Alexandrian parrot: description, maintenance and breeding

The Alexandrian ringed parrots live in the countries of South and Southeast Asia. They group in large flocks, fly fast, but not for long. They live in the trees of tropical forests, nest in hollows and almost never descend to the ground. Poachers capture and resell birds for home collections. Parrots are smart, beautiful and trainable, there is a demand for them, and therefore poaching thrives.

According to legend, for the first time birds came to the European continent thanks to Alexander the Great, who brought them to Greece on his return from another Asian campaign. Since then, the name of the Alexandrian parrots has been assigned to them.

The Alexandrian parrot is a beautiful, dignified bird that easily gets used to people, masters various tricks, and after training speaks without problems.

The parrot is quite large, the largest of all necklaces. From the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail, it reaches 60 centimeters. The birds have a large red beak, wonderful bright plumage, consisting of different variations of green. Beautiful red and burgundy accents against an emerald background add charm to the appearance of this amazing parrot.

Males are noticeably larger than females. In addition, their gender can be distinguished by the necklace that only males possess. Above, pink, and below, a black line clearly separates the head and body of the bird.

The character of the representatives of this species is benevolent and quite adequate. If you behave with restraint, but confidently, you can always negotiate with them.Parrots respond well to people, but they get used to one owner and will only obey him. In any case, the bird decides for itself when it can be petted.

Until the parrot is used to it, it can sit still, refuse food, flinch from loud noises and be wary of any movement behind the cage. In order for the pet to get used to it faster, it is necessary to communicate with it as often as possible.

When a parrot gets used to a person, he sits on his head, constantly talks, eats from his hands and in every way tries to attract attention to himself.

The parrot responds well to water. In the wild, fleeing from chewing lice, he washes his wings in the rain with pleasure. At home, he will not mind taking a shower from a spray bottle.

In the wild, there are a large number of parrots belonging to the necklace population. In addition to the Alexandrian or large ringed, there are also emerald, Mauritian, pink-breasted, Chinese, Himalayan, red-headed, plum-headed and others.

Various species of these birds live in Asia, Africa, Madagascar and Indochina. The large ringed (Alexandrian) parrot differs from the others in its dimensions, it is larger, has a stepped tail, a spot of brown plumage on the back.

The small ringed necklace parrot is 50 cm long. It also has a necklace that distinguishes the male from the female. This species lives in India and Africa. Indian individuals (Kramer's parrot) are considered the brightest and most attractive; they are found in colors from bright green to yellowish shades. Birds with blue plumage were artificially bred.

The parrot attracts us not only by the beauty of its bright plumage, but also by the opportunity to talk. You need to learn to talk at a young age; it will be difficult to train an adult, and even more so an old bird. At the time of purchase, taking into account age talents, we ask you to sell a young individual. And instead of a bright handsome man with a necklace, they bring us a pale green bird with big eyes. Do not worry - this is most likely a female or a very young male.

For the first year and a half, gender is difficult to determine. The initial signs of a future necklace can be seen 14-15 months after hatching. A fully formed bright color will appear only by the age of three. During this period, the entire plumage of the male will have a rich green color.

The beak of young birds has a pinkish tint and only with age will acquire a juicy bright red color. Chicks from adults can also be distinguished by their eyes, which look large and black, and eventually become small, with orange edging.

You can pay attention to the tail. The parrot, which is less than one and a half years old, has not yet grown two of the longest feathers; in the future, they will create a "staggered" tail. When choosing a young parrot, one must rely on all of the listed signs, and not only on the presence of long tail feathers: sometimes in a cramped cage an adult bird can break them off. In order for new ones to grow, you will have to wait for a molt.

Females, even in adulthood, have less expressive plumage than males.

Necklace parrots get used to captivity. If you love them, take care of them, devote a lot of time, one owner can replace the whole flock of a pet. Whoever does not mind wallpaper, books and other things, the cage may not be closed. The parrot will always be next to the owner: ride on his head or shoulders, communicate and demand attention.

For a large ringed parrot, an ambient temperature of + 20-25 degrees is considered comfortable, but it calmly tolerates lower rates. It is important for him that there are no drafts. You should not install the cage near a radiator, working appliances, in a kitchen with gas stoves (especially under the ceiling). The most inappropriate places are the bedroom and the children's room.

Having decided to purchase an Alexandrian parrot, you should remember that not only a friend and a beautiful pet are bought, but also a very noisy bird with a sharp voice.

A large parrot needs a large cage to move around in. The dimensions must be at least one and a half meters in length and height. The cage must be equipped with perches with a corrugated surface so that the paws of the bird do not slip, as well as natural twigs.

The cage must have feeders and a drinking bowl, which must be fixed. - this will insure them against overturning during feeding. For a parrot, a bathing suit is often installed. To ensure that the bird always has something to do, the cage is equipped with different toys: mirror, ladders, swings. The annoying items are periodically changed. Each toy in the cage becomes a new object of research for the parrot.

The pet should always have a clean and dry habitat - these are the main requirements for care. An unkempt bird will suffer from chewing lice and other diseases.

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For a parrot to feel healthy, his water must be fresh, and his diet must be varied. You should feed your pet with special grain mixtures that are purchased at a pet store, or develop a diet yourself. For self-feeding, you will need the following.

• Peas, barley, corn... They should be pre-soaked. The same is done with wheat.
• The parrot can easily cope with dry sunflower seeds... Dry oats and millet can be offered. The daily dose of grain feed should not exceed 60 g for an adult bird.
• Fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts for a parrot they will be both a delicacy and vitamins. In winter, dried fruits can be soaked in it.
• During the period when the birds sit in the nests, they add to the general diet eggs, cottage cheese and white bread dipped in skim milk.
• During the molting period, a little is introduced into the grain mixture sesame seeds. The parrot sheds about twice a year, the first time in the fifth or sixth month of life. During this period, he can cook porridge in water without salt and other additives. For cereals, they use corn, rice, oatmeal, buckwheat. Two tablespoons of warm product a day is enough for a shedding pet.

If it is important to teach a parrot to speak, you should acquire a very young pet and start learning from the age of three months. By this period, the bird must be fully adapted to the new conditions, it needs to get used to the owner and feel comfortable. If the bird takes food from its hands and sits on the owner's head, it can be considered ready for long and exciting activities. Only a trusting relationship will arouse the pet's interest and give the result.

During training, there should be no extraneous sounds and other family members, the bird should not be distracted. You need to patiently and for a long time, in the same tone, pronounce the same words or phrases.

After the first successful experience, things will go easier. The parrot itself will catch the words that family members use most often and will repeat them periodically. Then he will begin to parody laughter, dog barking, crying of a baby, if any in the family. And, in the end, there will be a feeling that not a bird lives in the house, but a family member with whom you can play, laugh, communicate.

Alexandrian parrots are difficult to breed in captivity. In the wild, out of hundreds of birds, they find themselves a mate. At home, some of the partners may not like the proposed candidate. Then they will have to be urgently seated, since they turn from good-natured birds into fighters. And the scandals are provoked by the female.

If the matchmaking went well and the birds liked each other, then courtship is expected by January. Nesting takes place from January to March, during this period the artificial nest must be in a cage. For him, they choose a box about half a meter in diameter, which is smeared with a peat mixture mixed with sawdust. In a comfortably arranged nest, the female incubates eggs for twenty-five days. The male during this period takes care of her and feeds his girlfriend.

A pair can hatch two, three or four eggs. After the chicks appear, the parents feed them for almost two months, then the babies become independent. So it's time to transplant the young into another cage.

Many positive reviews can be found on the Internet regarding communication with Alexandrian parrots. There is also a lot of advice left about their content. It is recommended to choose a cage of such a size, so that the bird can spread its wings, and it should not be a round product.

It is better to place the cage at eye level of household members or slightly higher. Toys should be chosen harmless, from natural materials, as they will be chewed by a bird. You need to purchase special products for large parrots, they will be able to hold out a little longer than others.

The windows and mirrors should be covered before releasing the bird, otherwise it may beat against them during the flight. You cannot leave a parrot unattended, it gnaws literally everything: books, paintings, wallpapers, mobile phones - everything that they did not have time to take away from him.

You can take a closer look at the Alexandrian parrot in the next video.