HELP! Will this bird ever be tame... (edited)

[pabeth]

I couldn't find a parrotlet locally, so I ordered one from a breeder in LA. He is supposed to be a hand fed pacific parrotlet born early april. I have no real way of confirming this. I'm worried that this bird was not hand fed (or was with little human interaction, then later only surrounded by birds). I know every bird has its own personality, but my other hand fed parrotlet that died, she was aggressive at first too, but only if i stuck my hand in the cage. After a day or two, she was curious about me and would eat from my hand. But this new bird, when I only look into the cage, he goes down to a bottom corner and paces back and forth, then has this death stare and strikes out like a cobra, even using his wings for momentum. I try to hold really still, but then he starts to bite the bottom wires of the cage, as if he was mentally biting me.

I got him friday, so I know it is super soon, but I just can't keep another bird that is not tame. My parakeet is 8 and has never come around to me. She'll eat from my hand and step up, but she's super wild. So I wanted a bird that will be my friend. I can't believe this bird won't even let me look at him from 2 feet away without this kind of reaction....

I wanted to add... that I know there are tons of techniques, i have read on here, that can help, but my thought is that I am not so attached yet, and I want to start with the best case scenario, clearly this is not, but I just don't what the success rate will be on using these techniques. If it is only 50/50, etc. I know people are going to hate me when I say this, but I"m not attached to this bird yet, and the breeder might take him back/ swamp him for a lower- fear/aggression threshold bird.

[Sharon]

It sounds like it's going to require some work. Parrotlets can be nippy, and are prone to cage aggressiveness. They can be nice pets if the required work is done. What other species were you thinking of?

[pabeth]

He's very aggressive and wild! I thought about getting a quaker parrot, but i loved my other parrotlet so much, I wanted to get another one. My big mistake was buying him from out of state online. I didn't see him first, so he is older than I was told and not tame at all. I stopped trying to touch him because he tries to attack me, but I have been just talking with him and trying to get him used to me. He seems happy when I spy on him from the corner, he plays alone. But then when He sees me, he goes to the bottom and openes his mouth warning me he bite!

[lainmai]

Give it time - I stopped trying to tame my own Parrotlet because I was stressing her out but males tend to tame easier. I picked up a male for my female a few months ago (he is 2yo and kept as a breeder bird with no handling) and he has settled in and has much higher tolerance of me so far. I'm looking to potentially try to tame him a bit =)

My female I got at a year old, the breeder worked on her for a few weeks and she could handle her but I didn't like how forceful she was handled so I tried to work with her. Within 3 weeks of trying to tame her she would simply shake like a leaf when I put my hand in her cage with millet in hopes she'd eventually come to eat some. I worked on her a few more weeks before my school started and I had less time. Eventually I just gave up and found her a boyfriend. Since I introduce Minoru to Midori she is much happier, livelier and eats better.

Each bird is different, but I really do think males are easier to tame. I plan to keep a blue boy when they eventually have a clutch and tame him =)

[pabeth]

Thanks. I thought about getting him a girlfriend for later if he doesn't get tamer and then try to have some babies and make them tame. lol. I have another baby parrotlet boy who is so sweet. I'm sitting with him now, hes playing my cell phone, trying to pull up the keys. Every morning I sing "good morning... good morning..." and change out the food and water. The meaner bird still charges at me, but gives up a lot faster than before (yay). I wear glvoes to take him out and let him sit on me. He hides under my chin. He thinks around neck and my chin, that it is not me. He's like hahaha, fooled you. You can't find me. but I am hoping he will get curious and start walking around my arms and stuff and get used to me.