Future Bird???

[Inger]

So I'm on a couple of wait lists for a male blue parrotlet, having heard that while there is no guarantee any bird will talk, males are more likely. I will love Future Bird no matter what, but I think we can all admit talking would be fun.

Now, one of the breeders I'm working with has a female blue, and she's quite lovely, and I googled around some more and find that the male vs. female talking may be a myth or more relevant to budgies and cockatiels. And of course 6000000 reminders that birds may or may not talk regardless.

So - do I change course and get the female? Or wait for a male that hasn't hatched yet and may not? I did ask the breeder if she was willing to let me come do a meet & greet with the little girl - waiting for a response.

Your thoughts/opinions/etc. please.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I hope some Parrotlet people come along. I agree with your expectation that male/female talking issues could be species specific. I do commend your dedication to loving your FB, talking or not! Good luck!

P.S.
Here's one person's opinion...
http://new.caseysbirdcage.com/myths_revealed.htm

 

[itzjbean]

I'm no expert on Parrotlets either, but I think you should go and meet the female if you can You may find that she is exactly the bird you are looking for, and she may choose you!

 

[Inger]

I hope some Parrotlet people come along. I agree with your expectation that male/female talking issues could be species specific. I do commend your dedication to loving your FB, talking or not! Good luck!

P.S.
Here's one person's opinion...
http://new.caseysbirdcage.com/myths_revealed.htm

Thanks! I found that exact article which does sway me. Also makes me feel better about "they're territorial and nippy."


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[Inger]

I'm no expert on Parrotlets either, but I think you should go and meet the female if you can You may find that she is exactly the bird you are looking for, and she may choose you!

The breeder did agree to a meet and greet. Haha I already know what my answer will be if little girl likes me.


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[Teddscau]

My mom had a pair of ill parrotlets a while back, but, as you probably guessed, they died. Anyways, years later, Noah came into my life (this past summer). He hadn't been handled since he was little, was kept in a small cage, was fed a bad diet, his mate had just died, etc. In less than two months, I clicker and target trained him, taught him to step up, fly to me, turn around, touch, "bat bird", and to control his temper and quit nipping. Like most parrots, he was obsessed with trying to chew on my fingers (it wasn't agression, he was just obsessed with putting my fingers in his beak), so my fingers were pretty shredded for about a month. Using the "gentle beak" technique made things worse, so you'll have to see if you future bird responds to that technique, or if s/he'll have to be set down and completely ignored for 1–3 minutes if they keep biting after being asked not to.

The worst thing I found when trying to socialize Noah was his obsession with my fingers, lack of body language (parrotlets have almost non-existant body language, so you have to learn to read their minds to prevent sudden tantrums, rather than relying on their behaviour), and his bad temper. I was very patient with him, and I tried to avoid bites. I'd keep a plastic sandwich bag on hand to crinkle to distract him and make him happy. Parrotlets love the sound of crinkling plastic for some reason, so if a rampaging parrotlet is going after you, crinkle a plastic bag. I personally don't get it, but it's prevented many attacks. He's been working hard to control his temper, so don't think that parrotlets are little terrors who go around trying to rip out people's jugulars. You just have to be very gentle and patient with them when teaching them to control their tempers (punishment, overreacting, etc., will just make them more violent, so try to treat them like a two year old child who isn't capable of controlling their emotions).

As for talking, my little goof can say "pretty bird". He picked it up on his own without any encouragement. If a bird's going to talk, that's the first thing you'll hear them say. If they don't start saying "pretty bird" a month or two after hearing you greet them daily with it, it's unlikely the bird will ever speak (in human), no matter how much you repeat it. Noah is also learning to make more budgie-like vocalizations (he lives with the budgies), and he likes to mimic sneezes and makes that "squeaky clean" sound (you know, when you're washing dishes and they make that squeaking sound). As with other parrotlets, Noah's voice is very soft and he mumbles when he says pretty bird, so most people don't realize he's saying it unless I point it out.

 

[emyoung858]

I'm no expert on Parrotlets either, but I think you should go and meet the female if you can You may find that she is exactly the bird you are looking for, and she may choose you!

I just looked up parrotlets and they are sooo adorable!! I want one!!! Lol in terms of personality is it similar to a parakeet?


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[Inger]

My mom had a pair of ill parrotlets a while back, but, as you probably guessed, they died. Anyways, years later, Noah came into my life (this past summer). He hadn't been handled since he was little, was kept in a small cage, was fed a bad diet, his mate had just died, etc. In less than two months, I clicker and target trained him, taught him to step up, fly to me, turn around, touch, "bat bird", and to control his temper and quit nipping. Like most parrots, he was obsessed with trying to chew on my fingers (it wasn't agression, he was just obsessed with putting my fingers in his beak), so my fingers were pretty shredded for about a month. Using the "gentle beak" technique made things worse, so you'll have to see if you future bird responds to that technique, or if s/he'll have to be set down and completely ignored for 1–3 minutes if they keep biting after being asked not to.

The worst thing I found when trying to socialize Noah was his obsession with my fingers, lack of body language (parrotlets have almost non-existant body language, so you have to learn to read their minds to prevent sudden tantrums, rather than relying on their behaviour), and his bad temper. I was very patient with him, and I tried to avoid bites. I'd keep a plastic sandwich bag on hand to crinkle to distract him and make him happy. Parrotlets love the sound of crinkling plastic for some reason, so if a rampaging parrotlet is going after you, crinkle a plastic bag. I personally don't get it, but it's prevented many attacks. He's been working hard to control his temper, so don't think that parrotlets are little terrors who go around trying to rip out people's jugulars. You just have to be very gentle and patient with them when teaching them to control their tempers (punishment, overreacting, etc., will just make them more violent, so try to treat them like a two year old child who isn't capable of controlling their emotions).

As for talking, my little goof can say "pretty bird". He picked it up on his own without any encouragement. If a bird's going to talk, that's the first thing you'll hear them say. If they don't start saying "pretty bird" a month or two after hearing you greet them daily with it, it's unlikely the bird will ever speak (in human), no matter how much you repeat it. Noah is also learning to make more budgie-like vocalizations (he lives with the budgies), and he likes to mimic sneezes and makes that "squeaky clean" sound (you know, when you're washing dishes and they make that squeaking sound). As with other parrotlets, Noah's voice is very soft and he mumbles when he says pretty bird, so most people don't realize he's saying it unless I point it out.

I've been reading about your adventures with Noah! He sounds delightful. Thanks for all the input [emoji4][emoji4]. Since FB will be coming to me as a baby, we can get started with our bonding and training right off the bat. Are there any videos of Noah?


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[Teddscau]

I just looked up parrotlets and they are sooo adorable!! I want one!!! Lol in terms of personality is it similar to a parakeet?

I find Noah's a lot different from a budgie. If you want a bird who looks like a parrotlet but is more budgie-like in behaviour, I'd recommend a linnie. I find Noah tends to be much more intense. Budgies are easygoing, happy little birds who don't take things too seriously. Further, I find he isn't quite as happy or excited as they are. Compared to them, he tends to be pretty flat. If a budgie gets into a squabble with one of their flockmates, they get over it almost instantly. With Noah, I find that he can hold a grudge against someone for a long time. For the first few months, Noah absolutely hated our 3 lb chihuahua, Abby. The moment he met her, he decided he hated her and was always trying to pick a fight with her. Unfortunately, Abby has a bit of a temper and actually grabbed Noah's tail one day and pulled out a few feathers. I had to watch the two of them like a hawk and try to keep them away from each other, since Noah just wanted to beat her up. I don't think he saw her as a threat or a rival or anything like that. He just wanted to have power over her. Despite what many people think, parrots do not try to dominate or have hierarchies like wolves. They're each part of a flock, with some being more confident (and thus appearing bossy or "dominant", when in reality they just aren't afraid to try to get what they want). However, for the first few months, I found Noah was very confrontational and would pick fights with individuals (dogs, humans, budgies) who weren't threats, rivals, etc.

Again, speaking of grudges, I introduced Noah to the budgies after quarantining him. I knew there was a language barrier and that he was much more aggressive and physically stronger than them, so I was there with him the whole time and only let him interact for less than 5 minutes. They're in an aviary, so he didn't have to be anywhere near them, and I was there for him if he felt nervous. Anyways, not surprisingly, he immediately started chasing them and threatening to bite them. He'd grab their wings and they yell at him to let go, but that only seemed to make him angrier. Anyways, he settled down a bit after a few brief introductions, and he started trying to sort of behave (and not chase them down like an ax murderer). So, he spotted Rumi (she's my little yellow girl, who was really fat until a few months ago), and went over to see her. He raised the feathers on his head and was trying to be sweet. However, he was invading her personal space and was making her uncomfortable, as he'd had her cornered (she's very strong willed, so she's used to getting what she wants). He didn't pick up on her body language, though. She pecked him to tell him to back off a bit, and he totally lost it. She hurt his feelings and he took the peck as an act of aggression and disrespect, so he just started violently attacking her. I rushed over there and separated them immediately, and Noah was really upset and Rumi was scared and in pain. He didn't break the skin or anything, but it was really scary for her (and me, and the other budgies). A parrotlet in rage-mode is terrifying for those on the receiving end.

Honestly, she wasn't being aggressive or anything like that. Budgies use pecking to communicate. They do it when playing, talking to each other, singing, flirting, when they want to take something from another budgie, etc. However, he took a gentle, warning peck as aggression. For more than three months after that, whenever he saw her, he'd go after her, trying to scare and hurt her. Then, one day out of the blue, that aggressive chasing turned into him chasing her so he could try to give her kisses. I don't know, man. He hated her and just wanted to beat her up for months, but now he has the biggest crush on her and tries to steal kisses. She finally quit fleeing in terror a couple of months ago (it wasn't good, because she had a stroke and can't fly, so she fell a lot while trying to escape). He'll give her love pecks and flirt with her, but she just pecks him. However, he thinks she's flirting back when she pecks at him . Anyways, they all get along really well now, and the budgies aren't nervous around him anymore. He'll get into little spats with them every now and then (just like any animal living in a social group), but he's just as gentle as they are during these fights and it's mainly just posturing and body language. If he tries to chase one of them away from some food, but they fight back, he'll usually admit defeat and back off bashfully.

Also, parrotlets are a lot more "parrot-like" than budgies. Their thought process is quite a bit different. When budgies are going about their business, the way they think and react to things is similar to how a finch or a dove might view the world, although you can definitely still tell budgies are parrots by the way they think and react. Noah, however, is a lot more calculated and isn't frightened as easily.


Right, Inger, to you now. Parrotlets are great kids. You have to learn to think like they do to help prevent tantrums or violence, but it's not very hard. But seriously, plastic baggies are your friend. My uncle and his girlfriend came over for supper one day. For some reason (I honestly have no clue why), Noah became furious when he saw her. He was happy one second, then the next his body language and posture completely changed, and he started attacking me out of displaced aggression. Honestly, I hadn't seen him so angry and out of control in months. Anyways, she came over to us and he was about to have a full blown tantrum because he hated her so much, so I had her crinkle a plastic bag. As soon as she did that, his eyes lit up, he got fluffy like a cute little baby, and he was so happy and filled with joy and started doing his cute, happy vocalization. He was giving her little happy playful pecks and everything.

Since you'll be getting yours as a baby, just be aware that when she hits the terrible twos, your life's going to be hell. I never refer to anything as being hell, so you know I'm serious. Odds are, you'll get bitten so many times that it'll look like your hands got in a fight with a garburator.

They're pretty easy to get along with though. Noah can be a pain in the butt and get on my nerves at times, but it's really easy to forgive him. Even if he's just taken a chunk out of me and we ended up having a fight, it's me who's almost in tears afterwards asking for forgiveness . We both feel really bad after having a fight, so we always make up in under five minutes, even if he's just taken a chunk out of my finger during a tantrum. Man, we're both really strong willed, so when I ignore him when he's trying to get attention by poking and pinching my finger, I don't give in until he gets frustrated to the point of making blood come out. At that point, we both lose it.

I haven't actually taken any videos (or pictures, really) of him, but I should. I'm really lazy, so whether or not I post any in this lifetime is up for debate. He's really cute and I'm so glad he's getting along with my mom. He went through this phase where he'd pick fights with her, flying at her face and trying to rip her throat out (thank goodness he isn't a macaw), but now he really likes her. Lately when he sees her, he'll get excited and fly over to her and will show off. He does these fake sneezes and will click back and forth with her and puts on quite the show for her. It's really cute. She's always called him the Devil's spawn (she was the one who wanted to take him in and is obsessed with parrotlets), but he's really started to grow on her. I think the problem was the domestic violence that he directed at me for the first month and a half. That, and the fact that he used to attack her for no reason.

Oh man, I just remembered something the little goof used to do. Mom has this habit of wiggling her big toe around while watching tv or reading a book, so when he'd see her doing it, he'd fly over to her and run over to her big toe and chomp down on it. She'd make this big fuss, despite the fact that I told her not to respond because it would just encourage him. It wasn't his fault, since if you're going to be wiggling your toe around, you're asking for it to be bitten. It annoys the heck out of me, so it isn't surprising that a parrot would want to bite it. For a couple months she had to keep her feet covered with a blanket when Noah was out. He doesn't attack her toes anymore, though.

I know he probably sounds like a menace, but he's actually a really good boy. I haven't even had him a year, yet I can't remember what things were like before he came into my life. We absolutely adore each other. Bonus points for him not having a mate relationship with me. He sees me as a best friend and a caretaker, not a lover. Rumi, on the other hand, at times has to deal with a complicated love quadrangle. Pollo is her mate, and he's absolutely in love with her (she also really loves him, but isn't as outwardly affectionate). Ziggy is a lustful creature who is currently going steady with Lara, but has been pursuing Rumi since day one (although Rumi often tries to beat him up because he's so annoying). Pollo and Ziggy are best frenemies. They're clearly rivals and Ziggy went through this phase which lasted a few months where he'd attack Pollo viciously, flying at him and throwing him to the floor (I actually had to make Ziggy stay in a separate cage on more than one occasion because he was so out of control). Now, Ziggy and Pollo can often be found singing and kissing each other. Add in Noah, and things just get that much more interesting, considering he likes to bully Ziggy. He doesn't hurt him or anything. He just likes to chase him off and scare him a bit. It helps boost his ego (while crushing studly Ziggy's ego).

 

[Inger]

Right, Inger, to you now. Parrotlets are great kids. You have to learn to think like they do to help prevent tantrums or violence, but it's not very hard. But seriously, plastic baggies are your friend. My uncle and his girlfriend came over for supper one day. For some reason (I honestly have no clue why), Noah became furious when he saw her. He was happy one second, then the next his body language and posture completely changed, and he started attacking me out of displaced aggression. Honestly, I hadn't seen him so angry and out of control in months. Anyways, she came over to us and he was about to have a full blown tantrum because he hated her so much, so I had her crinkle a plastic bag. As soon as she did that, his eyes lit up, he got fluffy like a cute little baby, and he was so happy and filled with joy and started doing his cute, happy vocalization. He was giving her little happy playful pecks and everything.

Since you'll be getting yours as a baby, just be aware that when she hits the terrible twos, your life's going to be hell. I never refer to anything as being hell, so you know I'm serious. Odds are, you'll get bitten so many times that it'll look like your hands got in a fight with a garburator.

They're pretty easy to get along with though. Noah can be a pain in the butt and get on my nerves at times, but it's really easy to forgive him. Even if he's just taken a chunk out of me and we ended up having a fight, it's me who's almost in tears afterwards asking for forgiveness . We both feel really bad after having a fight, so we always make up in under five minutes, even if he's just taken a chunk out of my finger during a tantrum. Man, we're both really strong willed, so when I ignore him when he's trying to get attention by poking and pinching my finger, I don't give in until he gets frustrated to the point of making blood come out. At that point, we both lose it.

I haven't actually taken any videos (or pictures, really) of him, but I should. I'm really lazy, so whether or not I post any in this lifetime is up for debate. He's really cute and I'm so glad he's getting along with my mom. He went through this phase where he'd pick fights with her, flying at her face and trying to rip her throat out (thank goodness he isn't a macaw), but now he really likes her. Lately when he sees her, he'll get excited and fly over to her and will show off. He does these fake sneezes and will click back and forth with her and puts on quite the show for her. It's really cute. She's always called him the Devil's spawn (she was the one who wanted to take him in and is obsessed with parrotlets), but he's really started to grow on her. I think the problem was the domestic violence that he directed at me for the first month and a half. That, and the fact that he used to attack her for no reason.

Oh man, I just remembered something the little goof used to do. Mom has this habit of wiggling her big toe around while watching tv or reading a book, so when he'd see her doing it, he'd fly over to her and run over to her big toe and chomp down on it. She'd make this big fuss, despite the fact that I told her not to respond because it would just encourage him. It wasn't his fault, since if you're going to be wiggling your toe around, you're asking for it to be bitten. It annoys the heck out of me, so it isn't surprising that a parrot would want to bite it. For a couple months she had to keep her feet covered with a blanket when Noah was out. He doesn't attack her toes anymore, though.

I know he probably sounds like a menace, but he's actually a really good boy. I haven't even had him a year, yet I can't remember what things were like before he came into my life. We absolutely adore each other. Bonus points for him not having a mate relationship with me. He sees me as a best friend and a caretaker, not a lover. Rumi, on the other hand, at times has to deal with a complicated love quadrangle. Pollo is her mate, and he's absolutely in love with her (she also really loves him, but isn't as outwardly affectionate). Ziggy is a lustful creature who is currently going steady with Lara, but has been pursuing Rumi since day one (although Rumi often tries to beat him up because he's so annoying). Pollo and Ziggy are best frenemies. They're clearly rivals and Ziggy went through this phase which lasted a few months where he'd attack Pollo viciously, flying at him and throwing him to the floor (I actually had to make Ziggy stay in a separate cage on more than one occasion because he was so out of control). Now, Ziggy and Pollo can often be found singing and kissing each other. Add in Noah, and things just get that much more interesting, considering he likes to bully Ziggy. He doesn't hurt him or anything. He just likes to chase him off and scare him a bit. It helps boost his ego (while crushing studly Ziggy's ego).

It's clear from everything you write about Noah that you adore him. And the rest of your flock sounds wildly entertaining! And your mom's toe...well, hahahahahaha! FB will be an only bird, as I'm in a very small apartment.

PLEASE post a pic or video of sweet, sweet Noah!! Future Bird already has her own YouTube channel hahaha!


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