Untamed Adult Pair of Parrotlets

Hello Sandee!

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Sandra

Dear Sandra:

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

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com
Join the International Parrotlet Society, – the World’s Largest and Oldest Parrotlet Organization www.internationalparrotletsociety.org
A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest.
Camaroonian Phrase
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Fertile Eggs, Taming Without Hand-Feeding

Hello,
I was wondering if you would give me your opinion. I currently own two parrotlets and the have five eggs not sure if they are viable or not but the female will not leave the nest so I am hopeful. My question is I know nothing of handrearing babies and was wondering if it is possible to tame the babies around 5-6 wks for pets? Thank you for your time and opinion.
Jodi

Dear Jodi:

Thank you for your email. The fact your hen is brooding really is no indication of whether or not the eggs are fertile or will hatch. She is driven by instinct to brood the eggs whether or not they will hatch. Even pet hens with no mates can produce eggs and they too will sit and brood them often for the entire 21 days of incubation.

I’m assuming this is a pair of Pacifics? If so, then it is extremely unlikely you will be able to tame the chicks without hand-feeding them from 10 to 14 days. If it were, most people wouldn’t hand-feed since it is extremely time consuming – they need to be fed every 4 hours at least 4 or 5 times a day as well as handled and socialized. This is called ‘imprinting’ and it is done to overcome the natural wild instincts that parrotlets have since they are not domesticated birds like cockatiels or budgies (parakeets). Moreover, parrotlet pairs are extremely aggressive especially hens and will not tolerate interference so removing the chicks, handling them and placing them back in the nest almost never works; the hens often kill the chicks. This type of co-parenting can work with larger birds such as macaws but parrotlets are too biologically hard-wired to accept this kind of intrusion and more than likely will abandon or kill the offspring.

You can let them be parent-raised. They will not be friendly nor will you be able to handle them as pets but they can be sold as breeders.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.