Basic care

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Before getting a parrotlet, here are a few things about their care to consider.

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Cages 

When looking for a cage, look for cages with 1/4" bar spacing. The minimum cage size for a parrotlet is 24" x 24" x 24". But the bigger the cage, the better. Parrotlets love room to flap their wings and climb around. Parrotlets live from around 15 to 35 years, so think about what their home will be like that they will be living in their whole life. 

 

Cage cleaning

Parrotlets are intermediate in care and don't make to much of a mess. Cleaning your parrotlet's cage should be done every 1-2 weeks. Most bird cages have a tray on the bottom of the cage that slides out. Just put newspaper or paper towels in the bottom of the tray and slide it back in. When you need to clean it out again, you just dump the newspaper and everything out into the trashcan, and, if needed, wipe down the tray the get any extra materials off. And vacuuming or sweeping around the cage to get any spilt seeds off the ground may be necessary. Overall, it's pretty simple.

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Giving a parrotlet attention

Parrotlets are extremely social birds and love attention. Each parrotlet has a different personality and some may like certain things more then others, but one thing that parrotlets all need is attention and time out of the cage. They should be handled everyday, or at least every 2 days, weather that's working on training, having them in the kitchen with you, or just having them perch on your shoulder while you watch tv. They will get bored, cranky and very lonely if you don't give them attention. A parrotlet's owner is its companion and its best friend. Speaking softly and rewarding good behavior with words is great trust training and your bird will also learn your voice and remember it. Parrotlets can tell individuals apart, and will eventually know you and your family members as part of their flock. Many parrotlets love having their neck feathers fluffed. For some birds, this might take some time for them to be completely used to you petting them, but most will eventually learn to love it. This is called giving your bird "scritches", which is just a term for petting birds. Parrotlets look very cute when you fluff their neck feathers.

 

Music

Most parrotlets love music! Just like humans, they enjoy hearing cool sounds and instruments. Some birds like certain types of music or a certain song. Some birds will even "dance" or chirp with the music. You may be able to get your bird to sing, say a phrase, or whistle a tune to a repeated sound or song. Parrotlets love when you play music or sing songs for them. But when first bringing your parrotlet home, it may be best to play calmer music while the bird gets used to the environment before adding wilder music. 

 

Toys and entertainment

You should also have plenty of toys in you cage for when you aren't playing with your bird. Most parrotlets are very active and entertainment is the key to owning a happy bird. The more toys, clutter and things to chew on in the cage, the better. The more toys, the more fun when it comes to a parrotlet. Parrotlets are like Toddlers and it is so important to keep them busy. Also, it's pretty easy to make your own toys from paper, toilet paper tubes as well as many other materials around the house. But be careful if your using any kind of metal, because they can get led poisoning from certain metals. Non-toxic rope, bells, beads, paper, and fabric scraps are all good for making toys, just as long make sure that there are not any chemicals, or things that aren't safe to ingest. also make sure that any ropes or strings in the cage are not to long and are secure so the parrotlet doesn't get tangled in them. You should rearrange the toys every couple weeks so the toys stay exciting and fun.

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Covering the cage at night

Many bird owners cover their bird's cage at night. This is not essential, but is defiantly a good thing to do. The reason why this is done is because it helps the birds sleep, and also keeps them quiet at night. Parrotlets need a surprising amount of sleep - about 9 to 12 hours! So covering the cage with a towel, blanket, or sheet will darken it up inside the cage so the bird can rest. This can also be a good idea if a bird is stressed out (though it is good for your bird to be able to see things so he/her can get used to them), as long as you don't keep the cage covered for more then a day. Covering the cage will also help vocal birds to be quiet at night. But do keep in mind that parrotlets like to chew on things that are inside or around their cage, so don't use something that you don't want to get holes in.  

 

Parrotlet Behaviors

Keep in mind that there is no one parrotlet that is the same as another, therefore the personalities of each parrotlet will vary.

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Should I get more then one parrotlet?

This is a commonly asked question and if your looking for a companion bird, then the answer is no. Getting 2 parrotlets is not necessary. If you are wanting a loving parrotlet that is loyal to you, then I do not recommend getting more then one parrotlet. In the wild, parrotlets are in pairs of 2 and bonded for life. This is the same for pet parrotlets. Parrotlets will usually be more interested in their parrotlet friend then you if you're keeping them together, and will likely be become territorial and nippy around you as an act of protecting their friend. you will be your parrotlet's friend if you get one. So only get one parrotlet, or at least keep your parrotlets in separate cages, unless you are looking for a breeding pair, and if this is the case, please keep in mind that you must do lots of research before breeding parrotlets, and your pair must not be related, or this will likely cause bad genetic problems.

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Getting used to their environment

If you're parrotlet is a little flighty or seems nervous, it's probably because they have spent most of they're life with they're parents or brothers and sisters and just need to get used to you and being the only bird in the cage. This is totally normal for a bird to start out a little wary at first, because they are all the sudden in a brand new environment, so don't worry, the more time you spend with the bird and positive reinforcement, the more friendly and tame the bird will become. They will realize you are their owner and they will warm up. And once again, every bird is different, so some may get used to things faster then others. I have known many parrotlet owners that say that their parrotlet was flighty and nervous at first, and now they are the most friendly, social bird they've ever seen.

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Territorial parrotlets

Sometimes parrotlets can be territorial while in their cage, but then are completely friendly once out of their cage. This is not uncommon in parrotlets. Some causes to this strange behavior may because of certain toys or accessories that they have become protective over, or it may just be that they aren't getting enough handling. Though this may be frustrating, there are a few things you can try to work on fixing this. Getting a parrotlet used to your hand in the cage is one of the best ways of helping with this problem. using a glove may be a good idea if the parrotlet is trying to bite. Don't try to grab the bird. Use slow movements when opening the cage and then leave you hand in the cage for a few minutes. If the bird is getting used to that, then you can start to slowly move and touch some of the things in the cage. This will help the bird get used to toys and accessories being moved around by your hands. Speaking softly to the bird is also a good idea. Treats are always a good idea if you know your bird likes certain treat. holding these on the palm of your hand will may temp your bird to take some, and you will earn his/her trust. Always be patient and kind to the bird and if he/she tries to bite, do not pull your hand away quickly - that will be telling your parrotlet that it is allowed to boss you around and that you are afraid of him or her, and once they know that, then they know how to get your hand away when they want. If you jerk away or yell it will likely make things worse, so try your best to keep calm and softly but sternly tell the bird "no", or "no bite". Keeping this up will help with the problem. 

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The "Gentle Beak" method

This is a trick that I learned from another breeder and I think it can be helpful. Gentle beak is something that you can train your bird that basically teaches them to be gentle with their beak. This is good to teach your bird early on to help prevent potential biting in the future. Our birds start on their Gentle Beak training before they are adopted. How Gentle Beak works - when your bird is wanting to be nippy, softly say to them "Gentle Beak" and gently place your finger on your bird's beak. The goal is to have your bird keep his/her beak closed instead of biting and let you put your finger on their beak. This is good for your bird to have this method down. It's great trust training for you and your bird, and teaches them to be gentle. To teach your bird this trick, gently and slowly move your finger towards your birds beak and say "Gentle Beak". If your bird opens his/her beak, pause and wait for them to close their beak, then repeat the process until your bird allows you to touch their beak. if you have a treat that you know your bird likes, then you can also give them a treat when they do the right thing.

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