We raise "clean green" and blue mutation Pacific parrotlets. These little birds are true Amazon parrots with a BIG attitude and a BIG appetite. The clean green are green in color while the mutations can be teal blue, American White, now called dilute blue and American Yellow, now called yellow dilute. There are also lutinos, albinos, pied and pastel parrotlets.

They are feisty little clowns, always on the move. They love to play with toys, hang upside down. If you have two together in a cage, they are often seen snuggled together or preening each other. If you decide to breed them...get ready they are prolific breeders, often laying 7-8 eggs with all of them being fertile.

Parrotlets are from Peru and measure under six inches in length - (about the size of a large dill pickle)! They make great apartment or condo pets because of their small accomodation requirements. I would not keep them in a cage smaller than 18"x18" but a cage that is longer than taller is better to give them plenty of room to roam! I keep mine in a cage that is 24"x16"16." Fill their cages with safe toys and watch them destroy them!

Because they are intelligent little guys, they want your attention on a daily basis. They need interaction not only to keep them from being lonely but also to keep them happy and sweet.They are quite capable of love and friendship, not to mention the entertainment they provide. They can do it without loud noise making.

Their diet consists of cockatiel seed and several companies have formulated a seed just for parrotlets. In addition to seed, they enjoy brown rice, a variety of beans, mixed veggies, sweet potato, broccoli, fruit in moderation - peaches and apples are favorites in my house. They also like cornbread that I make to feed my canaries. I sprinkle different seed on top of their veggies like, hemp, sesame, poppy seed. They also like couscous.

I do not find them to be big water drinkers or particularly heavy bathers. I do take cues from them when I see them playing in the drinking water and give them a bathing container - not more than two inches high.  I use hanging water bottles for all my birds - never open containers that quickly become pea soup.

I give vitamins in the softfood at least once a week. But the most important thing that you can do is offer your little parrotlet a safe, clean environment. He should not be exposed to cold drafts, left out of the cage at any time unsupervised where he may become lost or stepped on. Do not use scented candles, teflon pans, oven cleaner, carpet cleaners or strong cleaning agents around your birds.