Need TONS of advice!

[christypooh402]

I may be getting two parrotlets tomorrow. I'm a little nervous because we had a green pacific parrotlet a couple of years ago and she died pretty suddenly and we really don't know why.
But, a friend of mine knows someone who needs to find a home for her pair because she is deploying and she has no where for them to go. I think I've become the "go to" person for this type of situation as this is how we acquired Murphey and Yoshi (a quaker we ended up finding a permanent home for). Anyway, my friend knows that I recently lost my newly acquired lovie and thought that I could take in this little pair. Only problem is that my husband surprised me with a budgie last week to try to cheer me up. Well, this little budgie (Matilda) has basically become my daughters because she fell completely head over heals for this little angel. So, my daughter now has Matilda and Xusha (Shoosha).
So, about the parrotlets, they are unrelated male and female. Blue girl, yellow boy. They are 10months old, not really tame. The lady had originally wanted to breed them. I'm no breeder, I've never even tried. So, is there a way to prevent them from breeding without separating them? Or is it pretty much a done deal if they are bonded? Can 10month old parrotlets become tame with time? Is it hard to do?
What type of diet do they require? I read somewhere that they shouldn't have pellets, is this true? Besides fresh fruit and veggies, what type of seed mix should they have? Should it be a mix for tiels, budgies, hookbills? I'm sorry for all the questions, but since I feel like I did something wrong with the one we had before, I nervous about taking these two in in case it's a death sentence. Any advice will be welcome. And if you all know of a good website with info, that would be great too! Thanks everyone!

 

[lotus15]

So, about the parrotlets, they are unrelated male and female. Blue girl, yellow boy. They are 10months old, not really tame. The lady had originally wanted to breed them. I'm no breeder, I've never even tried. So, is there a way to prevent them from breeding without separating them? Or is it pretty much a done deal if they are bonded? Can 10month old parrotlets become tame with time? Is it hard to do?

You can definitely discourage breeding in several ways. Birds think that it's a good time to breed when several things happen:
1. days get longer / more daylight (spring) --> therefore, make sure to give them a full 12 hours darkness and sleep.
2. an abundance of food, especially foods high in fat and protein --> keep the fat and protein low during the spring or other breeding seasons.
3. the environment is very stable --> try to change things up every once in a while, whether it is through moving their cage to a different room or changing the arrangements of their perches / toys / food bowls.

It will definitely be harder to tame them as a pair, but it's definitely do-able as well Just work at it constantly, don't give up, start slow, and go at their pace always.

What type of diet do they require? I read somewhere that they shouldn't have pellets, is this true? Besides fresh fruit and veggies, what type of seed mix should they have? Should it be a mix for tiels, budgies, hookbills? I'm sorry for all the questions, but since I feel like I did something wrong with the one we had before, I nervous about taking these two in in case it's a death sentence. Any advice will be welcome. And if you all know of a good website with info, that would be great too! Thanks everyone!

If they are color mutation parrotlets, they should NOT have pellets. Regardless, however, little birds often do not do as well as other birds on pellets. If they are normal colors, you should pick a pellet that is very low in protein, and make it only a smaller percentage of the diet (25-30%). Feed more mash (cooked foods), sprouted seed, fresh veggies and fruits, bird bread, a small amount of dry seed mix, etc. Variation is KEY. As for a seed mix, look for one for the little guys with smaller seeds like millet, hemp seed, canary seed, etc. I'm not sure if parrotlets can handle sunflower seeds as they are very large for their tiny beaks.

 

[christypooh402]

Thank you Coco. However, I decided not to bring them home. When I went to see them, the lady's story was different than what my friend told me. And, she wanted money. Now, I don't have any problems paying for a bird, but when I'm under the impression that I am doing someone a favor by taking in their bird, then they all of a sudden want money, no thanks. Plus, she is not deploying, she is not even moving. She apparently is just tired of them and wants to get rid of them. I hope they do find a new home with someone who will love them to pieces. But, I still miss little Baron, so for me to get another bird right now, I would have to "feel" it, you know.
BTW, your Charles is just too cute for words!

 

[April]

Im sorry that you were lied to and it didnt work out.