Parrot diet / Feeding

I feed all the birds fruit & vegetables daily. I use carrot, apple, lettuce, beans, pear, broccoli, cauliflower, stone fruit and melon mostly. I also commonly use frozen mixed vegetables as well. The things I have tried that they have not been interested in are potato and orange.

Every few days I put grass in for the grass parrots (Bourke's, Scarlett Chested). The Princes parrots also seem to like the grass but it doesn't interest the Conures or the Ringnecks. They really like when the grass is in seed and milk thistle.

Things I know are not good for bird are avocado (toxic) and soft breads can cause suffocation due to the bread getting stuck in there beaks.

I always keep seed in feeders to supplement there fresh fruit and vegetable diet. I will occasionally use plain dry biscuits as a treat.

Scarlett Chested Parrots

I have had another single female baby at the end of last year but thing have been a little quite since I lost my older female a few months ago. I have also separated my other breeding female at the moment as she has lost a lot of feathers which always seems to occurs at least a little around breeding season. I will introduce her back into the cage in a few weeks when she has grow back some feathers and the weather is a little warmer.

Green Cheeked Conures

The Green Cheeked Conures reside in their breeding box of a night. Inside the box there is some down feathers but no eggs to date. I will have to invest in getting them DNA tested.

Jap Quail - General

My female quail died a few months ago, the expected life span of a Jap quail is about two to three years so it wasn't too unexpected. After the loss of my female I decided to buy five more quails, a pair for each section of my aviary to help keep the floor clean.

I have found they only tend to lay eggs in the warmer months.

I have also had a quail "scalp" another quail. I'm told a male will do it to another male. I separated the scalped quail that looked quite ill but he recovered well a know you can't even tell the quail was injured after all the feather grew back.

Princess Parrots (Polytelis alexandrae)

Sexing - The male generally has a longer tail and a more blue underside. The male displays for the female by swinging his head around.

Noise - This quite little bird in the pet shop can be very loud when it wants too but as all my medium sized parrots when first introduced into the aviary they seemed very loud and later settled down once they were used to the environment. I'm hoping this will be the same with my Princess Parrots.

General Care - I chose the Princess Parrot due to its gentle nature and thus being able to be housed with my smaller grass parrots. I like the idea of a mixed aviary with different species of parrot, I was tossing up between the Princess Parrot and the Kakariki. Neither my ringnecks or conures seem to like grass at all but the Princess parrots definitely like it.

Breeding - Only having just acquired the Princess parrots, I will wait until they are little more familiar to aviary before putting in a box.

Ringneck Parrot

My Indian Ringneck Parrots "Nippet" (Albino) & "Nelly" (Pastel Blue) have bonded well. Nelly also sat all through August on her
first clutch. Out of her three eggs, I found one dead chick and the others eggs were broken with no signs of any further chicks. She
seemed like a tentative mother only coming out occasionally to feed. Nippet also joined her in the box a couple of times I witnessed.

They usually only have one clutch per year so I maybe waiting until next year for more results. Normal incubation is 21 to 24 days for ringnecks.

Bourke Parrot

My female Bourke Parrot signaled her interest to breed by laying an egg on the ground and trying to sit on it. Interestingly enough the Scarlet Chested parrots and the quails also seemed at stages to be taking turns sitting on the egg in the corner of the cage.

I introduced nest boxes, she laid three eggs and sat on them for the whole month of August. She left the nest with the three eggs unhatched and I found them to be infertile when I removed them. Perhaps I need a new male.

Breeding Season 1

I introduced breeding boxes into all cages in late June, medium sized boxes for the Green Cheeked Conures and Indian Ring Necks, small boxes for the Scarlett Chested and Bourke Parrots. I used a few centimetres of sawdust in each box.

The Result have been as of 31st August 2009

Green Cheeked Conures

When I found a Hawk around the aviary, they hid inside the box. After that they started sleeping inside the box, which they had not before. They have pushed the saw dust away in one corner. No eggs yet.

Indian Ring Necks

They have showed little or no interest in the box. Although they have bonded more as a pair, I believe the hen is a little immature (2 years old).

Scarlett Chested Parrots

Being housed with the Bourke's both boxes were emptied mostly of the saw dust, even after I topped them up. One of the hens is sitting on two eggs at last count. I have observed the male not only feeding the hen sitting but other females in the cage.

Bourke Parrots

The hen is also sitting on two eggs. However she was out of the box on a cold windy night, I'm not sure how this will affect the eggs. The previous owner said she has abandoned eggs in the past.

Jap Quails

They have started laying more eggs now it has got warmer however they are just anywhere on the ground. I'm looking at getting them a hollow log.

Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

Japanese Quail 
Coturnix japonica

Sexing

They are unable to be visually sexed.


Noise

Medium. Surprised when it first occurred but the mostly quite quail actually has a very loud call.


General Care

I got the quails just to keep the Conures floor clean but I really enjoy these little birds. They are very placid and easy to handle. They act much like mini chickens.


Breeding

I have been told a grass tussock is the best way for these birds to sit but I have put one of these in the cage and she still lays the eggs on the floor of the cage randomly. The only thing I can think that the grass is to high for them and they have to climb up into it.

10th May 2009

For the first time I have seen the female in the grass. I have shifted two eggs into the tussock to encourage her to lay and sit there.

8th June 2009

The female is know using the tussock to commonly hide, hopefully this means she is getting used to it and she will lay there soon.

Bourke Parrot (Neopsephotus bourkii)

Bourke Parrot
Neopsephotus bourkii


Sexing
The male has a small blue bar above its beak.

Noise
Low. They have a pleasant distinctive whistle.

General Care
I've had the Bourke only for a matter of days. I choose the breed because they are placid birds that can be housed with my Scarlet parrots. I have decided to go with the normal Bourke first  opposed to the Pink or Rosa Bourke.

Breeding
The pair I have now have had two breeding seasons with the previous owner, both times the female abandoned her eggs.