New owner with questions........

[CPinNC]

Hi everyone,
I just brought my new parrotlet home this weekend- he's a 7 wk old green pacific named Beans. I am sooo excited to have him- I've waited almost a year to get one!
I've enjoyed reading about all your birds over the past week or 2, and had a few questions.
How long did your birds take to settle in and start playing with things in their cage? He already has lots of stuff but hasn't touched it, and it's hard not to run right out and buy more! I know he's just a baby, and probably overwhelmed, but I just want him to be happy. And do they really like those rope "boings"? That's about the only thing I haven't bought yet!!
Also, the breeder gave me a supply of his food. It's something called Vita-Keet and he gets a Higgins snack attack mix too. And she's had him on chopped up veggies and apple once a day. I can't get him to eat anything but some millet and the snack mix right now. Do you think it's okay for me to try to get him to eat some birdie bread or kitchen sink type mixture? or is he too young for that? I plan on eventually getting him off the vita-keet and onto a mixture for parrotlets that the local bird store has.
Thanks for your help! I just want to make sure he's getting what he needs to be healthy!

[Tommaso]

Hi CPinNC - Welcome and congratulations on your new parrotlet. My blue Pacific Parrotlet came home to us when he was 8 weeks old when we picked him up from the breeder. The breeder was feeding him vegetables and Volkman's parrotlet food. He wouldn't touch his vegetables at first. I called the breeder and she told me to use a blender and chop it up. Tommaso finally started eating a little bit of his vegetables. Sometimes he plays with it more than eats it, but I'm sure he is getting something out of it. He favors broccoli and carrots. I'm sure Bean will be eating his vegetables soon. He is just getting use to his surroundings and needs to feel comfortable. As far as playing in the cage, it took Tommaso about 2 weeks to start playing with things in his cage. Now that he is almost 15 months old, he plays with everything in his cage. Tommaso loves the boing rope. Of course you have probably already read on this board that it is important that the Parrotlets get 12 hours of sleep. Are you letting him out yet? I had Tommaso coming out of his cage and sitting with me after a couple of days. That's when he slowly started to trust me. Tommaso has turned out to be such a sweet bird. He loves me to give him scritches all the time. I know there are many other people on this board that may have answers for you also.
Morena

[CPinNC]

Thanks for the advice. I have been chopping up his veggies & apple very fine, guess he's just still nervous. Of course, I don't know for sure that he ate them for the breeder either! I guess when he starts moving around more I'll get him a boing rope and see how he likes that. I did take him out this morning- the breeder gave me a training book on how to handle him and some lessons to follow every week. I took him out and held him several times over about an hour while I talked to him and rubbed his head. He didn't bite or get upset but we'll see how he does after work tonight. Your Tomasso is sooo cute!! I enjoyed watching his video the other evening. I need to get my picture CD back. I am still in the dark ages with a 35mm camera but I have a feeling I'll be taking lots of pictures!!
Courtney

[damooster]

Hey Courtney!

Welcome to the board and congratulations on the new addition. Glad you found these forums; the people that frequent here have a ton of information for you and are so helpful.

I'll try to add to what Morena has already said:

1. Bundy (my plet) actually started to explore his cage about an hour after I brought him home but he didn't seem completely comfortable with his surroundings for about a week and a half. Now that he knows the ins and outs of the apartment, everything is his and he will play with anything. He might "attack" it at first but after a few seconds of testing out a new toy he is all over it. I noticed that he loves toys with bells and I highly recommend shredding toys. There's this package you can buy of it where you just cut off a strip and he'll shred it in a few hours. It can get messy but he absolutely loves it. I would not buy new shredding toys often as it can get expensive; these strips are plenty.

2. Millet is a comfort food; no matter how nervous Bundy was, he would immediately eat it if he saw it. Beans will come around to eating more as he gets more comfortable. Bundy didn't eat vegetables at the beginning; now he sits next to me at the table and eats whatever I put on his plate. I would feed Beans what the breeder was feeding him for a weeks as you want him to be as comfortable as possible. Do you know what kind of parrotlet mix that local store has? I order Volkmans and Bundy loves it.

Have you taken him to the vet yet? I highly recommend you do if you haven't. My vet didn't do much (weigh, feel around his body) but she did share a lot of information about diet, exercise and sleep. Your vet might also have some stuff to give you; my vet gave me a first aid kit for Bundy.

Again, welcome to the board and don't hesitate to ask questions.

[Sally]

Right now, you just want him to be happy and start to feel at home. Offer lots of diff. foods, but give the millet and whatever he will eat. Later, as he feels at home, you can worry more later about food.

Are there perches he likes like rope? Bells, swings, wooden beads? Chipper loved her bells right away.

It take some time to feel secure. It can take weeks at least.

Make sure he is getting 12 hours of quiet, dark sleep. Sing to him at night. Chipper loves a nice night night routine. Talk and sing softly.

It all takes time. Parrotlets are WONDERFUL birds! Welcome! You will get lots of help here. We all love to help each other and see photos!

[kristy29]

Hi and welcome.

I would say give him a week or two to get settled before worrying about food. Eating millet for a couple of weeks won't hurt him in the long run. I would leave it in there all day for now, but after a couple of days, start taking it out at night and then a little more each day until you get to the point where it is only a special treat.

He will play with his toys when he feels comfortable. My p-let doesn't play with toys much, he was shredding a small pinata type toy for awhile, but has gone back to ignoring everything. He likes to run around his cage, but he mostly ignores the toys. It doesn't concern me, he is active and he sings to me and seems happy.

And yes, sleep is extremely important. You may have read me say this before, but I'll say it again. I wasn't covering Paulie and he wasn't getting very much sleep, and he would just sit in his cage and barely move. When I came on here and mentioned it Cindy suggested I give him more sleep, so I did and bam, instant new bird, lol. He is now a happy, cheerful little monster, and I love him to pieces.

Good luck with your new baby, and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

[CPinNC]

Thanks everyone, I feel better after reading about other peoples experiences! I was worried about his eating, but he is tearing into that millet quite frequently. I think I will start taking it out in the evening- maybe that will stimulate him to start exploring for food more. The breeder gave me the little crocks he's used to eating out of, so I have those on the cage floor with food in them.
Damooster, thanks for the Volkman food suggestion and the shredding stuff. I've seen the roll of shredding stuff and I'll have to see what kind of Parrotlet mix the local birdstore sells. And I have a vet appt this weekend for Beans. We have a tiel also, so I want to make sure he's healthy before they meet.
Sally- your chipper looks like a little sweetie! I have been covering Beans up from about 8pm to 8am. Plus we are out of the house all day, so he has quiet. He likes he's rope perches, I'm going to try out a "boing" soon, and sometimes uses the branches I got him. He hasn't played with his bells, but sleeps with his head almost in one!
Kristy- thanks for your advice too. I think I will take the millet out at night, and in the mornings start decreasing it a little bit every day. I guess I thought he'd jump right in on the toys! Our tiel is not one to play so I really wanted a bird that does, but I love him already either way!
Thanks for your time everyone. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!
Courtney

[icechestlake]

Hi: My name is Lori and I have a new parrotlet also. His name is Merlin. All the information suggested to you in the previous postings is so true and you could never get such good advice as you will receive from your friends on this BB. I am new to it all and just finding my way....but the helpful advice I have received from everyone has helped Merlin settle in quite nicely. Those first few days/weeks are so important. We want our new friends to start off on the right foot (or feet..ha ha). Merlin loves his boing and is just starting to nose arounds his swings. He also has a boing on his play gym. I ordered him another toy that Sally has for her bird. It is called an atom and looks so cool. It is a round circle with a strip across the middle. Your bird can sit, climb and discover all kinds of fun things to do on it. It also has blocks.

Best of luck.

Lori.

[icechestlake]

p.s. My signature picture is Merlin sitting on my son Jesse's shoulder....that is not me. LOL

[Sally]

Here is the atom toy. It is lots of fun. She adores it! From Dr. Foster's and Smith. I added the bells in the middle.