Amy- I have bred parrotlets.
2 yrs old is not too old at all. They are perfect age to begin breeding.
Mine were 4 yrs old, and 1 yrs old.
You can use a wooden parakeet nestbox, attach it to the outside of the cage. Put in about an inch or 2 of wood shavings on the bottom of the nest.
The male will go in and check out the nest, and then make little noises to her. She will go check out the nest as well. If all is good then they will begin mating like crazy lol.
You will know she will be laying an egg when she spends alot of time in the nest, and her vent will become very swollen, and have monster size poops.
(be sure to provide them with fruits veggies, eggfood during this time, and all through till babies are weaned or taken from parents to handfeed.
You can handfeed at about 2-3 weeks old. Usually they say before their eyes open.
The first clutch mine had only hatched one baby ( who is my female parrotlet Bee Bee) I wanted to handfeed to get her `tame` but since she was the only baby I felt bad taking her from her parents, and I let them feed her.
I took her out of the nest when she was 2 weeks old all the way till weaning, to just hold her for about 5 mins a day and talk to her.
Once she was weaned from her parents, I continued to come and see them and talk to her, and put my hand in the cage etc.
Bee Bee is NOT handfed and she is the MOST tamest, sweetest bird you could ask for! She makes kissing sounds, she flies over to me when I call her, she loves to have her head scratched, I could go on and on.
I used to think handfeeding was the only way to get a tame baby, but I now have proof that its not necessarily the case. If you interact with them at a very young age and continue, they will come to trust you as well.
Now as for the other clutch they had. They had 4 babies. I wanted to handfeed them this time. So started them when they were about 3 weeks old. I took the first two babies, and left the younger ones in the nest for the parents to feed until they were 3 weeks old.
I had them in a brooder, at the constant temperature, with wood shavings and a little dish of water to keep humidity up.
Handfeeding varies depending on the age of the chicks. from 2-4 hrs several times a day.
Handfeeding is alot of work, and you have to be available to them for about 3 weeks. So make sure whomeever is doing it has that time on their hands
