Behavior tip:
Ever heard the expression, "You need your wings clipped!"?
I did not fully understand the wisdom of this statement until I owned birds. Parrotlets are sometimes like unruly teenagers. Their behavior can suddenly become pushy and down right obnoxious, especially if they can fly. One aspect to consider when confronted by this type of behavior is that "clipping" their wings can redefine their attitude. I have seen this happen many times...just be sure in clipping their wings that you clip the fewest number of feathers, usually starting with only four on each wing. After clipping, test your birds flight ability by gently lofting it in the air to observe how it flies. I do suggest conducting this test over a bed for the safety of your pet. If your bird gradually glides to the floor, mission accomplished. If it can indeed fly to a higher elevation you will need to clip additional feathers. This clipping of additional feathers should be done one feather at a time, on each wing, until your bird can glide safely to the floor but not be able to gain altitude. Be sure to "test" the flight ability of your bird after clipping each additional feather on both wings.
Once the feathers are properly clipped, allow your bird to fly away from you and glide to the floor. Stand over him/her for a couple of minutes and then extend you hand down to him/her with the firm "step up" command. You may need to repeat this process several times, but staying patient with the process will net you the ultimate reward of a better "bird attitude". Needless to say, praise needs to be heaped on your baby once you see the desired result.
