What's a Split Tail Parrotlet? Why Do Pet Shops Charge More Than Breeders?

Sandee, I found your website (very informative) recently while looking for some info on Parrotlets. I found a sweet girl (not sure if it's a girl ;) ) accidentally at the local pet shop. I found out she is about 4 years old and has been there two years!!! I don't relish the idea of buying from a pet store however, she is SO sweet. She seems to have so much personality. She's quick to "chat" with me and comes right to the side of the cage. She does not seem to bite and just wants to play! She grabbed my heart. They are asking $300 for her! She appears to be a green Pacific. They say the high price is because she is a "split tail". However, when I did some research for a split tail, I couldn't find anything! Is she rare or has a genetic irregularity? Advice? Sidenote, I asked the same question of Debbie at ___________ and she actually directed me to you. She had never heard of a "split tail" and felt as though the pet store was simply uninformed. Thanks for your time! -- Heather Dear Heather: Thank you for your email. I'm sure what the pet shop means is that the bird is 'split' i.e., carries a color mutation gene. If you are not going to breed the bird, it is really irrelevant as to the bird's personality or pet quality. However, as a breeder, the bird, when paired with the correct corresponding color mutation, would produce color mutation offspring. For example, if the bird was split to blue, if it were bred with another parrotlet that carried the same blue gene, they would produce visual blue offspring. As for the price, $300 is a very reasonable amount for a parrotlet being sold in a pet store. When you buy from a breeder, you are paying a 'wholesale' price and therefore the price is much lower. After all, breeders do not have the expenses that pet shops do. Pet shops have to hire people, train them, have a lease and store front to pay for, plus overhead, insurance, taxes, licensing, etc., so of course whenever you buy from a pet shop you would be paying about twice the price of what that bird would cost from a breeder. It's no different than buying anything else wholesale. Hope this answers your 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

Green Rump Pairs

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

Parrotlet "Adoption", Waiting List Policy

Dear Sandee,

We are very interested in adopting a pet parrotlet and were wondering
if you will have any available babies ready for adoption around the
last week of September.

Thanks


Thank you for your email.

I understand that a lot of people like to use the term 'adoption' because they feel bringing a bird into the family is like adding another family member. However, as a bird breeder and someone with a legal background it is important that you understand that I do not 'adopt' birds but I 'sell" them. Legally, the term 'adoption' means you obtain a bird that has no permanent home from a non-profit organization and you probably are not paying a fair market value for the bird but a standardized adoption fee. I am a breeder who has spent almost 30 years breeding healthy, well-socialized parrotlets specifically as pets and take great care and time in both raising wonderful pet parrotlets and making sure they go to good permanent homes.

I currently have birds that are on fertile eggs and expect to have birds available sometime around that time frame. I always have a waiting list and am happy to place your name on it. I do not take deposits and work on a first-come, first-served basis. I contact people about 3 weeks before the bird is ready to go home and if you still want it, we can make arrangements to either have the bird picked up or shipped. If not, I just move on down the list.

Please let me know if you are still interested and thank you again for contacting me.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.