parrotlets breeding

[appyvalley]

he do i have to have two pair of parrotlets to get fertile eggs every thing i read online said parrotlets need to have to pairs of parrotlets to get babys i got my parrotlets about 4 month ago the lady i got them from i think she keep the parrotlets under a towel she said she could not handle them she was right my birds bit really hard
there getting better now they can look out the window and get alot of light about a month after i got them they started to breed she said she got a couple of cluthes from them but this time the eggs was not fertile so do i need to buy another pair of parrotlets to get fertile eggs please help

 

[melissasparrots]

Some people find their parrotlets breed better when there are other pairs around. However, my first pair bred very well as just a single pair. Do realize, if you want them to breed, you probably should not be handling them a lot. I just mention that because you said they are biting less which makes me think you are trying to tame them. Breeding pairs are best just left alone to be birds. A nice cage with good lighting, lots of veggies in their diet with a good seed mix and maybe some sprouts and cuttle bone. No handling by humans, minimal eye contact, and try to stay out of their cage unless it needs to be cleaned. My parrotlets never had major problems with fertility. Generally, if they laid eggs, at least several of the eggs in the clutch were fertile. Things that can cause infertile eggs would be insecurity, excess handling by the owner, not liking their nest box, poor perching and sometimes the first clutch will be infertile even if everything else is right.

Also, if you plan to let them breed, make sure you are able to hand-feed and already have all that equipment ready and set up before the first baby hatches. You never know when you'll need to step in and parrotlets are not among the species that are easy to tame if parent raised.

 

[appyvalley]

thanks so much for your help i do have the hand feeding food and already to go if needed to what i was talking about biting was when i feed the parrotlet there not trying to come down and bit me as much when i put the food in the cage i clean my birds every day is that a problem when there breeding should i clean every other day

 

[melissasparrots]

Trying to bite you through the bars when you feed is normal breeding parrotlet behavior. Its fairly normal even for mature single pets that are otherwise tame. They are territorial little guys and hormones tend to make it worse. If you are just doing a paper change every day, that probably is not a problem. If you are trying to do a total cage wipe down every day, then that could be a problem. I generally change papers a few times a week and do a big cage bar and grate wipe down about once every week or two depending on the pair, how messy they are and how nervous they are. If it is their first clutch and they get scared and try to fly around the cage when I put my hand in their cage, then I tend to not clean unless it really needs it while they have eggs in the box. After the babies are a couple weeks old, they are generally more tolerant to basic cleaning and interference. Its a balancing act and a judgment call in terms of maintaining basic sanitation and allowing the parents to be comfortable enough to be good parents.
If you have not hand-fed before, see if someone in the local bird club can coach you with some cockatiels or other small common species before you have to do it yourself. Make sure you have a game plan about when to pull for hand-feeding, how to have your brooder set up, what temp to have it set at for the age of the babies, make sure it maintains temp so you don't have to constantly get up in the middle of the night to adjust the temperature and then check again that the adjustment worked and that it regains temp when you open the lid to check on babies and feed. Make sure you have a good disinfectant, all your syringes and stuff taken care of so you can slip right into mama bird mode without a hitch if/when needed. Raising babies can be stressful and selling them can be disheartening.

 

[appyvalley]

thanks i know how to hand feed i hand feed my african grey and my parakeet last year thanks for all your help got my finger cross she will lay again soon .