This is an important topic for anyone considering a parrotlet. This is one of the main reasons (along with aggression) people rehome their parrotlet.
I have had a total of 5 parrotlets. 3 were/are "wild" and 2 were/are tame.
I don't believe actually tame parrotlets convert to wild behavior without reasons (such as being mistreated or negative reinforcement). Instead I believe the birds who "reverted" were actually not tame to begin with. This happened to all three of my "wild" parrotlets. As babies wild parrotlets are easier to handle, especially if the breeder clipped their wings. A baby wild parrotlet will sit like a statue on your finger. They usually sit frozen and fluffed up, or hide behind your hair. A truly tame baby will be exploring, nibbling your fingers, come to you by choice, and will be fairly confident. A breeder might tell you they are shy with strangers, but a baby will usually be very trusting of anyone.
Some people might think if they get a parrotlet as a baby, even if they are not tame, they can get them to be tame. The problem is that wild parrotlets will often freeze and not take offered positive reinforcers. They also might run away from you if you reach towards them, which is a negative experience for them. The worst thing you can do is chase a wild parrotlet. This will only reinforce them to not trust you.
Of my 3 "wild" parrotlets, only one (Kin) became semi tame. This was not anything I could have done on my own. The only reason he will freely come to me now is because of Kendalyn, my tame parrotlet. Since he is bonded to her he would follow her onto me. As long as I didn't move my hands he would choose to stay on me. As he flew to me more and more and I did not try to touch him or move my hands at all, he realized on his own that I wasn't so bad. He now will fly to me when Kendalyn is not even on me.
The best thing to do if you have a wild parrotlet, in my opinion, is to let them be wild. Talk to them calmly, and never chase them around. If you need to return it to it's cage, leave some millet in there and sit across the room until they return. Maybe if you spend enough time talking to them and showing them that you are not a threat, they might eventually chose to come to you for a treat, or land on you.
If you are looking at a rehomed bird, stand back and let the owners handle it. Watch how it reacts to them. If they have to chase it around it might not be tame. However, some parrotlets are shy of strangers so you might want to ask them to take pictures or record a video of how the bird reacts to them without strangers around. (Kendalyn will not come to me when strangers are in the room).
If you are at a rescue look for attitude. A tame parrotlet is usually confident whereas a wild one will usually run to the back of the cage and hide. I've met a few tame parrotlets at rescues so they are out there. Remember that with age parrotlets will develop a lot of attitude and aggression. If you want to know what you are getting in the long run, it's best to go with a rehome. Parrotlets are often rehomed due to their aggression. My two bite me almost daily.
Even when they become aggressive, they are usually still pretty interactive. Adult parrotlets seem to be more hands off than babies though. They will come and sit on you but usually don't want to be petted too much. At least my two didn't.
Anyway, this is just my experience and opinion on the matter.
Kin (green) & Kendalyn (light blue) hanging out with me by choice. Both are fully flighted.
I have had a total of 5 parrotlets. 3 were/are "wild" and 2 were/are tame.
I don't believe actually tame parrotlets convert to wild behavior without reasons (such as being mistreated or negative reinforcement). Instead I believe the birds who "reverted" were actually not tame to begin with. This happened to all three of my "wild" parrotlets. As babies wild parrotlets are easier to handle, especially if the breeder clipped their wings. A baby wild parrotlet will sit like a statue on your finger. They usually sit frozen and fluffed up, or hide behind your hair. A truly tame baby will be exploring, nibbling your fingers, come to you by choice, and will be fairly confident. A breeder might tell you they are shy with strangers, but a baby will usually be very trusting of anyone.
Some people might think if they get a parrotlet as a baby, even if they are not tame, they can get them to be tame. The problem is that wild parrotlets will often freeze and not take offered positive reinforcers. They also might run away from you if you reach towards them, which is a negative experience for them. The worst thing you can do is chase a wild parrotlet. This will only reinforce them to not trust you.
Of my 3 "wild" parrotlets, only one (Kin) became semi tame. This was not anything I could have done on my own. The only reason he will freely come to me now is because of Kendalyn, my tame parrotlet. Since he is bonded to her he would follow her onto me. As long as I didn't move my hands he would choose to stay on me. As he flew to me more and more and I did not try to touch him or move my hands at all, he realized on his own that I wasn't so bad. He now will fly to me when Kendalyn is not even on me.
The best thing to do if you have a wild parrotlet, in my opinion, is to let them be wild. Talk to them calmly, and never chase them around. If you need to return it to it's cage, leave some millet in there and sit across the room until they return. Maybe if you spend enough time talking to them and showing them that you are not a threat, they might eventually chose to come to you for a treat, or land on you.
If you are looking at a rehomed bird, stand back and let the owners handle it. Watch how it reacts to them. If they have to chase it around it might not be tame. However, some parrotlets are shy of strangers so you might want to ask them to take pictures or record a video of how the bird reacts to them without strangers around. (Kendalyn will not come to me when strangers are in the room).
If you are at a rescue look for attitude. A tame parrotlet is usually confident whereas a wild one will usually run to the back of the cage and hide. I've met a few tame parrotlets at rescues so they are out there. Remember that with age parrotlets will develop a lot of attitude and aggression. If you want to know what you are getting in the long run, it's best to go with a rehome. Parrotlets are often rehomed due to their aggression. My two bite me almost daily.
Even when they become aggressive, they are usually still pretty interactive. Adult parrotlets seem to be more hands off than babies though. They will come and sit on you but usually don't want to be petted too much. At least my two didn't. Anyway, this is just my experience and opinion on the matter.
Kin (green) & Kendalyn (light blue) hanging out with me by choice. Both are fully flighted.
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