Taming Question

[CarmieJo]

Hey parrotlet people! My sister is looking at a parrotlet that is 15 months old. It was once hand tame but is no longer. I've never worked with a parrotlet before. I know individual birds vary, but in general, would you say that this bird would be a good candidate to become hand tame again? Thanks!

 

[Afleetalex]

It really depends on the bird I think. My foster bird Apache was never hand tamed and yet now only three months later he will step up and eagerly take treats from my hand. So I'd say that yes he'd be a good candidate.

 

[HelenVanessaDavies]

My Pepe isn't hand tame...but he's tame in that he'll come up to me and talk happily, he's just petrified of hands, but if you take it slowly and don't over whelm him, it should come around

 

[CarmieJo]

Hows their mess factor compared to other birds? Any quirks?

 

[Afleetalex]

They are messy, but what bird isn't? LOL. As long as you clean a little bit every day you'll never know they are there.

 

[HelenVanessaDavies]

Hows their mess factor compared to other birds? Any quirks?

Pepe throws his food about, but it's not too bad, easily cleaned up. They're brilliant though, so fun to watch and they're smart, Pepe can talk he just has a very high voice and he's obsessed with my budgies
...but I may be bias

 

[kcbee]

Parrotlets are so much fun! So full of life and very entertaining to watch.

They are pretty messy, but thankfully they are small, so it's easy to clean up. My guy likes to chuck his less than favorite pieces of food to the bottom of his cage, but he can't throw them very far.

Quirks...they are called mini Amazons. They can be moody, aggressive, etc. However, their pros outweigh those possible cons. My guy can speak very well and is just hilarious! He also loves his scritches and wants to be on me all the time. He plays well with his toys and is not loud. A lot of people say they don't make good first time parrots, but mine was my first "parrot" (I had a budgie before, but she is not tame and sweet as pie), and we are doing just fine together.

 

[HelenVanessaDavies]

Yep Kacy summed that up perfectly
Pepe was my first proper parrot and even though he's not into cuddles I wouldnt change a thing, he likes to preen my hair and give me kisses ^_^