I just lost my parrotlet on Feb 9th, 2014 to AGY (avian gastric yeast or "megabacteria") after quite the fight. With that though, I thought I could add a few things. First of all, I'm not sure if I'll get another parrotlet or not. I absolutely adored, I mean truly loved my Grover. So, the thought of getting another is on one hand good because there's such an absence felt in my and my fiance's lives right now due to him not being here and it being "empty" even though we have 4 other birds. He had this personality that was SO huge, it's so obvious he's missing now, and heart breaking. But on the other, there is the bad and ugly, and the work that got him to where he was. So with that the good, bad and ugly:
Ugly (you can't end on a bad note!): That period of adolescence we went through. The biting, oh.my.goodness. He fell in love, during those months, with me first, and when I showed him I was not interested, he then fell in love with my quaker. Can I just say how unrequited this love was...at the time of his death, he was missing two, not one, but two toes (well parts really, but it was enough). That was from his unrelenting attempts at feeding Sherlock, and Sherlock's unrelenting attempts at wanting to kick the living poop out of him for landing on his cage. I should add, Grover was especially tiny, and Sherlock is especially huge for a quaker. But during this time he HATED me. Why? Because Sherlock loved me! I had to have my fiance take him out of his sleeping cage in the AM during this time, because he flew at me like a bee attacking someone too close to a hive. He'd bite, fly off my hand, only to bite in THE SAME SPOT over and over again. I at least have a lasting memory of him, the scar he left behind forever (both on my hand and in my heart, but I digress).
The other ugly, Avian Gastric Yeast. Apparently it's taking hold in the parrotlet world (and other species) and though some of the other species can survive with it, it appears that it's nearly impossible for a parrotlet. I'm definitely don't want to make it sound like it's not harmful to other birds, because it certainly is, but it's almost always fatal for parrotlets. They can only live with it for so long, I had Grover for 2 1/2 years. There's also not enough known about it, and it can be treated in some cases, but it's not always clear, vets don't always know what it is (I'm lucky to live near a great animal hospital), it's not always shed, and it's vicious. We believe he's been suffering since the 2nd day he came home with me in 2011, but was only diagnosed in October 2013. Truthfully though, sickness in general. So many times during his life I was told that with birds as small as a parrotlet, illness is often fatal. Just heed that if you are thinking about one of these little guys or gals.
The Bad: He was crazy dusty. I was shocked a bird that small could produce as much dust as he could (and I have a goffin, so I know dust). And talk about food and poop and everything flinging, yikes! He was also ALWAYS on the go, he never settled ever, which is awesome but super scary. I have a big open floor plan and no real bird room, so I was constantly afraid he would get hurt. I ended up keeping him flighted because clipping his wings did absolutely nothing because he was so small and light except make him have a bit less control on landing and turns (hello windows!)...so I felt it was safer where he could at least control himself. He also had no fear of anything ever, and being the weight of a US quarter, that's not always good. He also needed to be warm, a lot. Not sure if this was due to the AGY or what, but I live in a rather cold climate and anytime he got cold, he got sick, so I always had crazy things covering his cage, with crazy lights and heaters to keep him warm. Great look in the dining room, by the way. "Oh yeah, that little bird, yeah, yup, those 17 towels, 3, lamps and 2 heating devices are for him". "Why, well, if I explain it to you, you'll think I'm crazier than you already do so, I'm just going to say because I love him". "No, no he's not replaceable if he dies". "Yes, I know I don't have kids yet and when I do I won't want him anymore (according to you) but I don't right now so, please, have this dinner". "No, this contains no chicken, no, no actually I do not eat chicken, nope parrotlet neither (hahaha, no, no I really don't hahaha
) - anymore questions bad person?
". <--Also part of the bad or ugly, people who think you are nuts for loving a bird so much.
The good and beautiful: He was so special. I don't know if he was unique or if it's a parrotlet thing, but I can tell you, he was super special. He was the cutest thing I've ever been lucky enough to be a "mom" to. His coloring was spectacular. I worked SO hard with him in the beginning because I wanted a parrotlet SO badly and there he was at my favorite bird place. Impulsively, he was mine the first day we met, but didn't come home for a few more days till' he was properly weaned. He absolutely hated me. True Hate, I mean, I thought what did I do to my life hate. Like his name was "Killer" for 2 weeks hate (ps his bites didn't break the skin till the hormonal stage). Eventually he loved me so much that he would do anything I asked (except for those 4-5 months of hormonal rage). He talked like the dickens. Everything and anything I said or did, he said or did (like "cough"). He mimicked the telephone. He actually knew it was going to ring before it did, and would "sing <-?" it first, then it would ring. Their voices are so squeaky and tiny, like melt your heart cute. He and my quaker spoke to each other all day long practicing their English (if only I was smart enough to practice parrotlet, or quaker). He named me, "Excuse Me" and called to me all the time. He would chant for my fiance's baseball team, he told us "what a beautiful day" it was, he sang the "shake your booty" song, thanks to Sherlock teaching him it. I don't actually know how big his vocabulary was, every time we chatted it was bigger, and surprising. He could "step up" like no ones business. Even if he really really really wanted to not step up, he couldn't deny you what you asked him to do. He was so silly, and when he wanted to check someone out who was new, and really wanted their attention, he'd hang upside down and just look at them. Or he'd do that to make me laugh, because all you could see was this little blue head peeking out at you, upside down. He would let anyone hold him (though he didn't like to be pet except near the end, and only on his head). He talked TO you and not just around you, where my quaker is more of a closet talker and will only say things near you that he's absolutely perfected. Grover would practice non stop with me. He ate just about anything I put in his cage without hesitation (they really aren't afraid of anything but fingers, and maybe the vacuum, though I never got the chance to deliberately test out the rustling bags). He was super smart and learned things so very quickly. He wanted to be with anyone at anytime. He loved heads, and hair, and would get caught in my hair all the time. He loved to fly from head to head to head when we had company over. He thought it was the best game. I think he ate up the laughter. He was always making everyone laugh, and I swear it was intentional, though maybe I'm "anthropomorphising" too much. Oh and can I mention his little parrotlet smell? He smelled like a tiny little skunk, but I liked it. His favorite place was in the crick of my neck so he could try to remove a freckle I have there, or just to cuddle. And if it wasn't my neck, it could have been anyone's. He willingly gave kisses on the cheek, like truly kissed cheeks, so lightly and made the kissing sound while doing it. Melt. my. heart. little guy. I have videos of this (thankfully). His light hit every corner of every room, and when people met him, they would just continue to reflect it throughout the day - because he had a way of making everyone happy.
But to get there, it really did take a lot of work. I read every blog/advice board/forum available and bought & read twice, the Sandee Molenda parrotlet book before I even knew I was getting a parrotlet. And for that reason, I don't know if I'll ever do it right enough again to have such an amazing awesome, little guy. Plus, as I stated earlier he was special.
PS - Sherlock misses him dearly, the rest of us do too.