This article can be found here. I loved writing this piece because, well, birds are fascinating (they are like tiny dinosaurs!), and it allowed me to spend time with the parrotlet that lives in my home.
Parrotlets – King of the Bird World
A lot of people do not know this but there is a whole world
of bird fanatics out there. They love their birds as much as they love their
children, and dedicate a significant amount of time and money to the cute creatures.
There is a huge array of birds to be obsessed with – from
the huge and colorful macaws to the little pastel parakeets. But one bird rises
above them all, in my humble opinion. The parrotlet. Just like the name leads
you to believe, a parrotlet looks like a miniature parrot. Brightly colored, a
little stocky, and intelligent, this bird is for someone who has plenty of time
and love to share.
This bird is a beauty: bright greens, blues and yellows
characterize the parrotlet, which basically looks like a parrot that has been
shrunk down to six inches so it will fit in your hand. Despite the small size,
the parrotlet has a huge personality – loudly singing out praises or yelling
when upset – and can be trained to do tricks just like a normal sized parrot. You
can even get your parrotlet to talk and repeat phrases for you!A parrotlet looks a bit like a lovebird, and just like
lovebirds these little guys choose mates for life. So if you are thinking about
getting a parrotlet, you may want to get a pair so that the birds can live
happily.
A parrotlet (or pair of parrotlets) needs a pretty big cage
in order to thrive. They tend to hang upside down, perch, hop from side to
side, and fly around the cage doing tricks and flips if space permits. They’ll
also be interested in toys – mineral blocks on rope, things to shred, bars to
hop and hang from. They are very smart birds, so they’ll get bored easily and
may require a lot of toys throughout their lives.
They’ll also want to be engaged frequently. The parrotlet at
our home knows when his owner returns from work and starts yelling for all to
hear! A parrotlet can start repeating if their owner talks enough. Ours says
“be good!” and “bird brain!” with amazing frequency.Engaging your bird is very
important, especially to a smart bird like a parrotlet. They can become
depressed if they do not get enough interaction with their human! Parrotlets
don’t mind being held, and seem to love sitting on shoulders like their big
parrot counterparts. They also fly from finger to finger, if their wings are
not clipped.
Parrotlets eat a ton of food! Even more than some of the
bigger birds. They love whole, real food – fruit, veggies, cooked grains – but
can be happy even with a bagged food diet as long as it is specific to small
birds and has a little bit of everything.
Keep your bird’s cage clean (at least once a week), and
change out the food and water daily!
This bird makes a great pet. They are loving, recognize the
people in their lives, and interact with you.
