Rosella parrot: description, types, rules of content

Many people get parrots. To avoid possible problems with a pet, you need to carefully study the characteristics of each particular species. This includes, of course, rosella.

This type of bird stands out among other parrots for its unusual looking bright plumage. It has a scaly structure. Rosella even lives in urban parks, which clearly shows the level of adaptation of this parrot to difficult conditions. Connoisseurs of wildlife willingly give birth to Rosella. The popularity of this species is associated with:

• tenderness and loudness of voice;
• the melodiousness of whistlers and flute sounds;
• ease of learning;
• outer beauty.

What is not less important, Rosella is also very appeasable. Making a full contact with her is easy. The bird does not impose special requirements for the content. 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 vocabulary will be half. But rosella's singing voice is very pleasant. The intellectual level of the parrot provides him the opportunity to imitate other birds without any problems. Sometimes even the sounds of nature are reproduced.

Parrot average size (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 upper mandible at the very tip contains the original notch. Large spots are formed on the cheeks:

• yellow;
• blue;
• milky white.

It is very difficult to determine the roselle floor. Sexual dimorphism is not very pronounced. Even quite experienced breeders sometimes mistakenly buy birds of the same sex. The colors and size of individuals are exactly the same. It is necessary to pay attention primarily to the size of the head and beak (in males they are bigger).

The age of rosella can reach 15-20 years. In any case, if the usual home conditions are respected. With good luck, you can expect that the parrot will live more than 25 years. Of course, this life expectancy is ensured only with good nutrition.

The vast majority of rosella has bluish wings, covered with black spots. The wings themselves in length reach a maximum of 0.1 m. 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 species of rosella are distinguished.

In the wild, the parrot feeds on diverse feeds. The diet may contain:

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

The difference between rosella rocks is predominantly in feather color. Other main characteristics of them more or less coincide.

• Pale type in length reaches 0.33 m. The back on top is covered with a black feather with a yellow border. Light yellow head favorably shaded 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). Red undertail looks very attractive.

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

• Red (they are penant) rosella grow to 0.36 m, their color is very motley. The head and chest are colored red, and the cheeks are bluish-white. From the bottom, the rosella has a green color, with 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. back of the head.

• The yellowish rosella is the smallest in size. She is valued for her amazing plumage.

• Pale Rosella inhabits mostly northeastern Australia. The livestock of this species is quite large in Queensland and in New South Wales, a number of individuals are found in Tasmania. Red Rosella can be found in the southern and eastern parts of Australia, on the adjacent islands. Yellowish species has mastered the same regions.

• A blackhead parrot can be seen anywhere in the north coast of Australia. There optimal conditions were created for them (savanna where you can eat seeds). Birds often visit sunflower and corn fields, can forage even on vegetable plantations. A pale-headed parrot along with such food can also exterminate small insects.

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

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

• Motley parrot colonizes open areas of the terrain. For him, typical food 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 large branches;
  2. deserted rabbit holes;
  3. nests of other birds;
  4. convenient places on a pole or hedge.

• The ruby ​​look was named for its graceful color. Feathers have yellowish patches. Such a rosella quite well mastered the imitation of human speech. Life expectancy can reach 30 years.

• Pink Rosella is not actually found in nature.. In any case, there is absolutely no mention of it in scientific sources.

Care at home for Rosella is clearly more difficult than it might seem at first. Such a parrot is different timidity. Careless handling of it can cause irreparable mental damage.

Already at home, you need to remove the perch from the carrier, then move the carrier to the wide open home cage. The bird itself 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 be more poles. Already at the very tender age of the Australian parrot should actively fly. Constantly keeping him locked up, the owners only increase the likelihood of illness.

Rosella is different from other parrots in that does not tolerate high humidity. Cells are placed in dry rooms that are not blown by drafts. Best of all, if the room is equipped with air conditioning, tuned to a humidity of 60%. Rosella just love to splash and swim in clear water. The tank with it must stand in a cage continuously.

Speaking about the care of these parrots, including about food, you can not ignore their characteristic feature - conservatism. Both a dramatic change in location and changes in food can cause great damage to the bird. Rosella is extremely badly going through noises, especially music. In the family, where constantly scandalous, the parrot will feel uncomfortable. It is undesirable to start it and lovers of noisy feasts.

It is necessary to feed a bird only fresh products. To do this, use:

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

Rosella willingly eat bananas. But only if they were initially accustomed to such food. From the rest of the bird will stubbornly turn the beak. Rosella eats any greens. With the help of 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 Rosella the parrot to sit on the 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. This is followed every morning, carefully approach the cage and begin feeding. We'll have to spend a lot of time every day rosella, otherwise they will not be tamed.

Usually in 1-2 months you can achieve a calm, fearless fit on the shoulders. At the same time it is necessary to trust the bird. If he wants to fly up from his shoulder and flutter around the house, let him do so.

Nested house of 0.25 x 0.25 x 0.4 m is built for birds in spring. Peat and sawdust fall asleep inside. This is the most favorable basis for incubation. Important: the birds themselves can build a nest. Would be the material for such a construction.

To adjust the breeding of parrots can deliberately deprive them of the ability to construct a nest. But even with strict observance of the basic rules you can not wait for the appearance of chicks. The main reasons for their death are:

• lack of oxygen;
• low humidity;
• shell surface clogging.

Rosella leaves the nest while incubating only for meals. Food and water should be placed closer to the bird. Hatching chicks are blind, but already have a thick fluff. Feeding actually falls on the owners. Rosella can eat independently only at one month of age.

The temperature of the air with the content of rosella should be kept at around 20-25 degrees. Need to take care of a constant flow of fresh air. Light day should be at least 18 hours. In winter, the lack of light is compensated artificially.

Despite the resistance of the body as a whole and immunity in particular, rosella can still hurt. The main danger is stress. If a bird has been subjected to it, then the threat of manifestation of the pathogenic properties of any microorganism is very great. If injuries are received due to stress, treatment is impossible in principle. The only way to fight is to maintain optimum peace.

It is possible to exclude infection with respiratory mycoplasmosis if:

• systematically clean up the cage;
• give only clean water;
• take care of the quality of the feed;
• periodically process the cell with quicklime.

Rosella delivered from European countries are often infected with the circovirus. In the EU, the veterinary control when importing animals is much stricter, therefore, they are regularly “dumped illiquid” in our country. Due to the disease, the bird's plumage is disturbed, the shape of the beak is distorted. Worse, immunity and feathery nerve tissue are affected.

When you purchase you need to carefully find out the country of origin of rosella. It is useful to ask and sanitary accompanying documents. You can reduce the risk of infection if:

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

Since Rosella is curious and very mobile, she can be seriously injured. There are no ways to prevent injuries. Help can only be provided by an ornithologist-veterinarian. Methods for the prevention of avitaminosis and parasitic diseases are the same as those of other parrots. It is strongly recommended to periodically conduct veterinary examinations.

Maintaining the normal conditions of existence of the bird is possible thanks to humidifiers and ionizers. To strengthen the body of rosella parrots using conventional vitamin preparations. Keep them in the refrigerator. In order to start treatment in time, it is necessary to closely monitor the changing behavior of rosella.

To prevent intoxication, it is necessary to remove the parrots from the room with any color and disinfection, with disinfestation, during repair and cleaning with the use of toxic substances. Rosella can be poisoned by a variety of home and garden plants. Therefore, we must keep the parrot away from all vegetation that is not deliberately safe for this species.

Wild-growing dope, henbane, nightshade, belladonna and Voronets are also toxic. From room cultures are advised to beware:

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

Despite all the difficulties in the care of rosella, a parrot can be a real decoration for any home. It is necessary to take into account that even with many years of maintenance, this bird until the end of the manual will not. Contacts with the outside world for her, rather, are painful. If the bird hears a stranger, unfamiliar voice, it tries to consider the speaker, turning his head around. Some say that even with the appearance of household members in atypical clothes, Rosella will die off and wait for the consequences of the unusual situation.

She will not sing too often, mostly when there is no one else in the room. Tense screams smoothly appear from melodic singing.

See the following video on taming a rosella parrot.