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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
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Parrotlet or Ringneck Bit A Parrotlet's Beak Off?
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
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
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Color Mutation Parrotlets' Personalities
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
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
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Hand-Feeding Day One Chicks
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
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
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
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
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Teaching Baby Parrotlets
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
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
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
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
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