Although Celestial parrotlets are very tiny (around 5" or 12cm from head to tip of tail), they have personalities and needs very similar to those of the larger parrot species. They are active and intelligent little birds that enjoy to fly, play and forage. In the wild they tend to live in small flocks apart from during the breeding season when they pair off.
They are one of the quietest parrot species and so are generally suitable for apartment living. Although they are not normally loud, they can however make quite painfull high pitched calls when excited or alarmed. More often than not, they will be quiet or make cute peeping noises. Celestial parrotlets can sometimes learn to say a few words in a very cute, high pitched voice. The males are more likely to learn how to talk than females.
Please do be aware that parrotlets need proper care and attention to stay healthy and happy, they live up to 20 years old (10 -18 is more likely) so can be a long term commitment. Unlike dogs, they have only been kept as pets for a few decades so do not have the advantage of thousands of generations of selective breeding for tameness. Therefore they require the ability to carry out their natural instincts in a home environment (ie, room to fly, toys to chew, foraging toys) and they will sometimes bite. However if you continue to bring up your baby parrotlet carefully, it should not bite often.
Due to their small size and feisty nature, I would not recommend parrotlets to people who have young children, unless the children and parrotlets will be separate most of the time and any interactions will be closely supervised.
They are one of the quietest parrot species and so are generally suitable for apartment living. Although they are not normally loud, they can however make quite painfull high pitched calls when excited or alarmed. More often than not, they will be quiet or make cute peeping noises. Celestial parrotlets can sometimes learn to say a few words in a very cute, high pitched voice. The males are more likely to learn how to talk than females.
Please do be aware that parrotlets need proper care and attention to stay healthy and happy, they live up to 20 years old (10 -18 is more likely) so can be a long term commitment. Unlike dogs, they have only been kept as pets for a few decades so do not have the advantage of thousands of generations of selective breeding for tameness. Therefore they require the ability to carry out their natural instincts in a home environment (ie, room to fly, toys to chew, foraging toys) and they will sometimes bite. However if you continue to bring up your baby parrotlet carefully, it should not bite often.
Due to their small size and feisty nature, I would not recommend parrotlets to people who have young children, unless the children and parrotlets will be separate most of the time and any interactions will be closely supervised.
Company
Due to their social nature parrotlets need to have some company, either provided by humans or by other small birds. Parrotlets can be successfully kept as single birds and can cope while left alone during normal working hours but since they are seldom alone in the wild, are probably happiest if caged in the same room as another parrot, such as a budgie. To successfully keep a lone parrotlet they will require plenty of toys to entertain them during the day and at least two hours daily of out-of-cage time with human company. Many people will leave the radio on for their parrot. Parrotlets are not suited to being kept in mixed species cages and it is even advised to keep non-paired parrotlets in separate cages. However, they can happily live next to other parrotlets and other species such as budgies and may even become friendly with them. A parrotlet will enjoy having another bird to call to, even if it does not want to be friends with it. Out of cage time with other birds should be closely supervised as parrotlets have large beaks for their size so could injure a budgie or get themselves injured by a larger bird.
Due to their social nature parrotlets need to have some company, either provided by humans or by other small birds. Parrotlets can be successfully kept as single birds and can cope while left alone during normal working hours but since they are seldom alone in the wild, are probably happiest if caged in the same room as another parrot, such as a budgie. To successfully keep a lone parrotlet they will require plenty of toys to entertain them during the day and at least two hours daily of out-of-cage time with human company. Many people will leave the radio on for their parrot. Parrotlets are not suited to being kept in mixed species cages and it is even advised to keep non-paired parrotlets in separate cages. However, they can happily live next to other parrotlets and other species such as budgies and may even become friendly with them. A parrotlet will enjoy having another bird to call to, even if it does not want to be friends with it. Out of cage time with other birds should be closely supervised as parrotlets have large beaks for their size so could injure a budgie or get themselves injured by a larger bird.
Caging
Parrotlets need a fairly large cage with bar spacing of no more than 1/2" (1.3cm) so that they can't get their head's stuck between the bars. I would suggest a minimum size of 18" (45cm) deep by 24" (60cm) high and 24" (60cm) wide.
They will require a variety of different perches varying in diameter from around 1/2" (1.3cm) up to 1"(2.5cm) Perches that vary in width are important, so that they do not get sores on their feet from being in the same position all the time. A pedi-perch is also useful to help to keep their nails from getting too long. It is good to arrange perches and toys in such a way that a clear flying space is left across the length of the cage. The below picture shows one of my cages where the front half of the cage is an open space for flying between the two hazel branch perches. All of the toys are either on the back or sides and the perches attached to the back don't extend beyond half way across the width of the cage.
Newspaper is the best substrate to use in the bottom of the cage. It's cheap and doesn't grow mold in the way that wood chips and other substrates do. If you put several layers of newspaper in the bottom of the cage, you can then remove one layer a day, keeping the cage floor clean with minimal effort. Once a week the whole cage needs to be cleaned to help to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. You can use specialist cleaning supplies or use white vinegar (can be pure or diluted with some water) and then rinse with clean water.
Parrotlets enjoy having a variety of toys including ones made with wood, paper, palm leaves, cuttlefish etc. which they can chew on. They also tend to enjoy swings and bells. Toys that encourage foraging behaviour are excellent for fending off boredom in pet parrots. I would not recommend mirrors for parrotlets as they can become over bonded or aggressive with their own reflection! When choosing toys for parrots it is important to consider their safety. There is detailed information online on toy safety. In summary, metal parts should be made from stainless steel, the toy should hang from a quick link, rather than any sort of clip, and rope or fabric should be avoided if it is made from fine fibres such as cotton. This is because small parrots can accidentally injest tiny fibres which can build up in their insides and lead to death. Course fibres such as coconut coir should be safer. I personally don't leave any sort of rope toys in my parrot cages, when I will be out of the house, as they can chew the toys and get limbs or even heads stuck leading to injury or even death. I use vegetable tanned leather strips for most of my toys.
Pieces of natural branch can make excellent perches or chew toys. All of my birds love a piece of hawthorn branch along with leaves and berries. There are various safe plant lists available but a few examples are apple, hawthorn, rowan, willow/sallow, ash, bamboo and hazel. Make sure to clean the branches before use and avoid anything that has bird droppings on it.
Parrotlets need a fairly large cage with bar spacing of no more than 1/2" (1.3cm) so that they can't get their head's stuck between the bars. I would suggest a minimum size of 18" (45cm) deep by 24" (60cm) high and 24" (60cm) wide.
They will require a variety of different perches varying in diameter from around 1/2" (1.3cm) up to 1"(2.5cm) Perches that vary in width are important, so that they do not get sores on their feet from being in the same position all the time. A pedi-perch is also useful to help to keep their nails from getting too long. It is good to arrange perches and toys in such a way that a clear flying space is left across the length of the cage. The below picture shows one of my cages where the front half of the cage is an open space for flying between the two hazel branch perches. All of the toys are either on the back or sides and the perches attached to the back don't extend beyond half way across the width of the cage.
Newspaper is the best substrate to use in the bottom of the cage. It's cheap and doesn't grow mold in the way that wood chips and other substrates do. If you put several layers of newspaper in the bottom of the cage, you can then remove one layer a day, keeping the cage floor clean with minimal effort. Once a week the whole cage needs to be cleaned to help to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. You can use specialist cleaning supplies or use white vinegar (can be pure or diluted with some water) and then rinse with clean water.
Parrotlets enjoy having a variety of toys including ones made with wood, paper, palm leaves, cuttlefish etc. which they can chew on. They also tend to enjoy swings and bells. Toys that encourage foraging behaviour are excellent for fending off boredom in pet parrots. I would not recommend mirrors for parrotlets as they can become over bonded or aggressive with their own reflection! When choosing toys for parrots it is important to consider their safety. There is detailed information online on toy safety. In summary, metal parts should be made from stainless steel, the toy should hang from a quick link, rather than any sort of clip, and rope or fabric should be avoided if it is made from fine fibres such as cotton. This is because small parrots can accidentally injest tiny fibres which can build up in their insides and lead to death. Course fibres such as coconut coir should be safer. I personally don't leave any sort of rope toys in my parrot cages, when I will be out of the house, as they can chew the toys and get limbs or even heads stuck leading to injury or even death. I use vegetable tanned leather strips for most of my toys.
Pieces of natural branch can make excellent perches or chew toys. All of my birds love a piece of hawthorn branch along with leaves and berries. There are various safe plant lists available but a few examples are apple, hawthorn, rowan, willow/sallow, ash, bamboo and hazel. Make sure to clean the branches before use and avoid anything that has bird droppings on it.
Diet
In the wild parrotlets eat a mixture of fruit and nuts but we don't have these exotic foods available so must approximate the correct diet for our pets. In recent years pet food manufacturers have created a new type of pelleted parrot food. These have a good balance of nutrients for your bird.
Parrotlets also enjoy having some seeds in their diet as well as some fruit and vegetables such as carrot, broccoli, kale, cooked sweet potato, peas, cooked lentils, apple, hawthorn berries, rowan berries and sweet peppers. Fruit and vegetables that are dark green or orange (apart from oranges!) are particularly good as they are high in vitamin A. It is also advised to supplement the diet with calcium and vitamin D3 (I use Calcivet drops).
Be sure to avoid foods that are poisonous to parrots, such as chocolate and avocado, and foods that are very high in salt or fat. Raw onion and garlic and potato are also best avoided.
Parrotlets will need access to clean water, both for drinking and for bathing so I recommend providing two water containers. That way if they make one dirty then they'll still have clean drinking water available. Water and food dishes should be washed at least once a day.
When they are not breeding I feed some of my parrotlets on 40% Nutribird B18 pellets, 30% good quality cockatiel/lovebird seed and 30% fruit and vegetables (including a vegetable mash made from cooked lentils (rinse in a sieve after cooking to wash away toxins), cooked quinoa, cooked sweet potato, lightly cooked carrot, cooked porridge oats and anything else suitable I have to hand, using a ratio of 1 part pulses (lentils) to 2 parts grains and vegetables). When the birds are moulting I give twice weekly supplements of bee pollen. Twice a week I give Calcivet drops (1-2 drops per bird) and vitamin powder on their wet food.
Other pairs of mine won't eat pellets yet so I feed them more of the vegetable mash and seed instead, with extra vitamins added.
Make sure that you don’t feed too much protein because this can bring on breeding condition and if this is maintained all year, it can actually lead to physical pain for a parrotlet due to enlargement of the gonads.
Once or twice a week I will give my parrotlets some soaked/ germinated seed because it’s healthier than regular seed. There are various sets of instruction for this online. My method is to leave the seeds overnight (12 hours) in about 300ml of water with approx 1tsp of thin bleach added. I then put the seeds in a sieve sitting over a jug in a dark cupboard, and rinse them well with water every couple of hours until either some of them are splitting open or it gets to 5pm and I need to give them to the birds or they won’t get eaten. The bleach and regular rinses are required or the seed will go mouldy.
Here are some good links for safe foods and further diet information http://www.northernparrots.com/what-can-i-feed-my-parrot-part-1-blog117/
http://www.northernparrots.com/what-can-i-feed-my-parrot-part-2-blog122/
Here's a link that talks about unsafe foods in more detail http://www.northernparrots.com/what-cant-i-feed-my-parrot-blog124/
General care
Parrotlets need between 10-12 hours of sleep so either cover their cage with a dark cloth or if they have their own room then the lights can just be turned off. If you have a hen then if she looks like she’s getting broody, up her sleep to 13-14 hours, remove anything that looks like a nest hole and make sure that she can get enough calcium and vitamin d3 so that if she does lay eggs, she will not become egg bound. Leave any eggs (boil if they might be fertile) with her until she abandons them or she’ll just lay more.
Only stroke your parrotlet on its head. It’s good to get the used to brief touching or holding of other areas but stroking down the back or wings will encourage breeding behaviour. Parrotlets are often shy of stroking/scritches at first so wait for them to get used to you. Once they are used to you then when they’re feeling sleepy, slowly move your finger towards the side of their head and try gently scratching near the neck. You can tell if they are enjoying it because they fluff up and look all adorable as they turn their head to suggest where you scritch next.
Parrots are generally comfortable at the temperatures suitable to humans and can cope with cool temperatures quite well if slowly acclimatised to them. If you need to take your parrotlet outside in winter then cover its carrying cage with a cloth to help keep it warm.
Watch out for signs of disease in your bird. Unfortunately, birds tend to try to hide signs of illness so owners have to be very vigilant. Signs to watch out for are any sudden changes in behaviour, sitting fluffed up on the perch, reduced appetite, any discharge from the nostrils or any unusual changes in the poo. Just be aware that feeding different food can affect what comes out of your parrotlet's posterior so if you feed it some pomegranate and its next few poos are more liquid than usual, don't panic! If you do think that your bird might be ill, it’s better to be safe than sorry and to take it to an avian vet.
Training
Even though parrotlets are small, they are quite intelligent and can be trained to do tricks. I recommend that once your parrotlet has learnt the basics (step up/down and recall), you do some trick training with your parrotlet. Trick training is a form of enrichment that helps to keep parrots happy and makes them use their brain. It also comes in useful as a means of distraction from hormonal or naughty behaviour.
Your baby will already have had some practice 'stepping up' on to a finger and 'stepping down again' but it is always good to practise this and give treats (millet spray works well as a treat) for a few weeks. Using positive re-enforcement is the key to training parrots, the only punishment used should be to ignore them or put them down somewhere. The basics of positive-reinforcement is rewarding an animal when it does something that you like. For example when a parrot steps onto your arm you say “good bird” and give it a treat. When training a parrot, it is good to find out what its favourite food is and then only offer that food as a reward when training.
Parrotlets tend to be quite nippy and require consistent training to prevent them from getting into the habitat of biting. If your baby starts to nibble you then distract them with a toy or piece of card/paper. If they start to bite, for instance because they don't want to be put down, then gently push into the bite, say 'no' and put them down somewhere safe and ignore them for a minute or two. Some people advise not reacting at all when a parrot decides to bite you but this is both difficult and confusing for the parrot. I’ve never seen a parrot sit there and not react when another parrot has bitten it!
Your parrotlet can also be distracted from nipping or biting if you ask it to do a simple trick that you’ve already taught it. For example, when my Senegal parrot is getting overexcited about something and starting to nip, I’ll ask him to wave and this helps to distract him.
You can also train your parrotlet to understand the command 'gentle.' I start them off with this training while they're with me. Touch their beak gently with a finger while saying gentle and occasionally give praise (and sometimes a treat). The parrotlet will eventually learn to gently touch your finger when you say gentle, when they start to do that, praise them. Keep practising and you can use the command when your bird becomes too rough.
It is also helpful to train your bird to step on and off a small stick. This can then be used as a replacement finger if they are being grumpy or cage territorial.
Recall (getting the bird to fly to you) is another essential to train. Teach this by holding a favourite treat next to an extended finger and calling the parrotlet, then praising and rewarding when it comes to you. Start off very close to the parrotlet so that it just has to hop across and then slowly make the gap bigger. After training recall, you can train your parrotlet to fly to a perch (using a similar method of training I usually start off touching the perch and holding a treat) which can be used with recall to help to exercise your parrotlet and reduce its chances of having the energy to bite if it’s being nippy.
http://trainedparrot.com/ is a good source of training information but you can ignore the parts about a 'training diet' and you can just say something like 'good' rather than having to use a clicker.
Wing clipping
Many parrot related websites are based in America and may have very backward views related to wing clipping. Just ignore any advice that they give and keep your bird flighted, it's important for its health and happiness.
Other pets
I mentioned parrotlets and other birds earlier but it is also important to consider other pets. If you have cats or dogs then never let your parrotlet out of the cage when they are in the room. No predator can ever be trusted with a small bird. There are pathogens in the saliva and on the claws of dogs and cats that are quite deadly to birds so that even a small scratch can be fatal.
Household Dangers
Teflon coated pans, self cleaning ovens etc. can create poisonous fumes, if overheated, that can kill birds. Candles, incense sticks, air freshener, some cleaning products and other similar things should not be used in the same room as parrots because they create particles in the air which can damage delicate bird breathing systems. Don't ever let anybody smoke in the same room as your parrotlet.
When your parrotlet is playing outside its cage make sure that you keep an eye on it as they can disappear under cushions or behind bookcases if you are not careful. They will also sometime decide to wander about on the floor so make sure that you don’t step on them. It seems obvious but a tiny, quiet bird can be easy not to notice if it’s under a cushion or on the carpet next to a door.
Windows and mirrors. These both have potential to be a hazard for a flying bird so when you first get your parrotlet it is best to cover them up. Net curtains are perfect for making windows safe. I have found that it is possible to teach parrots what they can't fly through. I do this by holding them and touching their heads to the window and even releasing them and letting them flutter against the glass. I then let them fly around as normal but with the curtains mostly closed. Over time I slowly open the curtains more. Another method is to stick diagonal lines of masking tape to windows until the parrotlets learn what they are.
When you first bring your baby bird home
Your baby parrotlet will probably be feeling a bit anxious about the change of scenery so it is best to carefully decant them from their carrier into their new cage and leave them to settle in for a few hours. Provide them with a good supply of food, including more seed than usual, give them a piece of millet spray as it will help to encourage them to eat. After several hours, spend some time next to its cage, just talking to it and offer it some treats.
Keep millet readily available in the cage for at least a week before changing the diet to something healthier. Parrotlets can be reticent about eating healthy food such as vegetables and pellets but keep on offering them and eventually they get the idea. It can also help to offer only the healthy food for a couple of hours in the morning when the bird is hungry, then give it the rest of its food so that it doesn’t starve. This method might help to encourage the eating of new vegetables or pellets. Another thing to try is to eat, or pretend to eat, the food in front of your parrotlet. If you like it then they often decide that they need to try it as well!
Depending on the individual parrotlet you might have to spend several days letting it get to know you before they will happily step up and start to play. Be prepared to retrieve your new parrotlet from high places in the room! Your life will get easier as the bird gets to know you and if you teach it to ‘recall’ to you.
Teflon coated pans, self cleaning ovens etc. can create poisonous fumes, if overheated, that can kill birds. Candles, incense sticks, air freshener, some cleaning products and other similar things should not be used in the same room as parrots because they create particles in the air which can damage delicate bird breathing systems. Don't ever let anybody smoke in the same room as your parrotlet.
When your parrotlet is playing outside its cage make sure that you keep an eye on it as they can disappear under cushions or behind bookcases if you are not careful. They will also sometime decide to wander about on the floor so make sure that you don’t step on them. It seems obvious but a tiny, quiet bird can be easy not to notice if it’s under a cushion or on the carpet next to a door.
Windows and mirrors. These both have potential to be a hazard for a flying bird so when you first get your parrotlet it is best to cover them up. Net curtains are perfect for making windows safe. I have found that it is possible to teach parrots what they can't fly through. I do this by holding them and touching their heads to the window and even releasing them and letting them flutter against the glass. I then let them fly around as normal but with the curtains mostly closed. Over time I slowly open the curtains more. Another method is to stick diagonal lines of masking tape to windows until the parrotlets learn what they are.
When you first bring your baby bird home
Your baby parrotlet will probably be feeling a bit anxious about the change of scenery so it is best to carefully decant them from their carrier into their new cage and leave them to settle in for a few hours. Provide them with a good supply of food, including more seed than usual, give them a piece of millet spray as it will help to encourage them to eat. After several hours, spend some time next to its cage, just talking to it and offer it some treats.
Keep millet readily available in the cage for at least a week before changing the diet to something healthier. Parrotlets can be reticent about eating healthy food such as vegetables and pellets but keep on offering them and eventually they get the idea. It can also help to offer only the healthy food for a couple of hours in the morning when the bird is hungry, then give it the rest of its food so that it doesn’t starve. This method might help to encourage the eating of new vegetables or pellets. Another thing to try is to eat, or pretend to eat, the food in front of your parrotlet. If you like it then they often decide that they need to try it as well!
Depending on the individual parrotlet you might have to spend several days letting it get to know you before they will happily step up and start to play. Be prepared to retrieve your new parrotlet from high places in the room! Your life will get easier as the bird gets to know you and if you teach it to ‘recall’ to you.