

Dear Jane:

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, the Internet is both the best place to learn about things and the worse. Anyone with a keyboard and an opinion can be an expert and there is no way to check to see if anyone really knows what they are talking about. I have a 30 year history of working with parrotlets and have a paper trail of books, articles, seminars, founding of organizations and holding many positions with various avian organizations.

I find it interesting that people would make the claim that any color mutation parrotlet can live 20 years or more since they have only been in this country for about 15 years. The blues were not imported into the US until 1997 so it is impossible for anyone here to have experience with keeping these birds that long. I got my first wild-caught normal parrotlets back in the early 1980’s. We obviously did not know how old they were since they were wild caught adults but I do know that I routinely kept them at least 15-20 years, therefore I could make the claim, based on my own experience, the birds lived 20 years or more. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case with normal parrotlets anymore – I find their lifespans are now about 10-15 years. As for the mutations, it will take at least another 10-20 years before anyone can claim direct knowledge of their lifespans but based on the empirical date regarding normal parrotlets, they most likely will not live more than 10-15 years and because they are mutations, its probably less than that. But again, that is my opinion extrapolated by my own direct knowledge and experience as well as consulting with pet owners, breeders, zoos, vets, biologists and researchers around the world.

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

Parrotlet with PDD

2011-09-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I have read The Parrotlet Handbook and I thank you for writing it. I have a 2 and 1/2 year old male Parrotlet, named Pepper, just diagnosed with PDD. Do you have any suggestions as to any changes that should be made in his handling?

He was misdiagnosed by a local avian vet who told me it was behavioral but then I was able to find a more expert avian veternarian as his problems seemed more neurological to me. Now I am being more careful with the information I receive. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Denise

Dear Denise:

Thank you for your email. Sorry for the delay in responding but I was out of town since the 27th.

PDD is not a disease that is very commonly found in parrotlets. In fact, I have only known of one other proven case of it in parrotlets. Obviously, the birds are not immune but it is something that is known as a disease of parrotlets. I have never had it in my aviary in almost 30 years so I have no direct knowledge with which to help you. I strongly recommend you check with University of GA and Texas A & M to see what they recommend for treatment. I know that a lot of promise was shown with Celebrex in larger birds but other than that, I only have anecdotal information no direct or first-hand experience with it. I do know that under no circumstances should he ever come into contact with other birds but other than that, I have no idea about how to handle or treat him.

Best of luck to you and your bird.

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

Coloration of Blue & Yellow Parrotlets

2011-08-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I live in San Francisco and am looking for a Pacific blue parrotlet that is the bright aqua blue or bright canary yellow color.
Do you happen to have any available? If so, I would love to drive down and take a look!

Thanks much,

Jessica

Dear Jessica:

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately, parrotlet mutations have not been around long enough for us to ‘perfect’ coloring on the birds. Blues can run the gauntlet from light blue to teal to aqua to dark blue or even gray or silvery blue. I always say its like blond hair in humans. Some people have honey blond, some are strawberry blond, some are platinum, etc. But they are all blond. Sex and age can also have an influence on color. A young bird that has not yet molted may be a very different color from what it molts out to as an adult. This the same with the ‘dilute’ or what used to be called yellow. The bird is not a true genetic yellow and therefore can be anything from a light lemon yellow to chartreuse greenish yellow. Also, females tend to have a more uniform and ‘true’ coloration than males. This is because of the natural coloring of normal male birds which are often various shades of color or even different colors such as gray. I am telling you this because I don’t want you to be disappointed or feel like you were taken advantage of but even looking at the parent birds cannot guarantee the color you want will be the color you get.

That being said, I always have a waiting list for birds and right now it is more than five months long. Even then I cannot guarantee when I will have birds available as I have received some news regarding my health that may affect my ability to breed birds. I can recommend a wonderful woman by the name of Marianne who has been breeding parrotlets for years and has a wonderful reputation. You can reach her at yosemjd@aol.com

Good luck and be sure and tell her that I gave you the referral!

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

Full Spectrum Lighting For Pet Parrotlet

2011-08-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hi there,

Just wanted an expert opinion on full spectrum lighting for my parrotlet. We live in an apartment and therefore the parrotlet is kept indoors as one of the family. He is in the living area with the family. I have read about the importance of natural sunlight for our bird and I am concerned that the lack of this will have a detrimental effect on him. I don’t know much about what is available and would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me. Thanks

Ann

Dear Ann:

Thank you for your email. Almost everyone that keeps parrotlets in the US keeps them indoors as pets. Even breeders generally do not keep their birds out of doors. There is a lot of controversy regarding ‘full-spectrum’ lighting and the need for it with pet birds that are not breeding. I do recommend it for people who breed their birds as they do need vitamin D to metabolize calcium which is vitally important for breeding hens. However, pet birds, especially males that are an otherwise healthy and balanced diet who also receive vitamins probably do not need it. In fact, it has been my experience over the last 30 years of keeping parrotlets that too much light is the problem and it often leads to prolonged molts, aggression and feather destructive behaviors. Also, I have never heard of a pet bird having an issue because of the lack of full-spectrum lighting. However, if it makes you feel better, you can certainly get one and use it. Light is light so it doesn’t matter which manufacturer you use just make sure it isn’t too close to the cage as it can cause cataracts and eye damage nor turned on for more than 12 hours a day or his hormones will go into overdrive and he can start having the problems I described above.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

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

Untamed Adult Pair of Parrotlets

2011-08-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

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
________________________________________

Hand-Feeding Day One Parrotlets

2011-08-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I have a Parrotlet egg that I have to hatch in the incubator. It seems that I can successfully raise an incubator-hatched baby about 50% of the time. For the ones that don't survive, it seems like they never develop. They don't get pin feathers, their eyes don't open, and I usually lose them at about 3-4 weeks old.

I feed all my babies KayTee Exact Handfeeding Formula. Do you know of anything I can do to encourage the baby's eyes to open? They eat well, and their crops get full. Their brooder is set to 89°. For the ones that survive, their eyes open on time, at around 12-14 days old.

Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Pam

Dear Pam:

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, there are things that Mother Nature is much better at than we are and that is raising baby parrotlets from Day One. You can try different supplements, Probiotics, vitamins, etc., but nothing can replace a hen caring for chicks. They are just too tiny and too difficult. They probably also receive certain necessary flora, bacteria, hormonal or other things from the parent bird that we don't know about and can't duplicate. I know we as humans always think we can do things as well as Nature or even better but it has been my 30 year experience that no human can duplicate what a female parrotlet can do when it comes to raising chicks that are less than 4 days old.

Sincerely yours,

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

Boarding Parrotlets

2011-08-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

I was wondering, do you board parrotlets or know someone in Northern California that does? We have a 6 month old parrotlet and are planning to go on vacation in October. He's well-behaved and friendly. We are having difficulty finding someone willing to watch him while we are gone as everyone we know is unfamiliar with birds. We live in the Sacramento area. Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,
Lea

Dear Lea:

Thank you for your email. I have a blog on my page that goes into great detail but I would never board a parrotlet anywhere. Its too stressful and I can't think of a better way to expose your bird to diseases. Its much better to find a certified pet sitter who is licensed and bonded and will come to your home to take care of the bird.

It has been my experience with my big flock that its better to have someone who is NOT familiar with birds taking care of them because a) there is no risk of them exposing your bird to a disease from their birds and b)they will take care of the bird exactly the way you show them NOT how they think it should be done.

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

Taming an Adult Parrotlet

2011-08-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to tame an adult parrotlet? I like the idea of giving an adult a home, but I also want him to be my friend.

Thanks,

April

Dear April:

Thank you for your email. It has been my experience that parrotlets either bond with other birds or they bond with people. Nature has designed them to bond with birds and perpetuate the species. Human beings have overcome this instinct by imprinting birds to accept humans with which bond and socialize with instead of other birds. This is done by hand-feeding them from when their eyes are open at about 10 days of age. They are handled, touched, spoke to, fed and completely immersed in human interaction until they are weaned. Once they are weaned, the imprinting process continues when they are sold as pets, go to a new home and are trained and handled. Parrotlets that do not receive this further imprinting once the birds are weaned, almost always revert back to their wild natures and will not allow handling by humans. This is actually what people who work with rare and endangered species do in order to have birds breed successfully in captivity. The birds are hand-fed (but usually not handled or socialized) and once they are weaned, they are placed with other birds so they can readapt to being birds and accepting birds as mates and going onto reproduce. These make the ideal breeding birds because they are not afraid of people but they are still bonded with birds and will accept them as mates, breed and raise offspring.

While there are exceptions to every rule, in 30 years I can count on one hand all the birds that can be tamed as adults if they were not imprinted from a young age. If it were that easy, no one would spend the amount of time, energy and dedication to hand-feeding, socializing and training a baby parrotlet. People would simply handle them once they were weaned like budgies, cockatiels and lovebirds.

With all that being said, I cannot answer your question about this particular bird since all birds are individuals. It may be possible with a tremendous amount of patience and skill that you might be able to tame this bird to the point where you can handle it. I am assuming when you say you want the bird to be your 'friend' you want to be able to take it out of the cage and handle it. I can't make that determination. It may respond to training especially if it was hand-fed at one time but only time would tell. I can tell you that being handled isn't that important to the bird. Many parrotlets can live a very long and happy life in a big cage with lots of toys and interacting with the humans in their lives not in a physical manner but by chirping and responding to eye contact, treats, food and a person's voice. The only question with that would be does that work for you and only you can answer that.

Sorry I don't have a cut and dried answer for you but I hope you now have enough information to be able to determine what will work for you and this bird if you chose to bring it into your home.

Best of luck and thank you again for your email!

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

Mutation Green Rump Question, IPS Dues & Bands

2011-08-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

I sent you (or someone else - I can't rememeber) an e-mail a week or 2 ago asking about mutated colors of Green Rumps. And I received some information on the subject. But my computer was hacked and I lost everything. I remember that there are breeders of Green Rumps who have dilutes. What I have is a solid white bird. It has not completely feathered out yet but so far everything is white. I guess I need to know of any breeders anywhere (the closer to Texas the beter) that has dilutes or whites. I would like to work with someone with more experance than me to develope this new color. Please send any information you may have.

I expect I to be joining the IPS for 2012. How soon should I send he membership fee for next year? And are bans availabel through the societ?

Thank you,
Randy

Dear Randy:

Thank you for your email. I sincerely doubt you talked to me because the information I have on mutation Green Rumps is not what you are reporting. I only know of two people who bred ‘dilute’ Green Rumps (they were never correctly identified so I will use the term only for ease of communication) and that was back in the late 1990’s. None of these people bred these birds to the second generation and my understanding is the mutation died out.

As for other color mutation Green Rumps, I am unaware of any ‘naturally’ occurring mutations other than the ‘dilutes’ that were produced in the 1990’s. I do understand that some people have hybridized the Pacific mutations with Green Rumps and are now producing blue, dilute, white and other colors. I would be very careful about whom you are purchasing these birds from and I would insist on photographs if not DNA verification of the mutation and the purity of the species. I’m not saying it isn’t possible, but as someone who is truly at the forefront of parrotlets in aviculture – I co-founded IPS, have several First Breeding Awards as well as Rare and Difficult Species Breeding Awards, have written 3 books on parrotlets, bred them for 30 years from wild caught stock and speak all over the world on them, I’m pretty much aware of all the things going on in the parrotlet community. I have seen too many people put up a lot of money and not get what they paid for. I would like to see a photograph of the bird since I can tell you if the bird was hybridized at ANY time in its pedigree.

IPS dues at this time are $25 a year although we probably will be changing that for next year. We are going to an email format for our journal and for those who want a printed journal, we will probably raise the dues, although at this time, that decision has not yet been made by the board. And yes, all IPS members can purchase registered bands through our organization.

Hope this helps and feel free to contact me with any further questions.

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

Question On Baby Parrotlet

2011-07-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I found your website and have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the information you have provided. I have a question about my 9 week old baby female parrotlet. I have had her for three weeks now, she was shipped to me via airplane. She is very active, eats well, drinks more than any bird I have seen, has attitude and seems healthy but her droppings are very watery. There is still the fecal matter but lots of moisture as well, sometimes there is nothing solid. Would you have any advice or comments for me. I phoned vets and they said as long as she is eating and drinking she should be ok. Just concerned cause I fell in love with her on sight and don't think watery droppings are a good sign. I have held off giving her fruit and vegetables in case that is the cause. She eats cockatiel mix of birdseed, I am trying to get her onto pellets but it is a slow process.
Bev

Dear Bev:

Unfortunately, no one can diagnose your bird without examining it. I am very surprised that a vet wouldn’t know that. I wouldn’t let a doctor diagnose my medical condition over the phone and I am shocked we now have vets that are doing that.

I will tell you that only a vet can examine the bird and check it to see if this situation is normal. I certainly can’t. A sample needs to be taken at least have it checked out for parasites or fungal/bacterial infections or worse, since this bird is so young, a congenital problem especially with kidneys. I can’t see the droppings to know if they are too watery or not but I do know that a) your instincts are the best and b) if you are concerned, you need to have the bird examined. Fruits and vegetables – which should make up 60-70% of a parrotlet’s diet will make the droppings somewhat more watery but not anything that should concern you. After all, they eat produce in the wild and its part of their natural diet – pellets are not. Furthermore parrotlets are not birds that drink a lot of water since they originate in a dry, desert-like area. Most parrotlets drink no more than a tablespoon of water a day. In 30 years, the only birds I have had that drink more than that either have chicks to feed or have had kidney problems. Your bird could also have diabetes – something I am finding that is more and more common in parrotlets so if you are concerned about this bird, I would take it to a veterinarian competent in avian medicine and if you don’t know one, go to the Association of Avian Veterinarians www.aav.org and you can find a vet in your area. As for pellets, I have a page on my site about my observations and reports on birds fed primarily pelleted diets but the one thing you need to understand is if your bird has some kind of kidney issue pellets will make that worse. I would at least have the droppings checked under a microscope and also have blood checked for kidney disease and diabetes.

Best of luck and please let me know how it goes.

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

"Holland Blue" Pacific Parrotlet

2011-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I am trying to find a baby parrotlet in my area so it doesn't have to be shipped. I have looked at the pictures and really think the light blue ones are very beautiful. A lady a few hours from me said that she has a baby "holland blue" parrotlet with Indigo on its wings and back. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a computer and doesn't know how to send pictures on her cell phone so she can't get a picture to me. I have tried looking it up online but nothing shows up under "holland blue" parrotlet. Do you have any idea where I could find a picture like this so I would know what he looks like before we drive four hours just to look at him? I would really appreciate any help you could give me. Here is a picture of the color of bird I am looking for: Could you tell me what color this bird is? If this is not Holland blue do you have any idea where I could find a baby parrotlet this color somewhere in Wisconsin? We live in the Wausau area but are willing to travel within Wisconsins if we find a bird.

Again, thank you so very much.

Elysheva (Elly)

Dear Elly:

Thank you for your email. There is no such bird as a ‘holland blue’. That is an internet term that was made up by someone and passed around like a virus. But it means nothing. All of the blue mutations came from Europe – mostly Belgium but also Germany, United Kingdom and Holland but it doesn’t matter since that happened more than 17 years ago and many generations have been produced in this country. Wherever their origins, they are most certainly “American-made” these days.

Blue is a mutation that has a wide range of color tones. It can run the gauntlet from a deep teal to a light powder blue. Males and females are also different (and btw ALL males except for albino have dark blue feathers on the wings, backs and rumps – that’s how you determine they are males). Males tend to have more gray especially on the back and wings. This is because the normal male parrotlets have more melanin than females. Females therefore tend to be more blue than males. I always tell people its like blond hair in humans. Some people are platinum blonds, some honey blonds, some strawberry blonds, etc., but they are still all blonds. Also, unlike humans, birds often change colors as they molt – particularly the first year. Even look at the parent birds is not going to give you an accurate picture of what the offspring are going to look like since birds are not dogs and you are not going to make exact replicas of the parents because of the factors I have already told you about.

The picture of the bird you sent is a male blue Pacific. That’s it. The only way you can be assured of buying a bird like this is for you to go out and look at them. I certainly, after more than 30 years of breeding parrotlets and having seen thousands of them as well as producing hundreds, cannot tell you where you can find a specific color of bird and promise that it will stay that way. No honest breeder can. Parrotlet mutations haven’t been bred long enough in this country for us to have uniform colors like they do with budgies, lovebirds and cockatiels. Perhaps in another 100 generations or so.

So, if color is the most important thing to you – rather than personality, pet quality or companionship factor, then only you can decide what is as ascetically pleasing to you. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So no, I can’t recommend anyone to you although I know hundreds of breeders – you will have to go physically look at every bird to see if that is what you want and then hope it doesn’t change as it grows and molts, especially if it is a male.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

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

Breeding Lutinos Together

2011-07-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

hi not long moved over to keeping pacific parrotlets . my question is having produced lutino babies from unrelated sources is a lutino to lutino a viable pairing or is there a promlem with rearing chicks from this pairing .would lutino to spilt for lutino be a better pairing thanks mick

Dear Michael:

Thank you for your email. As someone that has kept parrotlets for almost 30 years, I am in this for the long-haul. I have always thought about and planned for the future of the captive-bred population in the US. I don’t really care about pretty new colors but health, vigor, conformation and the vitality of the species including keeping mutations from destroying them. After all, mutations are genetically abnormal and can have very deleterious affects on captive-bred populations especially when no normal or wild-type birds can be imported with which to outcross and keep them healthy and strong. It is for that reason and the fact that color mutation parrotlets, unlike budgies, cockatiels and lovebirds which have been bred for hundreds of generations, have only been around about 15 years, I never breed two of the same visual colors together. This is certainly not enough time to breed out genetic flaws. Perhaps in a hundred years or so but even then, I would never breed two red-eyed visual birds together. Even cockatiels, budgies and lovebirds have problems when you breed red-eyed to red-eyed so, in my opinion it is not a good thing. I’ve seen birds develop cataracts, been born blind or even one woman had some birds born without any eyes at all. So no, in my opinion it is much better to breed a visual red-eyed bird, whether it is a lutino, fallow, cinnamon, etc., to a split.

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

New Parrotlet Questions

2011-07-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
i have just got a parrotlet for the first time, I am used to budgies but have never had a parrotlet before. I am concerned that the bird seems to eat all the time although there is a lot of uneaten seed at the bottom of the cage which he throws from his dish. I am about to introduce him to pellets and have also tried to give him a variety of fruit and vegetables, but as yet, he is not interested even although I know he ate them prior to coming to me. I will continue to offer them to him, its early days yet, I have only had him for two days!. However, I am concerned that he is always at his food bowl. I would be grateful for any advice. Thank you.

Dear Ann:

Thank you for your email. 2 days is not enough time for this bird to adjust. I have a page on my site called Bringing Home Baby and I suggest you read it as it will explain all various issues the bird is going through, what you can expect and tips for training, etc. Remember that budgies are domesticated birds and parrotlets are still very much wild. They need to adjust to you and become familiar and comfortable in the environment and that can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the bird. As for his eating habits, this how parrots behave. “Wasting’ food is how Nature designed them to be part of the eco-system in the wild. They spread seed across the environment and this is all part of the natural ecosystem. It can be frustrating to owners but such is the Nature of the beast. Also, parrotlets are very high energy birds and gram for gram eat more than macaws so again, this is very normal behavior. As far as pellets are concerned, again, I have a page on my site and a very extensive blog on the subject that explains exactly what they are, what they were intended to be used for and whether or not they really are the best nutritional value for birds. You can find it at http://www.parrotletranch.com/pellets.html or an updated version on my blog at http://parrotletblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/pellets-color-mutation-parrotlets.html

Hope this helps and best of luck to you and your new bird!

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

Unwanted Breeding

2011-07-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

Hopefully you can offer some needed advice. I recently adopted a bonded pair of parrotlets from a rescue here in NC. The two birds (5 &6) have had several different homes over the last 5 years and I knew that I could provide a stable place for them. The day after I got them home I had an egg. That was about 10 days ago. Now I have 5. I don’t want to breed the birds and was told by the rescue to “addle” or “shake” the eggs vigorously to keep them from hatching.

Here is my dilemma: Up until yesterday only the female was exhibiting cage/food aggression, now it’s both of them. When the male is out of the cage he is good for a while then will just bite down hard for no reason. I am not reacting, just putting him down. I don’t take him out of the cage, he comes over to me. I’ve been practicing positive reinforcement but he seems to just like to test the waters. Usually it’s my fingers he goes for. He’ll just walk right over and “chomp!”

Question 1: This nesting/hormonal/aggression should end after the hen has gotten bored of sitting on the eggs, right?
Question 2: I don’t want to separate them, they’ve been together for years and sleep next to each other, preen, chat and get along fine. I don’t want to cause other problems. Help?
Question 3: Is there a good chance that this will only happen once a year? Or, even better, stop?

PS: I don’t have a happy hut, nesting box, cuddle toy, anything like it. The hen decided her food dish was a good spot. No, it wasn’t empty.

Thanks for your input,
Kim

Dear Kim:

Thank you for your email. It sounds to me like these birds are acting perfectly normal for two Pacific parrotlets that are a bonded breeding pair. Parrotlets are very territorial and aggressive especially when they are a bonded breeding pair. You have to understand that Nature designed these birds to protect themselves and their offspring from predators. Pacifics come from a very dry, desert-like area and they have to compete for food and nest sites not to mention everything preys on them including other birds. I always say parrotlets have to be tough because they come from region where spiders are bigger than they are. Just because we humans take them into our homes and ‘love’ them like feathered kids doesn’t mean they give up that instinct. They are not domesticated birds like budgies or cockatiels but are still very much wild animals. That is why offspring have to be pulled for handfeeding and imprinted upon. Otherwise they would be just as wild and unhandleable as their untamed cousins in the wild. Even if they are hand-fed and imprinted, unless they are placed in a pet home upon weaning and constantly interacted with by humans they revert to their wild natures. Again, it is how they were designed to help the species survive in very harsh conditions. Even hand-fed socialized pet parrotlets are aggressive and territorial with their cage – that behavior never changes. If these birds were pets, would act this way in defense of their territory.

Parrotlets are either pets or breeders. They are not both. They either imprint and bond with humans or with other parrotlets. These birds are half way finished with their lives and are a bonding breeding pair doing what Nature designed them to do – procreate. While anything can happen, I would be money you will never be able to tame them, never be able to handle them, never make them into pets as we humans define them. They can live perfectly happy lives breeding and producing offspring as God and Nature designed them to do. I never can understand why people think that is such a terrible thing. Had we not interfered with them, that is what they would be doing. I think its appalling a shelter would allow them to keep breeding and then kill the embryos rather than placing these birds in a breeding environment so they can do what they were supposed to do. As for your question about stopping them breeding, short of separating them, that isn’t going to happen until they are physically unable to produce.

Wish I had better news for you but to me, it really is about the birds. They can live the rest of their lives quite happily without any human interaction other than feeding and cleaning going on to produce offspring as Nature intended. The question is can you live with that. If not, I would recommend placing these birds with a breeder who can attend to their needs and make them comfortable until they are no longer able to produce chicks.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you and your birds.

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
________________________________________

Parrotlet Foot Question

2011-07-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Bless your giving heart sandee

I Don't do Facebook but get your web and blog on my lil' iPad

Used to live in Santa Cruz and up in davenport with lundberg studios years ago....
Had a gallery with my wife partner .....we lost it all in the 89 ' earthquake....!
Moved to portlandia after ...

Brought up Jewish in new York...I'm 62 now...
I always say I never had a mammal pet....not common in new York when young
Always birds fish reptiles....from parakeets to macaws , greys, and a red head
tuff boy amazon
Now, in retirement i have a pacific parrotlett male.... odysius or Odie ...great bird

Any familiarity with foot leg weakness...?....not weakness but fragile
Past year took him to the local veterinarian over foot pain/damage twice..ok
Odie still limping ...holding his left foot in the air..from recent floor tumble fell.
Not broken but sore...we keep his wings clipped ....good advice always
Limiting his time outside his cage unattended ....home we are most of the time
so, when we are out in the garden..we keep him locked in his cage
He has injured his same left foot twice now from either leaping off his cage
to find us last year....or two days ago falling off barbara's shoulder and hitting
the wood floor....any advice or other parrotlett history of foot damage....?

More to tell....I will email you again
If ever in the Portland Oregon area would love to meet you...show you our Odie
and visit us here at home for a nice lunch for you
I know you are busy....thanks again for your academic work...zoo work...breeding etc

Parrotlets are amazing
Odie starting talking the first month after adopting...says good morning Odie
How ya doin....good morning o' this morning and much more
Bought from Donna at parrot perch in washinton state
From a breeder ...I believe he was a month past weaning then...
Male parrotlett energies as you have talked about....very sweet...sometimes,often a real handful
My wife says now I have my first child
Also jangling key chain and....omg...plastic bags...noise of bags just delights him
Encourages his game playing...goin' to get you... A tag game we play around the
plastic bag sound...any familiarity with that one...?

As time permits advise me as you can
Thank you so much Sandee

Mark

Dear Mark:

Thank you so much for your very kind words. I sincerely appreciate them.

Parrotlets are no more inclined to foot damage, especially from an injury than any other bird. The only condition I know of that can contribute to feet problems other than mites or bumble foot, is gout. Gout is very uncommon (as is bumble foot or mites) in parrotlets but it is possible. However, the vet can diagnose that if it is a problem. Not sure what the course of treatment is, if any in birds. I do know it is a very difficult problem to manage in people but, of course, you would need a diagnosis indicated gout.

It is possible that the bird broke or cracked the bone and it never healed correctly. This would also cause continuing problems but again, these are not unique to parrotlets. This would be possible with any bird or even any animal including humans. The only thing that is different about parrotlets is that they do not grip as tightly as other birds so if falling is a problem and the bird has a pre-existing condition that causes issues, you might want to keep the bird off your shoulder when you are walking around and engaging in physical activities. Odie can still join you when you are working or moving about, just put him in a cage or on a play gym where he can keep his balance better and doesn't have to grip as hard.

That's my best advice. Hope it helps and thank you so much for your kind offer. I will keep that in mind. I would love to meet you and your wife as well as the wonderful and talented Odie.

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

IPS Registered Bands

2011-07-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

If i want to order leg band, how is my breeder code choosen?

Also do i hae to be a member of ips in order to order the bands?

Yes, you must be a member of IPS to order IPS registered bands. The breeder submits three codes in order of preference and the code is assigned based on the fact no one else has that code.

Sincerely yours,

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

Waiting List, Coloring of Blue Mutation Parrotlets

2011-07-04T08:21:00.001-07:00

Hi there! My name is Yael and i would love to purchase a parrotlet
from u. I am looking for an affectionate, sweet, friendly and social
parrotlet preferably in the powder blue color or turquoise. Please
feel free to email me back any time. Thanks a lot!
Yael

Dear Yael:

Thank you for your email. I always have a waiting list and currently it is at least 4 months long. While I breed blues, I do not breed turquoise. Also, you should know that the blue color mutation has a huge variety of color tones ranging from light powder blue to teal to deep blue, however they are all the same mutation. I always tell people blue is like blond hair in people. There are honey blonds, platinum blonds, ash blonds, strawberry blonds, etc., but they are all blond. Same with the blues. Also, the color a bird is when it feathers out is not necessarily the color it will be when it is an adult since plumage often changes as the birds age and molt. Finally, females have a more clean coloration when it comes to mutations than males. Males often have gray or slate coloring to them especially in the blues because the amount of melanin that males have in the normal coloration. Whether you get a bird from me or not you should know this so you will not be disappointed if the color changes as it matures.

I do not take deposits and work on a first-come, first-served basis. Let me know if you would like your name placed on my reservation list.

Thank you so much!

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

Boarding Recommendations

2011-06-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there,

We live in Pittsburgh PA and have a pair of parrotlets whose clutch of eggs just
hatched a few days ago... and we have a one week out of state trip
scheduled for July 2-9th. So we're looking for someone to board our
birds with that has experience with breeding parrotlets (we wouldn't
ask the boarding person/facility to pull the babies, just to feed the
parents and check on the babies every other day or so). Would you
be able to recommend someone in our area?

Thanks,
--
Kim

Dear Kim:

Thank you for your email. You can't move those birds if you want to keep the offspring. The parents will most likely either abandon or kill them if you move them. Also, the risk of disease contraction, especially to the chicks is very high in veterinary offices, pets stores or even with other breeders. You will need to bring in a pet sitter who can care for them in your home. I would not have them check the chicks but just feed and water. This will be stressful enough for your pair, whose natural instincts would be to abandon the nest since they do not know if they will be safe with a stranger around. This has been my experience and I've kept parrotlets for almost 30 years.

I would check with a vet or local pet store to see if they have someone who they recommend. Be sure that they are licensed and bonded. Experience with birds is not necessary since they will only need to be fed and watered. I would not recommend that the cages be cleaned. As I said, the birds will have enough stress with strangers caring for them and you want to keep the disturbance to a minimum so that the parents will not abandon the young. Also, it has been my experience that people do are not familiar with birds will take care of them exactly the way you show them. People with birds not only can bring in diseases on their person but they often will do what they think is 'best' for the birds regardless of your instructions.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

Sincerely yours,

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

Parrotlets & Children

2011-06-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

i would like a blue,yellow or green and is there a difference in male or female for temper. i do have a 3 and a 9 year old who love birds as well what are the rough prices for the birds i would love to have a parrotlet my brother had one when i was about 12 and i was the only one who could hold it without getting bit. can it break skin ? our last bird was a green cheek conure we loved him
and he was a great addition to our family. what is your input i have been looking into these birds for a couple years and i feel like the info i find is all the same.so i am open to anything and looking for any info you can give me.

thank you for your time
chris young

Dear Chris:

Sorry for the delay in responding, I have been incredibly busy these days.

Birds, like people, are all individuals. While one can make general assumptions, no one can predict the personality of a particular bird just based on species, color or sex. It really depends on the birds’ own personality, how it was raised and socialized and how it was trained. So what you really need is a breeder who has experience with birds, spends a lot of time with them and honestly evaluates each bird to place it in the right home. That being said, I find that males tend to be more gregarious than females and therefore you have much less chance of them becoming ‘one-person’ birds.

If your brother had a parrotlet, then you know how tiny and fragile they can be. Indeed, a parrotlet is smaller than the tail on the conure so they are not birds that can withstand a person being very physical with them. Therefore, I always am much more concerned about the welfare of the bird when it comes to interaction with young children. While a parrotlet can break the skin, a child can squeeze, throw, step on or otherwise injure or even kill a parrotlet in an instant. This would be more devastating for a child than getting bitten so it is something to strongly consider before a parrotlet comes into a home. It is for this reason I often recommend a larger bird such as a conure or even a cockatiel for small children. They are larger, easier to handle, are domesticated birds so they have a more even temperament and not as fragile as a 4” parrotlet. However, you know your children and their needs as well as your ability to supervise the kids when they are with the bird but it something that should be seriously considered.

I have written 3 books on parrotlets and also have a blog, website (www.parrotletranch.com) and a Facebook page for the Parrotlet Ranch so I have a ton of information out there. I am also available to answer questions, as time permits. If you would like to have your name placed on my waiting list, just let me know. I don’t take deposits and work on a first-come, first-served basis. Right now, my list is at least 4 months long.

Hope this helps and thank you again for your patience.

Sincerely yours,

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

"Striking" Parrotlet Mutations

2011-06-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

Thanks so much for taking the time to call me. I think that
after all is said and done, this is what I would like to do:

I would like to get on your waiting list for a "striking" blue
mutation and an American yellow mutation - both males, unless
you can come up with a reputable breeder who has Lutinos. The
problem I forsee with finding a Lutino, is that the chance of
finding and adopting a Lutino and one of your blue mutations at
the same time is pretty small. Because you are so obviously
knowledgable about these beautiful little birds, I will go with
what you think best. Are any of the double factor mutations
particulary striking? If, so I would consider a male from that
category. I know that your waiting list is long so I will try
very hard not to be impatient.

I am very grateful that I found your website early on and it was
a pleasure to talk with you. Thanks again for your time and I
will continue to follow up on my own reading and other research
so that I can do these beautiful little guys justice when I
finally get them.

Sue

Dear Sue:

It was a pleasure talking to you. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. A "striking' bird to you, may not be one to me. Indeed, I prefer a normal green Pacific over any mutation. I also breed for conformation and vigor not pretty colors. Indeed, in exhibition, coloring is the LEAST important factor and is given only a small number of points - far behind conformation and condition. These are the qualities I breed for. Also, unlike dogs, birds change color as they age and molt. The color of the bird at the time of weaning is not the color the bird will be when it is an adult. Also, the number of mutated genes such as a single or double factor has nothing to do with how the bird appears visually unless it is a new color. This is because these are recessive mutations and unless they combine for form a new color such as dilute-blue or albino, you can't see the mutation. If you want a dilute-blue, albino, fallow-blue or any of the other combination mutations, again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you want a particular combination mutation then let me know. I can't make that decision for you.

I have placed your name on my reservation list. Feel free to contact me

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

How Many Parrotlet Clutches? Preventing Breeding.

2011-06-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee
My name is Dena. I have only recently been breeding Parrotlets, not for profit, just for fun. I have been told that you will answer parrotlet questions when people write to you, Sooo, here's hoping. I have an adult American white male and a blue female. They have had 2 clutches this year, one in March, the other in May. I pulled the babies from the second clutch last week to hand feed them, that is going well. I removed the nest box from the parents thinking this would discourage breeding for a while but unfortunately I see he is breeding her several times a day. My first question is, should I throw the eggs away this time or is it safe to let her have a third clutch at this time? They had 4 the first time and 5 the second time. I am not an indiscriminate breeder and I want to do what is best for my adult birds. Also, Do you know any other ways to discourage breeding short of separating them? They screem constantly when they are separated. I would appreciate any advice you can give me. I have read several of your books and I think you are the Master of parrotlets and their breeding. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Sincerely. Dena

Dear Dena:

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately, when you place two adult birds together and provide them with nutritious food, a secure place to live and a nest box, they will do what Nature intended and they will breed. With some pairs, simply removing the nestbox will stop them from breeding; others you need to separate them. Yes, it is inconvenient for us to listen to them call to one another for a few days but eventually they will stop. I know people think they are suffering emotionally but I’ve never heard of a parrotlet dying from being separated from a mate. I have heard them dying because they just keep breeding and breeding. It is much more important for them to rest – if they are allowed to continue breeding indiscriminately, the hen will deplete her body of calcium and she can become egg-bound or worse such as having a collapsed uterus. It will also shorten her lifespan as well as her breeding life. Hens that have more than 3 clutches a year generally only produce for 3 years while hens that are managed with restricted breeding will continue breeding until 7 years or more.

Males can also suffer from exhaustion if they are constantly feeding the hen and chicks. Many males do not eat as much as they normally do when they are feeding a clutch so they can starve to death or develop a stress-related illness. This can be passed onto the hen and chicks and you can lose not only your male but the hen and babies as well.

The physically exhausting part of breeding for a hen is producing the eggs. That is what depletes the body of calcium and causes the stress which can result in birth-related such as egg binding and prolapse of the uterus. There is no point in removing the eggs at this point since the most dangerous part of breeding is over for her. If you remove the eggs at this point, she may just start her cycle all over again since this is what would happen in the wild. After all, again, Nature designed these birds to survive in the wild and we cannot undo that instinct just because we keep them in captivity. Instead, we have to manage them in order to protect them and ensure they are healthy and strong and produce healthy offspring. Again, its not about emotion or ‘what the birds want’ it is about instinct and biology.

If they were my birds, I’d let them finish out this clutch then either take the box down or separate them for 2-3 months. Again, it may be difficult but no one said breeding birds is easy or fun. In fact, I give a very in depth presentation on how hard it is to breed birds – the decisions that have to be made, the sacrifices we as breeders have to make and the amount of work, resources, time and money that are involved. It isn’t easy nor is it always fun but if you want to be serious about breeding – and that has nothing do with making money – it has to do with the ethical considerations when breeding birds.

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

Talking Parrotlets

2011-06-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Just happen by chance to get your website.
I have a White Bellied Cacique and had a Pacific Parrotlet that I taught to talk quite a lot.
Was wondering if you have any baby parrolet that is very vocal?

Thanks,
Pam

Dear Pam:

Thank you for your email. Actually, quite a few parrotlets can learn to talk and many learn a great number of words. One of my friend's parrotlet's knew over 200! As for your question, I'm not sure if you are asking if I have any parrotlets available for sale that are vocal or if I have any parrotlets that are vocal. The answer to the first question is no, I always have a waiting list and if you want a bird from me, its going to be at least a 3-4 months wait. As for the second question, I've hundreds of parrotlets over the last 30 years and yes, many have been very vocal and learned a lot of words.

Hope this helps and good luck with your birds.

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

Pellets & Color Mutation Parrotlets

2011-06-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I have a blue mutation parrotlet named Izzy. He’s about three months old. I am very confused about what to feed him. The breeder gave us a diet that includes pellets, Goldenfeast, and a dried mixture to cook that includes beans, dried carrots, seeds and nuts. The vet thinks that there’s too much fat in the diet, and wants him to eat mostly pellets and fresh or cooked vegetables (so far he won’t touch them, he just picks out the seeds), with a small amount of the less fatty seeds. On the other hand, I keep reading about suspected issues with mutations and pellets. The breeder says that she’s never had a problem.

I don’t know what to do. I would like to find documentation to give the (avian) vet on the kidney issue with pellets, but so far all the evidence I can find is anecdotal. So I have two questions. First, what would your advice be on feeding Izzy, and second , do you know where I can find documentation such as studies on this issue? The anecdotal evidence seems suggestive, but the vet is (rightly ) going to want something more objective. I would feel better myself with stricter evidence.

You have probably gone over this in the past, so I’m sorry to ask it again if you have.

Thanks for your time,
Raisl

Dear Raisl:

Thank you for your email. If I had a dime for every time I have had to discuss this issue and that includes my chapters in books, magazine articles I’ve written, web-pages I’ve published, seminars I’ve given, countless phone and in person conversations and hundreds of emails, I would be almost as rich as the pellet manufacturers. However, because there is so much misinformation and misunderstandings about this subject, I am happy to answer the question again. I am going to go into the history and basic understanding of parrot nutrition and the invention of pellets and you can make your own decision about it.

There are over 350 different species of parrots and over 9,000 species of birds. The only concrete information we have on bird nutrition is for poultry not companion birds. In fact, in hook bills, the only species we know anything about as far as nutritional requirements are lysine in cockatiels. These studies were done by Dr. Tom Roudybush (one of the few vets who is also an avian nutritionist) back in the 1980s. No other studies have been done. This is because if you can find an university doing research on companion birds its for diseases not nutrition. Even then, any honest vet will tell you that disease diagnosis and treatment is more of an art than a science. Nutrition studies are done by commercial food manufacturers, i.e., the pellet distributors. To say they have a conflict of interest when it comes to bias in this area is a gross understatement. That would be like having tobacco companies fund cancer research.

I have bred birds for almost 30 years and witnessed both the advent of pellets and the certification of vets with regard to avian medicine. It doesn’t mean I know more than vets but it certainly does give me both the opportunity for empirical (not anecdotal) data as well as remember why pellets were invented in the first place. Very simply it was for commercial use in making the feeding of caged birds the same as feeding dogs and cats. Of course, this is impossible since, again there are more than 350 species of parrots and only 1 species of dogs and cats. Pellet manufacturers felt that the correct feeding of birds – a diet made up primarily of whole foods (including seeds) but also fruit, vegetables, sprouts, whole grains and legumes was ‘too much work’ by bird owners. They decided if they could make a diet you can simply pour in a bowl they would deal with the usual problem with seed diets, which is the lack of vitamin A and in some species such as Amazons and cockatoos, the high fat content that often leads to fatty liver syndrome. Btw, when most parrotlets are diagnosed with fatty liver syndrome it is usually related to toxins and over vitaminization or medication not diet. So the invention of pellets was really for the convenience of the owners and breeders and, of course, to open up the market so feed companies could make a lot of money. Nothing wrong with that but if you think they were doing something altruistic to help make birds healthy that is incorrect.

One thing a lot of people do not realize is that pellets are made from seed, and it is almost always corn. Corn is one of the least nutritious grains on the planet and it is mostly made up of sugar. I myself do not eat corn for that reason. Moreover, in birds, it is not a natural food. But it is cheap and plentiful. There is one pellet, ironically the one promoted by vets, that is not made from corn. It is made from sunflower seeds. The same dreaded sunflower seeds that vets claim has too much fat when it is in whole form but apparently its ok when it has been processed into a pellet – or perhaps that has more to do with the monetary incentive that vets get for selling that pellet.

In any event, when you are told to feed pellets instead of seed, you are still feeding seed. Highly processed, artificially colored, flavored, often full of preservatives and vitaminized seed. We know with humans that processed foods are not recommended for top nutrition. This is true for just about all animals and it certainly must be true for birds. Birds have better eyesight than humans, they have a sense of smell, have a sensitive tongue for feeling textures and can taste food. I know I wouldn’t like living on something like “Ensure” even thought it is ‘nutritionally complete’ and I’m sure our birds wouldn’t like it either. More importantly, you will not convince me that drinking a highly processed, overly vitaminized, artificially flavored and colored food like Ensure is better for me than say a bowl of fresh salad made with lots of leafy greens, vegetables and lean protein. It also is more interesting and tastes better which adds to my enjoyment and well-being. I would say my birds would feel the same.

On another interesting note, since I know almost all the owners of feed companies personally, the honest ones have told me “Sandee, if you are feeding fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, cooked legumes, sprouted seed, supplements such as bee pollen and calcium in addition to whole seeds, we can’t make a pellet that nutritious. We make pellets for people who either can’t or won’t take the time to feed their birds whole fresh foods.”

As for the issues with mutations, I have dozens of necropsy reports and had countless (off the record of course) conversations with vets, biologists and researchers and they have documented the problems with color mutations and the kidney problems. These have been given to me in confidence so I will not share them nor will I give the names of the vets who have entrusted to me their opinions. My feeling is that it really doesn’t matter. The fact is I have yet to have anyone convince me that feeding highly processed artificially flavored, colored and preserved seed is a better diet than feeding one rich in fresh whole foods including seeds, irregardless of the uric acid problems in mutations. I know I don’t eat that way and I’m not going to feed my birds that way. After all, there are no pellet trees in the wild.

I hope you understand I’m not trying to tell you how to feed your bird. Only you can make that decision. However, you should have all the facts available so you can make appropriate decision for you and your bird. You asked my opinion and the reasons therefore and I hope this meets your expectations. Best of luck to you and your bird.

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

Parrotlet Chewing Feathers

2011-06-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

I just wanted to give you an update on Tommaso. I took him to the avian vet here in Placerville this morning for his chewing of his wings. She checked his stool and it was okay. His weight and muscle was good as well. She took a smear and a culture. The culture won’t be ready for a couple of days. She did call me tonight about the smear and said she was real surprised that she found Spiral Bacteria in the smear she took. He shows no symptoms and she said feather chewing is not a symptom of this. She is going to wait to see what the culture shows before doing anything. She said otherwise he is a very healthy happy bird from the outside. I did tell her that I had put a coconut in his cage about 3 weeks ago. She suggested to be on the safe side to remove the coconut because there might be something in there that can cause him to chew his wing feathers that might be irritating him. You only could tell they are chewed when he spreads his wings, otherwise you can’t tell anything is wrong with his wings. The vet said, regardless with what’s causing him to chew his feathers, that the Spiral Bacteria needs to be treated with antibiotics. UGH! Tommaso has never lived with any other birds, so I’m baffled. Any thoughts with your experience on this bacteria? I don’t want something to happen to Tommaso down the road if I don’t do something now about it since he has no symptoms. Can this bacteria be inside a bird and not show symptoms or sit dormant? I know you mentioned you don’t like giving medicine to birds.

Thanks in advance,
Maureen

Dear Maureen:

Glad to hear you brought the bird to a vet. However, I am concerned since there is no “bacterium’ called ‘spiral bacteria’. That is a description. Not a name. Also, you can’t see ‘bacteria’ under a microscope. It has to be grown on a culture. My belief is that you vet is seeing a fungus called Avian Gastric Yeast (formerly 'megabacteria') which is a normal fungus found in the gut. It is not a problem unless the bird is having pathogenic issues such as weight loss, dehydration, passing of seed in the stool, etc. None of which is an issue with your bird. Also, since AGY is a fungus and not a bacteria it is NOT treated with antibiotics. In fact, antibiotics can cause other yeast and fungal problems especially cyprofloxin and Baytril (same drug btw). AGY is usually treated with an antifungal called “Amphotericin B” which is no longer manufactured and must be made by a compounding pharmacy.

It is also possible the bird may have giardia. Giardia, a water-born parasite that can be seen under a microscope and that can cause feather destructive issues. It is also not treated with antibiotics but is treated with Flagyl.

So, to be honest I really have no idea what is going on with your bird since none of this makes sense. As for not giving medicine to birds, I have no problem with it when there is a definitive diagnosis and a correct course of treatment for the problem. I do NOT believe in the ‘scattershot’ approach of just throwing a bunch of medicine at a bird and hoping you get it right. If the vet said the cultures show that your bird had an e.coli infection and prescribed antibiotics that would be appropriate. However, in this case I would be very cautious and ask a lot of questions. I’m not saying not to listen to your vet – I’m just saying that if this were my bird, I would be asking a lot more questions before I just started treating. I have seen too many parrotlets develop liver disease and kidney failure after being over treated with very powerful antibiotics or being prescribed medication that is unnecessary.

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

2011-05-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am new to parrotlets, I currently have a breeding pair with a hen sitting on her first clutch of 7 eggs. Looking over this website and considering membership. I noticed there are no events scheduled for this year. Is this organization still active?

Thanks,

Diana

Dear Diana:

Thank you for your email. Congratulations on your first pair going to nest.

The International Parrotlet Society is the oldest organization in the world dedicated to the care, breeding, conservation, preservation and exhibition of parrotlets. IPS is an IRS recognized non-profit educational organization that will be celebrating our 20th anniversary next year. We are very much an active organization. We are currently revamping our website with a new webmaster so it is a work in progress. After all, we are a non-profit with NO paid staff and everyone volunteers their time and skills. This allows us to use all of our funds in our educational endeavors. These include the publication and distribution of our award-winning journal that has articles from vets, breeders, pet owners, biologists, researchers, geneticists, bird show judges, zoo personnel and other experts who volunteer their time and knowledge. We also have a Facebook page and a blog and often submit articles to magazines such as Bird Talk and Watchbird. We do have meetings at bird events such as conventions and bird shows; this year will be in California at the American Federation of Aviculture convention in August and in Kansas City, MO in November at the National Cage Bird Show.

So as you can see, yes, we are a very active organization that is constantly updating ourselves and trying to provide the public with basic information on parrotlets and their care plus our dedication to our members to provide the most up-to-date expert information available. We also have a host of other membership benefits such as the purchase by our members of traceable leg bands, participation in our Parrotlet Placement Program, accepted exhibition Standards, a copy of our Breeders’ Directory at no cost and we are always available to answer questions and provide resource information. We also have fundraising projects for conservation of parrotlets in the wild and veterinary research which benefits all birds not just parrotlets, preservation of rare species in captivity and providing appropriate nomenclature for the latest color mutations. We also sell t-shirts, pins and name badges to help support the organization and our projects.

If you go to our page, you can request an IPS information kit. We will send you a copy of our journal plus a brochure that has information on IPS and an application.

I hope this answers your questions but if you have anymore, please feel free to contact us!

Sincerely yours,

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

Parrotlet Handbook & Other Books You Have Authored

2011-05-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee, I had asked you a few weeks ago, where I could purchase your book The Parrotlet Handbook! I live in Canada. I think you had suggested your website or Amazon. I did however did some research on line. I was able to purchase the book directly from Barron's. I did receive the book, Sandee I love the book. I have learned so much just by reading the first few chapters. I look forward to reading more. I love the pictures. They are terrific!
I was wondering are you planning on writing any more books in the near future? I am not sure of any other titles of the books you have written? I would love to read them as well. I tried to search on line, but the only title book I could find was the one I purchased!
Thanks Sandee!........ Carol

Dear Carol:

Thank you so much for your email. It brought such a big smile to my face. I’m glad you were able to find my latest version of my book, The Parrotlet Handbook. I did write an original back in 1996 and then updated it with All About Parrotlets, all of which are available on my website at www.parrotletranch.com I am working on other writing projects at the moment but will eventually write another book on parrotlets in the coming years. I do have a Facebook page for the Parrotlet Ranch and I also write a parrotlet blog. I am also still the editor of the International Parrotlet Society journal and occasionally write articles for Bird Talk and other magazines so I am keeping up with my writing and publications.

Thank you again so much for your very kind compliments and I am so glad you found the book helpful.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
Owner, Parrotlet Ranch

Green Rump Pairs

2011-05-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Sandee,

I recently lost my conure at 18 years old. This is the first time in my life I haven’t had a bird and we really miss the presence of a feathered friend. I am contemplating a pair of green rump parrotlets. Is it true they are the gentlest of the parrotlets? If I got them at a young age, would they continue to be close with each other? I knew someone who had a pair of Pacifics and the female decapitated the male so I just want to make sure that doesn’t happen. Also, do you have youngsters from different lines just in case they did breed at some point? It’s not a goal of mine (finding homes is a chore), but certainly a concern that any offspring would be healthy.

Thank you in advance,
Tiffany

Dear Tiffany:

Thank you so much for your email. I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your conure.

There is a big misconception about Green Rumps that they are ‘sweeter’ or ‘more gentle’ than Pacifics and that just isn’t true. They are very timid, very shy birds and many people misinterpret that shyness as being sweet or that they make better pets. Also, as a lifelong bird owner, I’m sure you must be aware that all birds – just like people – are individuals and while one can make generalizations about certain characteristics, the bottom line is that how a bird is imprinted, socialized and trained is a much better indicator of how a bird is going to behave as a pet. That being said, I do have to state that I am not taking reservations for Green Rumps anymore since my waiting list is more than a year long.

As for two birds staying close, that really isn’t something that happens with parrotlets. Parrotlets are either pets or breeders, not both. This is probably what happened with your friend’s Pacifics. You have two healthy adult well-fed birds of the opposite sex kept in a cage together and if they are not set up for breeding, then hormones get out of control and mate killing can happen. I also know that just because the bird was ‘decapitated’ it does not mean that the hen did it. If the dead bird’s feet were chewed up and there is blood all over the cage and perches, then the hen is the culprit. If not, the bird died of something else and the hen mutilated the body. Parrotlets often cannibalize a dead bird – this is an instinct that helps them survive in the wild, both to keep predators away and to consume energy. It’s not pretty but Mother Nature rarely is. It’s what has helped the species survive for millennia in very harsh conditions. In captivity, this instinct is not necessary and is one that often is very upsetting to owners but there are ways to prevent it. Pet parrotlets are best kept as single birds unless they are kept in separate cages. One bird will often become dominant over the other and ‘share’ is not a word in the parrotlet vocabulary. The dominant bird will keep the other from eating, perching, playing, etc., and while they may preen one another or sit next to each other on a perch (again, survival instincts but not ‘love’ or ‘affection’ as many people think) then injury or death can occur. That is why I always recommend that pet parrotlets be kept in separate cages.

I have bred parrotlets for almost 30 years and have written 3 books on them as well as give seminars on parrotlet care around the world. I have always sold unrelated birds to people regardless of whether or not they intend to breed them. I learned a long time ago that instinct is what governs birds so make sure that any pairs sold are unrelated, whether the birds are going to be pets or breeders.

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

Retrieving A Lost Parrotlet

2011-05-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

This may not be a question that you can answer, however I must field it to you in desperation.

I reside in Victoria B.C. My parotlett flew outside this evening and is in a nearby tree. Is there any cours of action that I can try to do to get him in before dark?

In desperation. Thank you for your help with this matter.

Michael

Dear Michael:

I am so, so sorry. However, many times pet parrotlets will try and find a person. You should call local pet shops, veterinarians (even non bird treating ones), feed stores and check the animal shelter. I’ve had more than one parrotlet returned to their owner when they went to a person and the person brought them to a vet or a pet shop. As for cold and shelter, parrotlets are pretty good a finding shelter and most of the time, so long as it isn’t freezing, they can survive cold temperatures pretty well. When they get hungry they often look for a human so hopefully a good Samaritan found him and took him somewhere bird related. You should also see if Victoria still has a local bird club- they may be able to help put the word out. I also know there are online lost bird websites and newsgroups (you can google it) and they will make the information available to every online bird owner in the area.

Best of luck and I will keep you and your little one in my prayers.

Sincerely yours,

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

Dear Sirs:

On behalf of my wife, Tina, I wish to thank you for your advice concerning our lost parrotlet. I wrote to your society requesting information of what options I had to retrieve a lost bird. It was your response that aided us in being reunited with our bird. My family had given up hope for the bird's safe return. It was your e-mail that suggested that we check in with our local SPCA. It turns out that our parrotlet flew to a picnicking family after gone missing for two days.

The good Samaritans were kind enough to turn the bid over to local SPCA officials.
Were it not for your suggestion to check with the SPCA, we would never have been reunited with our bird

Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter.

Regards
Michael Sarosiak

Michael, you have made my day! I am SO HAPPY to hear this! I’m sure your entire family is very relieved. Thank you so much. Do you mind if I print our emails in our journal as it may help someone else who’s bird is lost? Thank you so much for letting me know and I am very glad that IPS was able to help!

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

Age To Sell A Baby Parrotlet

2011-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I was referred to your site by a website called talkparrotlets.com. There has been a lot of talk there lately about baby parrotlets that have died shortly after going to their new home. The common belief is that they are being sold way too young, so they regress and die. I would like to know what the IPS believes to be the age at which a Green Pacific Parrotlet should be made available for sale. A Senior Member on talkparrotlets.com says that the "industry standard" for baby birds is 12 weeks old. However, baby parrotlets are often being sold at 6 weeks old, right after they are weaned. I currently have a breeder who says that my baby parrotlet is ready to come home to me. He hatched on March 30, 2011 and just weaned less than a week ago. That makes him just over 6 weeks old. Please tell me if you think that's too young to be sold, or perhaps you could tell me what the IPS considers to be the appropriate age or guidelines used to determine if a parrotlet baby is ready to be sold.

To be fair about this, here is what the breeder said when I expressed my concern:
I have never had a baby die after it went to it's new home. Why should they when they are completely weaned? His sister who left last week is doing great. Also, a baby bird who is at an age to be well weaned is an older baby or a sub adult. They are not very young babies. They are strong, independant, can fly, and don't want anything to do with their parents.

I look forward to your reply. Thank you.

Debra

Dear Debra:

Thank you for your email.

The International Parrotlet Society was founded in 1992 to help people keep, raise, conserve, exhibit and breed parrotlets. We are an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) educational organization although we also support research, veterinary advancements and conservation of all species of parrotlets. IPS publishes a bimonthly journal that contains a ton of the latest information from biologists, veterinarians, breeders, genetics experts, behaviorists, trainers and many other professionals. IPS gives guidelines and recommendations but we do not tell people how to raise their birds. Therefore, IPS has no policy with regard to the sale of parrotlet chicks other than we strongly recommend the birds be completely weaned before they are sold.

So, I’m going to answer this email as a professional woman who has bred parrotlets exclusively for almost 30 years not as the secretary or one of the founders of IPS. I have written 3 books on parrotlets and still work as a panel expert for Bird Chanel as well as writing articles for Bird Talk magazine. I can tell you this isn’t a problem with the parrotlets being sold too young. This is a problem because of the inexperience of the person buying the bird. I learned this back in the early 1980’s when I was one of the first persons in the country to start hand-feeding and selling parrotlets. Many people make too many changes much too fast and the parrotlets cannot handle the added stress.

First, I always hold onto a bird until a least after it is weaned and I weigh it every day before I feed. Once I have determined the bird is not losing weight for at least a week, then I will send it home. However, I spend a great deal of time with the new owners and ALWAYS send them home with a copy of my books (the latest one is available at Amazon.com and is entitled “The Parrotlet Handbook” and the publisher is Barron’s), a baby care information sheet, food (a seed mix I developed over 30 years and has been used by several feed companies) and lots of millet spray. My baby care sheet is on my website (http://www.parrotletranch.com/Articles/bringing.html) but basically it informs the new owners how to place food and water stations in the cage, what to expect for feeding, how to check and make sure the bird is actually eating (looking at seeds and food dishes is NOT how you tell if they are eating), making sure the bird has no drafts and is kept warm during the adjustment period so it doesn’t get stressed and go into shock. I DO strongly recommend the feeding of millet almost non-stop when the birds first go to their new home. Some people erroneously believe the bird will become ‘addicted’ to millet but I have never seen this in almost 30 years and having bred hundreds of parrotlets of every species except Sclater’s as well as being a consultant to thousands if not tens of thousands of parrotlet owners over the years. Millet is a complex carbohydrate that also contains protein. It is one of the few grains that also has protein. It provides quick as well as sustained energy because of the combination of protein and complex carbs. I myself eat a lot of millet flour because it is so healthy and good for you. Usually, young parrotlets will eat a millet spray almost one per day for the few couple of weeks. This is because they need the quick energy to adjust to the stress and energy levels they are putting out. After all, going into a new home is extremely stressful for a young parrotlet – they need to learn who the new people are, they have a new cage, new perches, new toys, new environment, perhaps new children or other pets and birds and most of all, learning there are no predators lurking about. All of these things take a tremendous amount of energy and feeding copious amounts of millet will help provide the energy the babies need. As time goes on and they settle into the routine of their new homes, they will naturally start expanding their diets and it is at this time that fresh foods such as fruit, vegetables, greens, sprouts, grains and legumes can be added slowly to the diet. I do recommend you provide them with thawed frozen peas and corn with some millet and seed sprinkled on top. This is because most parrotlets, no matter what they were fed by the breeder, do not eat fresh foods right away. Again, probably because the need to covert food into quick energy isn’t going to come from those foods. They, of course, are the basis for along and healthy life but the first few days and weeks of a parrotlet’s life in a new home are critical that the bird receives energy from food and this happens from complex carbs and protein, neither of which is found in fresh foods.

So, I hope you find this helpful. If you would like more details I do have my books, blogs and FB page, as well as being the editor of the International Parrotlet Society’s journal, has a ton of tips and information available. I would appreciate it if you did NOT forward this post to the group. I will be posting this on my blog and it will also be on the Parrotlet Ranch’s Facebook page and people can see it there.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Sincerely yours,

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

Biting Parrotlet

2011-05-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

I've had a young parrotlet since January (he was hatched in November). He's always bitten if I put my hand in his cage, so I wait til he comes out before approaching him with my finger. Lately, tho, he's started biting when he's out, too. How should I react when he bites, and how can I get him to stop??

Thank you for your help.
Claudia

Dear Claudia:

Thank you for your email. I’m sorry I did not respond sooner. Somehow the message got stuck in my SPAM filter so my apologies.

Parrotlets have a well-deserved reputation for being territorial when it comes to their cage and they can be very aggressive when it comes to defending their home. This is how Nature designed them in order to survive in the wild. Pacific parrotlets originate in a very dry desert-like region where they compete for everything – food, nesting sites, etc., and almost everything preys upon them including other birds. Indeed, spiders are bigger than they are so they must be very bold and aggressive when it comes to protecting their space. This works well in wild, not so well in captivity.

I always recommend that people teach their parrotlets the ‘Step up” command as soon as possible. First, make sure the bird’s wings are clipped. Then, after the bird has been removed from the cage, you place him on your index finger to perch. Place the index finger of your other hand in front of the bird, just above the feet and gently turn the finger the bird is perched on away from the other finger. Repeat the command “UP’ or “STEP UP” and as the bird’s center of gravity shifts, it will automatically step up. As soon as he does, praise him lavishly and excitedly. Repeat this over and over for a few minutes every day when you take the bird out of the cage. Do this over a couch or bed in a room the bird is not familiar with. If he flies away, just pick him up and start again. Do not try to restrain or restrict him from flying or he’ll bite. Usually after a few days, the bird learns the command. Once this is done, when you reach into the cage, immediately place your finger up to him and say very firmly “UP” or “STEP UP” and they will step up. You need to do this as soon as you place your finger in the cage or the bird may go into defense mode and bite your finger.

If the bird is now biting when you take him out, again, make sure his wings are clipped. Unclipped birds are not only a safety-hazard but they also learn very quickly that they can fly and you cannot so a good hard nip is all it takes for you to let go and for them to have ‘freedom’. Once his wings are clipped, you can work on the Step Up command. Making the bird step up over and over is called ‘doing ladders’ or ‘laddering’. You should do this while training the Step Up command but you can also do it to keep the bird occupied and eventually it will tire the bird. This is one way to stop the nipping. Another thing you can do is say “NO!” very loudly when the bird bites and either blow a puff of air into the bird’s face or lightly shake your finger the bird is perched upon to distract him. Do not shake the bird, or shake your finger hard enough for the bird to fall. Never throw the bird. You can also place the bird on the floor (if its safe) for a couple of seconds. This is a very vulnerable position for a parrotlet and they will usually look to you to pick them up and make them safe. As soon as the bird stops biting, praise him lavishly. Over and over. This is what teaches the bird not to bite, the reward and praise. Not the punishment. You always want them to learn through positive reinforcement not punishment.

On another note, I do have to say that your bird’s change in behavior may be because the bird is molting. Most baby parrotlets go through their first molt at 4-6 months of age and it is a long, arduous process that is uncomfortable for the bird and can affect their mood and behavior. If the bird is molting, don’t push him too much with the training and if he is really hard to handle, let him be for a day or two. You can help the molt go faster by feeding a few higher protein foods in the diet like cooked eggs or peanut butter on whole grain bread a few times a week. Spraying him daily with warm water from a plant mister will also help.

I do hope that you can try some of these things that I recommend. It sounds to me like your parrotlet is going through typical parrot-learning behavior and just needs a little training and guidance. You will need to be patient and consistent but I think eventually you will get the sweet little pet you want. I’ve also written three books on parrotlets that you might find helpful. The most recent one, The Parrotlet Handbook by Barrons, is available both on my website at www.parrotletranch.com and at amazon.com

Best of luck and please let me know if any of these things help!

Sincerely yours,

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

I hate to ask a stupid question, but what exactly is molt? I'm thinking it's when a bird loses many feathers. I've only owned parakeets & budgies and haven't experienced much in the way of molting. If I'm correct, Pita (my bird) isn't molting.

Pita steps up really well, is curious, has learned to say a few phrases and mimics some melodies I whistle to him. I have toys in his cage and a little "playground" I put on the table while I'm working or eating there. He doesn't like to be sprayed, but if I walk him over to the water faucet, he'll kind of bathe there.

I'll look on Amazon and check out your books. Thank you so much.
And don't worry about my email going astray. I'm just glad you found it at all and responded.
Claudia

There are no stupid questions Claudia. Molting is the process by which feathers are replaced. Each feather falls out and a new one grows in. They are not supposed to fall out all at once or have bald spots otherwise the bird would not be able to fly nor keep itself warm. Generally it should only be a feather or two every day or so. The process takes weeks because it goes so slow.

Most parrotlets do not like to bathe - this is because they come from a dry desert-like area. However, just because they don't like it doesn't mean it isn't good for them. They do get wet when it rains so it isn't going to be a problem for them. The purpose of misting is not really to 'clean' the bird so much as teaching them how to preen correctly and to encourage circulation and the spreading of natural oils to help the molting process along.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

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

Parrotlet or Ringneck Bit A Parrotlet's Beak Off?

2011-05-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Sandee/Robert,

I own several pairs of Parrotlets and have for many years. I recently paired up
2 potential breeders and had them in a split cage for nearly 2 months, monitored
their behavior/interaction and placed them in a single cage. They immediately
took to each other, sitting side by side, giving kisses and seemed like a match.
I had them housed in an outside aviary and on Tuesday the 3rd of May, I noticed
the female had one of her toes missing. However, the two seemed fine together.
The next day when checking on all of my birds, to my horror, the male was
missing his upper beak! I immediately separated the two and called my vet. She
said that if the bird lived, it was possible that the injured male could
possibly learn to eat on his own. I have been hand feeding him, with added baby
food. I have noticed that he does eat on his own. Although. his beak looks much
better, my main question is: could the female have done such damage? I have an
Indian Ringneck that free flies and noticed today that she was on top of the
female's Parrotlet's cage. Have you ever heard of Parrotlet's being this
aggressive or could the Ringneck be the culprit?

I have searched the Internet and have a copy of "The Parrotlet Handbook" and can
find no information regarding this unfortunate incident.

Thank you for your time and professional advice,

Sincerely,

Lee

Dear Lee:

Thank you for your email. I'm terribly sorry to hear about this situation.

In 30 years I have never heard of a parrotlet being able to bite off another parrotlet's beak. I've seen them have fights and injure each other's beak but I would not believe a parrotlet could do that unless I saw it with my own eyes. I am not a betting woman but I would bet the farm it was the Ringneck. Parrotlets just don't have that kind of power in their jaws but the Ringneck certainly does. As I say in all of my writings including my book, The Parrotlet Handbook, over and over, parrotlets are very aggressive and territorial and will defend their cages against much larger animals including other birds. I'm sure the Ringneck landed on the parrotlet's cage, the parrotlet ran up to bite/chase it off and the Ringneck reached down and bit off the beak. Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence with free-flying birds that are not supervised when out of their cages. Another excellent reason to keep those wings clipped and always supervise a bird when it is out of its cage.

Best of luck to you and your birds. Hope this helps.

Sincerely yours,

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

Color Mutation Parrotlets' Personalities

2011-05-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Sandee-

I read that the blue mutation of Pacific Parrotlets have gentler dispositions than original greens, and that the yellow Pacifics are particularly feisty. Do you find that the color mutations have any identifiable personalities traits linked to them? Or do you think people are taking experience from maybe one or two Parrotlets they have known, and making a generalized statement?

Thanks for your help,

Kathleen

Dear Kathleen:

Thank you so much for your email. This is an excellent question and I really appreciate you asking it.

I’ve kept and bred parrotlets for almost 30 years and have bred hundreds and seen thousands. I preface my answer with that fact because I do believe the less birds you have the more ‘sure’ you are of their behavior. The longer you keep birds and the more you have, you realize that they are all individuals and that, just like with people or dogs, you can’t make generalizations about individuals based on generic information. Most people who have a bird and its sweet will make that statement about all of them that are like that. If you have a blue or a dilute (formerly yellow) and it’s a wonderful bird, it is human nature to attribute its pet quality on physical characteristics. That really isn’t true. The best pet birds are the ones who personalities lend themselves to enjoy the company of humans, whether or not they have been strongly imprinted (i.e., ‘socialized’), how they are trained and how they are kept. Those things have a far greater influence on behavior than species, sex or color.

I do believe that is part of why people think that certain mutations are ‘sweeter’ than normal birds (although good luck trying to find any Pacific parrotlet that doesn’t have some mutation gene in its background). However, I do have a theory that mutations are often considered ‘sweeter’ because in the wild they do not survive long enough to develop much of a survival instinct. They are aberrations of Nature and it is inherent in Nature to have survival of the fittest. A blue or yellow parrotlet is going to stick out like a sore thumb in a place that has predominantly green foliage and therefore are much easier to prey upon than a normal green parrotlet. That is if the parents don’t kill them when they are in the nest. Therefore, I don’t believe these birds survive long enough to either develop a more aggressive nature which is needed to survive in the harsh environment where Pacific parrotlets are found nor do I believe they have much of an opportunity to breed even if they make it to maturity. After all, in the wild, like breeds with like. If you are green, you are not going to gravitate naturally to a yellow or blue bird. Nature doesn’t design birds that way – if so, hybridization would be rampant in the natural world. In captivity, of course, those instincts go out the window when mature, adult, healthy birds of the opposite sex are paired together. Just ask anyone who has a male and a female as pets and they end up breeding. Nature designed the need to perpetuate the species first and foremost.

So, to answer your question, I don’t believe, based on my experience, that color mutations per se are sweeter or make better pets. I just believe the statement is attributed to human interpretation of a very limited personal experience and the fact that Nature didn’t give these guys the instinct needed to survive in the wild. That doesn’t make them ‘sweeter’ it just makes them less inclined to use survival skills (like biting) when being handled.

Hope this makes sense and thanks again for the question.

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

Hand-Feeding Day One Chicks

2011-05-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I was just looking over your website on hand feeding baby birds. I have done this before but only with older babies ( 10 days ) I have a baby here that just hatched out and do not know when to start feeding it and how often. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Lori

Dear Lori:

Thank you for your email. I’m not sure if you are talking about hand-feeding parrotlet babies from day one but if so, you will need to feed them every hour on the hour around the clock for the first 4 days. It is incredibly difficult, time-consuming and even the most experienced hand-feeders are rarely successful. Its best with parrotlets to get the parents to learn to feed them themselves (which they usually do the second or third clutch) or foster them under another pair. I know we humans think we can do everything as good or better than our birds but not when it comes to this. Mother Nature is infinitely better at this than humans. At least that is what my 30 years of experience breeding only parrotlets has shown.

Best of luck to 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

Banding Parrotlet Babies & Placing Them Back With the Parents

2011-05-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Banding:
I have yet to band my babies but am going to start. If I band at 10 days....can they go back with the Parents?
Melanie

I never band parrotlet chicks and stick them back with the parents. Many times they will attempt to ‘remove’ the band and end up injuring, maiming or even killing the chick. If you band the chicks, in my opinion, they need to be hand-fed and not placed back with the parents.

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

Teaching Baby Parrotlets

2011-04-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

9 days ago we bought a pair of (sister) 5 week old hand fed Pacific Parrotlets from a breeder. We have them in one 18x24x16 cage. They are now both weaned and they appear very bonded to each other. We are now beginning finger training. One of the birds is taking to it pretty well while the other will have no part of it. Should we separate the two now and have them in individual cages? Would this make training easier? They are 6 weeks old now. Thank you!

Barry

Dear Barry:

Thank you for your email. I think you need to slow down a little bit with these babies. After all, they are truly just a little bit older than ‘infants’. Most people do not sell unweaned birds and your birds need time to adjust and recoup from the stress of a) being sold before they are weaned b) being in a new household and c) new food, new cage, new people, new toys, new everything. The amount of stress these youngsters are going through is tremendous and they are truly just baby babies. Trying to teach these guys anything at this stage, especially something like stepping up is something you have do very slowly and over time. To put this in perspective, its like trying to teach a toddler to ride a bike. While you can certainly handle the birds and start working on doing ladders and step ups, I wouldn’t start formerly trying to train these guys until they are least 8 weeks old and even then its going to take a lot of time, patience and work on your part. I don’t even sell my birds until they are at least 7 weeks of age so you can see these birds are just too young for what you expect.

To get back to your question, the cage you describe is not big enough for two parrotlets. I don’t recommend anything smaller than 18” x 18” x18” for a single bird. Certainly this cage is too small for two and eventually you are going to start having issues with territorialism and aggression. “Share’ is generally not a word in most parrotlet’s vocabulary and as they mature, one will probably become dominant and controlling over the other. The dominant bird will often not allow the other to perch, eat, play or sleep so you will need to watch these birds as they mature to make sure there isn’t going to be problems. Parrotlets can be very combative and aggressive and it is how Nature designed them to survive in very harsh conditions. In the wild, they nest up to 300 yards away from other parrotlets and they will defend their nest (or in this case, cage) almost to the death from other animals including predators that eat them. If they were my birds, I would simply buy another cage of the appropriate size and put the other bird in that. They can still chirp and chatter to one another and interact together on neutral territory under supervision but I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on a bigger cage with the hopes they can live together happily ever after.

I hope this helps and best of luck with your new parrotlets!

Sincerely yours,

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

Price of Parrotlets

2011-04-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I have three healthy(Parrotlet) babies and this a first time endeavor. I have no idea of how much to charge for my Parrotlet’s. Is there a fee that seems to be standard?This is really bothering me so a response would be very much appreciated!

Thank you,

Susan

Dear Susan:

Thank you for your email. Congratulations on your breeding of your parrotlets. I am assuming these are Pacific parrotlets? There is no standard rate for the sale of birds – after all this is a free country and you can charge whatever you wish for your birds. Price generally is based upon the species, if the bird is a mutation, if it was hand-raised and is it socialized and tamed. These birds usually command a higher price than a parent-raised bird that generally cannot be handled and is not really considered pet quality. Also, if you offer a health guarantee or other ‘perks’ this would also be included in the price. Also, your location makes a big difference on the price. Places like FL that have dozens of breeders generally sell their birds for less, because of the competition, than places like Nevada that don’t. A city like Manhattan also commands a higher price for birds than say Montgomery, AL. All that being considered, the market rate for most Pacific parrotlets is between $50 and $150 each when purchased from a breeder.

Hope this helps and best of luck with your bird!

Sincerely yours,

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

Changes in Behavior

2011-04-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I have a parrotlet that's nearing a year in age. He was purchased from a breeder, and he's generally a well-behaved bird (he doesn't bite, but he has chewed a few of his chest feathers. It started about when we moved into our new apartment a month ago.) Our only real continuing issue is that he wants to fly away whenever he's on your shoulder, or you go to pick him up if he's perched on something. Sometimes saying "step up" first will keep him from doing it, but most of the time it doesn't. It makes it hard to keep him out for long periods, because he wants to flutter over to the cat bed, or under the computer desk, etc. He will always step up when you go to get him, he doesn't bite, and he likes to cuddle some, but I was wondering how to go about teaching him to not do this. I don't want him to get hurt, and I think he'll enjoy us, and we'll enjoy him more, if half our time together out of the cage isn't spent hunting him down as he cruises across the floor or goes to harass the cats. He absolutely loves for me to talk to him through his cage bars, will fluff and coo and mimic noises I make, but once out of the cage, he seems to care more about seeing how far he can flutter and who he can bother.

-Elodie

Dear Elodie:

Thank you for your email. You don’t mention how long you’ve had the bird and that can make a difference in my opinion about his behavior. I will say that moving is stressful for birds and very often does result in behavioral issues including feather destructive behaviors, aggression or handling. I would make sure the bird’s wings have not grown out and are still clipped. If he has recently molted, the feathers will grow back and he could simply be using his nature-given talents of being able to fly. If the wings are still sufficient clipped, then this is simply a matter of continued training. There are no magic words or special tricks, just consistency, patience and performance on your part. Each and every time the bird flies away, you will need to get him and put him back on your finger or perching area. This isn’t about whether or not he likes you or is a good bird, he is simply doing what Mother Nature designed him to do, fly. It’s a very strong instinct and it takes patience, training, timing and consistency in order to stop him. Again, I would check those wings and just keep working with him.

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

Molting Parrotlet With Fatty Liver Syndrome

2011-04-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,
It's been a while since we last communicated so I wanted to give you an update. I had an appointment with Dr. M and he was very helpful. He is convinced my bird has fatty liver disease and he sent me some instructions and supplements for her. She is doing pretty well but she seems to be itchy and picking in certain areas (oil gland area, left cere, and upper hinge/shoulder of her wings. There are small patches of feathers missing) Also the rest of her plumage is very dull and scruffy. She gets sleepy easily but she eats and plays and interacts with me normally which is good. So my question for you today is... what season do parrotlets typically go through their molt? I'm hoping that when she molts, maybe she'll get some healthy new feathers in because of her new diet & vitamins, so I am anxiously waiting to see pin feathers come up... But wondering if maybe they don't molt when their little immune systems are compromised.
Whenever you get a chance, please let me know what you think.

Thank you so very much,
Betsy

Dear Betsy:

Molts can be influenced by many factors and it really doesn’t have anything to do with species. Age, hormones, lighting, heat, daylight hours and the seasons can trigger molts. Basically, most parrotlets go through their first molt at 4-6 months of age and then they usually molt twice a year after that. Generally, as the days get longer or shorter (or if you artificially add or subtract daylight hours) can cause a bird to molt. So can higher temperatures, including artificial heat.

I have articles in my books on how to deal with molting parrotlets, however, in your case, because your bird’s health situation, I would not change the diet as is recommended to provide more protein and fat. Both of those things are bad for birds with liver issues. I would discuss this issue with your vet. After all, missing or unhealthy feathering may be unsightly but it won’t adversely affect your bird’s health. Controlling fatty liver and not exacerbating the problem is much more important than worrying about the molt. In fact, the fatty liver may be the reason the bird is having such a hard time with molting. But again, you need to discuss it with your vet.

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

College Student Wants a Parrotlet

2011-04-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Lauren found a local Parrotlet being "re-homed", but it has not been hand-fed. We encouraged her to wait (she has finals coming up) - we have done a lot of research, and impressed with your advice. I see by your speaking schedule that you don't have anything out east on tap?

We read the information on shipping to Virginia and are not sure we completely understand the procedures for us with one bird and your health certificate. We will contact the Virginia office, but thought we would mention it to see if you had any specific advice (and with reference to your speaking schedule)
.
Any thoughts are appreciated, so we can get on you wait list. She is interested in a traditional Pacific Green. We really like this cage, but it may be too small - can you advise?

On behalf of Lauren,

Leroy

Dear Leroy:

Thank you for your email.

I always have a waiting list for birds and right now is no exception. Generally, my waiting list is 3-4 months long. I don’t take deposits and work on a first-come, first-served basis. All of my birds come with a written health guarantee, hatch date, food, millet spray, a copy of my book “The Parrotlet Handbook”, receipt and information on the International Parrotlet Society.

As for shipping, I have a lot of information on my website since I give presentations all over the world on how to ship birds. I also worked with TSA to establish protocols for people who travel with pet birds. Generally, I don’t bring birds with me when I am speaking to a bird club and it is irrelevant anyway because I can ship they pretty much anytime so long as weather and labor issues allow. I have detailed information available on my website and in my books. However, the basic procedure is I coordinate with you on a schedule to ship the bird. I usually use Continental or Delta and have never had problem. I ship Pet First or ‘counter to counter’ where the birds are hand-carried onto the plane and hand-carried off. They are never left on the tarmac or in a warehouse. When they reach their destination, you pick them up at either air cargo or the terminal (you will need to check with your airport since they all do that differently). I charge a $50 refundable deposit on the cage and carrier and the airlines charge anywhere from $75 to $100..

All states require a health certificate for birds that enter. They are issued by a licensed veterinarian not me. The bird is given a visual examination and the vet issues the health certificate no later than 30 days prior to the bird’s shipment.

As for the cage, yes, that is much too small. Round cages are usually not good choices since they do not have as much room as square cages. I also recommend a cage that is longer or wider than it is tall so you can place lots of perches and toys in it. Parrotlets are very high energy birds and they require a lot of room as well as toys, perches and other enrichment items in which to play and exercise. I don’t recommend a cage smaller than 18” x 18” and bigger is certainly better.

Hope this answers your questions and let me know if you are interesting in having your name placed on my reservation list.

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

Crossing State Borders With a Parrot

2011-04-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

am driving from Portland Oregon to Davis, California for eye surgery for my red lored Amazon parrot. Am i required to have a health certificate to cross the border into California or back into Oregon ? Thanks, Pam Winge

Dear Pam:

All 50 states require a bird to have a health certificate when crossing the border. However, whether or not it is enforced is another matter. Not sure if Davis will require it, you should check with them. If you are flying with the bird, the airline might require it and you should check with them. I know that most states will allow a health certificate to be valid for 30 days after its issuance so if it is required, you can have one certificate that would cover both states.

Hope this helps,

Sincerely,

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

Parrotlets Bonding With Other Birds in the Room

2011-04-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, I have a young 3 month old parrotlet and I wondered if you
could answer a question. We also have two parakeets in one cage and
our parrotlet in another within a few feet of each other so they can
all keep each other company. My husband wants to move the parakeets
to another room as he doesn't want "Taz" our parrotlet to bond with
the parakeets. Will this happen if they are not in the same cage? We
felt he was a bit nippy (in a gentle way) when the birds were around.
We could have imagined this though, or he was having an "off" day. I
just worry that he will be lonely if there is no one to watch. I have
ordered your book from Amazon. Thanks Sandee

Dear Jean:

Thank you for your email. I'm not surprised your parrotlet was more nippy with the other birds around - parrotlets are aggressive and territorial with other birds so I'm sure you aren't imagining anything, in fact, I am sure you are quite correct. Just have a misinterpretation of the situation. So, the answer to your question, is no, your parrotlet is not bonding with the parakeets. In fact, he is probably saying 'Stay away! Stay awake! This is my cage, my territory, my place...." He is going into 'battle mode'. You can keep him in the same room but I'd move them across the room from one another. That way everyone can still hear and interact with one another but not be so close so as to trigger that territorial instinct.

Hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the book.

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

Aggressive Baby Parrotlet

2011-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hi, Sandee. HELP! I have a beautiful 15 week old female Pacific Blue parrotlet that I am totally in love with! We got her from a reputable breeder where she was hand fed, and we brought her home at 11 weeks. We also have a five month old male parakeet who adores her. He is Elvis, her name is Tiffany. We keep them in separate cages at night and for parts of the day when no one is available to supervise. There are times during the day when they are free to fly around my kitchen/den area; the parrotlet will venture out first and the parakeet will then call her and finally go to her when she ignores him! They do have plenty of supervised play time together as well as apart; they will groom each other, take naps close together, and infrequently get into a squabble which is short-lived. They visit each other's cages and eat each other's food as the mood strikes them. Usually those activities are cooperative, but she is sometimes territorial and " bossy " with him, in either cage. She has plenty of chewy toys and a varied diet including fruits/veggies/grains, and a seed/pellet mix. We aim for twelve hours of darkness at night but it usually ends up being less than that because we keep them in our family room.

Tiffany seems very attached to me as I am a stay-at-home mom and handle her the most. She will fly to the room I am in and then walk on the floor to me, or fly to my shoulder/head. She knows the step-up command and SEEMED to know " no " until very recently.

Up until the last few days, she was nippy at times but not overly so and responded to a puff of air in the face and a stern "no bite". However, she has now started biting our hands/fingers very hard ( even me), frequently, and repeatedly, often 5-6 times in a row despite the negative responses we give her. There is nothing new or different that I can pinpoint which caused this change. I praise her EFFUSIVELY when she doesn't bite and always speak to her very gently and lovingly. She also is INSANELY curious and will try to knaw on collar buttons or jewelry. She reminds me of my teething infants!

We have tried "time- outs" but don't have a separate cage for this, we just put her in her own big cage. Tonight I used a spray bottle 3-4 times to spray her when she bit me, with the result that she flew away from me. I don't want to de-socialize her as she is a very friendly and vivacious little soul, but neither do I want her to continue trying dig holes in my flesh!! Are we wrong to allow the two birds to socialize together, often for an hour or two? Is that somehow causing her escalation in biting ? The parakeet is not as social as she is but doesn't nip either. How do I manage this behavior- handle her more or less, cage her more or less, etc.? I would really appreciate any direction you can give me. I really love this little gal but I don't want beakmarks all over my hands!

Thank you.

Julie

Dear Julie:

Thank you for your email. I am assuming since the bird is flying all over the place, her wings are not clipped. You need to clip them. Letting a baby parrotlet have free-reign over the house with no means of control would be like letting a toddler get behind the wheel of your car. The bird's wings need to be clipped and training needs to start. Parrotlets are very smart and this bird is simply doing what comes naturally - she has the ability to fly and therefore you have no control over her. At this point, all she is learning is that a) her territory consists of the entire house (causes escalating aggression in parrotlets and b) she can do whatever she wants since she can fly and you cannot. She is learning to be aggressive, territorial and bite harder and harder until the people back off and she can do whatever she wants. And just like a spoiled toddler, she will not behave in an acceptable manner - her behavior will continue to escalate.

You need to get her wings clipped and keep them that way and then start with formal training sessions of stepping up, 'no', no bite and all the other 'control' commands she needs to learn in order to be a happy, healthy member of your family.

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

Two Cages for A Pet Parrotlet

2011-04-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Sandee-

I am planning to bring a parrotlet home in the next year and am learning as much as I can.

I have a question – I am trying to decide the best place for the cage. I was going to put it in the family room, where the family mostly spends time, so he would always be ‘part of things.’ But now I’m rethinking this, because my husband and kids tend to be night owls, and they hang out in the family room late at night watching TV and generally making noise. I know parrotlets need to be on a 12 hour light/ 12 hour dark schedule. Would it work to have two cages, one in family room for daytime, and another upstairs for sleeping? Or are parrotlets too territorial about their cages for this to work? At least there would be one member of the family I could put to bed at a decent hour 

Kathleen

Dear Kathleen:

Thank you for your email. I truly LOLed when I saw your last sentence. At least with the birds we have somewhat more control over their behavior.

You have great instincts about birds Kathleen. I do recommend that pet parrotlets be kept in a quiet place in a busy room that has a lot of family activities. However, there is also the problem of keeping them awake too many hours because of the reason you mention…people staying up late and/or getting up early. Therefore, I do recommend that you have two cages. A daytime cage that is roomy, filled with toys and the bird can enjoy being part of the family. But you can also have a smaller ‘sleeping’ cage that the parrotlet can go to sleep in when its ‘night, night’ time. This way everyone will be happy – the family can stay up as late as they want (lucky you) and the bird can still get the much need beauty sleep of 12 hours a night.

I hope this helps and good luck with the family, I mean the bird…..:)

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

Female Parrotlet Odor

2011-03-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Can anyone tell me if female parrotlets have a distinct odor? I have a 2 year old female that emits a skunk like odor. Is this common?

Thank you.

Parrotlets, like all parrots do give off a musty order. In females it can be more pronounced if her hormones are in flux, she is breeding or during a molt. However, it is not a strong odor per se but some people are more sensitive to it. It is a genetic thing in people not something that has to do with the bird.

Sincerely yours,

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

Parrotlet Health Questions

2011-03-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

I think you may be an answer to my prayer. In November 2009, my blue mutation parrotlet, Billy, was diagnosed with an enlarged liver, and was prescribed milk thistle and lactulose. I have been giving him this daily since that time. What else can I do. My vet says that this condition is primarily linked to his diet. My vet says he should be on pellets, but I disagree due to kidney problems seen in parrotlets, especially mutations. Can you suggest a good diet for Billy? Please be specific. I give him a variety of good fresh foods and vegetables daily, progrow birdie bread, and Kashi whole grain pilaf. He also gets a good seed mixture, (although most of his food intake daily is NOT seed), a few cantalope seeds as treats, and Goldenfeast Treat Petite.

I have really tried with this little guy, as I have lost a parrotlet in the past to liver problems. Am I hopeless as a parrotlet mom?

I have prayed so long that I be led to help with Billy, and then I saw you on facebook. Why didn't I think about you sooner? The person that knows everything about parrotlets.

Thank you for any information that you can share.

I'm praying that you folks on the west coast won't be affected by the nuclear waste from Japan.

Jackie, Trixie & Billy in South Carolina

Dear Jackie:

Thank you so much for your very kind email. That is very sweet of you to say. However, I will be the first one to admit I don't know everything about parrotlets - I keep learning every day. That's probably one reason I still keep them after almost 30 years because there is so much to learn.

I am so very sorry to hear about the problems with Billy. You did not mention how old Billy is but I am going to assume he is a fairly young bird - under 5 years of age. Age can be important when liver is involved. Older birds frequently suffer from liver problems and its probably much like the aging process in humans.

You mention Billy is a color mutation. Does the vet think this is a congenital problem? Although there has not been enough data available to make a conclusion, one always has to think about congenital or even genetic problems in color mutations. After all, they are abnormal birds to begin with.

Diet is the usual culprit in liver problems in younger birds. Generally it is blamed on too much fat in the diet although to be honest, I haven't really heard a lot of this in parrotlets. Parrotlets are generally good eaters of a variety of foods and not just 'sunflower seed junkies' the way other parrots such as Amazons or Cockatoos can become. I also find that most parrotlet owners are more willing to take the time to provide a varied diet. Its easier to prepare a couple tablespoons of food rather than huge bowls.

I have never been a big fan of pellets. Probably because I have been around longer than they have. They were created for one reason - the convenience of the keepers. They can also have the added bonus for some birds, again, largely cockatoos and Amazons, of reducing the fat in the diet and helping to reduce fatty liver syndrome in these birds. I am not aware of any studies that have been done on parrotlets in this regard. Furthermore, all pellets are made from seeds - ironically, either sunflower or corn. Corn is not a nutritious grain, it has too much sugar and it is not part of the natural diet of parrotlets. We know that a diet that has a lot of processed foods is not good for people and can lead to diabetes, heart disease, liver problems, stroke and high blood pressure. I don't eat processed foods myself and I don't feed them to my birds. I believe that birds, like people, should eat fresh, whole natural foods. My birds' diet consists of 70% fruit, vegetables, greens, grains, legumes, sprouted seed and egg food. The rest consists of a very high quality parrotlet mix that I have used for 30 years and gave to Volkman's Seed Company. You can get it through www.birdseed.com and it is called "Parrotlet Super".

I now have three books out on parrotlets. The most recent is called "The Parrotlet Handbook" and was published by Barron's and is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and my own website. It has a huge chapter on diet as well as healthful easy recipes that you can make for your own parrotlet.

I do have to say that I am not a vet nor do I play one on the Internet. If your bird is under a vet's care and you are following their protocol, I would not change anything without discussing it with your vet. I will say one more thing about a fresh food diet as opposed to a processed pelleted one, I was talking with the president of a very well-known food company when I was speaking at a convention. I told him what I fed my birds and he told me 'there is no way that any manufacturer can ever make a pellet as nutritious as what you are feeding. But most people will not take the time or effort to feed that kind of diet. So we make the next best thing."

Anyway, I hope you find some of this information helpful. Please keep me posted on Billy's progress. Thank you again for your very kind words and your prayers are appreciated although I am sure we will be fine with the radiation. After all, we went through Chernobyl and that was 1000's worse. But thank you. Take care and 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

"Medium Blue" Pacific Parrotlet

2011-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

You have a great website, thanks for putting it together.
I have a “Medium Blue” Parrotlet (male) and your site is the only one to discuss this variation.
What, if anything, do you know about this color mutation? In your experience does it seem to be dominant or recessive?
I have also seen Green Parrotlets with the same gray coloration. Do you suspect it is the same or similar gene?

This is my Louie (and his dilute girlfriend Lulu):

Thank you,
Paul in Massachusetts

Dear Paul:

Thank you for your email.

It is important to remember when dealing with color mutations that it is not the color that determines the mutation, it is the gene. All blue mutation parrotlets have the same gene so they are all blues – not light blues, medium blues, dark blues…those are just various tones and have more to do with sex and subspecies rather than the mutation. Indeed, even the ‘turquoise’ mutation is not a turquoise but actually a partial-blue because the original birds were blues imported from Europe.

I always tell people to think of blond hair – we have platinum blond, honey blond, dirty blond, strawberry blond – all different tones and variations on color but they are all blond; all the same gene. The blues (and dilutes for that matter) are all the same color mutation but each individual bird can have variety of color tones. In the picture you provided, for example, the bird is clearly a male who has the Pacific subspecies of lucida in it. That is why the blue mutation manifests itself in darker tones and has a lot of gray especially on the back and wings. This is clearly the influence of the subspecies and not the mutation.

Also, the female in that picture is a dilute-blue not a dilute. “Dilute” is the term for the bird formerly called “American yellow”. If you breed her to your male and your male is split to dilute – you will get dilutes, blues and dilute-blues. If your male is not split to dilute, you will only get blue offspring but they will be split to dilute. This is because ‘dilute-blue’ is combination of blue and dilute.

It is unfortunate that most people who have parrotlets these days have never seen a wild-caught parrotlet. I worked with wild-caught species of parrotlets for more than a decade and saw only pure species and subspecies. Since we have not imported wild-caught normal birds since 1992 most of the subspecies were commingled. This was especially true after color mutations were added to the Captive Bred List of Birds Allowed to Be Imported (by petition of the International Parrotlet Society btw). Color mutations have flooded the market and it is almost impossible to find a pure normal Pacific that doesn’t carry some color mutation gene. As for pure species or subspecies, unless someone was breeding parrotlets before 1993 they have probably never seen a pure normal Pacific parrotlet or the Columbian subspecies. You can got to my website and read about the lucida subspecies of the Pacific http://www.parrotletranch.com/thelostlucida.html I think you will have a much better understanding.

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

Plucking Parrotlets, Benadryl

2011-03-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hi, Sandee:

I wanted to first thank you for putting up the comment about not overreacting to plucking, as it is something that one wants to stop, just because they seem so uncomfortable, to be pulling out feathers (perhaps we empathize on what it would take to pull out hair for ourselves?).

I also wanted to ask what you think about giving a bird something like Benadryl (diluted, in drinking water)? Most of the human liquid formulations seem to have more additives (e.g., flavouring, alcohol) than would be safe, and it seems to me that it might also mask some symptoms, should there be an underlying fungal, bacterial or metabolic cause.

I have two parrotlets, who have both reached the "teenage" years (i.e., about 5 to 6 years old), and one (the male) starting plucking about two weeks ago (at first, I thought it was just another moult), but he is now including down in what is removed.
As well, the removal seems to increase after he has a bath, so I might even add chemicals in the water as a cause (although, touch wood, the female gets wetter, since she likes to sit right under the tap water stream).

One problem with bird care is trying to find a competent veterinarian - I moved to a somewhat remote community and am now planning on taking him to someone who is two and a half hours away, with the fallback after that, to take a five hour trip back to the vet he used to have before we moved (about a year and a half ago). So one help has been to keep in mind that trying the wrong cure (like the collars, on birds that walk as much or more than they fly) is infinitely worse than getting the right answer.

Thanks,
Marilyn

Dear Marilyn:

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately, it is human nature to equate animals with humans although it certainly isn’t the same. Humans have free will and animals do not. They are programmed by instinct and react to things as Nature designed them to survive in the wild. These instincts can conflict with our desires when we keep them in captivity. You cannot equate a bird who engages in feather destructive behavior as the same thing as humans who pull out their hair. People who engage in trichotillomania do so because of emotional or physiological issues. Parrotlets on the other hand almost always do it because of stress or hormones. Rarely, it can be due to medical conditions such as feather follicle infections or internal parasites such as giardia which is why I always recommend a bird get a full veterinary examination. I will tell you that I always caution people about not getting too emotional over this condition because a) its unsightly but not life threatening and b) birds are very empathic to our emotions and constantly watching and worrying over a bird that plucks is going to exacerbate the problem. I once had a very well-known bird behaviorist tell me she almost always see feather destructive behavior in ‘over indulged” birds and birds who owners constantly watch and worry about them. So its best to really develop the attitude of ‘I don’t care…” After all, the bird does not have cancer or some other catastrophic medical condition, its mainly unsightly for the person and we being people assume it is painful (it is not, its like cutting your hair or hair or nails not pulling them out) and that they must be severely distressed or emotionally damaged. Again, not true in most cases involving parrotlets. Its pretty much environmental.

I would never give a bird Benadryl. There is no indication this is allergy related and if it was, then you need to find out what is causing the allergy by working with your vet and change the environment. I would not even know how to figure out a safe amount to give a bird – indeed, Benadryl is often used to put birds to sleep so it is highly toxic and too much can certainly kill your bird very easily. Smaller amounts of Benadryl can be toxic to the liver and kidneys so I would not be experimenting with it to see if you can stop plucking. You may succeed at the cost of your bird’s life.

I will also say that your birds are not going through their ‘teenage years’ which is really a euphemism for puberty. Parrotlets go through that at 4-8 months of age. Your birds are in their prime of their adulthood and if they were in the wild, would be breeding. Indeed, they are at the age of their highest reproductive cycles. That is probably what is causing the problems – hormones. Nature designed them to breed when they are mature, have a secure environment, a reliable source of food and you have a male and female. I would imagine they are getting more than 10 hours a day of daylight and very simple things in their environment, including food cups, can be give them nest-like structure in which to reproduce. Or in this case, getting their hormones worked up and aberrant behavior such as feather destruction is how they react. If your birds are free-flighted this will exacerbate the problem. I would clip their wings immediately. Free flight, especially around the house, can increase hormone production.

As for baths, they are usually very good for parrotlets. In fact, I often recommend that birds with feather destructive problems be sprayed daily with warm water from a plant mister. This will encourage preening and help the bird learn how to properly groom its feathers as well as distributing the necessary oils on the feathers in order to keep them healthy. Most parrotlets do not like to bathe and rarely do they enjoy being held under a stream of water (very dangerous) nor are they real ‘bathers’ like canaries and budgies like to use bird baths. This is because they come from a very dry, desert-like area and they only time they get wet is when it rains. I would recommend spraying the birds instead of holding them under a faucet or placing them in a bowl or bath of water. That is probably stressing the male out as it is very unnatural and could make the bird afraid he is going to drown. I’m not sure where you live but in most Western nations our tap water supply are the safest in the world and the amount of chlorine used to disinfect the water is negligible. If children can drink it, your birds can safely bathe in it.

I do hope you can find a competent vet who can help you with this situation. It is extremely important to rule out organic or medical problems. Once that is done, then it is a matter of trial and error until you find what works for your birds. However, there are cases that no matter what is done, we can’t stop them. However, as I say in my article, unless the birds are mutilating their skin or causing bleeding, this really something we as humans may have to learn to accept.

I do wish you the best of luck and please keep me posted.

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

Parrotlet Hen Lays an Egg, International Parrotlet Society

2011-03-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

My little Lily (my parrotlet) has layed an egg and ate the shell, what
does this mean? Also do you sell catalogs, articles or any kind of
monthly subscriptions for the Parrotlet?

Dear Anthony:

Thank you for your email. Although not as prevalent as is seen in cockatiel hens, pet parrotlets kept as single pets can produce eggs without a mate. The egg, of course, is infertile and won't hatch but Nature will cause her to cycle as if it were. I can't tell you why the bird laid an egg since I don't have any information as to her age, how she is kept, what kind of diet she has, if there are other birds around, how many hours of daylight she is exposed to or if there are nests or nest-like structures in her cage. However, I can explain the behavior and how to best to deal with it.

Generally speaking, a hen that is producing eggs almost always is being exposed to too many hours of daylight. I recommend that you cover her cage at night to ensure darkness and limit her hours of daylight exposure to no more than 12, 10 is better. I uncover my pets at 8 AM and cover them at night at 8 PM. They don't sleep all that time but the reduction in daylight hours will affect their hormone production. My breeding pairs have lights that are on timers and they are scheduled to be on 14 hours a day. The 14 hour days, just like with wild birds, will cause hormone production to occur and get them ready for breeding.

Make sure she has access to lots of calcium both in the form of supplements and in calcium rich foods in her diet. Supplements such as calcium powder should be sprinkled on her fresh foods every other day. Also make sure that cuttlebone and mineral block are available at all times. Many hens consume great amounts of cuttlebone when they are laying eggs to replenish the calcium lost in the development of the eggs. Mineral blocks will make sure she has the necessary trace minerals if needed.

Foods that are rich in calcium and excellent to feed to parrotlets are broccoli, green leafy vegetables such as bok choy and chard and nuts like almonds.

Be sure and remove all nest-like structures from her cage. This could be anything from an actual nest to 'tents' or 'houses' designed for birds. Some hens will burrow under a feed cup (in which case they should be replaced with dishes that cannot allow access under it).

Your hen may or may not continue to lay eggs. If she does, it will probably be every other day or so. Do not remove the eggs or she will continue to lay eggs to replace the ones that were removed. This is bad as it can cause her to completely deplete her body of calcium and lead to a very dangerous condition called 'egg binding' where she cannot pass the egg and it has to be removed usually by surgery which parrotlets often do not survive. The best thing to do is to leave her alone, let her brood (sit) on her eggs, reduce her daylight hours, remove the nest-like structures and give her lots of calcium. When her cycle has been completed, she will abandon the eggs and you can then remove them. There is no set period of time for brooding infertile eggs - she may not do it at all or she may sit for the entire 3 weeks it takes for a parrotlet egg to hatch.

During this period of time, your hen may be much more moody and nippy. This is because of her hormones and her instinct to protect her offspring. It is completely natural and will pass once she gets through the egg laying and brooding cycle. Just be patient and not push her when she does not wish to be handled.

I hope you try the suggestions I have given. Laying eggs is a natural process for birds to that in and of itself should not hurt her if she is a normal, healthy adult bird. However, excessive egg laying can be a very dangerous condition and in a pet parrotlet it is unnecessary since she will not be able to produce chicks without a mate. Btw, this is NOT an indication she 'wants to breed' or prefers to be with a male. It is just a normal process brought about by artificial conditions.

As for the International Parrotlet Society, we are an non-profit educational organization that helps people take better care of their parrotlets whether they are keeping breeders or pets. We also raise funds for veterinary and nutritional projects and support conservation and preservation of rare and endangered species of parrotlets. We produce a bimonthly journal which is full of informative tips on disease control, behavior, training, new color mutations, rare species, showing and just about anything that has to do with parrotlets.

I hope this helps and best of luck with your bird!

Sincerely yours,

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

Parrotlet Breeding Life Spans

2011-03-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

I have a breeding pair of pacific parrotlets. They have produced several clutches and
I was wondering how long you can breed them. In other words, how old is too old
to continue breeding provided they have a varied diet, lots of calcium and minerals.

They are a tamed pair and I can hold them and they even watch TV with us but yet once a year they will breed for me. I don't want to harm them in anyway by breeding them when they are too old.

Thanks for your response.

Sincerely,

Lorna

Thank you for your email. I have bred parrotlets for almost 30 years so I am well aware of their breeding life spans based on my own personal experience. Generally, females don't last as long as males. Most hens, if well managed, can last up to 7 or 8 years of age although most start slowing down around 5 years. Males can produce offspring until they are in their teens. As for slowing them down, Nature usually takes care of that as they usually become less and less interested in breeding as they age. Females often produce infertile eggs and when they have produced 3 infertile clutches, then they are usually past the age of breeding.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

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

Taking My Parrotlet To Work

2011-02-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee

I have been a huge fan of your site and all the work you put into it and
your birds for quite some time. I've always been a huge fan of
parrotlets in general. I've had 2, one when I was in high school (mom's)
and one I just got a few weeks ago.

I had a question about traveling and your small travel cage. I work long
hours as a fire fighter, sometimes 48 or 72 hours at a time. I work a
mile from home. Do you think bringing my parrotlet to work would be ok,
or would it stress him out too much?

I also saw you sell the small travel cages. What would the cost be for
the smaller cage with shipping to zip code 04654?

Thanks for your time. I understand and appreciate you are very busy with
your feathered friends and all that, so I understand if you can't get to
this email right away. Thanks. :)

Colby

Hey Colby. Thank you so much for the nice compliments. I am so glad you are
so enamored of parrotlets! :)

Yes, you can bring your bird to the fire station as many people do bring
their parrotlets to work and most of them love the attention as well as
change of scenery. The small travel cage would not be appropriate as it
really is made for transport and is not big enough for a parrotlet to get
enough exercise for an entire day. The larger one would be better but
honestly if you had another full-size cage, that would be the best. Then you
could transport the bird in the small travel cage and it would have a place
with lots of toys and room to exercise during the day.

As for the cost with the shipping, I really can't tell you since all that
stuff in automated. I ship via the postal service to its cheaper than UPS or
Fed X. Sorry. Apparently my talents lie with birds and not business.

Btw, not sure if you have a Facebook page but I do have one for The
Parrotlet Ranch and I post a lot of blogs and information. You can also see
my speaking schedule and check our latest products.

I hope this helps and btw, thank you for being a fire fighter. I live in the
country in California and I know how important fire fighters are to my
health and well-being as well as my birds. I also think you guys are being
unfairly punished these days in the court of public opinion so THANK YOU
COLBY and I thank all of your colleagues as well.

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

Thanks for the quick reply Sandee. I knew the small travel cage wouldn't
be appropriate to house him, I was thinking just getting him from point
a to point B. The breeder I bought the bird from actually thought it
would stress him out too much and advised against it.

I suppose I could try it and see how it works. I have another cage at
home thats larger but would do the trick. I would obviously have to put
some new toys and stuff in it for him or transfer the toys from his
other cage over when I work here. I'm part time/per diem
dispatcher/firefighter and volunteer when I'm not here.

I was inspired after my brother was in a horrible car accident and the
fire department responded to use the JAWS. Their quick action ultimately
led to him surviving despite all odds. I've been on the fire department
since 2003 and have actually worked shifts so the chief could go fight
wild fires in Canada. I figure if I can give anything back to the
community that saved my brothers life, I have done all I can.

I've seen your Facebook page and "liked" it and read a lot of
information on there. I've had a bit of a problem getting my guy to eat
pellets. He doesn't go for them at all. I feed him the Volkman parrotlet
diet primarily and currently have him eating long-grain rice with it,
but no luck with peas and corn yet. Its a work in progress, but I'm not
giving up.

I live in Maine and we have 1 breeder who has parrotlets. I often
thought it would be neat to breed them myself to offer fellow Mainers
another option other than going to Massachusetts which is the next
closest breeder (Where I got my blue) I'm just worried about being
inexperienced and having no avian vets in the state at all if I had
problems. Then there is the problem of getting proven or bonded birds
to breed. I'd still very much like to do it but I'm adamant about it for
the aforementioned reasons.

Again, thanks for your input about bringing my parrotlet to work. It is
nice having contact with someone as competent as you. Its nice talking
to other people who are as "enamored" with these little feathered
creatures as I am. I honestly couldn't think of anything more rewarding
than raising my own for other people to enjoy but as I said, I am just
worried about the availability of help, and getting health certificates
for mailing them would be next to impossible without an avian vet.

I appreciate your thanks for my service as a firefighter. It means a lot
and its always nice to get complements from the public about the work
and time we devote to helping others. I work as a driver for the
ambulance service as well and help out there when I can.

Dear Colby:

I know hundreds of people who have taken their parrotlets to work with them and but for one or two, I've never heard of a parrotlet getting too stressed over that. I ship them all over the world, they travel thousands of miles by car, I show them in various cities and I know people who take them on vacation regularly - never has there been a problem with stress. Indeed, people who take them to work with them report the birds absolutely love the attention from coworkers and the change of scenery. The small travel cage is geared for travel in that the bird does not have enough room to fly or gain momentum in order to get hurt.

The spare cage sounds like it would work and I would recommend setting it up independently of his home cage. This would be the most convenient for you and allow the bird to have a 'home away from home' in which he can feel safe and secure yet still have playtime.

I understand your commitment to give back to those that saved your brother. I was in a bad car accident almost 5 years ago - a rollover accident in my SUV. Had I not had on my seatbelts, I probably would not have survived and they too had to use the JAWS of life to get me out. Also, since I live in the country in California, twice I've had wild fires get within a few miles of my home and it was firefighters that saved my home as well as my birds' lives.

I have to admit I am not a big believer of pellets. I don't eat processed foods myself and I don't like feeding them to my birds. Especially when you realize that pellets were developed for the convenience of the owners and they are simply processed seeds (mainly corn which is not a normal part of a parrotlet's diet and is very much lacking in nutrition but its cheap) mixed with artificial vitamins. It is much better, in my opinion, to have your bird eat a wide variety of fresh, whole foods like fruit, vegetables, greens, legumes, grains, sprouts, nuts and seeds than to force them to eat pellets. Also, if the bird is a mutation, there have been many reports of kidney and/or high uric acid problems in mutation parrotlets that are fed a primarily pelleted diet. This may be because mutations process the pellets differently or that they are more susceptible to problems since they are not large consumers of water and being on a lower fat diet does affect hydration.

As for breeding, that is something only you can determine if you can do or not. I do understand the situation with not having avian vets conveniently located and I think that goes to show what a caring, knowledgeable person you are when it comes to these birds. Perhaps your situation will change in the future (although Maine is a gorgeous state and I could see why you want to live there).

In them meantime, I think it is awesome you care so much about parrotlets. If there is anything I can help with, do not hesitate to ask! Best of luck and perhaps you can send me a picture of your parrotlet near the fire engine for an IPS journal cover...:)

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Parrotlet Picking Favorites

2011-02-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

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

Parrotlets and PBFD

2011-02-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

I know all parrots are able to get pbfd but what I was wondering is, is it like PDD and uncommon in parrotlets or is it easy for them to catch?

That's really a question for a vet since I only have anecdotal or subjective information based on what I've heard. I have to say, however, that in almost 30 years of breeding parrotlets, I can only remember one parrotlet being suspected of having PBFD but that really doesn't mean anything as far as its pathology is concerned. I can say that generally speaking New World birds have less of issue with PBFD than Old World birds but again that is very general and not a scientific analysis.

Sincerely yours,

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

PDD or Fatty Liver Syndrome?

2011-02-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee,

I have a 6 yr old female green rump. She has been healthy most of her life up until the past 6 months. I'll try to keep this breif... But she has gone through many tests and doctors now. The only test that came back abnormal was her bile acids. She has something wrong with her liver apparently. Also, she got some xrays done and it shows a massive growth inside of her that is pushing on other organs causing a respiratory click, and straining when trying to defacate. The vets could not determine exactly what this mass was inside of her and she is too small and sensitive to go through a barrium series/endoscopy. I have done so much internet research and am just exhausted with this whole situation... $1600 later.... She is behaving pretty normally. But she still has the breathing and defacation problems, also her belly is extended.

She has been exposed to a couple other birds in her life but hasn't come in contact with them. Also she has eaten a lot of nuts in the past (high fat I know) but she is now on seed only - and I am trying to get her to eat lowfat pellets (not working well.) She'll eat fruits and veggies sometimes though. I also give her an herbal detox supplement that she drinks easily.

So, can you possibly make any assumptions about this? Thank you in advance for your help.

Betsy the worried mama.

Dear Betsy:

Thank you for your email. I am terribly sorry to hear about this situation with your parrotlet. I must say although I have almost 30 years experience with parrotlets, I am not a vet nor am I qualified to diagnose your bird. Since you are working with your veterinarian I can render my opinion which you should discuss with your veterinarian.

PDD is rarely found in parrotlets. That doesn’t mean it can’t be, I just know of only 1 bird that ever had that diagnosis and that was a bird that was in a pet shop that had an outbreak. PDD is characterized by the passing of whole foods, especially seeds, which the bird cannot process due to the inability of the proventriculus to function. It does not manifest as tumors or growths and tremendous progress has been made in both the diagnosis and treatment (there is now a test available) in the last few years. Avian bornovirus is the agent responsible for this disease and many birds have been treated with Celabrex to extend their lives. However, I do not believe this is the problem with your bird.

There is an old saying that I love to use “Don’t look for zebras, look for horses.” In other words, the most common or most likely scenario is the one to look at. In this instance, it would be liver failure or fatty liver syndrome. Although I would also suspect it could be a tumor or even an malformed egg that is stuck in the uterus, but I am assuming your vet has ruled out the latter possibility although in a female bird of that age, that would be my first suspicion. Parrotlets are very tiny and have very quick metabolisms and a high fat diet can result in FLS in a relatively short period of time. My guess would be that is the problem with this bird and I would focus on seeing if that issue can be resolved.

Changing her diet this late in life, particularly to pellets, is going to be very difficult but it is something worth trying although I have to admit I am not a big proponent of pellets or other processed foods. I don’t eat them myself and I don’t believe they are healthy for birds but that is something for you and your vet to discuss. After, all pellets are just processed seeds (usually corn which is low in fat but very high in sugar and something I don’t eat myself) plus artificial vitamins. I would recommend a diet rich in whole, real foods – lots of fresh vegetables, greens, fruit if you can (parrotlets are not big fruit eaters), grains, legumes, sprouted seed, etc. You might also check into holistic treatments such as aloe detox or milk thistle but only under a vet’s direction. Dr. Dave McCluggage is a certified holistic vet and has been one for more than a decade. You might want to see if you can contact him or ask your vet to contact him. I would also check with the Association of Avian Veterinarians www.aav.org to see if they have any recommendations for holistic vets.

I wish you the best of luck with this bird. She is very lucky to have such a caring owner.

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

Hi Sandee,

Thank you SO much for your response! I have felt so alone and frustrated during this whole ordeal and you are the only person who has given me hope and confirmation about my bird's condition. I have a couple more questions for you, please?

The reason why I suspected PDD was because she has had two occurences of undigested seeds in her droppings. When I first took her to the vet, they sent me home with oral baytril. After the first dose, she vomited and became deathly sick. (Later down the line I realized she probably got sick because her liver couldn't process it - you think?) She spent the night at the vet, was tube fed, and given injections of baytril. Then once I got her home and she began eating seeds again, I noticed she had undigested seeds in her droppings. She tested negative for giardia - and it went away after a couple days. A few weeks later I took her to get a FOURTH opinion where they finally did x-rays (definitely not an egg - but they said possibly a tumor or liver enlargement but couldnt tell for sure without further invasive tests), a bile acid test (finally now we see an abnormal test result), and attempted to draw fluid from her abdomen. Needless to say it totally stressed her out - and once again she had undigested seeds in droppings that lasted a couple days. I spoke with a couple people to see if this was a symptom of stress, but no one confirmed that. So my suspicion of PDD rose higher. What is your opinion on the undigested seeds occuring after high stress situations?

I suppose all other symptoms point to FLS. Her feathers are dull, and her bile acid level came back as 288 (vet said normal is 50 but she was not fasted.) The vet told me she would die within a few weeks and that was on January 6th. I have let her feathers grow in so she can start to fly a little more and get more exercise that way but she is so heavy she falls straight down. My next question - if she has FLS, will the liver gradually shrink back to normal size? And also, why do you think the vet didn't diagnose her with this? They sent me home with a supplement called "Booster" by "Heal-X" (have you heard of this?) and they recommended putting her on a series of weekly high doses of antiobiotics!! I declined the antiobiotics. They also recently called to suggest another bile acid test and I declined that as well.

I will get in contact with Dr. McCluggage and try to get his opinion as I think holistic treatment is the only way to go. In the meantime, please let me know your additional thoughts on the above....

Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely,
Betsy

Dear Betsy:

Undigested seeds is a very serious thing as it means the body is unable to process food. That doesn’t happen because of stress. It can be a symptom of several things including PDD, liver failure or avian gastric yeast. I have to admit I am very surprised that your vet would prescribe injections of Baytril because a) there is no sign of bacterial infection and b) Baytril is very hard on the liver. Everything in this situation points to fatty liver including the scientific tests. Nothing has shown this to be PDD (and again, there IS a test) and stress would not cause that kind of shutdown.

As for recovery, I can’t answer that. We know humans do not always recover from liver failure and we know a lot more about human medicine than we do avian. We also cannot do things like transplants in parrotlets.

My belief is that the dog-cat-human (i.e., mammal treatments) do not work on birds very effectively. We have much more knowledge and experience with them and their reactions to medications. Birds, especially parrotlets whose livers are so tiny, just don’t handle those kind of modalities very well. I would recommend contacting Dr. McCluggage and working on holistic cures for fatty liver. It will not cause harm like medications can so if it doesn’t work, you are not contributing to the problem.

I hope this helps and please let know how things go.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Identifying These Parrotlets

2011-02-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

HI I have been given your email as im confussed about what speices I have. I was sold 3 pairs of delicate parrotlets. (one dilute hen being there!)
All hens are deffinate GR delictaes. But one cock bird has alot of blue (and has heavier to hold!) his rump and wings have alot of bright blue and i noticed an emeradl wash near the eyes. Attached are the only pictures I have taken, I will take more when i move them outside when weather gets better (don't want to stress them out too much) The other cocks are deffinate green rumps they have theire green rumps with the blue 'wash'. and the wings dont show as much blue in as this unknown cock bird.
Hope you can help!!!
Many thanks
Hayley x

Dear Hayley:

Thank you for sending me these pictures. I do believe you have cause for concern. I bred wild-caught Green Rump deliciosus and these birds are too big to be pure species. The largest of the deliciosus should be no more than 20 grams – 18 is the average. Also, deliciosus should have very tiny little beaks, which these birds do not have. Hens should have a lot more yellow above the cere and it should be much brighter. They should also be a softer paler green. The blue is much too dark and much too prominent on the male and the tiny bit of feathering around the eye of the male, along with their deeper coloring, lack of bright yellow on the hen and the long, slender beaks make me think these birds are hybrids crossed with Spectacles.

I am sorry. I wish I had better news for you but it is my opinion that these birds are not pure Green Rumps, let alone deliciosus and that the other species is Spectacled.

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

Leaving a Parrotlet While On Vacation

2011-02-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

Sandee:

I have a cute little parrotlet who is three months old. We have a cabin and go there for the weekend quite often. Will the parrotlet be okay home alone from Friday night through Sunday evening with a visit from a neighbor on Saturday? What is the longest you can leave a tame friendly parrotlet with a once-a-day pet sitter before you need to be concerned about them becoming unsocialized?

And then when we go on vacation for three weeks over the summer we basically have three choices of where to leave her: 1) the breeder we got her from where she will be safe but probably not handled much, 2) my inlaws, where she will get lots of human interaction but probably not be taken out of her cage regularly, and my father in law smokes, not in the house but you can smell the smoke on his clothes—how bad is that for a bird? and 3) we could try to get a neighbor girl who has a budgie take the parrotlet into her house. She probably would play with it but a parrotlet is a lot different from a budgie and she is only 9. Any ideas of which would be best?

Thanks for your insight.

Monica

Dear Monica:

A few days absence should not be a problem however your bird may ‘punish’ you by ignoring you for a few days or not being as friendly. He will get over it.

As for your choices on vacation, it is always best to leave the bird in its own home where it is comfortable and have a professional pet sitter take care of it. They will follow your instructions to the letter, if possible, they will send someone familiar with birds and there is no chance that the bird will be exposed to diseases as it can in a pet shop, vet’s office or at a home with another bird.

I would not want to place her back with the breeder because of the disease risk as well as the lack of handling for that length of time but that is up to you. I have babysat people’s birds they have received from me with no problems.

Being in your parent’s house might not be so bad however, smoking is deadly to birds and not just the smoke itself. Nicotine is extremely toxic and if it is on the hands of someone handling the bird, it can kill the bird.

As for the child, I would never leave a pet with a 9 yo for that length of time. Especially if there is a budgie in the house – budgies are known for carrying a lot of diseases.

My recommendation? A professional pet sitter at home.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Taming a Parrotlet, Aggressive Behavior

2011-02-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee,I just recently adopted a 3yr old untamed Pacific Parrotlet. I have no experience with these birds and not sure where to start. I know he's a little stressed being in a new environment but he is eating. I plan to get his wings clipped next week and have stocked up on food and toys. The taming is where do I begin? I can't even put my hand in the cage without him having a fit. Should I allow him to adjust to his new surrounding as its only been two days? I just want to make him as comfortable as possible as its stressful for the both of us.

Thank you,

Kaye

What do you mean by ‘untamed’? Was the bird hand-fed and then put in with other birds? Or is this a parent-raised bird that has never been imprinted or socialized?

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Sandee,

I don't know much about his history. I was told when I got him that he was untamed. I do know that he was bonded to a mate that died a couple months ago. The previous owner mentioned trying to work with "Ezra" but had very little patience and gave up on him. The last week or so he seems to be settling in abit. When we're alone I close my bedroom door and allow him to come out of his cage and venture around which he really seems to enjoy. I talk and sing to him but he's still very jumpy, goes into attack mode when I try to change out his food. I have a little cozy corner that he attacks if someone comes near the cage. I'm not sure where to start or if I should just continue with what I'm doing...letting him adjust.

Kaye

All parrotlets are aggressive and territorial of their cages. Its part of their nature and how they were designed to survive in the wild. After all, they come from places where spiders are bigger than they are and they are eaten by almost everything so they must be very aggressive and protective in order to survive. I always tell people to teach your bird the ‘step up’ command and remove them from their cage before cleaning, changing toys, etc.

One of the reasons people like me hand-feed parrotlets is to imprint them. Parrotlets are not domesticated birds like cockatiels or budgies but are still very much wild animals that behave on instinct. If they are not imprinted on humans, they will not be tame. Hand-feeding parrotlets is extremely burdensome, time-consuming and labor intensive. Baby parrotlets need to be fed from the time they are 10 days old until they wean at 6 or 7 weeks of age every 4 hours, every day, all day. I charge $100 for a green Pacific and without counting the cost of food, electricity, vet bills, etc., I get paid less than $1 per bird per feeding. So we are obviously not getting rich doing this – it is because in order for these birds to be the best pets, they must be imprinted. After they are weaned, they bond with the person or bird they spend time with. If this bird was simply placed in a cage and ignored, it did not establish a bond with people so it probably is fearful of people since we are predators and they are prey. Again, its all about instinct and how Nature designed them to survive in the wild.

It is possible to tame a bird that has not been imprinted or handled but it takes a lot of time and patience. When we had wild caught birds, we would wrap them in a small towel and gently hold them talking to them, stroking them and getting them used to people. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it doesn’t.

So, there are no easy answers. I would make sure the bird’s wings are kept clipped, keep chatting and vocalizing to him. You can wrap him in a small towel and work with him while you are watching tv. All of these things may help, they may not. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, he does sound like he is getting more interaction and I’m sure you are taking excellent care of him. Perhaps he will come around enough to step up onto your finger or ride around on your shoulder. That would be a huge step forward for him but again its going to take time, consistency and patience on your part.

Best of luck and I hope this helps.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Plucking Parrotlet Pair

2011-02-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I have to say that I read your blog and it is very informative. I have two parrotles-one male and the other female. For the first year I had them they were fine and caged together. They are very bonded together and close. Both are around 2 years old and I got them at 10 months old. After a year the male started plucking the female around the neck and on the back. I had to separate them and I only separate them during the day when they don't play together or eat together. At night I don't separate them because they call for eachother and the male finds it hard to settle down and sleep without the female-as they snuggle together. I tried more shredding toys, more playtime, and it seemed to help the plucking problem a bit, but I still cannot keep them together during the day. Do you think it is bordom, hormones? Or both maybe. they play together during the day when I can watch them and they have a ball together. They are really two peas in a pod and love eachother otherwise. I put their two cages close together. I also give them plenty of fresh food, they like quinquoa, sprouts, and I give them Goldenfeast, and Volkmans seed-no pellets. Any advice would be appreciated. I just love them so as they are such sweet adorable birds. The avian vet seems at a loss as I don't think they are that knowledgable about parrotlets I have to say.

Shelley

Dear Shelley:

Thank you for your email. Actually, the behavior of your birds is quite normal and one of the reasons I never recommend getting two parrotlets of the opposite sex and keeping them in same cage unless you are going to breed them. You take two healthy adult birds of the opposite sex give them good food, a secure environment and they will do what Nature designed them to do – which is breed. Your male’s behavior is what most breeders of parrotlets refer to as ‘foreplay’ but since your birds are not set up for breeding, they are behaving abnormally. This can result in continued feather destructive behavior or worse things like aggression which can lead to injury or even death. The calling to one another is bonding and what all flock members to – after all, birds are flock animals and they do call to one another when they roost at night. This is about survival and safety in numbers not emotional bonding that we humans like to think it is.

So you have decide what you want to do with these birds. If you want them to stay pets, then they will have to stay in separate cages and when out together be supervised. If you want them to breed, you will lose them as pets and you will need to set them up for breeding and leave them alone. Unfortunately, parrotlets are not domesticated birds like budgies or cockatiels – they are very much wild animals whose behavior is influenced by instinct not behavior that has been influenced by human imprinting. As for this being parrotlet behavior, absolutely not true. This is true for almost all species of parrot – if these were two adult macaws, it would be the same thing.

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

Parrotlst's Sudden Death

2011-02-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hi,
I can't believe what happened tonight. I just found my two parrotlets dead on the bottom of their cages! I have, sorry had two female parrotlets. They were about 3.5 yrs old. I kept them in separate cages next to each other.

My question is... can a parrotlet die from loud noises? We had the Superbowl game on, and during half time we raised the volume, however the guest we had over said it wasn't extremely too loud. (We just got a 73" TV with surround sound.) It was loud, however, we could still hear each other talking.

I have three parakeets, one love bird and a blue and gold macaw, all in the same area as the parrolets. They are kept in our living room with the TV. All the other birds are fine.

When I went to cover them all for the night, I found each of the parrolets on the bottom of their cages dead. There are no signs of a struggle or any noticeable marks that would indicate cause of death. Having them both die at pretty much the same time is weird. I cleaned their cages this afternoon the normal way I always did. They were fine, and everything looked good, and was the same.

I haven't been able to find anything on line regarding loud noise being deadly for birds. I feel terrible about possibly being the cause of these two beautiful innocent little birds death. Please let me know if the TV being too loud could have caused their deaths. I don't want anything to happen to the other birds in the house.

Thank you for you time and help with this matter.
Extremely regretfully,
Alana

Dear Alana:

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your birds. While I am not a vet and certainly no one can definitively tell you what killed those birds without a necropsy, I can tell you I’ve kept and bred parrotlets for almost 30 years and I have never heard of a bird dying from loud noises. They are not the delicate wallflowers many people think they are and they originate from very harsh conditions in the wild so they are very strong, resourceful and definitely not easily stressed or otherwise compromised because of environmental conditions especially something as nebulous as noise. After all, they are true parrots and in the wild they would be surrounded by loud noises including other birds so I can’t imagine that one thing had anything to do with the other. I know as humans it is our nature to attribute cause and effect – like bringing your car in to have the oil changed and then your radio doesn’t work. We often draw parallels but really one thing had absolutely nothing to do with the other.

As I said, the only way you could possibly know what really happened is to have the birds necropsied. Something I would do btw since you have other birds in the house and it is extremely unusual for two birds to drop dead at the same time. It can mean anything from their food was contaminated (mycotoxin is mold found in bird seed and its colorless and odorless and not detectable visually) or there was something the birds breathed or, if they were housed together, it could be a viral, bacterial or other kind of fungal infection. No way of knowing without veterinary intervention.

Again, I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your birds but I highly doubt noise had anything to do with it.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Parrotlet Lifespans, Spectacle Parrotlet Availability

2011-02-05T08:59:00.001-08:00

Hi!
I am a parrotlet owner and have been doing some digging for research on parrot foraging, nutrition and lifespan but due to the lack of research on parrots and general and especially parrotlets, I havent been able to find real conclusive facts about parrotlet lifespans. I am sure this is due to the fact that they werent widely bred until recently so we may not even know for sure what is normal. My question for you is what is the longest you have known them to live?

I also have another question regarding purchasing a spectacled parrotlet as a pet. I am not looking for one immediatly but am researching and preparing and was wondering if you breed them for pet homes and if so, how much are they?

Thank you in advance for your time

Sincerely,
M. J. Roach

Dear Mary:

Thank you for your email. Let me provide you with a brief history.

Parrotlets have been in the United States since the late 1800's. The first pairs were bred in zoos starting in the mid-1920's. They have been kept as pets since the 1950s so they certainly are not recent additions to Amercan aviculture. Indeed, I have kept them for almost 30 years and the 1970's and 80's there were tens thousands of parrotlets that were imported including Yellow Face and Sclater's. In 1992, the United States cut off importation of almost all species of parrots except under extremely limited circumstances. The International Parrotlet Society was formed in 1992 and worked tirelessly to add color mutation parrotlets to the Approved List of Captive-Bred Birds and have been imported, again by the thousands, since 1995. They are one of the very few species of parrots that are allowed to be imported into the United States.

The reason there is little known about their lifespans isn't because of lack of research per se. The reason is, very few people other than myself have kept them long enough to make that determination. Most of the people who breed parrotlets these days have kept them less than 10 years - a mere blip on the radar screen of bird keeping. Indeed, there is no 'research' that can be done other than the actually keeping individual birds from birth to death and these days, that is extremely rare. I only know of maybe 6 people in the US that actually have that type of experience. Everyone else, particularly those on the Internet, have no personal experience and only repeat what they have been told or read. Unfortunately, on the internet, anyone can be an expert - all they need is a keyboard and an opinion.

When I stared with parrotlets in the early 1980's, I had wild-caught birds as did everyone else. Ironically, most people these days that have parrotlets have never seen a wild-caught bird let alone work with them. I did for more than a dozen years. Those birds easily lived more than 20 years although we were not sure how old they actually were. The reason we know they lived to be more than 20 years old is because we actually kept individual birds that long. Of course, these were adults when they were imported so we really don't know how old they were. We only know they easily lived 20 years or more. These days, they can live to be that age but it is extremely rare. Most parrotlets meet their demise from accidents, usually preventable, but even if they are protected, it seems 10-15 years is much more the norm. This could be for a variety of reasons including diet (I am a firm believer in fresh, whole natural foods for parrotlets not pellets or other 'fortified' diets). It could also be the natural progression of animals that are kept in captivity. Seems the more humans are involved with breeding animals, the more their lifetimes are shortened. This is true with pretty much all domesticated animals. It could be people are taking too many 'short cuts' with breeding - not waiting for the birds to be mature or it could be due to inbreeding. Color mutations may also have had an effect because they are genetically abnormal and in the wild, they would never have lived long enough to breed and pass on their defective genes. These days its almost impossible to find a normal Pacific parrotlet that has no color mutations in its background at all. But, since color mutations have only been around 15 years or less, no one can definitely answer that question. Perhaps we will have that answer in another 15 to 20 years.

I do breed Spectacles and was one of the first to breed them in the US when they were imported in 1992. I always have a waiting list for all of my birds and my list for Spectacles is months long. Unfortunately, my prediction made back in 1994 before any mutations were imported, has come true. That all the other species would disappear once people started breeding mutations. I charge $300 each.

As I said, I have bred parrotlets for almost 30 years. I have kept every species except Sclater's (only one pair was known to produce and they died, along with their offspring, in a house fire in the 1980's) and was one of the first to actually breed parrotlets. I also have awards for working with rare and difficult species such as Mexicans and have a first breeding award for producing the first of a particular subspecies of Blue Wings. I cofounded the International Parrotlet Society and have written 3 books on parrotlets including the most recent addition of Barron's Parrotlet Handbook. I also write for Bird Talk magazine and am a panel expert on parrotlets with Bird Channel.com I give seminars and speak at national and international conventions on parrotlets as well as other issues involving parrots.

So, I hope this answers your questions. Thank you again for your email.

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

Tracing Leg Band Information

2011-01-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

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

Sick/Dying Parrotlets

2011-01-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

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

3 Common Myths About Parrotlets

2011-01-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

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

New Parrotlet Not Eating

2010-12-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Sandee,

Things going well over here, but we cannot manage to make him eat anything other than millet and thawed peas+corn since he got here.
Does not even touch the seeds. Should we try a bird bread to get him to eat seeds and pellets?

Best,
Trinidad

Dear Trinidad:

Sorry for the delay in responding - I just got back from a speaking engagement in PA.

I'm very surprised to hear he isn't 'touching' his seeds. If he isn't, its probably because of environmental conditions. One of the mistakes many new owners make is to constantly watch their birds, almost never taking their eyes off of them. This is not good for birds - especially new birds that are adjusting. People forget these birds are wild animals and that humans are predators and birds are prey. Watching them constantly, never allowing them privacy makes birds nervous and keeps them from engaging in natural behaviors including eating. I would suggest you feed him in the AM and then leave him alone and that means not making eye contact for several hours. He needs his privacy and to find his comfort level. As time goes on, he will adjust more and more until this is no longer an issue. You are welcome to feed "bird bread' as it can be healthy and nutritious no matter whether he is eating a complete diet yet or not. I can tell you, unlike seed which is what he was weaned too and certainly knows is food, he has never been fed bird bread in my house and may not accept it at first.

He hasn't been there really been with you for very long - not even a month so I'm sure he's still adjusting and learning. Millet, a complex carbohydrate that also contains significant amount of protein and the corn/peas will keep him alive and while he can't live on it forever, he won't. It’s a matter of time, patience and allowing him to do what he does naturally - be comfortable and self-sufficient in his cage.

Be sure and keep me posted!

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Dogs & Parrotlets

2010-12-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

Dear SAndee.. Petey sees molly chewing on everything...is it possible he thinks she could chew him??????he still is active and eats well.but hard to get out of cage to love and preen him...I dont even try unless she is ourside. I am finally moving into rental house,and have lots of space.. will give new address after I am settled.still get mail here.the managers at the park will help me with that..my main question could Petey think this???love Ollie need answer

Dear Ollie:

Good to hear from you! Glad to hear you are settling in to your new place. Please send me your address. I’m behind on the journals again but will be caught up soon.

Dogs are predators and birds are prey. No matter what, they will always be natural enemies and one should never allow them to have physical contact. So long as Molly does not have physical access to Petey, you should have no problems. However, I’m sure Petey keeps a very close eye on Molly – it is the way Nature designed them and chewing or other behaviors really as nothing to do with it. It is simply a matter of who eats whom.

Hope this helps! Keep in touch and its always good to hear from you!

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Parrotlet Chewing on Cage Wire

2010-10-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

I have recently acquired an 11 year old Parrotlet and she has started biting on the bars of her cage, what I would call "strumming" or "picking" them. Her name is Chloe and she is a beautiful little thing and I have had a couple other issues with her, but I really would like to help her or stop her from this practice as it seems there is something emotionally or physically causing this problem. Can you offer any help or suggestions?

Thanks,

Mark

Dear Mark:

Thank you for your email. I have to admit in 30 years I have never had anyone ask this question. Since I am not there and cannot observe the bird’s behavior, I’ll give you some background on this issue.

Birds chew on wire. It is part of their natural behavior. It could be because the cage is too small, she doesn’t have enough toys or enrichment items, it may be she is missing minerals in her diet, it could be because of the stress of going into a new home or it may be something she just enjoys doing. I would go through each issue – make sure the cage is large enough – at least 18” by 18”. She should have a variety of toys and perches made from different materials. Be sure and provide her a nutritious diet with lots of fresh foods including vegetables, fruit, greens, cooked legumes, whole grains and sprouts. She should also have access to minerals such as cuttlebone and mineral block. You might want to add some vitamins or bee pollen to her diet although only a pinch of either several times a week is all that is needed. If it is due to the stress of the move, you will just have to wait that out. The older the bird, the harder it is for them to adjust to a new environment. Also, if this is a behavior she has been doing her entire life, you are not likely going to change it and attempting to do so by putting bitter materials on the cage bars or trying to discourage it by adverse training, is going to be more harmful than the chewing on the wire itself. 11 years old is pretty aged in parrotlets these days – it would be like trying to get a 90 yo person to stop smoking. Probably not going to happen. I do know that so long as the wire isn’t toxic – i.e., made from zinc, lead or brass, it isn’t going to hurt her. Its probably more annoying to you than anything else but it isn’t harmful to her.

I would try these other things and see how it goes.

Best of luck to you and your bird.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.

Toilet Training a Parrotlet

2010-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Sandee,

Dibblee continues to get tamer and tamer. Okay, is this my
imagination? After he is on my shoulder for awhile he loves to go
down the front of my shirt and sometimes he stays there for a long
time. Lately, he has been coming out from down below and climbing
back onto my shoulder and thoughtfully pooping there instead of down
in my clothes. At first I thought it was a coincidence but he has
done it the last three or four times he has been out. So...Also, when
I place him on a flat surface or on my bed while I change shirts or
something I noticed that he would immediately poop when I put him
down. So it got me thinking. Now when I have him out I occasionally
take him off my shoulder and place him on the table or counter on a
paper towel and he does his thing and he's good to go for awhile.
I've been trying to associate the paper towel with a command but I
think he's getting the message. If he is out for many hours and I
periodically put him on a paper towel he often stays perfectly clean
the whole time out. Am I reading too much into this or is he one
smart guy?

Thanks for listening to my parrotlet ramblings.

Yours,
Randy

Dear Randy:

Thanks for the update. No, it isn't your imagination. Most birds do not like to step in their own excrement so its not that difficult to 'toilet' train them. Actually, it is more training you to respond to their needs rather than the other way around. My latest book has an article on how to teach the bird. I'm sure that Dibblee is very happy with your progress!

Sincerely yours,

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

Dilute/Yellow Pacifics, Color Mutation Nomenclature

2010-10-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Was just wondering why the American yellows were renamed dilute? I can't believe how much has change with these birds in the last few years.

Matt

No problem Matt. The name was changed to dilute years ago – at least 5 years ago or probably longer. The reason? The bird isn’t yellow. Genetically, it is a dilute not a yellow and since the probably is that eventually we will have a true yellow, the name was changed. One only has to look at “American white” also not a genetic white and the name was changed to the correct term of dilute-blue. We now actually have a dark-eyed white so it was prudent to get the name corrected before the white was produced.

A lot of people have the misconception that just because there is a new color mutation in a bird like a parrotlet that it can be named whatever people want to name it. Not true. There are nomenclature standards that are accepted by the world-wide scientific community for the genetics of color mutations in birds. These are based on scientific and biological interpretations and follow the guidelines established for other birds. Hence a blue ringneck is the same genetically as a blue parrotlet as a blue Amazon as a blue budgie and so on.

Hope this helps and have a great weekend!

Sincerely yours,

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

Parrotlets & Timothy Hay

2010-10-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight I saw at a pet store that they had put some timothy hay in
with the parrotlets. I bought a small amount but did not want to give
it to my bird until I asked you about it. Is it okay for him to eat
or play with. It looks clean but did not want to take any chances.

Update. The last frontier. When I put my hand in Dibblee's cage he
now jumps into my hand to come out. When I put him back in he won't
get off my hand. He has come such a long way from that untrusting and
biting little guy. Still does not play with toys though.

Okay, thanks again for everything.

Yours,
Randy

Sounds like you are making progress Randy. I knew you would. Just takes patience, perseverance and a little luck.

Timothy hay? I have never heard of that. What is their reasoning for it? Parrotlets are not cows or horses so I see no nutritional benefit to providing it. They are also not lovebirds that would use it for nesting. The only think I can think it would do is possibly get wrapped around their legs, feet and maybe neck and cause injury or worse. Also, when hay gets wet it can grow mold, mildew and provide an excellent growing material for bacterium and fungi. If they are using it for substrate there are many other safer alternatives including newspaper. But perhaps you should ask them. I have no idea, have never used it, can't see any reason to use it and I would think it would be dangerous so I definitely would not recommend it.

Sincerely yours,

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

Death of Parrotlet

2010-10-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

I purchased my beautiful parrotlet 16 years ago. he was the love of my life. he started developing cyst on the back of his neck area and started chewing the feathers under his neck. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him so I took him to an avain vet in va beach, va. the vet showed me how to remove these cyst and he seemed to be getting better. I had noticed recently that his droppings were increasing. his weight was very good and his appetite was good. if his droppings did not slow down I was making another trip to the vet. unfortunately i lost him this past sunday. he passed away in my hands peacefully and my heart is broken. can you shine some light on what i did wrong to lose him at 16 yrs. old when i've read they can live as long as 25 yrs.

Dear Sharon:

Thank you for your email. I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your birds. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to life expectancy in any animal but especially birds. Look at people – some die in their 50’s, others can make it to their 90’s. I do know when I started with wild-caught parrotlets they lived a lot longer than the domestically raised birds we have today. No one really knows why but I can tell you that 16 is very old for most parrotlets these days. I’m sure it was simply his time. I hope you find comfort in the fact he had a long, wonderful happy life with you.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely yours,

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

PDD & Parrotlets

2010-10-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I was reading your article on dilatation disease and was wondering how common this was. I have a parrotlet that is 5 yrs old now and has been sick for a month now and the vet is not sure what is wrong. He does not act sick but has a hard time balancing himself. He also sometimes shakes or has like tremors. He seems to be weak in the legs. Can you what to look for or who to ask??

Thank you, Brenda

Dear Brenda:

Thank you for your email. I’m very sorry to hear about the problems with your bird. PDD is a gastrointestinal disease that causes wasting syndrome and death from starvation. It involves the inability for birds to process food and is characterized by severe weight loss, vomiting and the passing of whole seeds in the stool. While parrotlets are not immune to this disease, it is very rare for them to be diagnosed with it. Especially in a parrotlet that is not around other birds.

What you describe sounds like some kind of neurological problem. While PDD can have neurological impact it is usually in very advanced case and most parrotlets would have died from starvation before the disease would impact the brain. However, you need to discuss this with a vet competent in avian medicine. Neurological problems can have a variety of causes – injuries, viruses, bacterial infections, prions, fungal infections, genetic abnormalities, tumors, congenital defects, cancer – only a veterinarian trained in avian medicine can diagnose the problem. If your vet is not avian certified, I recommend you contact the Association of Avian Veterinarians at www.aav.org and see if you can find one that may be able to help you.

Best of luck to you and your bird.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.