Update and two questions on new and first time Parrotlet Kai.

[Miss Mary]

Well, I’ve had Kai just over 6 weeks now and he is thriving. He is eating a variety of fresh fruits and veggies both cooked and raw. He also enjoys scrambled eggs, cooked oatmeal (cooked in just water), baked potato, sweet potato, and egg noodles. I am still introducing him to new fruits, veggies, and cooked foods such as white and fried rice etc. He has pellets in his cage at all times and I hand feed him just under a tablespoon of mixed seeds every two to three days. Once to twice a week I offer a few sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Also given by hand. Kai and I have bonded and he loves to cuddle and have me scratch his head and pet him. Sooo cute. My questions are 1, I am about to introduce him to corn on the cob. I plan on cooking it but am wondering if he could have it uncooked? 2, I brought Kai home at the end of November and the person who sold him to me told me not to spritz him with water. She said he was very young (8 was) and it’s cold and suggested I’d wait till spring when it’s warmer. In one of the pet stores I was in recently the owner was spraying water directly into the tank and onto the baby birds (6 weeks old). Since Kai is doing so well I don’t want to upset the apple cart but am wondering if not spritzing him will cause any issues? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[Gribouille]

Hi,
P'lets eat almost anything so if he likes corn uncooked he can have it, if he likes it cooked it is OK too. Just don't use salt in the water if you cook it. My p'let eats with us at the table and gets a little of whatever we eat. He loves broccoli, cheese, pasta, rice, bread and dairy products, fish, ham, bread, pudding etc...
In his cage he gets 1ts pellets in the morning, 1 ts of seed mix in the afternoon, + a slice apple. When I make some he also gets vegetable mash with boiled egg and seeds topping. He does not eat salat in his own cage, but loves the one he can steal in the budgies' cage...
He is rewarded with an extra sunflower seed when he goes in his cage at my request.

As for spraying, you can do it, or not, it is neither harmful nor required. Many people do it as a way to shower them but if your p'let is bathing on his own you don't have to. They dry quite fast so cold is not a problem. If you are afraid he would be cold, keep the cage in a warm place while he dries (about 10 minutes...)
Mine doesn't bath very often on his own and he doesn't like spray, so I give him showers. He was terrified at first but he likes it now. Just go slow, observe his reactions and give him room so he doesn't feel pressured to do things he is not comfortable with, then try again later. He will learn to enjoy most of what you do for him at the end.
P'lets are robust little fellas that know very well to tell you when they don't like something so they are easy to read. They are very much fun and you can't really do anything wrong if you pay attention to what he tells you. Just be careful that YOU remain the boss in the house...

 

[sunnysmom]

I feed my corn on the cob raw but I think either way is fine. As long as your house is warm enough it's fine to let him bathe/mist him. I was always told to only give baths before like 3 pm though because you want them to be completely dry before they go to bed so they don't get a chill.

 

[Gribouille]

. I was always told to only give baths before like 3 pm though because you want them to be completely dry before they go to bed so they don't get a chill.

Your bird takes 5 hours to dry??
I had a budgie who used to get very wet while his friend kept dry although they shared the same shower, but that budgie had a poor health and his feathers did not have the quality they were supposed to have. None of my present birds does get wet when they shower, sometimes their head is a bit wet but really not much and after 10 minutes they are completely dry. I've seen birds being very wet after a bath, I always thought they must have been soaking in their bowl for quite a while!!

 

[Dona]

I give my Linnie, Gigi, a spray bath twice a week all year, through the winter. We keep our heat around 70-72 degrees in our condo. I think it keeps her feathers in good condition and helps her with molting. I really soak her because she loves it. I bought a standing perch and she hops on, then lays almost flat, wings out, until I get tired of spraying her! She shakes the water off a few times in the bathroom, then goes into the living room on my shoulder, burrows in my hair and preens. She seems completely dry after 30-60 minutes. Linnies are known to love their baths and Gigi isn't an exception. I have never offered her a bowl of water.

 

[Gribouille]

I bought a standing perch and she hops on, then lays almost flat, wings out, until I get tired of spraying her!

I have never offered her a bowl of water.

I gave mine one but they never used it. Much more fun to bath in their tiny drinking cup.

 

[Miss Mary]

Hi,
P'lets eat almost anything so if he likes corn uncooked he can have it, if he likes it cooked it is OK too. Just don't use salt in the water if you cook it. My p'let eats with us at the table and gets a little of whatever we eat. He loves broccoli, cheese, pasta, rice, bread and dairy products, fish, ham, bread, pudding etc...
In his cage he gets 1ts pellets in the morning, 1 ts of seed mix in the afternoon, + a slice apple. When I make some he also gets vegetable mash with boiled egg and seeds topping. He does not eat salat in his own cage, but loves the one he can steal in the budgies' cage...
He is rewarded with an extra sunflower seed when he goes in his cage at my request.

As for spraying, you can do it, or not, it is neither harmful nor required. Many people do it as a way to shower them but if your p'let is bathing on his own you don't have to. They dry quite fast so cold is not a problem. If you are afraid he would be cold, keep the cage in a warm place while he dries (about 10 minutes...)
Mine doesn't bath very often on his own and he doesn't like spray, so I give him showers. He was terrified at first but he likes it now. Just go slow, observe his reactions and give him room so he doesn't feel pressured to do things he is not comfortable with, then try again later. He will learn to enjoy most of what you do for him at the end.
P'lets are robust little fellas that know very well to tell you when they don't like something so they are easy to read. They are very much fun and you can't really do anything wrong if you pay attention to what he tells you. Just be careful that YOU remain the boss in the house...

Thank you for your reply. I found it very helpful as well as cute. I am still introducing Kai to foods so at this point I am hand feeding him because he appears more interested in the food plus it helps us to bond. Once he appears to like the food I feed him some in my hand and add the rest to his food dish in his cage for about 2 hours. I am not always sure of how much seeds to give him as I read so many different things. The person who sold him to me told me to limit his seeds so I don’t put them in his cage but hand feed him more like a treat. Regarding his bath, I’ve had him 6 weeks and I’ve never seen him bath. His preens himself several times a day but I haven’t sprayed him yet and I don’t think he baths. How old is P’lets?

 

[Miss Mary]

I feed my corn on the cob raw but I think either way is fine. As long as your house is warm enough it's fine to let him bathe/mist him. I was always told to only give baths before like 3 pm though because you want them to be completely dry before they go to bed so they don't get a chill.

Thank you. I gave him some uncooked corn and some that I put in the microwave for a minute. He seemed to prefer the cooked but ate both. I assume he liked the cooked better because I introduced him to frozen packaged kernels which we cooked in the microwave. He seemed to enjoy it on the cob. Regarding his bath, I’ve heard and read the same. I always put my canary’s bath water up in the morning and removed it by noon for that reason. But, if he wanted another bath late into the afternoon he’d use his drinking water and never got sick. Kai hasn’t bathed in the six weeks that I’ve had him and I haven’t sprayed him. He does preen himself several times a day.

I gave mine one but they never used it. Much more fun to bath in their tiny drinking cup.

 

[Miss Mary]

I gave mine one but they never used it. Much more fun to bath in their tiny drinking cup.

Yes, my canary use to love bathing in his drinking water even after he had played in his bird bath all morning.
Had to edit this because I had two canaries over the years. One was a male and the other a female. Was mixing them up. Silly me.

 

[Gribouille]

My p'let (short for parrotlet ) is called twitter, he is 1.5

 

[Miss Mary]

My p'let (short for parrotlet ) is called twitter, he is 1.5

What a cute name. Oh, he’s still a youngster. How nice.

 

[Miss Mary]

I give my Linnie, Gigi, a spray bath twice a week all year, through the winter. We keep our heat around 70-72 degrees in our condo. I think it keeps her feathers in good condition and helps her with molting. I really soak her because she loves it. I bought a standing perch and she hops on, then lays almost flat, wings out, until I get tired of spraying her! She shakes the water off a few times in the bathroom, then goes into the living room on my shoulder, burrows in my hair and preens. She seems completely dry after 30-60 minutes. Linnies are known to love their baths and Gigi isn't an exception. I have never offered her a bowl of water.

Sounds like your bird really enjoys her baths. She really cooperates with you. How wonderful.