In every house where there is a child, sooner or later, pets begin to appear. The most popular are dogs and cats. But what if the child is allergic to the coat of these animals, but he constantly asks to buy a pet? In this case, parrots are suitable, the choice of which is great in pet stores.
Parrot Description
Variegated rosella is found in nature in Australia. As a species, these birds were discovered back in 1792. After 70 years, the first representatives appeared in a European zoo. At home, rosella began to be displayed since the 1900s. This bird attracts attention not only with its bright and beautiful plumage: it has a pleasantly chirping sound and it easily adapts to a new place.
Rosella motley is a medium-sized bird. The length of her body reaches 33-35 cm. The wing and tail often grow to 16 cm. Males and females of almost the same color in birds called motley rosella. How to determine the gender, so that when you purchase a couple that is capable of reproduction? For beginners, this is an important issue. So, as already mentioned, the female and male are very similar. If you want to understand where the boy is and where the girl is, you need to plant the birds together. The male rosella has slightly brighter feathers, so it is better to make a purchase in daylight so as not to be mistaken. You can also take a professional with you, but such a person is not always “at hand”.
In nature, there are about a dozen types of rosella. Variegated rosella is considered the most popular. Her bright red color with a white spot on her cheeks, a long tail, blue-green plumage of wings and back and melodious twittering leaves no one indifferent. Life expectancy depends on proper care and place of detention and ranges from 10 to 30 years.
Maintenance and care of rosella motley
Many beginners wonder: how to determine the age of Rosella motley? By acquiring an adult, you can make a mistake and get an old and sick bird as a result. Caring for such a pet is complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to know some nuances in order to accurately select a decent pair of Rosellas. A live pet always requires special conditions: this is the selection of proper nutrition, and timely cleaning in a cage, and swimming. It is necessary to communicate with the bird, play and pay enough attention to it. When breeding chicks, more problems and nuances associated with care are added.
Parrot bathing
Variegated rosella do not tolerate humidity and dampness. But at the same time, they love to swim. If the pet is manual and used to fly around the apartment freely, drink water and swim under the tap, it independently shows when it needs this procedure. In another case, a container a little larger than a bird is filled with clean water and placed on the bottom of the cage. Rosella, if desired, will bathe herself. After bathing, water must be removed.
Food and feed
Bird nutrition is one of the important criteria for keeping. In order to determine how to feed the rosella motley, it is necessary to take into account several aspects. This is the ambient temperature, the amount of sunlight and the length of the day, the aviary or cellular content of the pet. All this affects the mode, amount and composition of food.
In nature, the motley rosella looks for various grains, grass and fruits. Therefore, its main diet should consist of a similar diet. In pet stores you can purchase complex mixtures of cereals with a balanced content of protein, fiber, fat, minerals and vitamins. You can also periodically add nuts and boiled peas to the feeders. From fruit feed you can give everything that is in the house. Parrots eat apples and pears, as well as bananas and pomegranates. Vegetables are also suitable for a feathered pet. In the spring and summer periods, it is recommended to give as many fresh products and herbs as possible. Suitable grass, parsley, dill, celery, nettle, young shoots of trees.
You can also add white bread, sprouted grain, chalk, eggshell, slaked lime and shells of mollusks to Rosella nutrition. Parrots should receive in captivity everything that they use in natural conditions. With a lack of elements in the body, birds can get sick, shed much. If the female needs calcium, she can eat eggs from the masonry during breeding.
The right cell choice
Before buying a rosella, you need to decide on its habitat and a house, that is, a cage. It should be spacious, about 3-4 meters wide and 1-15 in height and depth. The rods should not be painted, as many paints have lead. A bird moving over a cage can accidentally or intentionally eat a breakaway piece, which will lead to undesirable consequences. For the convenience of cleaning, the bottom should be retractable. It is covered with clean sand or sawdust. Also in the cage it is necessary to install various poles, swings and toys so that the birds entertain themselves.
In addition to choosing the right house for the pet, you must choose the location of the cage in the apartment or house. Variegated rosella is sensitive to dampness and high dry air temperature. Therefore, the room should not be more than 20 degrees. It is necessary to place the cage in a well-lit place without drafts. If direct rays of the sun fall into the house, then another part of it must be in the shade so that the parrot can hide.
How to tame rosella motley?
Almost all parrots are friendly to people and easily tamed. The motley rosella also boasts of this. How long do these birds live? Under good conditions, they can live in peace for 30 years. Regardless of habitat, they quickly adapt to new conditions. In the room, the birds begin to learn new things, climb into different places, boxes and cabinets. Therefore, it is necessary to be especially careful at the first time a pet appears in the house, as well as to remove all items dangerous to the parrot.
Rosella love attention. If they are used to communication, they will demand it all the time, making loud noises and spoiling objects when they are left alone. They poorly tolerate neighborhood with other parrots. With dogs and cats they have neutrality. They try not to notice each other. But there are cases of friendship of such animals and birds.
Parrot breeding
Variegated rosella can begin to multiply only after reaching the age of 2 years. During this period, the feathered pet is puberty. In the cage where the couple is located, it is necessary to place a special nest or several, the size of which should conveniently accommodate the female and future offspring. Under natural conditions, birds look for hollows for laying and hatching eggs in a protected place.
Such artificial nests with sawdust should be kept in the cage constantly if the breeder wants the parrots to breed. The first signs can be seen by a change in behavior. The couple will become more restless. The female will begin to examine the places to create the masonry. If desired, you can adjust the frequency and period of birth of the offspring. For this, the nests are removed along with the masonry or simply do not install them.
Usually a motley rosella, the maintenance and care of which is carried out according to all the rules, lays 4-6 eggs. At normal ambient temperature, chicks appear after 3-3.5 weeks. If there is a lack of oxygen or too dry air in the nest, only part of the fertilized eggs will survive. Sometimes the whole masonry can die. Therefore, during the period of reproduction, the ambient temperature, the abundance of food and moisture must be monitored especially carefully.
Rosella can have both fertilized eggs and empty eggs in the nest. You can sort. The eggs with the embryos have a matte shell and a gray-white hue. If you look at the light source through them, the embryo will be visible. The rest can be removed, but only if not all are empty. It happens that with improper care or stressful situations in a couple, all eggs are unfertilized. In this case, experts recommend leaving the rosella on the eggs until the expected hatching period and then remove it. This will help not to bring down the rhythms of life in the pet. And soon the female will make a new clutch.
Chick Choice
Rosella is motley, the price of which is quite high in pet stores and in the market, a common and popular feathered pet. In the modern world, many do not monitor the purity of the species and cross rosella of different types. Therefore, you need to know some nuances in order to choose a good chick. The purchase will cost you 7-8 thousand rubles.
First of all, a small rosella should be six months old. During this period, she is old enough to transport her, and at the same time young, so she will quickly get used to a new place. The plumage of her will be slightly dimmer than that of an adult. With age, it will acquire the desired color. It is necessary to pay attention to the activity of the bird: if it is lethargic and sleepy, this most likely indicates the presence of a disease.