International Parrotlet Society, Mexican Parrotlets,

So you close down and just take members money. I paid a long term membership fee less then a year ago. My Attorney will be in touch! Dear Mr. XXXX: Thank you for your email. According to our records, you joined IPS in October of 2011 and paid for a one year membership. IPS did not accept any renewals or applications after December 31, 2012 (your membership expired in October of 2012). IPS was closed after written notification to all current members in 2013 and offered refunds to those members. All remaining funds were donated to another 501©(3) organization as per IRS rules and the bylaws of the International Parrotlet Society. I believe you have confused our organization with another. If you have documentation to prove otherwise, a cancelled check or other instrument indicating you paid ‘for a long term membership less than a year ago’ please provide it as I am quite sure you are mistaken. However, if something ‘slipped through the cracks’, I will be more than happy to refund your money out of my OWN personal funds although I am under no legal obligation to do so. Sincerely yours, Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S. The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest. Camaroonian Phrase Sandee, Thank you for responding. Since the original notificaton of the IPS closing down I have sent numerous emails as to where to continue getting information. I was surprised that your site NEVER came up in any of my searches. Anyway, it was suggested I attempt one last time and make mention of the "A" word. (attorney) I am quite surprised it worked! So, I apologize for the deception and thank you for responding. I have a "Mexican" or to be more specific, Forpus cyanopygius cyanopygius, and I would love to get him a mate. However I can not seem to find him one. With no local breeders in my area that I have been able to find, and not sure of what I should actually be paying for one. (Chico was a rescue) I had been inquiring with IPS when it shut down as to this info as well as looking to learn where Chico had come from using his leg band information. (Another bit that IPS NEVER responded to) I truely hope you will be able to steer me in the right direction and I again apologize for my tactics. Sincerely, XXXX Dear XXXX: Once IPS was shut down, it was shut down. Disappeared. Gone from the web. There was no way you could contact us anymore unless you contacted me on my private email which you did. Threatening a lawsuit had nothing to do with it. I have a legal background myself and am not intimidated by threats of legal action especially when I have done nothing wrong. Besides, no one pays attorneys hundreds of dollars an hour to go after $25 especially since this would be a small claims court action at best. So no, your tactic didn’t work other than you finally used the correct address to contact me. I am unaware of anyone in the US who has Mexican parrotlets anymore. For more than a decade, I was the only one who had them. Before that, I worked solely with zoos, breeding cooperatives and members of the IPS Breeding Cooperative. All of those breeders got out of parrotlets in the 1990’s and I know of no one who breeds them in the US anymore. I worked for more than twenty years to preserve these birds but when the color mutations were imported in the mid-1990’s most people dumped their other species. The economy eventually put the rest of the breeders out of business and the zoos couldn’t manage them as they wished. Eventually they all became related, inbred and eventually died out, The last one I saw outside of my aviary was in 2002. I’m very sorry I don’t have a better answer for you. If I hear of anyone who has them, I’ll pass your information on to them. Sincerely yours, Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S. The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com A Chattering Bird Builds No Nest. Camaroonian Phrase

Adopting a Parrotlet

Good morning! We are vacationing 20 minutes north of your ranch and we have been looking for a parrotlet to adopt for a number of months now. Imagine our surprise to find your ranch is just down the road! :) Do you have any parrotlets available for immediate adoption? Thank you in advance, Dan and Cheralyn Dear Dan and Charalyn: Thank you for your email. I know people like to use the term 'adoption' when they are purchasing a bird because it is becoming a member of the family. However, as both a professional breeder that breeds and sells parrotlets as well as the founder of a non-profit organization that also runs a parrotlet adoption program, I must clarify that the difference. Legally, my business, The Parrotlet Ranch, does not offer adoptions but I do sell birds. I am very proud of my skills and professionalism as a parrotlet breeder of almost 30 years. The International Parrotlet Society, the non-profit organization, does run an adoption program and while we will attempt to adopt a parrotlet from anyone only members may adopt. All that being said, I have no parrotlets available at this time. I always have a waiting list for birds and currently it is 6 months or longer in length. Also, the International Parrotlet Society does not have any birds currently available for placement. I am so sorry. 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

CD of Parrotlet Sounds

Hello I was wanting to know if there is a difference in the sounds on the cd's the one for a cd player and the one for the computer? I can see that one is a hour long and the other is two hours. Do they have any sounds of babies on them I would like to use the sounds to try to help my single pair of parrotlets breed. Any suggestions would be helpful... Thank you for your time. Hillary :) Dear Hillary: Thank you for your email. I'm not really sure what you are asking so I will simply explain. I've bred parrotlets for more than 30 years and it has been my experience that they breed better when they can hear one another but not see each other. This is part of their instinctual nature in that they are part of a flock but because of their aggressive and territorial natures, which will result in attacking other parrotlets or even their partners, my CD's offer the best option for breeders of single pairs to promote this breeding instinct. Yes, one CD is an hour and the other is two but they are on continuous loops so they just play over and over. This is the only difference. After all, these are recorded sounds of over 100 pairs of parrotlets - various species, various ages, males, females, pairs and offspring. This is exactly what these birds would be hearing in the wild. As for suggestions on breeding parrotlets, I have written 3 books (the most recent is The Parrotlet Handbook by Barron's and is available on my website at Parrotlet Ranch, I also have a lot of information on my website. I also write a blog, have a FB page for Parrotlet Ranch, give speaking engagements all over the country as well as internationally and am a co-founder of the International Parrotlet Society and their journal editor which has the most up to date information on parrotlets that can be found anywhere particularly with regard to newsgroups and chat rooms. 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

Parrotlet Available in CO Springs

Dear Kris: Hi Sandee, I found your Blog, I'm looking for a good home for my Parrotlet. If you have any followers in the Colorado Springs Area. I got my Bird from a breeder at a bird show in Denver. Her Name was Sue Pollan I believe. I may have the last name a little wrong. I've had him for 7 years. I paid $300 for him he is a nice powder blue color, she said he is rare, but I can't remember his exact kind. I just got him cuz he was different from the rest. I'm only asking $125 for him, just to make sure he gets a good home. He is difficult to get out of the cage but once he is out, he steps up and gives kisses. Also mimics my sneeze and laugh. He likes a soft hut to tuck into at night. Might take a little time to warm up to a new person. He sings pretty and is content with little attention. However I have horses and just got horse property and have found that I no longer have any time to spend with my bird. I named him Valentino. I also have a custom made plexi glass cage I also bought for around $300 a few years ago. I would like to sell it for $150. OR sell both the bird and cage for $250 together. They can have the Zerk auto feeder, natural looking tree branches and all his toys for free with purchase of his cage. I can send a photos to anyone interested. I even have another cage if they rather have it. A typical wire cage they can have for free. Let me know if you think you can help me out. Thanks Kris Thank you for your email. The International Parrotlet Society does have a Parrotlet Placement Program for parrotlets. They will attempt to place a bird, once it has been put for adoption, with one of our members who has agreed to care for it. You can find more information at the International Parrotlet Society's website at http://www.internationalparrotletsociety.org/parrotletplacement.html IPS does not charge either for placement or adoption but we are not a shelter or rescue so there is no guarantee that the bird will be able to be placed but IPS will make every effort. 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 Adoption. Life Span

Hello! My name is Joanna. I am a student that very much misses having animals around. My roommate feels the same way and we are looking for an animal that we could have at this stage in our lives. Neither of us has ever had birds before, but we have been doing a lot of research and we are intrigued by parrotlets. We like everything we have read about them and are quite certain we could be good owners. Our only problem is that their lifespan is very long. We would like to be able to say that we will be able to adapt our lives to anything to keep the bird, but we are not sure if we can definitively make this statement. We are more interested in adopting an older bird then and are wondering if you might have any available for adoption. Or if you don't, we would be greatly appreciative if you could point us in the direction of someone that might. Thanks so much!! Joanna Dear Joanna: Thank you for your email. As someone who has bred parrotlets for 30 years, I can tell you they don’t live as long as they used too. The average lifespans of most parrotlets these days is less than 10 years. 15 is considered quite old these days. I can’t think of any other parrot that has a lifespan of that length – all other ‘parrots’ (not cockatiels or budgies or even lovebirds) live at least 20 years or more. As for me, I don’t adopt birds. I know people like to use that term but legally I am not a non-profit shelter that adopts, I am a proud breeder that raises high quality birds that have been conditioned and adapted to be excellent pets. Only non-profit organizations such as the International Parrotlet Society offer an adoption or placement program. With IPS, you must be a member in order to adopt and must agree, sign and adhere to the terms and conditions by which you adopt a bird. I always have a waiting list for birds so I never have older birds available for sale. 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 ________________________________________

IPS Band Tracing

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

Mutation Green Rump Question, IPS Dues & Bands

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

IPS Registered Bands

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

International Parrotlet Society

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

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

Age To Sell A Baby Parrotlet

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

Parrotlet Hen Lays an Egg, International Parrotlet Society

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

Tracing Leg Band Information

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

International Parrotlet Society, Parrotlet Adoption & Shipping Parrotlets

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