Do Parrotlets Need Human Time?

[FinchMaster]

So, I got a parrotlet that was about 6 months old at the time of purchase. He is now 1.5 years old, and his name is Pascal.

This was the first parrot I had purchsed myself. The breeder (a woman at a bird fair) told me that she'd hand raised him but stopped handling him when she decided he would be a breeder due to his turquoise coloring. However, she changed her mind and brought him to the bird fair to see if anyone wanted him.

It was (foolishly) love at first sight. Even my husband adored him. So, she clipped his wings, told us to forcibly handle him to get him used to human interaction, and we took him home.

He has never gotten used to people. He is terrified of hands and flees if people get too close. After a few weeks, I researched and found claims that forcing your bird to be handled is very bad, so I stopped. I also researched specialty training for very skittish birds (which he is). It suggested not clipping his wings to give him a sense of safety, so he's had full flight for almost a year now. Because he has full flight, he won't step up onto his training stick.

Basically, his days consist of eating fruits and veggies and then having free flight of the whole floor. He tends to fly to the indoor aviary to watch the finches all day, but he almost never visits me or my husband (in the next room over).

If you've read this much so far, thank you! My questions are:

1. Even though I'm sad I don't have the relationship I crave with my parrot, I'm really more worried that he isn't happy. Can a parrotlet be happy living this way?

2. Any tips of how I can train him if he won't stop flying away...?

Note: Pascal has a complete playpen set up by my desk that he can and does ocassionally visit.

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

...told us to forcibly handle him to get him used to human interaction...

I'm very happy you're here; you're going to get some very very good advice!! That lady makes me very angry... But I'm glad you're asking questions and open to learning how to correctly treat your sweet bird and give him the best life you can.

 

[WallyLoopey]

I think Pascal has a great life with you now!

It sounds to me like he’s very happy.. allowing him to fly was a great decision.

All I can say is take it slow..offer treats and save his absolute favorite foods as rewards. It may take some time.

I had parrotlets years ago and they were an absolute joy to own. I did handfeed both of mine and one remained somewhat tame while the other was definitely more freespirited..

They remind me of tiny amazons and are such characters. I’m sure even if Pascal doesn’t become fully ‘tame’, he will still bring you guys lots of joy.

 

[fashionfobie]

@FinchMaster

I am sorry you were given such poor advice when you got Pascal. He is a beautiful little guy! A real treasure. I am glad you stopped forcing yourself on him and allowed him to grow out his wings. It will take time to mend the damage that was done by "forced dependence".

To help build trust, identify his favourite snack. Sesame seeds are worth trying because they are healthy and a great size for parrotlet training. However if he likes walnut or something else instead that is also fine. Lay out several options (crumbled up to appropriate parrotlet sized nibbles) and watch him to see which he eats first. Then you can offer him that treat when you approach him. So every time you walk up present him with the tasty nom nom. Even if you need to set it near him, that is a step in the right direction. In time he will develop a positive enthusiasm when you are approaching because he will have access to his treat, at least that is the hope. I would also try reading out loud to him. Reading has always been helpful for me when bonding. Parrotlets seem to have a natural affinity to music so you could try singing softly or something similar. Also if he is very human shy, then you need to take caution to not stare at him too much. Staring with binocular vision can be the sign of a predator animal. Take it slow and be very patient. He will find himself again.

 

[PufF]

@FinchMaster

I am sorry you were given such poor advice when you got Pascal. He is a beautiful little guy! A real treasure. I am glad you stopped forcing yourself on him and allowed him to grow out his wings. It will take time to mend the damage that was done by "forced dependence".

To help build trust, identify his favourite snack. Sesame seeds are worth trying because they are healthy and a great size for parrotlet training. However if he likes walnut or something else instead that is also fine. Lay out several options (crumbled up to appropriate parrotlet sized nibbles) and watch him to see which he eats first. Then you can offer him that treat when you approach him. So every time you walk up present him with the tasty nom nom. Even if you need to set it near him, that is a step in the right direction. In time he will develop a positive enthusiasm when you are approaching because he will have access to his treat, at least that is the hope. I would also try reading out loud to him. Reading has always been helpful for me when bonding. Parrotlets seem to have a natural affinity to music so you could try singing softly or something similar. Also if he is very human shy, then you need to take caution to not stare at him too much. Staring with binocular vision can be the sign of a predator animal. Take it slow and be very patient. He will find himself again.

Yes,great advice,also you might want to just show him the treat and put it somewhere in this safety distance so he will feel fine to just walk up to the treat.To reinforce that you bring treats,try not to go in his sight without a treat.Then you can decrease the distance between you and the treat,the final goal is to get him to come to your hand to eat the treat.Take it slow,you had him for about 1 year already so just continue with patience.If he feels afraid to go near the treat when you moved it closer,stay a wee bit further away from the treat but still closer than last time,if still no,go back to original distance and try again.
And about the vision part,you should not look at him for long or intensely.Predators in the wild will do that to locate the prey.Just glance at him every now and then.Also,if he ever turns his back on you that is a great sign because he trusts you enough to not look at you and know that you won't hurt him.You could try to turn your back on him too if you want.Basically,keep whatever you are doing up but add some new tips.Good luck!

 

[Zara]

To help build trust, identify his favourite snack. Sesame seeds are worth trying because they are healthy and a great size for parrotlet training. However if he likes walnut or something else instead that is also fine. Lay out several options (crumbled up to appropriate parrotlet sized nibbles) and watch him to see which he eats first. Then you can offer him that treat when you approach him. So every time you walk up present him with the tasty nom nom. Even if you need to set it near him, that is a step in the right direction. In time he will develop a positive enthusiasm when you are approaching because he will have access to his treat, at least that is the hope. I would also try reading out loud to him. Reading has always been helpful for me when bonding. Parrotlets seem to have a natural affinity to music so you could try singing softly or something similar. Also if he is very human shy, then you need to take caution to not stare at him too much. Staring with binocular vision can be the sign of a predator animal. Take it slow and be very patient. He will find himself again.

This is great advice

You can also offer the treat through the cage bars in the morning before opening the cage.
It may be worth clicker training, so everytime your bird gets a treat, click the ¨clicker¨ (you can also use a key word or sound, whatever you like).

 

[FinchMaster]

Thank you for all this lovely advice! I can't wait to try it. xD It's still his bedtime so I have to wait. >:/

He loves sunflower seeds as treats. He used to love millet, but he's not so into it anymore.

About the music thing, I've noticed that he enjoys chattering along with songs I play. So, I'll keep doing that. Reading to him never occurred to me, but I love it! I'll be reading to my feathered son for sure. XD

He is often comfortable enough to fall asleep on the desk beside me. So, maybe he's happier than I knew.

 

[Birdie Mama]

Hello and congrats on your gorgeous baby!! Love his colouring. I don’t have much to say other than yes they need out of time and love interaction with their humans. I had one for 9 years that was a rescue and starving for attention and did great till the end.

You may also want to check out www.talkparrotlet.com if you haven’t already. The whole forum/site is basically all about parrotlets and their care. Lots of great advice from owners. Between all the great advice from here and there you will make great progress in helping him calm down and become friendly around you and your family.

All the best to you!

 

[fashionfobie]

He loves sunflower seeds as treats. He used to love millet, but he's not so into it anymore'

I am so happy it gave you good ideas

Parrotlets have very fragile little kidneys and livers, sunflowers are very rich for them. If you can I would wean him off sunflower seeds completely. You could try using pine nuts instead or another alternative.

Also if you can start offering him some greens. Parrotlets love their veggies, typically much more than fruits. Silverbeet has been all the rage at my house lately along with 7-8 other daily offers. Look into the diet threads to give yourself more healthy diet ideas.

 

[Fuzzy]

Agree with what has been said - just keep pairing yourself with wonderful things for him.... like treats etc. That way he'll begin to look forward to interaction from you. Look to see what he picks out of his food bowl first... he eats fruit and veggies? Which are his favourite? Would he take a piece from you or nibble at a piece if you held it in your hand? You must be doing something right if he is happy to fall asleep on your desk beside you - that takes trust!

One of my Amazons, Ollie, was forcibly handled for 9 months (for medication and cleaning his nostrils) before he came to me - he too has a resulting phobia about hands. That's ok - I get him to step up onto a hand held perch for a piece of cashew nut. It took a while to teach in teeny tiny steps, never forcing him but using his favourite pieces of cashew as reinforcement. Usually he is just free to go where he pleases.

Look out for "gifts/opportunities" you can use. With Ollie I noticed he used to put his head under a swinging bell which used to catch his feathers. When he was comfortable about me getting close to him, I used to unhook the bell and swing it gently above him. When he was completely comfortable with that, I shortened the chain so my fingers got closer and closer. Eventually I was skritching his head just holding the bell. Gradually I switched the bell for my fingers and always had the added reinforcer of a piece of cashew. That took about 6 months to achieve. He adores me skritching his head feathers now and puts his head down for skritches almost every time I go up to him.

You have all the time in the world with your little one... just go slowly at a pace he is comfortable with. Really glad you are not forcing him to do anything now... and that he has the wonderful freedom of flight!

 

[FinchMaster]

I'll work on transitioning him to better treats. Didn't know sunflowers were bad, but I knew they weren't the best.

For veggies, he tends to get whatever organic things I can find locally. He loves broccoli and lettuce. Kale is a no go. Lol

All this lovely advice. You're all fantastic.

I was training him daily but fell on hard times, so right now he's back to being super, super skittish. I hope he and I can rebuild. He loves watching us, at least. We humans must seem so interesting...or odd.

 

[LovieLuvr]

Congrats on your new little one and welcome! Looks like you’ve gotten some great advice!!!

I don’t have anything to add, just remember to be patient and celebrate the small wins as you develop a relationship with him.

 

[Fuzzy]

Since sunflowers are such a high value reinforcer right now, you could try offering one without a coat on, then breaking it in half and see if he will take that... then in thirds then quarters. With Ollie, the only thing he would take from me back then was a massive palm nut. He could only have one a day so I could only ask for one behaviour a day - hence the very slow training. As soon as I saw he liked cashews, I began handing him a whole cashew, then half, then quarters and smaller. That way I could ask for many more behaviours in a day. Sunflowers do contain some useful nutrition, as do pine nuts which are higher in fat. Also see if he likes small pieces of walnut which contain the all important Omega 3.

 

[fashionfobie]

This link is related to human health, but it shows a little break down of some of the beneficial vitamins and nutrients found in different nuts. I hope you find it helpful.

Nuts and health | Nutrition Australia

 

[DoubleTake]

I dont think he has a sad life. Sounds like he ha a routine that he could very well be content with. You mention that he never comes visit him in the next room. Do you ever go into the bird room and just read or do other things that could maybe make him curious? Maybe sit and read a book with treats around and on you. Some birds just dont like hands, never will. A lot of birds are comfortable with faces if you are brave enough. You just gotta take it slow as other said and personally I would try new things to see what makes him curious and use that as a tool. Good luck and keep us up to date!

 

[NorthernGannet]

I'm in a very similar situation to you, with a turquoise pied female who has the same history as your boy, except I got her at approx. 2 yrs old. Apparently hand fed initially, but forcibly handled thereafter. She was terrified, living in a teeny tiny little cage, wings clipped, when I got her. I've had her about 6 months now, and although she's come a long way, we are basically at a point near where you are. No grabbing and allowed her flights to grow out, I started feeding her treats from outside the cage until she was comfortable. Nowadays she pretty much plays with her toys and eats in her cage during the day while I'm away, and then in the evenings I open her door and she has free flight of the room. She loves her playground area. She will finally take treats from my fingers with no trouble. Try hemp seeds! They are small and a nice 'fine-tuning' treat once they are used to taking bites of larger offerings (I started with avi-cakes because that's all she would take from me at first). Technically she will get on my hand at this point, but not before leaping towards it and giving a good bite. I have taught her "gentle", and "wait", both of which she knows but will only do AFTER the initial flurry of step up, and then only if she decides to not fly away right off the bat. Frankly, I'm growing tired of being bitten (she's scared of a handheld perch), so lately I've just let her come out on her own. She sometimes gets the zoomies and just flies around like mad, homing back to her playground or cage. She chirps a lot, likes watching the birds out the window, and she likes it when I hum to her. I do feel she's happy!

I guess one difference is that her room is also my room, so we're constantly in the same space unless I'm not home. Yet she still prefers to keep her complete independence although she watches me like a hawk most times. Guess I can't blame her, considering her first 2 years were so confined. Maybe someday she'll warm up to me a bit more, who knows. But like you, I don't know how to further training now that she's fully flighted and discovered how awesome that is; she now flies away all the time! And, she is absolutely non-bribable with food. She loves her treats, but if she gets even a hint that it might involve getting onto my hand like a lady, she will run away 'til the cows come home.

-NG

 

[FinchMaster]

Thank you for sharing, NorthernGannet! I was so worried it was a failing of mine that made my parrotlet afraid of me, so hearing from you (like the others) really helped.

Pascal is much too shy to take treats from my hand. He used to take millet if I held it out to him. Now, if I step too close, he flies away. He does like when I'm in the same room, but that's all. Lol. I'm gonna have to see if I can just place treats in his cage often. See if that helps.

 

[NorthernGannet]

It's good to keep in mind that even the tiniest little things can make a difference. And of course patience. Lots and lots of patience. So Luna was terrified when I got her, like I mentioned. A specific thing was that when I would just put my hand on the door (whether I actually opened it or not), would incite absolute panic in her. So there was a lot of time spent doing nothing other than putting my hand on the door and then removing it (and I started with really slow movement). Over and over until she would gain control of her little brain. Then the next day it was the same routine, over and over. It was boring, let me tell you, and sometimes it seemed like it was fruitless, like every day was day 1. But then one day I was able to put my hand up and she didn't freak. Of course when I actually OPENED the door it was like starting over brand new, which was to be expected.

Fast forward to the last few days (this would be a few months later now), and for whatever reason there seems to have been some regression there when I open the door. At this point she will reliably take treats from me, so I held up something from the outside of her cage near her favorite spot, which is about halfway between the door and the back of the cage. When she came over to get it and started eating, I opened the door. She scooted to the back of the cage. This was repeated several times. Eventually she remained in the same spot but would freeze in her eating. Then after some more (really I'm just standing there holding the treat on the outside and opening/shutting the door over and over like a robot), she finally continued to eat without being bothered by it. And that's when I stopped for that session. And we may have to repeat the exact same thing an hour from now, and tomorrow, etc. But eventually there will be progress again.

I tend to do a lot of "hey I'm not so bad" training while she's still in the cage, since she can't fly far away while in there Lots of things that seem trivial or even meaningless, but she does respond eventually. To be fair, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, mostly just reading her body language and trying to help her learn to be mentally calm and comfortable. I have made sure that my end goal each time is NOT to get her out or have her step up (if it happens fine, if not fine), rather it can be just as productive to do whatever and then leave her in her cage as long as we've ended on a good note. It is ok, the interaction itself is stimulating!

-NG

 

[fashionfobie]

@NorthernGannet Some of the regression you are experiencing may be related to hormones, seasons are in flux at the moment. I know my sweet little Neptune has been a little extra sassy lately. I have always been able to reach in his cage and he normally happily asks for scritches and doesn't mind if I arrange things extra. However lately he has decided that my right hand is demon spawn and he will bite. He is totally fine with my face and my head in his cage...even my left hand is ok. The right hand though... wowzers!

Your little lady might just be a little more nesty at the moment which could make cage interactions less exciting

 

[NorthernGannet]

It's hormone season now?? Ohhhh I have a lot to learn. Honestly I thought that was only in the spring! Thanks for cluing me in Fashionfobie Definitely will be keeping that in mind then!