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Do parrotlets have issues with cage aggression?

Keetie!

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Hi All Parrotlet Parronts!

I am really diving in to my parrotlet research. I have been reading one common issue over and over...cage aggression. Do you notice that this species of bird is prone to this behavior? I was fostering a GCC and she was very territorial. I really think it was due to her previous home environment. Her bites were very nasty. I never made a big deal out of it, but she was going to a forever home. I know I could of worked with her. So...back to my question..does your parrotlet have territorial issues or is it due to hormones? Could it also be fear. Thanks in advance for your feedback! :)
 

sunnysmom

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My parrotlet experience is limited to fostering a parrotlet, but yes, he was cage territorial. Sweet bird out of the cage but definitely didn't like hands in his cage. I always thought and this was just a guess on my part, was that part of it stemmed from a fear of being grabbed. I sometimes think with little birds, people whether breeders, pet store workers, etc just think it's easier to grab a little bird when you need to put him back in his cage, etc. (No one just grabs a 'too ;) ) But my experience is limited so I can't say for sure. I always try when I have little birds to never grab them. If I have to spend 45 minutes trying to get them back into their cage, then that's what I do.
 

Hermesbird

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It all depends on the bird personality. Yes most parrotlets are cage territorial. Mine how ever is not. For now at least she’s 1 years old. And like helping me clean her cage.
 

Keetie!

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I was thinking about the past experience issue also! I do think each bird is so different. Actually, toward the end of my budgie's life and due to the fact that he had to visit the vet often...I had to grab him. I had no choice. I had a long drive and time wasn't on our side. Thanks for all the input. I do plan on getting a very young one. I will train slow and steady at the bird's pace, of course.
 

Destiny

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I am not an expert on parrotlets, but they did come up a few times when researching parrot aggression and territorial behavior in general. All parrots have the potential for cage aggression or other signs of territorial behaviors. The root of the behavior is usually instinct-driven, so it can be hard to re-train once it becomes in-grained. However, husbandry skills, environmental factors, and individual temperment can make a big difference on how much of a problem it will be with any particular bird.

Some parrot species are more prone to territorial behaviors, including parrotlets. Other species that are commonly cited as having strong territorial instincts include Amazons, mini-macaws, Quaker parakeets, some conures, and African grey parrots. But really ANY parrot can show this kind of guarding behavior. Sometimes it involves protecting the cage or a favorite perch or its food dishes. Other times, the focus might be its favorite person, favorite toy, its mate (or whatever it perceives to be its mate), or another bird that it is closely bonded to.
Protecting what you consider valuable from intruders or rivals is pretty core behavior, regardless of species. Plus parrotlets tend to form strong bonds and they are fiercely loyal, so it is not surprising that they would be willing to defend what they love from any threat, large or small.

It is important to recognize that there is a link between territorial behavior and hormones. Breeding tends to increase the desire to defend the nest and protect their mate, so cage aggression can become worse when the bird is in breeding season. If your bird is showing other signs of hormonal behavior, decreasing the hormones might help reduce cage aggression too.

However, cage aggression is not always driven by hormones. The root cause can be related more to issues of security and trust. As sunnysmom already mentioned, if your hands are seen as a threat, then you are more likely to encounter cage aggression when you reach into the bird's cage. Your hands are scary and unwelcome. It's a defensive behavior, so if you respect your bird's territory and personal space, they are less likely to feel a need to defend their cage or their body from your hands. Ideally, you want to build up trust and learn to read body language so your bird will feel comfortable allowing your hands into his cage, when necessary. Respectful hands are not as scary as pushy or grabby hands.

If your bird does end up displaying cage aggression, there are various approaches, depending the current situation and the severity of the problem. One possible strategy for curbing territorial behavior involves switching to a two-cage system, so the bird spends the day in a large, toy-filled "play cage" and then gets transfered to a smaller, less busy "sleep cage" at night. This provides the parrot with a routine that encourages peaceful cage-transfers and also takes the pressure off trying to access the cage while the bird is inside. You can clean and service the night cage while your bird is playing in his day cage and vice versa. Not only does this allow you to respect your bird's personal space, but it means that you don't need to stick your hands into a tight cage with a pissed-off and scared bird all the time.

It's a win-win.
 

fashionfobie

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Parrotlets are territorial. This is part of their species and no fault of theirs. They are tiny birds who manage to raise chicks through their tenacity and relentless caution. The world is a big place for a tiny bird, lots of other small parrots get on by shear number, think of budgies. For parrotlets males, tend to be the more territorial ones, but each bird will be unique.

Cage territory is easy to manage if they have a large cage. It is also as stated, outside of their space they are not territorial. My parrotlet Neptune lets me in the cage, but Picard - no way !
 

Keetie!

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I am not an expert on parrotlets, but they did come up a few times when researching parrot aggression and territorial behavior in general. All parrots have the potential for cage aggression or other signs of territorial behaviors. The root of the behavior is usually instinct-driven, so it can be hard to re-train once it becomes in-grained. However, husbandry skills, environmental factors, and individual temperment can make a big difference on how much of a problem it will be with any particular bird.

Some parrot species are more prone to territorial behaviors, including parrotlets. Other species that are commonly cited as having strong territorial instincts include Amazons, mini-macaws, Quaker parakeets, some conures, and African grey parrots. But really ANY parrot can show this kind of guarding behavior. Sometimes it involves protecting the cage or a favorite perch or its food dishes. Other times, the focus might be its favorite person, favorite toy, its mate (or whatever it perceives to be its mate), or another bird that it is closely bonded to.
Protecting what you consider valuable from intruders or rivals is pretty core behavior, regardless of species. Plus parrotlets tend to form strong bonds and they are fiercely loyal, so it is not surprising that they would be willing to defend what they love from any threat, large or small.

It is important to recognize that there is a link between territorial behavior and hormones. Breeding tends to increase the desire to defend the nest and protect their mate, so cage aggression can become worse when the bird is in breeding season. If your bird is showing other signs of hormonal behavior, decreasing the hormones might help reduce cage aggression too.

However, cage aggression is not always driven by hormones. The root cause can be related more to issues of security and trust. As sunnysmom already mentioned, if your hands are seen as a threat, then you are more likely to encounter cage aggression when you reach into the bird's cage. Your hands are scary and unwelcome. It's a defensive behavior, so if you respect your bird's territory and personal space, they are less likely to feel a need to defend their cage or their body from your hands. Ideally, you want to build up trust and learn to read body language so your bird will feel comfortable allowing your hands into his cage, when necessary. Respectful hands are not as scary as pushy or grabby hands.

If your bird does end up displaying cage aggression, there are various approaches, depending the current situation and the severity of the problem. One possible strategy for curbing territorial behavior involves switching to a two-cage system, so the bird spends the day in a large, toy-filled "play cage" and then gets transfered to a smaller, less busy "sleep cage" at night. This provides the parrot with a routine that encourages peaceful cage-transfers and also takes the pressure off trying to access the cage while the bird is inside. You can clean and service the night cage while your bird is playing in his day cage and vice versa. Not only does this allow you to respect your bird's personal space, but it means that you don't need to stick your hands into a tight cage with a pissed-off and scared bird all the time.

It's a win-win.
Yes...Yes...Yes...! Thank you for this invaluable information for any bird species. I also love the idea of a sleep cage and the idea of cleaning when your baby is in the other cage...problem solved. I love a sleep cage in general...Also, say you are noticing the hormones kicking in. You can then give more undisturbed sleep time, say fourteen hours, if necessary. This entire post keeps one thing in mind for me....Think Like A Bird! I actually have been mindful of the wild birds and their behavior. I am learning something new about bird keeping daily. I enjoy the education so much!
 

fashionfobie

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Yes...Yes...Yes...! Thank you for this invaluable information for any bird species. I also love the idea of a sleep cage and the idea of cleaning when your baby is in the other cage...problem solved. I love a sleep cage in general...Also, say you are noticing the hormones kicking in. You can then give more undisturbed sleep time, say fourteen hours, if necessary. This entire post keeps one thing in mind for me....Think Like A Bird! I actually have been mindful of the wild birds and their behavior. I am learning something new about bird keeping daily. I enjoy the education so much!
I tried sleeping cages for my parrotlets. We started that when we brought them home. It didn't work for us. They would be vexed continuously and absolutely hated it. This doesn't mean it won't work for you.

We keep them in flight cages. And cleaning is easy to do of the birds are out of the cage say playing at their gym. I can also enter Neptune's cage most of the time. This was developed through months of trust building and rewarding him with a piece of pine nut every time I approached. He even lets me Stritch his head in the cage from time to time.

Thinking like a bird is great advice! Just don't forget that many of their behaviours are natural for them. It is more about us humans learning to respect them. We do not need to have control of every situation. If your bird is protective of their space, clean when they are out flying. Respect that their space is important to them. Parrotlets will possess whole trees in the wild, kicking out birds that are much larger than themselves. Knowing they have their place helps reduce their stress and improves their confidence. There is a difference between territory and aggression. If you respect their boundaries you will prevent developing an aggressive bird. Aggression almost always stems from fear.
 

Gigibirds

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It depends on the bird. Pistache has no cage aggression what so ever, but that is probably partially due to the fact that she spends so little time in her cage. She spends most of the day with me, and I make her move from room to room to room. Maybe she was a little territorial of her cage in the very beginning, but she has been trained out of it. She does not care about who or what is in her cage :) Pistache also has two cages; a day cage and her sleeping cage (that we bring with us on trips). So because I worked on training with her, and because she doesn't spend much time in a cage, Pistache has no cage aggression, and if you get a parrotlet, yours could be like that, too! Good luck! :)
 

TheBirds

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As has already probably been mentioned, all birds are individuals. But we did have a parrotlet and yes, s/he did have cage aggression issues to the point where we began assuming we had a female on our hands (perhaps an incorrect assumption in retrospect).

In contrast, my two Lovebirds ADORE it when I put my hands in their cage as it means I'm either feeding them, or they have an opportunity to get a scritch or regurgitate on my hand (I could totally do without the latter though :wtf: ).
 

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My 8 year old parrotlet, Sydney, (he’s a rescue) is not cage aggressive at all. He is shoulder aggressive! But not cage aggressive. He doesn’t care at all if another bird goes into his cage, or if you put your hands in his cage. His reaction to a person putting their hands in his cage is to try to jump onto your hand.

He’s bitey, loves to nibble on everything and use his beak to chew and explore and pull himself up onto things. And will let you know if he’s not interested in interacting at that moment by biting. So I’m not saying he’s not a biter. I get bitten all the time, for various reasons, and I’ve learned what the various bites mean and why they happen. But cage aggression is not one of those reasons. Not with Sydney.
 
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