Our Aviary
We are a small aviary located in Nampa, Idaho, specializing in physically and psychologically healthy parrotlets. My journey with parrotlets began in November 2010 with a single pair of parrotlets. Today, I have between 12 and 16 pairs at one time (not including chicks). My lines are a blend from California, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Florida. Recently, I have incorporated birds from Tom Chan and Barbara Pruitt into the aviary. I keep detailed records of my pairings and their offspring.
In an effort to produce healthy adult birds, I have transitioned from hand-feeding to co-parenting. This means that I spend time holding, socializing, and training chicks - but that I leave feeding and weaning up to the parent birds. There is limited research on parrotlets in regards to critical growth periods; however, studies have been completed with Monk Parakeets and Budgeriars on differences in parent-weaned birds and hand-fed birds. A study by Petzinger, Heatley, and Bauer stated that "While the established methods [of hand-feeding] result in the birds living to adulthood, they may lead to detrimental phenotypic effects in adults or excess body fat in weanlings. Many chronic, progressive inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, are linked to excess body fat. To help improve bird health, it is important to determine the energy requirements of adult and growing birds of many species and to ensure public access to this information" (2015). In other words, breeders don't have enough information at their disposal to ensure that our current handfeeding methods (and formulas) are producing healthy adult birds. The best we can do is to consult with an avian veterinarian and formulate a diet specific to the needs of our birds.
My birds are banded and weaned onto a variety of fresh, high quality foods. I keep and breed the following color mutations: Green, blue, American yellow, American white, pieds, fallows, and fallow pieds . My mature, bonded pairs are housed in separate cages and are provided with nest boxes. I allow my pairs to nest two times per year, after which they take several months to rest, recover, and replenish depleted minerals.
In an effort to produce healthy adult birds, I have transitioned from hand-feeding to co-parenting. This means that I spend time holding, socializing, and training chicks - but that I leave feeding and weaning up to the parent birds. There is limited research on parrotlets in regards to critical growth periods; however, studies have been completed with Monk Parakeets and Budgeriars on differences in parent-weaned birds and hand-fed birds. A study by Petzinger, Heatley, and Bauer stated that "While the established methods [of hand-feeding] result in the birds living to adulthood, they may lead to detrimental phenotypic effects in adults or excess body fat in weanlings. Many chronic, progressive inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, are linked to excess body fat. To help improve bird health, it is important to determine the energy requirements of adult and growing birds of many species and to ensure public access to this information" (2015). In other words, breeders don't have enough information at their disposal to ensure that our current handfeeding methods (and formulas) are producing healthy adult birds. The best we can do is to consult with an avian veterinarian and formulate a diet specific to the needs of our birds.
My birds are banded and weaned onto a variety of fresh, high quality foods. I keep and breed the following color mutations: Green, blue, American yellow, American white, pieds, fallows, and fallow pieds . My mature, bonded pairs are housed in separate cages and are provided with nest boxes. I allow my pairs to nest two times per year, after which they take several months to rest, recover, and replenish depleted minerals.