Hand reared Parrotlet information
COMMON NAMES: Parrotlet, pocket parrot, Pacific parrotlet, celestial parrotlet, and Lesson’s parrotlet
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Forpus coelestis
ADULT SIZE: 11 to 13 centimetres, weighing about 28 grams
LIFE EXPECTANCY: 20 to 30 years in captivity
The Pacific parrotlet is found in Central America and South America. They are most prevalent in Peru and Ecuador. They live in the tropical forests. While not bred in captivity long, they are the most common parrotlet species kept as a pet. It’s only been the pervious 10 years they have become a very popular bird in Australia.
You get all of the large-parrot personality characteristics in a miniature package – they are closely related to the Amazon Parrot. These birds may be small, but they act like the big guys and require just as much attention. Tame, hand-fed parrotlets make very sweet, affectionate companions. They are often compared to lovebirds.
These miniature parrots may act fearless, but this bravado can get them into danger, especially in a home with dogs and cats. Feisty parrotlets may not back down from a fight with your furry pets or bigger birds.
Parrotlets are just as intelligent as many other parrots. They can be trained to do a few tricks. Some individuals can talk. They will screech and chirp since they are naturally very vocal, but their noise should not be bothersome for Neighbours compared to some other parrots.
Lots of time to build a relationship and Trust with your bird. They are small and cheeky, so you want them on your side.
We have in this article detailed all the important non-sugar-coated facts of Parrotlet, ownership. Everything listed on this page is exactly what we and our breeders recommend.
Our goal, for our customers’ pets, is to thrive physically and mentally. This is how we and our breeders keep our Parrotlets happy and healthy.
Did you know we have a special bird and cage package deal with great discounts if you are looking at owning one of these beautiful birds or getting a set up. We have a full range of everything to keep your parrotlet happy and healthy.
Check our Instagram or Facebook page to see our tips and updated photos of what hand raised baby budgies we have in stock.
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Bringing a new parrotlet home for the first time.
For the first 24 hours
After setting up the cage correctly mentioned below with water and all you can eat buffet. This is a time you allow your Parrotlet to settle in and get used to the new environment learning where food, water and everything is. This is a scary and stressful time for the bird as the baby bird is likely to have never been away from other birds and has never been in a cage before. This Adjustment period is very important as it gives them time to settle in and reduces stress mentioned on our common bird illness page link
For the first 3 days: Your baby parrotlet will be naturally scared, because of the changed environment. Some of our baby parrotlet have never been in a cage before and have never been away from other parrotlet. Many baby parrotlets may not eat much for the first day or 2 due to stress of new environment.
Offer extra millet sprays on the floor to encourage your baby parrotlet to eat. Millet sprays are great, because they are a fresh. Recently harvested millet is a little bit softer and excellent for encouraging your new parrotlet to eat. When your parrotlet is eating properly and feels at home, then it is time to start training. Handle your parrotlet for 15 minutes, no more than 3 to 4 times a day gently. Choose somewhere that is soft like on a bed or a couch to avoid injury. Handling of hand raised birds is important to create and strengthen your bond with the bird. Encourage your parrotlet to eat its favorite treats. Handling of hand raised parrotlet is important to create and strengthen your bond with your parrotlet.
*Tip – if your parrotlet is spooked and runs away, gently pick up and continue calmly handling your parrotlet with 2 hands and bring them close to you, before teaching them to step up. Repeat this process until your budgie relaxes.
A hand raised parrotlets are tame but not trained.
*Remember – that your baby parrotlet needs to adjust to the new environment, so be calm, patient and your bird will bond with you.
Many new parrotlet owners who are new to birds, can be scared when they flap their wings. parrotlet are very perceptive creatures; this fear can set back you’re training and bonding. It is very important to not be scared of your bird and be a calm leader.
Do not leave your bird in a cold, damp or drafty area, if its cold you need a heat lamp available at Birdsville.
The first 10 days: When bringing your parrotlet home, we recommend all baby Parrotlets have sulphadim in the water every day, for the first 10 days. This is important, because it stops new parrotlet from getting diarrhea, due to stress. This medication also reduces the chance of your bird dehydrating which opens can open up to more complications.
Moving into a new environment is stressful for any bird and this stress can easily make them susceptible to diarrhea, quickly leading your animal to dehydrate. Dehydration reduces a parrotlet’s immune function and leaves them susceptible to illness.
As your parrotlet becomes more confident and use-to its’ new environment, you can increase the amount of time you handle your parrotlet, as they bond to you. Once your parrot starts to become confident, handling is no longer stressful for the parrot.
On the 10th day of bringing your Parrotlet home, your bird is ready for worm treatment and lice and mite spray. Details below.
For the first 2 weeks
This applies to any new bird owners who have existing pets or other birds, we recommend quarantining all newly acquired birds before introducing them.
If you already have a Parrotlet or other animals at home, your new Parrotlet should be kept in a separate cage to allow the bird to adjust to its surroundings and both birds to get used to the new family members visually. Always allow at least 2 weeks before introducing them. Parrotlets can be very aggressive with their own kind and other species of bird. Don’t let the parrotlets small size fool you they can kill a bird larger than them self, also a bigger bird could easily kill the tiny parrotlet.
please click the link to read im more detail about new arrivals and introductions
Enclosure set up for a baby Parrotlet
Remember a bird’s cage should be an area they love to be in. Many of our customers have birds that put themselves to bed after they have out of cage time. Reading through our page will set you up with just about everything you need to know to care for your parrotlet, including perching, toys, diet.
For the first 7 days, make sure there is an extra seed bowl and water bowl placed on the floor for easy access. It is still important to have food and water available in normal feeders on the side of the enclosure.
The enclosure should have at least 4 feeders as minimum, one for seeds, one for pellets, one for water and spares for treats and veggies.
Do not be surprised, if your baby parrotlet only eats seed in the beginning. It can take some parrotlets a month or more to learn how to eat pellets or parrotlet crumble, mineral supplements and veggies properly. During this learning phase, your baby parrotlet must have a constant supply of seed, or it may starve, but it is also, very important they are offered a varied diet mentioned below. So, they learn how to eat different foods. All you can eat buffet for the first 3 months!
Many options are available for dispensing water that are great, will save you time and prevents your bird from defecating in the water. Ask our Birdsville team. parrotlets must always have a constant supply of fresh clean water.
Perches for parrotlets:
Make sure your perches are placed in a good position, so your bird is comfortable and won’t hit its’ head. Common sense in this area is important. Make sure perches are appropriate sizing for parrotlet. We recommend a minimum of 5 perches.
*Remember – most enclosures come with 2 dowel perches, we suggest adding in 2 natural perches to keep feet healthy and free of bumble foot. Different sized perches are good for their feet. Also, 1 grit or cement perch to wear down their nails.
Toys for parrotlets
Environmental Enrichment: Toys and play equipment are a must from the start to get your parrotlet used to them and not be scared of them. A ladder and swing per parrotlet in the enclosure and minimum 4 to 6 appropriate toys for chewing, preening and playing.
To get the best usage of space when it comes to toys, think of the enclosure as 3 levels.
You want to utilize all levels of your enclosure, the top, middle and bottom (floor) with toys. For example: hanging chew toys and natural toys at the top, bell and forage toys for the middle and foot toys (bar bell or balls) on the bottom.
Do not use the same toys, as variety makes it much more interesting and entertaining for your parrotlet.
Toys are very important for Hand reared parrotlets, as they love to play. Ladders, swings, chew toys, balls, forage toys, and bells are ideal. The happier your bird and the more mental stimulation they get the better they become as a pet. They should have at least 4 toys of different textures, bells, luffa, plastic and possibly wood. A ladder and a swing, some also enjoy a place to hide in.
Toys make your birds cage an area they love to be in.
The goal is to keep your parrotlet entertained while you are away and when they are in their enclosure. It also helps prevent behavioral issue down the track, such as plucking, noise level, aggression and general bad behavior. It will help creates a tamer, friendlier and happier parrotlet in the long run.
Toys need to be rotated regularly, so your parrotlet doesn’t get bored. If your bird destroys their toy, it means they like it and should be replaced. Watch for wear and tear, discard when they become damaged or rusty. Think of the cage or enclosure as 3 different levels, you want toys on the top, the mid section and for the bottom such as barrels and balls.
We have different toys arriving at Birdsville all the time.
Bathing – It’s important to offer at least once a week little bird bath for your bird to wash them self. Birds that are not offered areas to bath in regularly from a young age will actually lose the know-how and ability to bathe. This will result in a bird that is less healthy and a bird with poor feather quality.
Cages for parrotlets
Selecting a cage for your parrotlet will depend a lot on your personal taste, the area the cage will be kept and your bird. It is important to select the largest cage that is suitable to ensure the bird will have an adequate area to move around, even when toys are added. The bigger the cage the less cleaning even for a tiny parrotlet.
A cage with a large front door is not essential but I think important for when you are taming your parrotlet. It makes it easier to get the bird in and out when it is on your hand and aids in teaching them to step up. Visit Birdsville and have a look at all the different cages, as there is many different shapes and sizes. Some cages are unsuitable if you’re unsure ask one of our team. Never choose a round cage for a parrotlet. Ask our team about our package deal and discounts.
Diet and supplements for parrotlets.
Parrot diet has been debated from the produce manufacturers, keepers and breeders. As bird experts the proof is in the pudding from our breeders and our customers who use variety of seed, seed blends, pellets, vitamins and fruit and veg have the healthiest birds. We have not seen the best results in birds that are on all pellet or all seed, but a variety of both with a healthy parrot blend and some fruits and vegetables.
It’s essential for newly arrived baby parrotlets for the first 7 days to have extra additional seed and water bowls on the floor until they learn to use the normal bowls in the cage mentioned below.
We recommend a rough ratio of approx. 25% – high quality pellets or crumble, 65% – high quality seed or seed blends and 10% – fruit, veg and greens. Some soaked seed for a treat is also excellent. Birdsville blends also contain vegetables and greens that will add to this base diet. Baby parrotlets should be given an all you can eat buffet, as baby parrotlets cannot overeat. Birdsville stock high-grade seed mixes and also have specialty Birdsville blend mixes with added greens, fruits, veg and legumes which is perfect for a parrotlet. All our healthy seed mixes are great value to our customers, as they are mixed and bagged fresh on site for unbeatable prices and quality.
After about 3 months you can begin to feed your bird a higher quantity of pellets. but I would not recommend removing seed from the dirt. We recommend having separate bowls for your pellets and your seed blends. This allows you to know exactly what they are eating.
Seed– Always give your bird a good quality seed mix, be wary of many supermarket and chain store seed mixes, just because it is in a pretty packaged box claiming vitamins and minerals, doesn’t mean it is of a quality that will keep your parrotlet in top condition. Bird specialty stores like Birdsville will always carry high grade fresh seed because breeders depend on it to get their birds to breed regular healthy offspring.
If you have one parrotlet it is not advisable to purchase a 20KG bag of seed, as you are better off buying small amounts of seed at regular intervals because bird seed loses its nutritional content over time. A 2kg or 4kg bag is the best value for money for one or two birds. Many supermarket and chain store seed mixes stock low grade seed with a lot of budget filler, not very palatable colored bits, large inedible seeds, sorghum, excess rape seed and shell grit. Shell grit is better supplied separately. If you’re not sure about the seed you are using, take it into any bird specialist store and they will be able identify and explain the seed mixes. A top-quality seed really makes a big difference to your bird’s health. We have always said place a good quality seed and a low quality seed in 2 different dishes and watch which one the bird will eat.
Birdsville Budgie blend do not let the name of this mix deter you, we may change the name of this blend to be budgie and mini parrot page this is a beautiful addition to your parrotlets diet that has mixed herbs, beetroot, vegies, fruits, legumes and plenty of other goodies.
Pellet’s– many experienced owners feed there parrotlets budgie crumble pretty bird pellets, vetafarm pellets, murphys pellets or harrisons pellets always slowly introduce this to your bird as a parrotlet that is not used to this new diet may actually starve, especially if the parrotlet is a baby it takes months to wean a parrotlet onto pellet’s We sell all the above pellets at Birdsville. I recommend giving parrotlets pellets as a supplement to the diet.
Millet sprays‘- A must for all baby parrotlet owners as they love millet sprays and its good for them. This is a very fresh millet seed which encourages baby parrotlets to eat more, and adult parrotlets just enjoy them. there are a number of kinds of millet although I find French white and pannicum to be the best option for your bird.
Water – Parrotlets need access to clean drinking water at all times on the floor on enclosure for first week. Parrotlets must always have access to clean drinking water. For easy maintenance we have always recommended our customers to get bird drink bottles or rodent drink bottles as its difficult for birds to sit above them and dirty their water like they would with an open container.
The good oil – highly recommended but not essential but always available in store, the good oil is packed with Liquid Omega 3 and 6 supplement for not only improving the health of birds in general and their eggs it can help with fatty liver disease. Omega 3 and 6 can be deficient in many grains and this can help repair the liver, egg production and immunity. The good oil also contains fat – soluble vitamins including A, D3 and E. Easy to use mix 15ml of the good oil per kg of seed. Let mix stand for at least 4 hours at room temperature before feeding to ensure the oil leaks into the kernel of the seed.
Greens– It is important to supply your parrotlet with vegetables such as broccoli, spinach carrot, beetroot, snow peas, sweet potato, green beans and celery. They also love pieces of fresh grass; be careful the grass wasn’t sprayed.
Sprouted seed – A mix of seeds that is sprouted, this germination process unlocks a lot of nutrients able to be absorbed by the parrotlet, keeping them in very good condition, birdsville always have sprouted mix available. Only Australian produce will sprout as it hasn’t been irradiated. There is a risk of disease if sprouted seed isn’t prepared properly, please click the Link for sprouting seed
Fruits – apple, orange, banana, strawberry, pear, pomegranate, mango, cherries, pineapple
Iodine – essential for parrotlets as they can get issues with their thyroid gland among other issues so make sure you supply them with the pink iodine bells, perches and buttons, Iodine is so important we will always have this in stock.
Calcium This is essential for the overall health and vitality of your bird. Birds have hollow bones unlike mammals so they can only store small amounts of minerals and calcium. They need a lot of calcium to support egg production, beak, nails and also the feathers they grow along with other bodily functions. So, both male and females need calcium. Providing Calcium in the form of a calcium perch, bells, buttons and cuttlebone are essential for parrotlets.
All these items only need to be present inside the parrotlet’s enclosure and the bird will sample them when needed.
Vitamin D– is extremely important for all indoor birds as they cannot absorb calcium without vitamin D, calcium supplements are rendered useless without this important vitamin. If your bird is not able to get access to unfiltered light, then there is Vitamin D supplements available. Interestingly when we do bird nail clipping for customers we can actually tell if your bird has a calcium problem or vitamin D deficiency. Birds with lacking vitamin D or calcium will often have soft nails. Birds lacking in calcium get a whole list of health issues and a shortened lifespan. Many of these customers with birds that have a calcium problem say oh, but my bird gets lots of sun. My bird lives next to the window and the sun shines on them every day. Unfortunately, glass filters the sun, and you can’t get vitamin D through glass. Birds need around 10 hours a week of unfiltered direct sunlight to get the right amount of vitamin D
Outside parrotlets use Multivet and inside birds use Calcivet, Ornithon or Soluvite D. Adding vitamins to your budgies water is very important for the health and vitality, as pets’ budgies cannot get all require vitamins from diet alone.
Vitamin supplement– To add many essential vitamins that a captive environment does not always provide. There are many great bird vitamin supplements available in Australia. Links to popular vitamins are linked – ornithon – vetafarm breeding aid plus, multivet – These are all available at Birdsville.
Extras you can feed your parrotlet
cooked rice, cooked pasta, meal worms, raw egg sprouted seed, cooked chicken
Do not feed
Never feed your parrotlet lettuce, cereal, avocado, onion, garlic, sugar, corn, beans, breads, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, coffee and some garden plants can be toxic.
parrotlet Carry cage
It is recommended to take your new parrotlet home in a carry enclosure, as this method of transportation ensures that your Parrotlet will remain protected and safe, until you are ready to place them into the new environment.
Some parrotlet’s can be stressed when moving in cars and can flap around and injure them self when journeying in a larger cage. Also, a carry enclosure is handy to have as a parrotlet owner to hold when cleaning or moving your bird around in different situations. We have many bird carry cages to choose from in store. Parrotlets can easily chew through a cardboard box.
Substrate for the bottom of the parrotlets cage
Grit is the best substrate! It is great for parrotlets to forage in and makes it very easy to spot clean your enclosure. We use grit in our bird enclosures at Birdsville, if you would like to see what it looks like come in and have a look see.
Substrate only needs to be about one inch deep. We also have a variety different shapes and sized of grit sheets available in store as well which can be changed sheet by sheet. Grit is the bird substrate of choice for birds because it is heavy and doesn’t blow out of the cage when they flap their wings.
Cage cleaner for Parrotlets
Cage cleaner is important to keep the bird’s environment clean because it kills pathogens.
Cleaners and detergents can be toxic to sensitive birds, our cage cleaners in store are what we use for our birds to disinfect the cage, and it makes cleaning your cage very easy. Visit us in store and as this is in a regular supply. All our cage cleaner is designed to keep your cage clean safe, non-toxic and easy to use. Removes dirt and debris easy as well. Gently deodorizes without strong fragrance that could upset your bird. It also makes cleaning much easier as the poo comes off easily after being sprayed.
Sulphadim or sulpha 3
Liquid Majic for keeping a new parrotlets healthy. Aside from certain stressors that these mild antibiotics are good for I recommend anyone who gets a new young or older parrotlet to treat them with this anytime they move as stress can often give them the runs. Sulphadim or sulfa 3 helps calms them down and stops them from getting the diarrhea and therefore helps stops them becoming dehydrated. When or if a parrotlet gets stressed and dehydrated from movement, they can be susceptible to illness.
Sulphadim can be used 2 different ways, we are using it for diarrhea prevention which is 8 drops per 100 ml of water. Or you can mix up a liter’s worth which is 75 drops to a liter. This mixture is to go in your newly arrived birds water supply for the first 10 days. Making sure containers are either plastic or ceramic and not metal.
After the initial 10 days, do not throw out this product, for a 2 good reasons, your bird may get a case of the runs at a later date or you may need to medicate your bird just in case as it is also used for the treatment of common avian bacteria infections including pneumonia, caecal coccidioses, white scours and enteritis. To treat for this add (0.67ml) per 30ml of drinking water.
Worming your parrotlet
Young birds that have been recently weaned have a delicate bacteria’s developing in their gut, worming to early after moving could harm the bacteria’s development and or sensitive crop inside your new bird. This is why we recommend waiting 10 days for your bird to settle in before worming.
After this initial worming then worm every 3 months for inside birds and every 6 weeks for outside birds. Worming your bird is important for the health of all parrots in captivity.
Lists of wormers available at Birdsville are aristopet worming syrup with praziquantel – vetafarm wormout gel – avtrol plus bird wormer.
Worming your bird is actually very easy it will simply go in the water supply for amounts simply check the label on the bottle, or on some bottles peel back the label. The Label for aristopet wormer will say 0.5ml (10 drops) of wormer to 20 ml of water. The worming process needs to be repeated 4 times a year for inside birds and outside birds every 6 weeks.
Why are worms bad for your bird and you?
Worms can cause a range of health issues, the severity of which depends on the species of worm they are infected with. Parasitic worms have an indirect lifecycle with many insects such as fly’s, beetles, other insects and feces acting as intermediate hosts.
Worms can weaken your bird’s immune system which inadvertently can kill your bird as a virus that a bird with a strong immune system can fight off. A bird with a weakened immune system from worms can fall victim a range of diseases.
If your bird is not wormed regularly and after some time you do worm your bird, the dead worms can cause intestinal or respiratory blockages, in sick adult birds it may be a good idea to worm them with a half dose first.
Some worms multiply slowly and some quickly depending on the kind of worms.
Below is a common and wide variety of worms of worms including Tapeworm Worm (Choanotaena spp, Raillietina spp), Thread Worm (Capillaria spp.) Roundworm (Ascaridia spp.), Ceacal Worm (Heterakis gallinarum), Hook Worm Acuaria spp.) in both Aviary and caged Cockatiels.
Parrotlets that are kept indoors should be wormed every 3 months and outside every 6 weeks.
Common house flies are known to spread a number of types of parasitic worms. The fly would pick up the worms from wild bird/rat feces, fly inside, landing on your birds’ water, food bowl or on your parrotlet and infects them.
Humans and other pets can get and spread the same worms as parrotlets. Worms can kill your parrotlet so it’s important to worm your bird. Not only to protect them, but also the whole family and other pets.
Application is very easy, simply follow instructions on the packet and add solution to the parrotlets drinking water.
Worming your new pets while they are quarantined will help stop the spread of worms to your existing pets, children and family.
Lice and mite spray for your hand raised parrotlet
These are one of the two most common parasites of cage birds and their environment but are easily controlled with a Mite and Lice spray, available at Birdsville.
Lice and mites can unfortunately spread everywhere and birds in an inside environment are still susceptible.
Lice & Mite Spray is recommended to apply the same time you worm your parrotlet, making it easier to remember.
Application is very easy, simply follow instructions on the bottle and spray your parrotlets’ body, under wings and avoid the eyes if possible.
When using spray, also spray bird, entire cage, perches, nesting box and toys, remember to remove all water and feed and try to avoid spraying in birds’ eyes. This medication will not damage the eye but it will be an unpleasant experience for the bird if the eye is sprayed.
Your Parrotlet should be sprayed every 3 months if inside and outside birds every 6 weeks. list of lice and mice medication below for parrotlets, if you’re unsure of which one to buy, visit your local bird store, vetafarm avimec – inca pestene powder – aristopet scaley face and leg treatment – avitrol bird mite and lice spray – mite and lice spray.
Lice and mites can be spread by insects such as cockroaches or fly’s this is why inside birds should still be routinely sprayed. A fly carrying lice or mites can fly in the window and land on your bird or a surface of its food and then it spreads to your bird.
Why is lice and mites bad?
Aside from irritating your bird It can eventually kill your bird in severe cases. Mites and lice also add stress to your bird through irritation and sucking its blood and making your bird anemic. Lice and mites can cause plucking and skin conditions due to itchiness. These things can weaken the immune system and make your bird susceptible to disease that your bird would normally fight off.
Trimming your parrotlets’ nails.
There are many perches available, such as sand, concrete and grit perches that are excellent to help ware down the tip of your budgies’ nails.
However, some parrotlets need them trimmed, which we can do in store.
parrotlets usually need a nail trim at least twice a year, if they are not being worn down by perches.
No need to book an appointment, we can check and trim your parrotlets’ nails anytime we are open.
Handling/training Parrotlets
Without proper handling, parrotlets can become unruly and impish. They often do best as pets when kept by themselves. They are prone to becoming aggressive toward other birds, especially if they are untamed. Territorial fights might break out during feeding time.
Basic training has huge benefits for you and your parrotlet. It requires dedication in the first few weeks, repetition and persistence is the key.
If your parrotlet bites you, do not pull away. Wear wool gloves if you must, if you need to and continue to gently handle it. When your parrotlet isn’t nibbling your gloves, they can come off.
When taming your parrotlet, its suggested you begin with a single young parrotlet and play with it for a minimum of 10-minute intervals 2 to 3 times a day.
The early days are the most important time to bond with your parrotlet. When you are watching TV or reading is the best time to tame your parrotlet as you are relaxed, just let your feathered buddy hang out with you and they will very quickly bond with you.
Parrotlet Training is an important factor of having a well-behaved hand raised bird. When you first get the parrotlet home, let it settle down and get use to their new environment for a day or two. After these initial days, the parrotlet should be handled in a quiet, relaxed situation. Make sure to not over stress your bird in the first few weeks of taking it home, babies need their rest. The more time “within reason” you spend with your bird, the better your bird will become.
Like all birds when you give your parrotlet time to bond with you it will get tamer and tamer. If your parrotlet is in a group with other birds, it will display more bird like behavior but when you take your parrotlet home and train them and they start bonding with you it does not take long before they become very tame. As long as you put the work in early.
Getting one parrotlet will bond with you a lot easier than 2 or more. Yes, you can take more than one parrotlet at a time and train them is a group, you will need to do extra handling.
Once the bird has reached a certain age it will generally always be tame and bonded to humans.
The most common mistake with training is the new parrotlet owner chases the bird around the cage before they handle the bird, or the bird runs away from them, and they are too afraid to handle it.
There is nothing wrong with the parrotlet, but the human may need a bit of coaching. So please keep reading this paragraph, if you chase a parrotlet it will learn to fear, you. If you don’t handle the bird, it won’t get a chance to bond with you. Try to quickly catch your parrotlet with 2 hands not one until your parrotlet is trained to step up.
If your bird is nibbling and you or child have soft skin place on some wool gloves and the bird may chew on this a while during handling, but it won’t last very. The bird will soon stop chewing and start to relax.
If a bird is jumpy make sure you handle the bird on a couch or a bed until they settle down, this can save the bird as repeated falls can rattle the birds’ organs and easily kill a baby parrotlet. Birds including parrotlets do not have a diaphragm, so their organs kind of hang in their cavity and are more susceptible to damage than a small rodent of the same size.
Ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior. If your parrotlet runs away, gently pick up and continue calmly handling. If you allow your parrotlet to run away and not be handled, it will not form a bond.
The parrotlet being close to you, will create a bond and your parrotlet will get used to you.
Keep an eye on children, they can handle a small parrotlet to death all too easily. Many children do not understand how to train a bird and they will need supervision and coaching from parents.
first steps in training your baby hand raised parrotlet.
After handling your bird then get them to stand on your finger
get your parrotlet to step up from one finger to another by placing your free finger Infront of the parrotlet and slightly pushing on the chest. This will encourage the parrotlet to step up.
once your parrotlet is stepping up on your fingers then train them to step up from your finger onto a perch and reverse.
Teaching your hand reared parrotlet to talk
Some parrotlet simply won’t talk, and some will. This is a lucky dip, but to increase the chance of your bird talking you need to repeat words to them over and over again. Some people cheat and played recordings to their bird, and this has worked quite well.
Sexing Parrotlets
Pure albino parrotlets can’t be sexed visually but most other colours can by simply looking sat the purple blue colour on top of and on the wings. Females lack this colouration. Another way to sex your parrotlets is to get the DNA analized such as DNA solutions
Wing trimming a hand raised parrotlet.
There are pros and cons to both sides and having your parrotlet’ wings trimmed will not ensure it can’t fly away. Done correctly, it can reduce flight, allow them to glide safely to the ground.
Many new owners allow their parrotlet’ wings to grow out this is our prefered method. This is great too as the parrotlet gets plenty of exercise, however there is a greater risk of losing your parrotlet. If you choose to have your parrotlet fully flighted, make sure all windows and doors are closed while your parrotlet is out. It is also a good idea to harness train your parrotlet for outings.
We get asked all the time, if a wing trim is painful for a parrotlet?
parrotlet’ feathers are made out of keratin, the same as our hair. So, when a wing trim is done correctly, it’s about as painful as getting a haircut. Our parrotlet experts know how to trim a parrotlets’ wings with as little stress as possible on your parrotlet.
Most parrotlets go through a molt at least twice a year and re-grow their flight feathers. If you have a parrotlet with trimmed wings, keep an eye out for when they molt, and flight feather start to grow back. They go from 0 to 100 very fast.
We do wing trims in store, no need to make an appointment. We do walk ins any day of the week.
Our baby birds all come with their flight feathers trimmed for a number of reasons. As they are hand reared, they are all done so flighted but are trimmed usually about a week prior to arriving at Birdsville. This is because we have the public coming and going, with deliveries also opening up different doors in store. As you can imagine birds fly very quickly and can fly straight out the door un clipped. Also customers at looking at adding one of our birds to their family unit will want to handle our hand reared birds. If they are flighted this simply wouldn’t be possible as they can simply fly off and could possibly fly into a window, wall or even outside.
A baby parrotlet with trimmed wings on average takes about 4 to 6 months to grow back.
Parrotlet Essentials list
Carry Enclosure – Every parrotlet owner needs one for safe transport, also useful for birdy adventures or to hold during enclosure cleans.
Quality Seed – High grade budgie mix is an excellent mix for parrotlets as long as its high quality. Avoid low grade chain store or supermarket budgie mixes with filler, as it may decrease your parrotlet’s health/survival rate. Our Birdsville Budgie mix is of the highest grade and has no filler. High grade grains not only keeping your parrotlet healthy but also saving you money as it has little wastage. If you need convincing place our quality seed mix in one container and place the generic mix in the other and watch what the bird will do. They taste the freshness and the quality and will always eat the better-quality grain.
Birdsville budgie blend – don’t let the budgie word fool you it is A high grade blend of grains with herbs, beetroot, Niger seed, sunflower kernels and plenty of other goodies. This can be fed as a normal seed replacement but to get the best value we recommend mixing this blend with your quality seed mentioned above. You will not find a better blend for parrotlets.
Pellets – Vetafarm budgie crumble, Peckish, Passwell budge crumble, Harrisons pellets, murphy’s pretty bird pellets we only stock the best!
Millet Sprays – Millet sprays are great for training & encouraging young parrotlets to eat while they are transitioning into a new environment.
Seed bar – Seed bar is a forage toy, very good and getting your bird to forage and chew.
Healthy Treats – passwell fruit and but mix.
Enclosure – Please consult staff on enclosure recommendation, all too often we meet people who purchase the wrong cage. The cage needs room for the bird to navigate properly while also hosting all the below items.
Toys – 1 Ladder, 1 swing per budgie in their enclosure, with a minimum 4 appropriate toys for chewing, preening, and playing.
Perches – Minimum of 5 perches, including at least 1 grit or concrete perch and 2 natural perches and two perches usually come with a new enclosure, making 5 perches in total.
Substrate – Grit or sand sheets, great for birds to forage in and makes it very easy to spot clean your enclosure. View substrate in our aviary budgie enclosure.
Calcium / Iodine – essential for birds and come in the form of perches, bells, buttons and cuttlebone. Pink ones contain iodine, white ones are for calcium and perches contain both.
Vitamins – outside birds use Multivet and inside birds use Calcivet, Ornithon or Soluvite D. Very important for their health, as budgies cannot absorb vitamin D through glass, they need direct sunlight.
Wormer – Worming needs to be completed 10 days after bringing your bird home. Simple to use, just follow the directions on the bottle.
Lice & Mite Spray – Lice & Mite spray is recommended 10 days after purchase. Simple to use, point and spray avoid birds’ eyes – directions also on the bottle.
Sulphadim or Spark – helps prevent stress from transition, which may lead to them getting diarrhoea and reduces dehydration. Mix in drinking water for 10 days upon bringing your parrotlet home. Simple directions on bottle.
Cage Cleaner – Avicare, F10 or Arisopet are all bird safe, nontoxic disinfectant and makes it easy to remove poo and dirt from enclosure, toys, perches, and bowl. Normal disinfects can be quite toxic to parrotlet.
What you may like to consider
Fruit and nut blends – A very popular range of blends supplied and blended in store by our avian nutritionists.
Enclosure stand – some large enclosures already come with a stand and all enclosure suitable for a parrotlet can have a stand available. These are great to lift the enclosure off the ground, to an easy level to interact with your pet.
Enclosure Cover – some people like to cover their bird of a nighttime; this can decrease early wake ups.
Enclosure Tidy – these are great for reducing mess, but won’t eliminate completely, they wrap around the enclosure at the base and help to bounce bits of seed and grit back into the enclosure, kind of like a boob tube for a cage.
Spare bowls (food & water) – swap bowls, if normal one gets dirty and need a soak (easy cleaning) or to add an addition food. Additional bowls are also recommended in the first 7 days of bringing your new parrotlet bird home.
No Mess Feeder – these also reduce mess and prevent your parrotlet from spreading food everywhere. Worth its weight in gold and goves you more time to love your parrotlet.
Drink Bottle – they can’t poo in them, reducing the amount of time you have to change the water and less mess. Also safe on a hot day they will not bath in the drinking water leaving them with reduced water that could kill your bird.
Cuttlebone, Fruit & Millet Spray Holders – an additional way of suppling cuttlebones, fruit and millet that can make them more interacted for your parrotlet and keep them off the ground, reducing waste.
Bird baths – for bathing, which is important for birds’ wellbeing (large, shallow feeders can also be used), shampoo, spray bottle and shower perches.
Tent/hide – tents, pouches, hammocks, and hides. You will be surprised how much some parrotlet love these.
Tip – Check our reptile and small animal sections upstairs, as there are some great products that could be used for bathing, hides, cool bowls, toy and so on.
Bird Stand and Play Gym – Excellent for parrotlet training, as well as giving them a place to hang out and play. Additional toys can be added to create environmental enrichment.
Synbiotic / Probiotic – can boost immune system, support digestive function when use daily.
First aid – Spark, Sulphadim, Triple C, F10 barrier ointment, heat lights
The Good Oil – great for improving liver function in your parrotlet and overall health. These is mixed with the seed mix.
Harnesses – provided an added safety when outside with your parrotlet. Harness training does take time and should never expect your bird to expect it straight away.
Bath – Bathing is important for all birds it’s important to get them used to bathing from a young age or they will not bath as an adult bird.
Bathing – Its important to offer at least once a week little bird bath for your bird to wash them self. Birds that are not offered areas to bath in regularly from a young age will actually stop bathing as they grow older. This will result in a bird that is less healthy and a bird with poor feather quality.
Health issues in Parrotlets
If you ever notice a change in behavior, appearances, your parrotlet sitting on the floor of the cage fluffed up, swelling around the eyes, feces covered vent or just generally down spirited, Not eating or drinking properly, droppings abnormally formed, bird behaving differently, any signs of illness or the bird not flying properly, we suggest as a first line of defense adding a broad spectrum antibiotics to your parrotlet’s water supply and a heat lamp. As stressed or sick birds almost always stop producing enough body heat. The reason many sick birds puff their feathers up is to conserve and trap in body heat because they are cold. Sick birds are unable to warm them self effectively. It’s VERY important that a heat lamp is also provided. A blanket over the cage or placed next to a sunny window will not do the trick even in summer. You need to use a heat globe Birdsville have a range of heat globes and ceramic attachments they do not cost much and can likely save your birds life. Broad spectrum anti biotics are available at Birdsville also. Broad-spectrum antibiotic is an easy-to-use powder, that is added to your parrotlets’ food or water.
If you are not sure how to tell what a healthy parrotlet looks like or how to perform a visual health check, we will happily show you. Our team perform and show our customers how to perform a visual health check with every animal sold by our team. Please bring your in parrotlet in-store to Birdsville, we do not charge to do this, and we do not mind if you have bought the bird from someone else. We are happy to help as this is a great skill set for any Bird owner to have, as you can have a much better ability in spotting if your bird is not 100%.
If you do use antibiotics, it’s important to have a heat lamp as an ill bird cannot produce enough body warmth. A heat lamp is so important when using antibiotics that without it, it can render the antibiotics almost useless. A broad-spectrum antibiotic will often fix most of the common ailments, if your bird doesn’t appear to be improving, you need to see a vet. We have a list of vets at the bottom of this page.
The best way to help avoid your bird from getting sick in the first place is to follow our guidelines we have set on this page and check out our bird illness and health page . Poor nutrition or incorrect environment or stress can mean the difference to your bird being healthy and having a strong immune system and being more disease resistant, happy and healthy.
Every New bird owner must read through our Common bird illness, every good bird owner should familiarize themselves with common bird issues and bits and bobs they likely haven’t thought of. We have taken the hard work for you and summarized almost every possible common issue please see Common health issues page please click this link
On this linked page above you will get important summarized info on Diet issues and mineral issues, environmental risks, Poison risks, bird stressors, temperature stress, moisture issues, Hygiene, diseases, risks with baby birds, contamination risks, parasite risks, injurie risks, unweaning risks and more
If you have found this page useful and want to get a good deal with products and services. As a small but specialized business we are always working to get the best value for our customers and we would love your support, our address is on our main page please come in and visit us instead of the regular chain stores everywhere.
Parrotlet Bird Boarding
Click the link above for boarding
We can board your parrotlet, if you go away on holidays. Boarding is available throughout the year, please visit petsvillehotel.com to check it out and book your budgie in.
Don’t hesitate to come and see us in store if you have any concerns, or questions and bring your Parrotlet for us to see.
Recommended Vets and links below
The Wild Vet
1300 9453 83822A Bridge Road, Glebe Carlingford
Animal Hospital
02 9871 6036
772 Pennant Hills Road Carlingford
SASH
Small Animal Specialist
Hospital 02 (9190 6806)
Level 1, 1 Richardson place North Ryde
SERV
02 9436 4884
57-63 Herbert St Artarmon
995 Bourke Street waterloo Sydney NSW 2017
Birds are a prey item and because of this have a hightened level of fear.
