Rosella parrot: description, types, rules of keeping

Many people make parrots. To avoid possible problems with your pet, you need to carefully study the characteristics of each particular species. This also applies, of course, to rosella.

This type of bird stands out among other parrots with an unusually looking bright plumage. It has a scaly structure. Rosella lives even in city parks, which clearly shows the level of adaptability of this parrot to difficult conditions. Connoisseurs of wildlife willingly start rosella. The popularity of this species is associated with:

• tenderness and loudness of voice;
• the melody of whistles and flute echoes;
• ease of learning;
• outward beauty.

What is not less important, Rosella is also very flexible in character. Making full contact with her is easy. The bird does not show special requirements for keeping. However, she does not speak too well. Even if you strictly follow the special recommendations when learning, Rosella can learn no more than 10 words.

With the usual neat content, the vocabulary will be half as much. But the singing voice of Rosella is very pleasant. The intellectual level of the parrot provides him with the ability to easily imitate other birds. Sometimes other sounds of nature are even reproduced.

The size of the parrot is medium (body length is 0.25-0.35 m). All species of this genus have a rather wide stepped tail of 4 feathers. The surface of the beak at the very tip contains the original notch. Large spots form on the cheeks:

• yellow;
• blue;
• milky white.

Determining the gender of rosella is very difficult. Sexual dimorphism is not too pronounced. Even fairly experienced breeders mistakenly sometimes buy birds of the same sex. The color and size of the individuals are exactly the same. First of all, attention should be paid to the size of the head and beak (in males they are larger).

Rosella's age can reach 15-20 years. In any case, if the usual conditions of home detention are observed. With a good combination of circumstances, we can expect that the parrot will live more than 25 years. Of course, such a lifespan is provided only with good nutrition.

The vast majority of rosella has bluish wings, covered with black spots. The wings themselves reach a maximum of 0.1 m in length. The flight characteristics of the bird are low: they can fly only a short distance, often flapping their wings. According to the existing ornithological classification, 7 varieties of rosella are distinguished.

In the wild, a parrot eats a diverse feed. The diet may contain:

• fruits;
• berries;
• cereal grains and other crops;
• field, forest and garden greens.

The difference between the Rosella breeds is expressed mainly in the color of the feathers. Other main characteristics they more or less coincide.

• Pale-headed type reaches 0.33 m in length. The back is covered with a black feather with a yellow border. The light yellow head is favorably tinted by white cheeks. On the back below, on the main part of the wing and above the tail, the feathers are blue (or blue with a greenish tint). The red undertail looks very attractive.

• Green rosella can grow to 0.36 m. The plumage is painted very varied, but in most cases the body of the bird is brown on top, belted with a blue border. The neck, chest and crown are yellow-green, with the throat colored blue and the forehead red.

• Red (they are also penetrant) rosella grow up to 0.36 m, their color is very variegated. The head and chest are red and the cheeks are bluish-white. The bottom of the rosella has a green color, while it has a black back, blue wings and a white-green tail.

• Black-headed rosella are distinguished by a black and yellow feather, covering:
  1. upper back
  2. shoulders
  3. the back of the head.

• The smallest is yellow-cheeked rosella. She is valued for her stunning plumage.

• Pale-headed rosella populates mainly northeastern Australia. Quite a large number of this species in Queensland and New South Wales, a certain number of individuals found in Tasmania. Red rosella can be found in the southern and eastern parts of Australia, on adjacent islands. The yellow-cheeked species has developed the same regions.

• And black-headed parrots can be seen anywhere in Australia’s northern coast. There they created optimal conditions (savannah, where you can eat seeds). Birds often visit sunflower and corn fields, they can get food even on vegetable plantations. A pale-headed parrot along with such food can exterminate small insects.

• The motley rosella is divided into three subspecies, which can be found in Tasmania and southeast Australia. The size of the bird is relatively small (the length is not more than 0.32 m, the wing - up to 0.11 m). The bird is distinguished by its elegant plumage. The feathers are black on top, but each has a yellow-green border. The same yellow-green color is characteristic of the lower back as a whole. Bright red neck and chest look very attractive.

On the belly and above the tail feathers are painted in a light green tone. The wings have a purple-blue tone, diluted with black splashes. The steering feather is painted blue, its tips are slightly lighter than the main part.

• A motley parrot populates open areas of the area. It is typical for him to feed on the seeds of both wild and artificially grown plants. At the same time, the bird fights weeds and harmful insects. It can nest in:
  1. cavities of large branches;
  2. empty rabbit holes;
  3. nests of other birds;
  4. convenient places on a pillar or hedge.

• The ruby ​​look was named for its elegant color. Feathers have yellowish patches. Such a rosella is pretty good at imitating human speech. Life expectancy can reach 30 years.

• Pink rosella does not actually occur in nature. In any case, there is definitely no mention of it in scientific sources.

Caring for a rosella at home is clearly more difficult than it might seem at first. Such a parrot is shy. Careless handling of it can cause irreparable mental harm.

Already at home, you need to remove the perch from the carrier, then slide the carrier to the open home cage. The bird will fly there. It is also important what this cell will be like. In the wild, Rosella loves to fly from one branch to another, so she needs maximum space at home.

It is also desirable that inside the cell more hearts. Already at the most tender age, the Australian parrot must fly actively. Constantly keeping him locked up, the owners only increase the likelihood of illness.

Rosella differs from other parrots in that It does not tolerate high humidity. Cells are placed in dry rooms not blown by drafts. Best of all, if the room is equipped with air conditioning, set to 60% humidity. Rosella just love splashing around and swimming in clear water. The tank with it should stand in the cage continuously.

Speaking about caring for these parrots, including food, one cannot ignore their characteristic feature - conservatism. Both a sudden change in location and changes in food can cause great damage to the bird. Rosella is extremely unhealthy, especially music. In a family where they constantly scandal, the parrot will feel uncomfortable. It is undesirable to start it and lovers of noisy feasts.

Feed the bird only with fresh products. To do this, use:

• vegetables;
• fruits;
• grain mixes for medium-sized parrots.

Rosellas eagerly eat bananas. But only if they were originally accustomed to such food. The bird will stubbornly turn its beak from everything else. Rosella eats any greens. Using a green salad of moistened leaves, you can not only feed your pet, but also give him water.

In the wild, rosella prey on worms, insects, and various larvae. There is no need to provide them with such food in captivity. Moreover, it is impossible to obtain the species necessary for birds in our country. A good substitute are boiled eggs and low-fat cottage cheese. You should not experiment with the rest of the food.

To teach a parrot rosella to sit on his hand is quite possible. The main thing is to take into account the natural conservatism of these birds and not to force the process. They will spend about a month on mastering the house. Next, every morning, carefully approach the cage and begin feeding.Every day you will have to devote a lot of time to the Rosella, otherwise they will not be tamed.

Usually in 1-2 months you can achieve a calm, fearless landing on your shoulders. In this case, you must definitely trust the bird. If he wants to take off from his shoulder and fly around the house - let him do so.

A nesting house of 0.25x0.25x0.4 m in size is being built for birds in the spring. Peat and sawdust fall asleep inside. This is the most favorable basis for hatching. Important: birds can build their own nest themselves. There would be material for such a construction.

To control the breeding of parrots, you can intentionally deprive them of the ability to build a nest. But even with strict observance of the basic rules, you can not wait for the appearance of chicks. The main causes of their death are:

• oxygen deficiency;
• low humidity;
• clogging of the surface of the shell.

Rosella leaves the nest when hatched for food only. Food, as well as water should be placed closer to the bird. Hatched chicks are blind, but already have thick down. Feeding actually falls on the owners. Rosella can eat on its own only at the age of one month.

The air temperature when keeping rosella should be kept at around 20-25 degrees. It is required to take care of a constant flow of fresh air. Daylight hours should be at least 18 hours. In winter, the lack of light is compensated artificially.

Despite the stamina of the body as a whole and immunity in particular, rosella can still hurt. The main danger is stress. If the bird was exposed to it, then the threat of manifestation of the pathogenic properties of any microorganism is very great. If injuries are due to stress, treatment is not possible in principle. The only way to fight is to maintain optimal peace.

You can exclude infection with respiratory mycoplasmosis if:

• clean systematically in the cell;
• give only clean water;
• take care of the quality of feed;
• periodically treat the cell with quicklime.

Rosella delivered from European countries is often infected with circovirus. In the EU, veterinary control is much stricter when importing animals; therefore, illiquid is "systematically dumped" into our country. Due to the disease, the plumage of the bird is disturbed, the shape of the beak is distorted. Even worse, the immune system and feathered nerve tissue suffer.

When buying, you must carefully find out the country of origin of Rosella. It is useful to ask about sanitary accompanying documents. You can reduce the risk of infection if:

• carefully clean the scales and droppings;
• give only proven food of high quality;
• prevent contact of sick and healthy birds.

Since rosella is curious and very mobile, it can be seriously injured. There are no ways to prevent injuries. Help can only be provided by an ornithologist-veterinarian. The methods for preventing vitamin deficiency and parasitic diseases are the same as in other parrots. Veterinary examinations are highly recommended periodically.

Maintaining normal living conditions of the bird is possible thanks to humidifiers and ionizers. To strengthen the body of rosella parrots, ordinary vitamin preparations are used. They must be stored in the refrigerator. To start treatment in a timely manner, one must carefully monitor the changing behavior of Rosella.

To prevent intoxication, it is necessary to remove parrots from the room during any coloring and disinfection, during disinfestation, during repair and cleaning using toxic substances. Rosella can be poisoned by a variety of domestic and garden plants. Therefore, you need to keep the parrot away from all vegetation, which is not knowingly safe for this species.

Wild-growing dope, bleached, nightshade, belladonna and raven are also toxic. From indoor crops are advised to beware:

• oleander;
• periwinkle;
• crow's eye;
• any kind of dieffenbachia.

Despite all the difficulties in caring for the rosella, a parrot can become a real decoration of any home. Keep in mind that even if kept for many years, this bird will not become manual until the end. Contacts with the outside world are rather painful for her. If the bird hears an alien, unfamiliar voice, it tries to examine the speaker, turning its head around. Some say that even with the appearance of household members in atypical clothes, Rosella will freeze and wait for the consequences of an unusual situation.

She will not sing too often, mainly when no one else is in the room. From melodic singing, tense cries smoothly appear.

For the taming of the rosella parrot, see the next video.