Can a non-hand fed parrotlet be tamed?

[antkon]

Hello everyone, I want to buy a parrotlet. I tried searching for hand fed ones but unfortunately this period they only have parrot fed ones. My question is, can a parrotlet that has not been hand fed be tamed? Talking about parrotlets that are about 2-3 months old so they can eat on their own. Does anyone have any experience on this topic?

 

[wrench13]

Absolutely possible. May take a bit of extra effort and time but parent reared is actually a good thing, in that the birds have been fed by mom and dad, and hopefully have been allowed to fully fledge and gain flight. Make sure they have been fully weaned onto solid foods, as you do NOT want to start hand feeding if you've no experience doing that.

 

[hiriki]

Any bird species has the potential to be tamed at any point in their life cycle, it's just a matter of the individual in question, and the difficulty... on the difficulty scale, you're talking about a juvenile bird, and that's hands down the best and easiest time to tame. Yes, a bird that hasn't been socialized yet is going to be more difficult than a bird hand-fed as a baby, but for reasons wrench13 mentioned, it's often preferable to get a parrot raised by parents with a clutch of siblings. I certainly don't think you should rule it out!

Just remember that this parrotlet is a bird, not a person, and this applies even moreso because they were raised by birds... this baby has no confusion about what they are compared to you, a predator animal! So you need to respect boundaries above all. Never force interaction in a way that makes the bird uncomfortable, and always offer positive reinforcement treats when the bird is with you and choosing to interact. Bird trust is hard earned and easily lost.

 

[antkon]

Absolutely possible. May take a bit of extra effort and time but parent reared is actually a good thing, in that the birds have been fed by mom and dad, and hopefully have been allowed to fully fledge and gain flight. Make sure they have been fully weaned onto solid foods, as you do NOT want to start hand feeding if you've no experience doing that.

This is exactly my fear. I wouldn't want to risk the parrot's health due to my inexperience.

 

[antkon]

Any bird species has the potential to be tamed at any point in their life cycle, it's just a matter of the individual in question, and the difficulty... on the difficulty scale, you're talking about a juvenile bird, and that's hands down the best and easiest time to tame. Yes, a bird that hasn't been socialized yet is going to be more difficult than a bird hand-fed as a baby, but for reasons wrench13 mentioned, it's often preferable to get a parrot raised by parents with a clutch of siblings. I certainly don't think you should rule it out!

Just remember that this parrotlet is a bird, not a person, and this applies even moreso because they were raised by birds... this baby has no confusion about what they are compared to you, a predator animal! So you need to respect boundaries above all. Never force interaction in a way that makes the bird uncomfortable, and always offer positive reinforcement treats when the bird is with you and choosing to interact. Bird trust is hard earned and easily lost.

Thank you for your reply. I even ordered a book specifically for parrotlets (it's still on it's way).

 

[Free as a bird]

Its possible but I think failure is more probable in trying to tame a parrot that wasn't hand raised. You might have some success but not as much as you would with a hand raised parrot.

 

[wrench13]

Despite friend Free As A Bird's opinion, taming a parent reared youngling is certainly do-able. Happens all the time. Now if this parrot was say 4 or 5 years old and cage bound the entire time, THAT is a whole nuther kettle of fish. And even then, with patience and understanding, a dedicated aviculturist can succeed. Read the thread here, about a 40+ yr old grey, cage bound the whole time - he has been opening up like a flower for his new owner.

read me

I gotta warn you, a lot of publish info on parrots is sometimes very outdated, and may only be based on anecdotal information. Parrotlets are basically miniature Amazons, and have much of their personalities. Big birds in tiny bodies. utterly fearless most times. Gets them into trouble sometimes. Stubborn. But they are all parrot, trust me.

 

[Inger]

My Parrotlet, Bumble, came to me hand fed and tame (I have since learned earned that these things are not the same), so I don't have any personal experience. However, I have no doubt that if you get a youngster, with a little effort you'll be able to tame them. There are great threads here about bonding and building trust, and check out Wrench's thread on Salty and how he's trained him. Parrotlets are super smart and will pick up tricks in a lot less time than you'd expect.

Parrotlets are *generally* weaned by 8 weeks (Bumble came home at 7 - she was weaned at 6 and the breeder kept her another week to make certain), so if you're looking at one 2-3 months old you should be good, but ask lots of questions of the breeder.

And when you get your baby post some pics for us!!

 

[00089]

Hello everyone, I want to buy a parrotlet. I tried searching for hand fed ones but unfortunately this period they only have parrot fed ones. My question is, can a parrotlet that has not been hand fed be tamed? Talking about parrotlets that are about 2-3 months old so they can eat on their own. Does anyone have any experience on this topic?

Not only are non handfed parrots able to be tamed at any point, other birds are as well.

Even a canary or other softbills can be tamed with enough effort. It's about the effort and patience of the owner.

I have tamed a fully fledged canary that was afraid of hands.

 

[Bird Mann]

Hello everyone, I want to buy a parrotlet. I tried searching for hand fed ones but unfortunately this period they only have parrot fed ones. My question is, can a parrotlet that has not been hand fed be tamed? Talking about parrotlets that are about 2-3 months old so they can eat on their own. Does anyone have any experience on this topic?

I do, I adopted a bonded pair of unknown age, I figure 3-4 yrs. I was told they were parent raised and not to expect much from them, the fellow that sold them to me was upfront with that, he said hand fed babies are what most people want for a cuddly pet. From my experience training, I know the best thing you can do to start out getting to know each other is to have a schedule, so the bird can predict what is going to happen next., this is very comforting for the bird or animal. Be very positive they feel your vibes. Observe their favorite treat/food and use that so the bird sees you as a very good thing. Be very patient., these birds can nip pretty hard - they will test you so be prepared and don't over react but better don't give them the chance always set up for success, small steps and tons of patience. They are really smart! If your bird is treat driven it will be
much easier to train. My guys are older, so maybe a young bird
will be easier and faster I don't know.

Best,
Laurie Opie & Bun bun

 

[LoveMyFids]

This is exactly my fear. I wouldn't want to risk the parrot's health due to my inexperience.

If you're really concerned about that, I would say just wait until you can get a handfed one. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding one somewhere & baby season is upon us now.