Parrotlets, all about them.

Feeding Parrotlets

Parrots are not finicky eaters at all and most will try what ever is put in front of them. My self I feed a good quality Parrot mix and also a grass parakeet/lovebird mix, they get this daily to which I also add some vegetables. The vegetables I give them are broccoli baby sweet corn and apple, they are also given a parakeet soak mix and a bowl of egg food to which I add some dried fruit and vegetables. They will also need to have a cuttle bone and a mineral block in their cage

Parrotlets and toys

What can I say about Parrotlets and toys, apart from the fact that they love playing either by themselves or in pairs. Most Parrot toys are suitable for Parrotlets, from the smallest to the largest toy. As long as they have something to bang or bash or even better something that they can destroy, they will spend hours just playing around with them. Mine particularly like toys that they can chew and break, anything from waffle balls to lolly sticks. One of the best things is perches that they can chew and bite, you can make them out of most trees that you find, but it would be best to do Google search first just to make sure they are suitable.

Housing

Parrotlets being lively birds do need quite a lot of room to move about in, so most people would suggest a large cage for them to live in. I would also suggest that you buy the best you can afford, it might seem to be a lot of money just for a small Parrot but they can live for 20 plus years, so the cage has to last a long time. Try and buy a cage that is wider than it is tall, as they do tend to like to fly side to side rather than up and down. The next most important thing is the distance between the cage bars, this should be no more than 15mm / 3/4inch, any larger and they could get their head stuck.

Out fit the cage with lots of perches going back to front in the cage rather than length ways, and I always try to keep the centre of the cage clear of any hanging toys or perches so that they have somewhere they can have a mad five minutes or so, flying back and forth. Most of the larger cages come with a grill in the bottom, some people like to remove this, I would advise that you leave it in place this will stop them playing or forging in their own waste. Most people ask what to put in the bottom of the cage, I use newspaper as a lot of people do its cheap and real easy to get rid of. Make sure you also have plenty of food dishes in the cage I have four large bowls, a quarter filled and also one other small bowl for treats. They will also need a water dish or fountain, make sure this is always filled with clean water every day.

Where are they from

Peru and ecuador

Parrotlets come from South America, particularly from western Ecuador down to north-western Peru, this area borders the Pacific Ocean. The land is made up from desert scrub to lowland woodland through to deciduous forest.

They are normaly seen in small family groups, but later in the year they form larger groups made up of many different familys.In the wild they feed mainly on fuits, seeds and small insects.