Parrotlets: When To Get 1 From A Breeder & Can You See Gender At Birth?

[@1hawaii21]

They really are so precious! How did you learn to hand feed? And, how long have you been doing it? I’ve watched a couple of Tony Silva’s videos on had feeding. I love how he stresses hygiene. He has an amazing setup. Oh, my husband brought home 2 very young budgies today. Both are blue. Sex unknown. I understand they are about 4 months old. ☺️

[@ParrotBliss]

What? LOL! I can’t believe your husband brought to Budgies home! That’s awesome! I can’t wait to hear how they do with the Caiques - or will you keep them separated? My husband -kinda- taught me to hand feed years ago. I took all the time in the world, and sometimes that’s what it took. I just kept at it, very slowly, because I didn’t want to hurt any of them (and I didn’t). I did cry sometimes as they cried because they were hungry and I was trying to feed them. Frustrating for us both! And I got frustrated. It’s so easy and so hard! Practice and a lot of it, is super important. A lot of bird store train an employee for a year before they let them try on their own, I’ve heard… Yes, Tony has a super-clean set up and he lives by CLEAN. Glad I learned so much from him because keeping up with parrots is hard, but the bar was so high that my parrots seem to be in pretty good shape when it comes to this. Maybe I should make a video on the importance of cleaning… I have SOPs - or standard operating procedures for the birds. Have to with 22 species…. Ok, can’t wait to see pics, post on the group! And hear what Jasper/Ivan’s new friend’s names are!

[@1hawaii21]

Yes! Great idea to do a video on hygiene. Not the most fun or entertaining but so necessary for our feathered kids and us. I pretty much have a routine. But there’s always additional clean ups needed. Are your caiques messy? When mine get their chop it’s as though someone yelled, “food fight”. My husband recently bought some beautiful raspberries from Whole Foods. Talk about a major mess! The budgies will be kept apart from the caiques. I don’t want to risk a murder. Jasper/Ivar has done a complete 180. He now loves and adores my husband. I have become the persona non grata in the house. I feed him, clean his cage and talk to him. I give him a small piece of almond when he doesn’t try to attack me. He’s a little better but he’s just biding his time before his next attack. 😂 He still talks to me and whistles with me. My husband has Ivar with him when in the house otherwise Ivar has a bird tree next to his cage. He is cute and comical. He hears me with the females and now also says, “good girl and good job”.😊

[@jesuswarnedusaboutthem7710]

Hi. How do u get them to stay on your shoulder. Are you afraid they will fly around the car ?

[@ParrotBliss]

When they are tame, they want to be with you and on your shoulder and generally stay by themselves. Do you need to tame yours?

[@jesuswarnedusaboutthem7710]

@@ParrotBliss yes I do. Been working with him tho. How long did it take you to get them to this point ? Thank you !

[@alex8426]

Hi Kalyn, Happy New Year! question, are all male parrotlets will have the blue feather at the back and on the wings no matter what color they are? also what chops do you give to your letts aside from the regular seeds? thanks for the videos.

[@ParrotBliss]

Hi Alex, are you in my FB group, Parrot Bliss Flock? How are your breeders doing? Do you have boxes, are they old enough? Yes, blue means male, regardless of their color. Chop? I give ‘fresh chop’ every day. I don’t keep it in the fridge or freezer for tomorrow to minimize exposure/bacteria. I give them a variety - fresh corn (unsweetened), carrots (shredded), peas (they love these), rice, sweet potato, lettuce, scrambled eggs…

[@jojo1828v]

My one parrotlet is so skinny, I worry about him. He eats all the time too. What can I give him that is healthy but will help bulk him up a little bit?

[@ParrotBliss]

What do you feed him? What does he weigh?

[@nickbailey5201]

When handfeeding larger species how many times a day would u feed hatchling does it differ because they are larger?

[@ParrotBliss]

It doesn’t differ. Smaller parrots wean sooner - Parrotlets in 4 to 5 weeks. Macaws take 3 months (and if you feed them so that you aren’t weaning them quickly, they can want you to feed them to a year or year and a half). In the wild, parents still feed sometimes - less and less, of course. But they don’t just stop on schedule - of course. So, around my house, they get fed until they no longer want me to feed them - which allows a true transition from being hand-fed to doing both to eating on their own. Are you looking at hand-feeding a parrot?

[@nickbailey5201]

@@ParrotBliss very interesting I was thinking maybe larger breeds didn't need as many feeds a day as smaller breeds because they would have larger crops and digestive system but that's good to know I've not hand raised before and am not planning on having any babies anytime soon but I've helped parents feed parrotlets before and helped out a weak baby by handfeeding it as the mother seemed to keep pushing it out the nest that was quite a while ago but I work a couple of jobs so I wouldn't really have time to raise babies myself at this current time but maybe in the future, I have bred many different bird before and let the parents raise them but I do have a brooder I made a while ago and all the necessary equipment if I do decide to ever try but I would only do it if I had a 100 percent confidence as I wouldn't want to lose a bird down to lack of experience, do you handrear your babies

[@martinagupta2324]

Hi Kalyn, i have 4 Parrlets (2 Male and 2 females) since one year! In the evening i can touch 2 of them! But they won‘t get on my finger or on my head. What can i do? I love them so much, but i would be so nice to get more in Touch with them. Sorry my english is not so good ! Thanks for your help!!

[@ParrotBliss]

Hello Martina, your English is fine! How old are your Parrotlets? A year or older? Have you put seeds/treats on your hand and had them come to you?

[@martinagupta2324]

@@ParrotBliss Hallo Kalyn, they are 1 year and 8 Month old! I threyed Seads and nuts, but ist doesn‘t works! I think they have so much to eat in there big cage, so it‘s not interesting ? Do you think i have a chance to get them cuddeling with me ?

[@a_sea_oasis]

@@martinagupta2324 Hello. I have a blue parrotlet. He is a boy with the striking blue marking on his tail and around his eyes. His name is Bijou. He has a colorful cage but he doesn't go inside. My bird is cage free 24/7 in my living room and dining room area. I set up two locations with tall Magnolia branches (real). Bijou loves flying high from tree to tree due to high ceiling. When I get home, my parrotlet greeted me by flying to land on my shoulder or my head. If you have more than one bird, it's likely they will bond with each other. I spent much time playing with my bird. I put seeds in tiny baskets on the branches. Bijou loves treasure hunting and he found all the foods. Also my Bijou likes to play soccer 😊 with colorful balls with bells inside. My parrotlet can speak few words in his high pitch voice: 'Bijou', 'step up baby' and 'water' 😊

[@yesidtac7863]

Jejeje adorables

[@ParrotBliss]

So cute!