Like other parrots, parrotlets should have a base diet of appropriate-sized, commercially available bird pellets, with a small amount of finely chopped fruits and vegetables. Remember, if you do have a male with a female, be prepared for breeding and babies! What Do Parrotlets Eat? However, for people who have limited time to interact with their parrotlets, having two may be the best choice, as they generally like to live in opposite sex pairs and should not be housed with other bird species. Parrotlet owners who want to bond closely with their birds should have only one parrotlet, as pairs housed together are more likely to bond to each other than to human caretakers. Therefore, they are not ideal for families with babies or young children. They can be territorial around their bird cages, and if they are not handled often enough, they can be nippy, moody, and aggressive. When trained, they are adorable but are definitely strong-willed and will let their owners know if they have an opinion on something. In fact, many parrotlet owners will tell you that their birds enjoy hiding in their shirt pockets or scarves, or riding around on their shoulders. They can be hand-tamed and are very interactive. Both require daily handling to socialize and acclimate. Males and females can both be affectionate, playful companions. They can be taught to perform simple tricks like hanging upside down from an owner’s finger. They also will respond to their names and recognize their owners by sight and sound. With enough repetition, they can learn to speak a few words, although they are not as prolific speakers as larger parrots. They are active but not overly loud or squawky, so they can be kept in apartments or in homes with noise-sensitive neighbors. Parrotlets can be great as first birds for families with elementary school-aged or older children or for individuals wanting a pet bird. Green-rumped parrotlets are the only species of parrotlet that does not have blue on their backs. Females have a patch of yellow feathers between their eyes, above their beaks. Males have dark blue primary (outermost) wing feathers, while their secondary (innermost) wing feathers are turquoise. Males have blue feathers on their wings, while females do not. The other species of parrotlet commonly kept as a pet is the green-rumped parrotlet, which is smaller than the Pacific parrotlet and a little shier and less active. Color mutations of the Pacific parrotlet may be blue, darker green, yellow, white, and other shades. As compared to males, females have darker green feathers on their backs and wings with lighter green feathers on their faces. They have bright green feathers males have a stripe of dark blue feathers behind their eyes and on their backs and wings, while females either have no blue feathers or a paler blue or green streak behind their eyes. These birds live in the wild in Central and South America and in Mexico. Although they are closer in size to parakeets and lovebirds, they are actually smaller and more compact-looking than parakeets (also called budgerigars) and have much shorter tails.Īlthough there are many species of parrotlet, the most popular species kept as a pet is the Pacific parrotlet. As any parrotlet owner will tell you, parrotlets have the temperament of a large parrot in a small bird’s body.Īt less than six inches from head to tail tip, they are, in fact, the smallest parrots kept as pets. They are related to the larger, green Amazon parrots and have the Amazon’s big personality packed into a small frame. Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice)ĭespite their name, parrotlets are truly parrots.
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