How do I or can I tame my pet parrotlet?

Question

I brought home a green rump male parrotlet a few days ago. I did not know this at the time of purchase that the breeder owns a pet shop and has over 150 breeding birds. I assuming that this doesn't give her a lot of time to work with her baby birds since my bird is not tame. My male is not wild but is definitely not tame either. As soon as I put my hand in his cage to take him out and work with him he starts fluttering around and biting me, HARD! My goal is to have an incredibly tame and friendly bird that I can snuggle and play with, get him eating people food with me and being my #1 buddy. I want him to want to be with me and around me. I want to be able to interact with him. Does anyone have any suggestions? I appreciate it!

Answer 1

I answered a similar question regarding parakeets. Parrotlets differ from parakeets in two ways - the bite is considerably harder and their overall size is smaller. You CAN use the same method of taming a parakeet as you can with a parrotlet - just be aware that the bite will hurt a bit more and not to hold it so it can get a particularly sensitive area of your hand - such as the area directly between your fingers and right where your forefinger meets your thumb.

Otherwise, this is the answer I gave for taming a parakeet:

The smaller the cage, the better. You can have a big cage after they are finger tame, but until they learn you are their friend, keep it simple. But having said that, the cage must be large enough to have a door that you can fit your hand through and take the bird out of easily.

Second, remove everything from each cage EXCEPT the food dish, the water dish, the grit dish, the cuttlebone and one perch. No swings, no toys, no mirrors, no treats. The only perch should be low during the training period - as low as the food cups.

If you don't know how to clip the flight feathers of a bird, don't attempt it this time out. Take one of the birds to Petsmart or another pet shop that sells and knows birds and ask that someone there clip ONE WING.

NEVER clip both wings. Birds fly by flapping their wings hard enough to achieve flight. If you clip both wings, the bird will simply flap his wings harder until that is achieved. If only one wing is clipped, the bird cannot flap one wing twice for each flap of the good wing. The only thing he will achieve with one wing clipped is a downward spiral.

Now, once you are at home with your bird, with one clipped wing, the taming will begin. Make sure you are not near a couch or furniture that he can run under and hide. Make a work area in one corner of the room. Sit facing the corner of two walls and block off access to the rest of the room with pillows. Sit on the floor with one of your birds in his cage in front of you.

Take your bird out of the cage and gently hold him. He'll bite you. Expect it and be ready for it. Let him bite you. Yes, it's uncomfortable. It'll feel something like someone pinching your skin with their fingernails. Do not squeeze your bird and NEVER flick his beak when he bites. He's afraid and thinks he is defending himself from harm. If you flick his beak or squeeze him when he bites, you are only going to prove that you are indeed a danger to him - just as he suspected. The bite from a parakeet or parrotlet is not going to kill you, though, so grit your teeth and endure it. When he sees it has no affect on you, he'll stop. DO NOT WEAR GLOVES!

During this time, while he is biting you and trying to escape, you should be talking softly to him, gently petting the top of his head or belly and holding him with only enough pressure to prevent him from wiggling away from you. When the biting stops, open your hand.

Since your bird was only recently clipped, he doesn't know he can't fly. He'll try that method of escape first. That's why you are sitting on the floor. When he finds out he can't fly, he is going to go down like a rock. You shouldn't hold him higher than 6-9 inches above the floor. That way, he isn't likely to break bones when he hits the ground.

He'll scurry away from you. Block his escape by putting your hand in front of him to stop him. He'll turn and go another direction. Again, stop his escape by placing another hand in front of him. Give him no place to go but onto your hand. If he flat won't get onto your hand, give him no option. Place both hands around him - one in front, one in back - creating a circle around him with a curl of your wrists and fingers. If he wants to get away, he has to climb over your hand to do it.

If he wants to just think about it, close in on him, moving your open hands closer to him, letting him see between your fingers but not open enough to let him go between them. When he has no option but to get on your hand to get to the other side, bring the other hand around in front of the hand he is on so that the only place for him to go is onto your other hand.

Don't panic when he reaches for your other hand with an open beak. You should already know that the bite is not going to hurt all that much and he already knows it won't do any good anyway. Also, parakeets use their beaks to help them balance when climbing, so he may not be trying to bite you as much as steadying himself on your hands.

If the bird darts to your wrist and leaps into the air away from your second hand, repeat above process. This is a refresher course that he still can't fly. Be gentle. Be consistent. He's confused and scared and his buddy is shouting directions to him. The goal is to get him to sit calmly on your hand, to see that the hand is not dangerous and that nothing is hurting him.

This may take several attempts. Stay on the floor, never let him out of the training area. Don't consider it a success story as soon as he sits quietly on one finger. Stay low to the floor, keep talking softly to him. Place one hand in front of the other and tilt your hand so that he is on the lowest finger. Birds always want to be as high up as they can - so it is only natural for them to try to get on the upper perch or in this case, on the highest finger.

When he stops trying to flee and is sitting quietly on your finger, attempt to pet him without holding him. It's all going to start over now. He'll try to fly away - again. You are still sitting and holding your hands low to the floor so he won't hurt himself in the fall. If you see he is panting and/or holding his wings slightly away from his body, let him catch his breath. Don't urge him to keep going when he is physically spent or exhausted. This is another show of friendship on your part.

When you have accomplished him feeling somewhat comfortable on your hand, move your hand closer to the cage. Let him get off your hand and sit on top of the cage for a bit. Do not let him go into the cage - just on top of the outside of the cage. Give him one option for leaving the cage - getting on your hand by giving him no alternative. Close your hands around him to insist he get on your hand. He will. And he will see that the hand is not a danger to him.Talk softly to him.

If it takes you more than an hour to get to this point, place some of his bird seeds in your hand and let him have a bite to eat if he wants. That's the start of a friendship - when he will eat on your hand. Not only is your hand not harmful to him, it supplies him with food. All your motions should stop while he is eating. Don't try to get him to get on the other hand or try to pet him. He'll understand you are not an enemy. You have just laid the groundwork for a lasting friendship.

When you are finished with this session, open the cage door with one hand and move the hand the bird is on toward the door. Hold your hand lower than the door opening so he can step up to get back into his home. If he tries to bypass the door and tries to climb up to the top of the cage (very likely at this point), block him with your hand and show him the way back to the open door. He'll go in.

Try to give your bird a special treat - such as a tiny bit of grape or apple - in the food cup after each session.

Do this three or four times a day for the first two or three days. By the fourth day, he should know you are his buddy.

DO NOT use this method with larger parrots like amazons or macaws - unless you think you have too many fingers.

Answer 2

You definitely can.

Leave him in his cage for at least two days so that he can acclimate to his new surroundings. With so many breeder birds, I'm questioning the reputability of this breeder and the health conditions. Regardless of where you got the bird, he should be checked by a certified avian vet within seven days of bringing him home to make sure you got a healthy bird. What I suggest is sitting by him in his cage and talking to him cooing, whistling, and spending time by him. Also, bribery. It's worked for me with taming my lovebirds. Most birds like millet, try to use that as a reward. Failing that, sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, fresh foods, anything you notice he's taken a liking to.
If he's out of the cage, hold your hand out a considerable amount away from him so he doesn't feel threatened, but close enough so that he can conveniently take a step up and be on your hand. Lay the treat on or hold it over your hand so that he notices something's there. If he really wants it, he'll go for it -- eventually. It could take him some time to build up the courage. When he comes to you, say "step up", praise him and give him the treat. Basically follow a similar or the same routine over and over until he gets the hang of it, and you'll be able to tell when that is. Eventually, he'll be so used to just stepping up onto you that he'll forget about the treat and you won't need it to have him come to you anymore.

If he's inside the cage, put your hand in slowly. If he cowers back or flies away, slowly retreat. Do not make any quick or sudden movements that may frighten him and make him even more skittish of hands. If he seems calm, just leave your hand there for maybe half a minute and he'll learn, over time, to be comfortable with your hand near him. You can start putting the same little treats on your hand when you put it inside of the cage and maybe you'll luck out on the "step up" thing there, too.

Keep your head up 'cause it takes a lot of time, patience, and dedication to your bird buddy. Don't give up because with persistence and training, he will be your #1 buddy.

Also, here's a link to a very informative website: http://www.rationalparrot.com It has a page specifically geared towards discouraging biting, and you'll want to have a look at the diet page, too, to make sure you're feeding your bird the right foods to ensure him a long, healthy, happy life.

Answer 3

Don't force your parrotlet to come out of the cage. That just makes its worst. You need to bond with your bird and tame it. My suggestion is put your hand in the cage and don't move it, till it gets use to it. You might want to wear a leather glove so it doesn't hurt if it bites Once its use to your hand being an "object" in the cage you can slowly move around but don't attempt to grab it or move the fingers yet. The bird will grow to understand your not harmful. when it gets use to your hand use a long slender stick an tap it gently a few times on one area of the cage till it come over to that side. Than reward it. remember if you do this training to remove all toys and food an hour before. When the bird starts going where you want it to be going without the fear of your hand open up the cage door. Close all the doors and windows in that room, make sure nothing can harm it before you open the cage door. Than wait. All birds are naturally curious, so eventually it will adventure out, never force it. that just loses the trust with the bird more to the point where it can become aggressive. You can always get one of its favourite toys too and leave it outside the cage so it will want to come out and play with it.