Issues with my new parrotlets

[Yuki Shiro]

I have a confession to make.
I thought I'd be the bird whisperer. Turns out: I'm not. Surprise probably only to myself.
Experience trumps all the things you read.

All went well at first. They went to me on day 2, eating from my hand.
I didn't know that doesn't mean they're tame. Well, I gained something. I can be happy about that.
They a bit more feel comfortable around me. Since that moment, they use not only the upper 3rd of their cage, they use it as a whole and also walk on the floor.

Still, not comfortable enough to come every time. They come for food. That's not nothing. But I'm not yet in their flock. Probably far from it.
I can be happy that I gained that much. Sometimes they even land on me. Gamble prefers my head, Rio prefers the shoulder.
They are comfortable to land on my table, walk around, looking for hidden food. If on the table, they are more quickly to get on my hand (I hold it like 2 flat hands above it).

Now:
They have issues. We have. They prefer seeds above all. I tend to move that issue to a later time.
Wouldn't it be easier to first to get more trust? - on the other hand, they test things out, if on the table. (That? No. Ah, what's that? Uhh, are you kidding me?)
But the real issues are:
1) How much do they need? If only on seeds, how much would you feed? They are ~6-9 months old, male and female.
2) They go along pretty well. But they sometimes fight for food. Don't they have enough? Maybe they fear they don't have enough.
At the food bowl: Fight - Kiss. Eating. Fight - Fight. Both eat. Fight - Kiss. Both eat.
Most times without fighting.
3) Sometimes they get really loud. Well, I don't care. But what about the neighbours?
Loud for calling each other. Okay, they quickly stop.
Loud for food fight. Loud for no reason (?). Loud for wanting out of the cage (?)
4) They are shy. A tiny (quick) movement and they (might) fly off. Not always.
Well, maybe it's no surprise. the catching of the birds in the shop was stress for all the birds in the cage.

I guess, they only fed seeds in the zoo shop. And also turned off lights at 8.45 pm. That's their time for bed. Is it good to have a certain time?

 

[sunnysmom]

How long have you had them? Have you tried giving them 2 food bowls so they don't fight over food. I let my birds have access to food 24/7 also. Birds have high metabolism rates and rarely over eat. And they need more than seeds. I would start introducing them to pellets and vegetables.

 

[Yuki Shiro]

Thanks for replying!

Yes, I offered them quite some vegetables, so far with only tiny results.
One of them eats pellets, the other one ate a bit of cooked and mushed lentils today.
I guess I need to keep trying. My parrot's cookbook claimed mushed would be a good start.

But, for example, I can't wait till they're hungry and then offer something new, can I?
Especially, if you say the metabolism rate is high.

Ok, 2 food bowls. good idea.

 

[Sparkles99]

@finchly @fashionfobie

 

[fashionfobie]

Are your parrotlets sharing a cage? How old are they? Do you know if they are males or females?

Parrotlets mature around 10months of age, but sometimes a little earlier or later depending on the individual. It is natural for parrotlets to be independent and as they mature siblings can reject each other. This is normal. Parrotlets are also highly territorial and generally do better if they each have their own cage or if they live together in a very large aviary. Even bonded pairs can fight and can kill each other. When parrotlets fight they need room to fly away from each other or they can keep harassing each other sometimes to great injury. Keep in mind that parrotlets are also not monogamous, they pair up for seasons, and it sometimes surprises people when bird who once got along suddenly act like sworn enemies.

In terms of diet. That is a big topic. I am a firm believer about feeding whole food, fresh veggies with some fruit, but really parrotlets should get lots of rich vegetables with small amounts of fruit. Once in awhile you can offer dragon fruit which is a very popular food for them.

I am not going to give the whole run down on food this moment. It seems like the first thing is getting each of your birds in a stable setting. They should feel safe and not feel like a fight is always about to break out. Can you share what your enclosures are? What are the dimensions? How many? And we can sort that first.

 

[Yuki Shiro]

They are ~6-9 months old, male and female. 2 only, one cage. 3 meters*0.7m*2m. Crafted by myself. Additions/changes possible.
They don't always fight about food. And never outside the cage. Outside the cage, they might steal each other's food; but this is a peaceful happening.
The fight happens at the food bowl only.

Most of the time, they cling together. When unsure, where the other bird is, both start loud calling. When one has a problem, the other wants to help.

" I am a firm believer about feeding whole food, fresh veggies with some fruit, but really parrotlets should get lots of rich vegetables with small amounts of fruit "
I agree. That would be preferable. I'd love that.

 

[fashionfobie]

I think a picture may help answer more questions. Your cage does have a good size, 3m length is great. You should still make sure to keep a close eye, if fighting escalates you may need to build a 2nd cage. The cages can be near by, the parrotlets can be out together, and see each other from their cages. However if a fight does get out of hand within a cage it can become very dangerous. Usually it is the hen who may be injured by the male. If the fights are only happening at the food bowl, I suggest feeding at the two opposite ends of the cage. At least then the retreating bird can still find a place for food. You may also be curious to read up on sibling rejection in parrotlets to more fully understand parrotlet behaviour. It also may be helpful to read up on different kinds of flock bonds. Birds in a flock are not always best friends. Flock = community and within that community there are friendships, lovers and some indifference. People can sometimes mistakenly think of flock as family, but it is better to think of small families living together in a flock if that makes sense.

I have two male parrotlets. They were raised together, and ended up rejecting each other. They are not biologically related, but being raised as siblings made them naturally want to reject each other as they got older. Today they each have their own large flight cage. The two cages are near each other, and the two birds can see each other. They will contact call and have some level of solidarity. However one has also seriously harmed the other, almost biting his flock mate's toe off. I can let them out together to free fly around my house and squabbles are usually brief and end. In and around the cages it is seriously dangerous.

With all that said, I want to emphasis that I am sharing these things with you because it can be a reality. You don't want one of your birds to get hurt. Many many days, nothing goes wrong at all. They get along as flock mates they chatter to each other etc. But I would never trust that in or around a cage together they are safe. These are reactive birds who bite first and ask questions later, tensions can escalate and unless a bird can fully disengage from the setting it is important to be prepared for the worst.

 

[Yuki Shiro]

At the moment, the only way to give food is by opening the huge door on the right side
That... erm, is a slight inconvenience.
Now I put several twigs of course. And toys; although, so far, they aren't interested in toys. If they can land on it, it's good.
One twig's near the food/water.
I think to envision the REAL setup may help; thus I will put a picture today or tomorrow.

 

[fashionfobie]

I look forward to your updated photo.

 

[Yuki Shiro]

So, now. What do you see: 2 silver bowls, at the moment, the smaller one is for water, the other for food.
A white box, at the moment you find sepia inside. I could put food there?
What else. The birds sometimes use the cage as resting place.
Maybe the perches aren't high enough?
On the right, in blue, a sight protection, because sometimes they get a shock when I enter too fast. This helps.

They used to use only the upper 3rd, now they prefer the upper area, but land everywhere inside the cage.

 

[Sparkles99]

I suggest at least one food bowl per bird.

 

[fashionfobie]

I would seperate the bowls also. Greater distance between the bowls will reduce competition.

My other suggest is to add more leafy branches or even hanging paper strands so that some areas are more private. If a fight happens the other bird will have more success disengaging if there is a place to hide. Widening the cage slightly cab also give more opportunities for hidden sections without upsetting the open flight length. Untreated sisal ropes can be hanging perpendicularly into their space, parrotlets enjoy swinging on viney plants and the sisal can replicate this. You can also get the brown packing paper with the hexes to hang in some areas to recreate the idea of leafs if you do t have access to leafy branches.



Imagine the green is hanging sisal and the purple is hex paper.

 

[Feathery]

I suggest at least one food bowl per bird.

+1 to this!

I recently added an extra food bowl to my set up. Despite being a bonded pair, there were some squabbles at feeding time. This is no longer an issue for the past two days!