Fresh water, mineral block and cuttlebone should be available at all times. Vitamins can be sprinkled on the fruits and vegetables several times a week. Breeders should also be supplemented with powdered calcium. Parrotlets on a pelleted diet should NOT be fed vitamins as this can cause health problems. However, this does not mean that older birds will not make good pets.
Many older birds make great pets and seem to be grateful for being given a chance.
Its best to buy a bird from a breeder who handles and socializes their birds rather than just feeds them and puts them back with little or no interaction. A parrotlet life span is believed to be around 20 to 30 years but no one knows for sure. They just have not been kept in captivity for a long period of time yet. Parrotlets are rather hardy birds and if well-fed, kept clean and not exposed to other birds, parrotlets should live to a ripe old age. Unfortunately, most meet their demise by accidents so its important to always keep the bird's wings clipped and not allow them to walk around on the floor.