Behavioral questions

[PacificPaulie]

Forgive my ignorance folks, but I've got a few behavioral questions about my first P'let.

So, first off, I noticed that while Paulie is getting pretty good (and pretty darn fast) with flying, he seems to prefer to fly really low... Like, around feet and ankles low. I had a terrible scare the other day where I took a step and was already setting my body weight into the step when Paulie decided to land just underneath it. I managed to throw myself (not very elegantly I might add) to the opposite side of where I had planned to step and Paulie, thank goodness, survived unscathed. Is flying low likely a phase of his? Or is this something I'm going to have to adjust to with a P'let?

Also, I seem to be learning his different calls but there's one that's a little funny. It's just a high pitched shriek when I'm not in the room with him. I think he's actually calling to me... Do P'lets REALLY do that or am I just going crazy with P'let fever?

Lastly, the play stand... He really doesn't seem to care for his play stand. I learned somewhere that feeding/playing with P'lets in their play stands helps reduce the odds of cage aggression... But Paulie won't eat, and only begrudgingly plays in, his play stand. How can I get him to better enjoy his play stand?

 

[Rain Bow]

Forgive my ignorance folks, but I've got a few behavioral questions about my first P'let.

So, first off, I noticed that while Paulie is getting pretty good (and pretty darn fast) with flying, he seems to prefer to fly really low... Like, around feet and ankles low. I had a terrible scare the other day where I took a step and was already setting my body weight into the step when Paulie decided to land just underneath it. I managed to throw myself (not very elegantly I might add) to the opposite side of where I had planned to step and Paulie, thank goodness, survived unscathed. Is flying low likely a phase of his? Or is this something I'm going to have to adjust to with a P'let?

Also, I seem to be learning his different calls but there's one that's a little funny. It's just a high pitched shriek when I'm not in the room with him. I think he's actually calling to me... Do P'lets REALLY do that or am I just going crazy with P'let fever?

Lastly, the play stand... He really doesn't seem to care for his play stand. I learned somewhere that feeding/playing with P'lets in their play stands helps reduce the odds of cage aggression... But Paulie won't eat, and only begrudgingly plays in, his play stand. How can I get him to better enjoy his play stand?

I know nothing about Parrolets, regarding your questions.

@Zara maybe able to help. She may also know some other members to tag. I'm tagging her, she was on (I think) a few minutes ago) not sure if she's still on tho. Good Luck Pacific! Great questions, looking forward to the answers!I

 

[Zara]

How can I get him to better enjoy his play stand?

Have you tried attaching his favourite toys and treats to the stand?

I know nothing about Parrolets, regarding your questions.

Same

Is flying low likely a phase of his? Or is this something I'm going to have to adjust to with a P'let?

Maybe @fashionfobie or @JLcribber might know something about that

 

[fashionfobie]

Paulie is very young so don't worry about his progress with flying. He will get there. When my boys where younger fliers I had the opposite problem that they flew to high and would scrap the ceilings with their wings.

Paulie will figure it out. It takes a bit of practice and they need to develop their muscles.

A recording of the call would help. If it was a trill type sound. That seems to be an alarm call of something in flight approaching. Normally my guys make this at butterflies, wasps, and bees that they see outside. If it is a bird of prey like a kookaburra lands they don't make this trill but instead fly to cover or fight at the window to scare the predator away. They are brave. They have made the trill when a bird flies past the window without stopping. A bee would be a fetal encounter to such a small bird. So it makes sense that they are sensitive to flying insects.

Play stand training takes time. What worked for me was to continually return him to the stand and reward with a treat. There are three or more other points around the house they fly to when startled or scared. The play stand is the fun place. A towel on the ground to hop around on, leaves to rip up, toys to play with. My playstand is also at the window. He will figure out it is the place for all the action.

I would be very careful and vigilant of yourself in the space, also your boyfriend. Paulie will make mistakes. He could be on the ground, the couch, the desk, he can fall into hot cooking pots, fans, toilets. Parrotlets are very prone to fetal accidents in the home. They are fearless and when they trust their people can die from crushing accidents. Parrotlets needs intensive supervision. If you aren't able to keep your eyes on him whilst he is out, it is best to keep him in the cage for his safety. For example if you are cleaning or even doing dishes..you take your eyes off of him and he decides there is a cool crumb on the floor. You turn to dry the plate...and step. It is that easy.

I read a story of someone tossing a book on their desk and didn't realise their Parrotlet was hopping around on it.

I am not sharing this to discourage you. I know you are doing what is right by Paulie. I am just sharing one of the scary realities of such tiny parrots. This is why it rocks to have a large flight cage or at least as large as you can.

I am super proud of Paulie flying! Go Paulie.

 

[PacificPaulie]

@Zara
I'm actually having a difficult time getting him to play with toys. He will forage on his play stand but loses interest after he gets all the easy treats. I even try engaging him by helping him find the harder ones but as soon as I sit down to watch him he flies right to me.

 

[sunnysmom]

@Zara
I'm actually having a difficult time getting him to play with toys. He will forage on his play stand but loses interest after he gets all the easy treats. I even try engaging him by helping him find the harder ones but as soon as I sit down to watch him he flies right to me.

The parrotlet I fostered loved playing with small toys- like little wicker balls or small plastic balls with bells in them. He would throw them and chase them. It was really cute. He also liked to chew on card board type toys. He pretty much ignored wood toys but really played the most with toys on the floor of his cage.

 

[PacificPaulie]

@fashionfobie
I will see what I can do for the recording but I don't think it's his "hey something's after me!" call. I actually have been sitting with Paulie outside on these beautiful 70° days we've been having and have heard that call when the bees get near his cage. (Some of them he actually lunges at too.) It's hard to describe so I'll try to record him doing it.

I'm glad to hear the flying will improve. I thought maybe, since they like to forage, that he would stay flying low. I am absolutely terrified of such fetal accidents like you described, and my heart breaks for that person who squashed their feathered baby! I can't imagine their grief.

We don't have a very large living space so when Paulie is out it is with us in our living room. So the only time we aren't supervising him is when we leave to use the restroom. But when I almost stepped on him was when I was reaching for his play stand to set it up! It was so quick and scary! I'm almost afraid to stand up around him now, which I know is silly but... My Paulie!

Also, I do very much want a bigger cage for him. We're saving up to make it happen... Fingers crossed it happens sooner rather than later.

 

[PacificPaulie]

@sunnysmom
Yea, Paulie has a little wicker ball with millet stuffed in it I see him playing with once in a blue moon in his cage, but when I put it on his play stand he'll completely ignore it.

 

[sunnysmom]

@sunnysmom
Yea, Paulie has a little wicker ball with millet stuffed in it I see him playing with once in a blue moon in his cage, but when I put it on his play stand he'll completely ignore it.

Does your play stand have a base? He may just be more comfortable playing on flat surfaces. I was surprised that my parrotlet really preferred being on the floor of his cage when he played than on a perch.

 

[PacificPaulie]

@sunnysmom
Yes it does... It was that $30 play stand in PetSmart advertised for cockatiels. So it's a base with some colored perches affixed to it... But he just doesn't seem to care for it. Might he not like the perches?

 

[sunnysmom]

@sunnysmom
Yes it does... It was that $30 play stand in PetSmart advertised for cockatiels. So it's a base with some colored perches affixed to it... But he just doesn't seem to care for it. Might he not like the perches?

Some birds just don't like playstands. My cockatiel would never play on one. I keep debating about getting one for my cockatoo. Have you tried maybe putting some treats on it that he likes?

 

[Zara]

The parrotlet I fostered loved playing with small toys- like little wicker balls or small plastic balls with bells in them. He would throw them and chase them. It was really cute.

My lovebirds do this. Apart from one who rams them like an angry bull!

Some birds just don't like playstands.

I think this really sums it up.
I recently bought a table top play area. I keep bits of millet and bell toy attached to it. Slowly slowly the birds are exploring it but usually they eat the treats, knock the bell thrice and fly off

 

[PacificPaulie]

@sunnysmom
Yea, I've tried everything I could think of to make it more enjoyable for him. Treats, toys, foraging activities... He simply doesn't like it. The most use I get out of it is to have a place to practice the recall with... Which is going extremely well since he doesn't want to stay on it.

 

[fashionfobie]

Try finding a bird safe branch with bark and leaves. Parrotlets love ripping this stuff up. In the wild they forage bark for part of their diets.

Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.

Here is Neptune on his play stand. I replace branches weekly or more depending on the amount of destruction.

Maybe Paulie just hasn't found his favourite toy yet

 

[Gribouille]

Twitter used to have a high pitched call he would use to signal the others that I was getting home, since he had his cage in the kitchen and a good view on who was reaching to the front door. That was very cute!!
We never had problems with him flying low. He was seldom at a level lower than the table, and always favored sitting high on a perch, lamp, curtain rod and so on. I can't remember him being on the floor more than 3-4 times, and he didn't really enjoy being on flat surfaces, except for the dinner table and the kitchen bench, because there was food there, and not to play.
He had a play stand hanging under the kitchen lamp (a triangle made of 3 perches, with a bell, some perles and a little ball) and a long branche in the living room with many different things to climb and chew on, but he had to share it with the budgies and was there more to bully them than to play.I must admit I didn't spend as much time with him as you do with Paulie, being a single mom of 2 with full time work, I couldn't give him my full attention when I was home. So he entertained himself most of the time or was taking part into my activities, but I didn't really play with him like you do, which is a shame really, but well...
On the other hand I wonder if Paulie isn't getting dependant on you and expecting you to be his only toy and slave, since he refuses to play on his own even with you watching him..? If you know you will always be hime that much and able to give him much attention that's fine, although you might want some free time too once in a while, but if you are going to be more out of the house at some poin, it could be a good thing for him to learn to play on his own from time to time.

 

[PacificPaulie]

@Gribouille

You're right, that was a concern of mine after he survived weaning (he was sold much younger than he ought to have been). So after the weaning process I broke up his free time into different parts of the day. I used to take him out 3x a day for 2 1/2 hours each, but since he's eating much more on his own I've since phased out the lunch time play. So now I take him out morning and night.

Yesterday was the first day he went without morning play. We went on an all day hike with our fur babies and were gone until late afternoon. While Paulie wasn't thrilled, he survived. (As a side note, he was also much sweeter than he has been that evening.)

Currently, I'm a full-time student at home. So he gets my attention primarily during breaks. However, thinking ahead to when I'm working in my career, I'm trying to work with him on being more independent... Just a bit of a learning process I suppose.

 

[PacificPaulie]

@fashionfobie
Neptune is so cute!!

 

[fashionfobie]

On the other hand I wonder if Paulie isn't getting dependant on you and expecting you to be his only toy and slave, since he refuses to play on his own even with you watching him..? If you know you will always be hime that much and able to give him much attention that's fine, although you might want some free time too once in a while, but if you are going to be more out of the house at some poin, it could be a good thing for him to learn to play on his own from time to time.

Aren't we all bird slaves at the end of the day

 

[PacificPaulie]

Hey all!

So here is a recording of that shrieking call I was telling you about. This morning it happened when we were outside and I stepped in for my water bottle. While I recognize there's the chance this might be his "there's something coming at me" call, this is a noise I've only ever heard him do when my husband or I (usually me) leaves the room he's in. Usually, it's when he's out and one of us leaves the room... He doesn't generally make this noise when he's in his cage and one of us leaves. So I'm wondering if maybe he's calling to us? What do you guys think?

P.S. there's nothing to look at in this video, it's strictly audio.

 

[finchly]

I think he’s calling to you. Figure out a special phrase or whistle and answer back.

Re: flying, was he clipped before you got him? That could be it. Oftentimes though, babies that haven’t had adequate flying space have to develop those muscles before they can get any lift.