Parrotlet.

Question
Hi,

I have a pair of Blue Parrotlet.  I think they are about close to 1yr old already.  Recently I try to breed them, so I unlocked the nextbox for about 3 weeks already.  Every three to four days, I come out and feed them.  I noticed that they been going in and out of the box.  Just yeterday morning, all the sudden the male get really aggreesive and start bite on the female, i thought that was just the normal ruateen, playing around w/ each other.  But later in the afternoon, I came back and check, the female already dead.  The male bit off the female left eye and it was pretty bloody that cause female death.  I was really mad at the male because they have been bonded pair since they left their parents.  Do you know what might have cause this problem?  

Answer
First off, I am so sorry for your loss- that must have been very upsetting. Although I can't say exactly what went wrong, one article I've read says that mate aggression can be caused by the male being ready to breed, when the female is not yet. Since your birds weren't even a year old, this is a very real possibility. Normally birds (even small birds) shouldn't be bred until they are at least 12 to 18 months of age. Here is an article about mate aggression in cockatoos, but the information still applies to your little parrotlets as well:

http://www.birdsnways.com/cockatoo/aggressn.htm

You should also be going to give fresh food and water to these birds every day (at least once a day). In addition to a dry mix of pellets and seeds, parrots need fruits/veggies daily to get the nutrients they need. And since foods like veggies spoil, they need to be removed before spoiling (or at least by the end of the day).

By checking on the birds everyday, not only will they have fresh, clean food and water, but it also gives you the opportunity to watch them and to look for signs of illness or injury or abnormal behavior like the aggression you saw in your male. Parrotlets unfortunately can be very territorial and aggressive, even though they are very small birds.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss and I hope this information helps.

-Maggie