Filed under: Aussie Parrot Art Project, Uncategorized | Tags: Art, Aussie, Australia, Fig, Fig Parrot, Image, Parrot Project, parrots
I am currently working on an image of the Fig Parrot for my Aussie Parrots Project.
I thought I would post the images as they are, currently in progress.
Hopefully this will better show the style I am trying to develop for the Project.
Almost there……
________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2008 All Images are covered by copyright law.
Please contact me, using the comments, if you would like to use them so were can
discuss any arrangements.
Filed under: Australian Parrots, Uncategorized | Tags: Ability to Talk, amusing, Asia, Australia, Australia's, Australia's smallest parrot, BEHAVIOUR, Bird, birds, captivity, Cyclopsitta diophthalma, Diet, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, fig tree, fig trees, Level of Noise, lively, Noise, Pacific, parrot, parrots, Pet, Pet status, popularity, Rare, Size, smallest, smallest parrot, Temperament, tips
DOUBLE-EYED FIG-PARROT : Cyclopsitta diophthalma
• Australia’s smallest parrot is the Double-eyed Fig-parrot (also known as the Lorilet).
• These mainly yellowish green parrots occur in Australia, Asia and the Pacific.
• They are normally found foraging in pairs or in small groups in tropical rainforests.
• Double-Eyed Fig-Parrots hollow out their own nest, typically in a dead or dying tree.
Status: Rare
Diet: As their name may suggest, the Double-eyed Fig-parrot enjoys eating the seeds of wild fig trees, as well as other fruits, nectar, seeds and insects.
Overall most sites seem to agree that the base diet of the Double-eyed Fig-parrot should consist of native figs and/or preserved figs. When figs are preserved they lose some of their natural vitamins so it is important to add vitamin K, even when the preserved figs are offered in conjunction with native figs. This is because the sweetness of the preserved fig is highly favoured by the little parrots. In the wild the little parrot feeds on figs, buttonwood and ironwood, so if you are lucky enough to have access, you can offer both the seeds and the leaves, as they enjoyed chewing on the fresh leaves of our native fig tree.
Various other fresh fruits and vegetables should always be available. Alfalfa, apple, apples, banana, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cherries corn, cucumber, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, pawpaw, peaches, peaches, peas, plums, pomegranate, raisins, sprouted seeds, squash, strawberries, string beans, sweet potato, tomatoes and zucchini. It is very important that any uneaten or spoilt fruit is removed as soon as possible, through out the day to prevent contamination and fermentation, especially during hot humid weather.
Dry lorikeet mix, freshly chopped greens and some seed should also be made available. Natural, wild seed heads are preferable but if not available use a small parrot seed mix. Occasionally adding protein and calcium powder is also recommended.
Size: The Double-eyed Fig-parrot is on average 13-15 cm in length, their tail generally making up 4 to 4.6cm of that length.
Temperament: The fig parrot is startled and will react strongly to the approach of humans, flapping their wings wildly and falling to the cage bottom while squawking loudly. Viewing is best enjoyed at a distance. Fig parrots don’t play with toys
Pet status: The fig parrot is considered poor in the pet status, even when hand reared they are regarded as impossible to tame. They are notorious biters and will attack your hand if you attempt to retrieve them from their cages. has a reputation for being impossible to tame. They are active and attractive birds not often seen in captivity, although their popularity is increasing.
Ability to Talk: Poor – Fig parrots don’t mimic.
Level of Noise: Double-Eyed Fig-Parrots have a distinctive, high-pitched piercing, call which is quickly repeated (tseet – tseet). This call is mainly made when in flight but they can also make softer chattering noises.
BEHAVIOUR: The fig parrots are lively and amusing birds. They are said to be very social with one another, huddling close together but I have also been warned that the fig parrot can be very territorial when breeding. I was shown the damage they could inflict on one another, missing toes was a rather common result. You should remember that the fig parrot shouldn’t be left in a cage alone, or placed with other birds. You will need to carefully consider the location of non breeding couples. These birds enjoy bathing, particularly after feeding. They bath in the rain or under sprinklers or in any water filled container.
References: (Viewing date – 29th May 2008)
http://www.redmillhouse.com.au/birds/double_eyed_fig_parrot.html
http://www.birdwatching-australia.com/double.htm
http://lamington.nrsm.uq.edu.au/Documents/Birds/doubleeye.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-eyed_Fig-Parrot
http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_002.htm
http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/features/endangered/animals/fig_parrot.asp
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/native_animals/doubleeyed_figparrot_coxens/
http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/double_eyed_fig_parrot/
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/summer2002/speciesspotlight.htm
________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2008 All Images are covered by copyright law.
Please contact me, using the comments, if you would like to use them so were can
discuss any arrangements.
Filed under: Australian Parrots, Uncategorized | Tags: Art, Aussie, Australia, Australian, birds, budgerigars, Cockies, death of pet, Lorikeets, Lorries, love of birds, parrots, Pet, pet memories, pets, photography, photos, poster, Vectot
Below I have included a list of Aussie Cockies, Parrots and Lorries. I intend to try to create vector art images of all of them, or as many as I can. I decided to create the parrot images as vector graphics based on photos of my own pets, my friend’s pets and hopefully the pets of kind contributors. Currently I have my own pet cockatiels, rainbow lorikeets, and a one legged short billed corella, to begin my project with. My friend’s pets increase the list to budgies, an Eastern Rosella, Fig Parrot and Burke Parrots.
If you have any photos of Aussie Cockies, Parrots and Lorries and would like to offer them for use in my poster, I will be happy to give a large and/or small, high resolution copy of the image/s that I use in my collection. I have posted some vector images that I have been working on, to give you an example of how I work with vector images. The picture of the Pelicans is more the style I intend to use
I intend to create one image at a time, which can take up to a month of work depending of the complexity of the image. The reason for wanting to use vector images instead of photographs in due to the versatility of vector files. Once I have created an image I can the resize it without any loss of quality. I can also manipulate and re-position the parrots, to have them appear to be all sitting on the same branch/es.
If you do have photos of your pet Australian parrot and would like to offer them for use on my Poster Project please feel free to contact me. I will be updating the blog with each of the images as I create them.
COCKATOOS, PARROTS AND LORIKEETS
Cockatoos
• Cockatiel
• Galah
• Gang-gang Cockatoo
• Glossy Black-Cockatoo
• Little Corella
• Long-billed Black-Cockatoo
• Long-billed Corella
• Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo
• Palm Cockatoo
• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
• Short-billed Black-Cockatoo
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Western Corella
• Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Parrots and Lorikeets
• Australian King-Parrot
• Australian Ringneck
• Blue Bonnet
• Blue-winged Parrot
• Bourke’s Parrot
• Budgerigar
• Crimson Rosella
• Double-eyed Fig-Parrot
• Eastern Rosella
• Eclectus Parrot
• Elegant Parrot
• Golden-shouldered Parrot
• Green Rosella
• Ground Parrot
• Hooded Parrot
• Little Lorikeet
• Mulga Parrot
• Musk Lorikeet
• Night Parrot
• Norfolk Island Kaka
• Northern Rosella
• Orange-bellied Parrot
• Pale-headed Rosella
• Paradise Parrot
• Princess Parrot
• Purple-crowned Lorikeet
• Rainbow Lorikeet
• Red-capped Parrot
• Red-cheeked Parrot
• Red-crowned Parakeet
• Red-rumped Parrot
• Red-winged Parrot
• Regent Parrot
• Rock Parrot
• Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
• Scarlet-chested Parrot
• Superb Parrot
• Swift Parrot
• Turquoise Parrot
• Varied Lorikeet
• Western Rosella
Filed under: Parrots Other, Uncategorized | Tags: about, Alexandrine, breed, Diet, experiences, Indian, Level of Noise, nest, nesting, Psittacula, Size, tips
Breeding: As a complete novice I can offer very limited first hand knowledge about the breeding of any birds. Currently I don’t breed any of my birds at the moment. I have however found some basic information that might be useful as a starting point. When going form one bird to a family of birds it is important to remember that Alexandrines can be very noisy and may upset your neighbours.
The Aviary: One pair of birds per aviary is best, especially when breeding, preferably in a strong steel framed aviary with a fully covered roof. Alexandrines love to fly and it is best to make their aviary as large as possible so they can enjoy their flying space. Use a large heavy wire or mess to discourage your Alexandrine from chewing their way into the great unknown. Branches and perches should be sturdy and large enough to handle your Alexandrine’s weight and chewing habits, also be careful where you place them, to prevent any flying injuries
Sexual Maturity: In captivity the Alexandrine is said to reach sexual maturity at around 2.5 – 3 years.
Sexing Alexandrines: The males have a solid black neck ring with a pink band beneath the back of the black ring. Other visual differences between the sexes include a more rounded slightly smaller head on the female and shorter length tail feathers.
Breeding Months: From August onwards.
Nesting: Place a large, sturdy log or nest box on a vertical position (up to a 45 degree angle) in a well sheltered section of your aviary. If you leave the log or nest box in the aviary all year round your hen might use it for roosting.
Number of Eggs: From 2 – 6 eggs per clutch. Generally they are said to be single brooders, one clutch per year, but they have been known to have a double clutch in a breeding season.
Incubation: Incubation is around 25 to 28 days. The babies generally fledge at around 7 to 8 weeks later. Young stay dependent on their parents, with both parents feeding them, for about another 3 weeks after leaving the nest.
Mutations: Lutino, Blue, Grey, Olive, and White.
Informative websites:
Alexandrine Parakeet’s Fact-Sheet describing the different sub-species & colour mutation
Some material from Wikipedia.org.
________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2008 http://safekidsonline.wordpress.com.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document’s text
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU
Free Documentation License“.
Copyright (c) 2008 All Images are covered by copyright law.
Please contact me, using the comments, if you would like to use them so were can
discuss any arrangements.
Filed under: Parrots Other, Uncategorized | Tags: Ability to Talk, Alexandrine, Australia, cage, Diet, fruits, health care, Level of Noise, New Bird, Pet, Pet status, seeds, Size, Temperament, tips, vegies
Diet: Many sites recommend a combination of small parrot seed mix, striped sunflower seeds (not too many) and oats as a basis for their seed diet, while other sites recommend parrot pellets or a combination of both. What ever you choice, make sure that your Alexandrine received a daily serve of various fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, nuts, flowers, berries and nectar. You can also offer your Alexandrine egg and biscuit mix, vitamins and supplements
Temperament: Alexandrines have appealing personalities and can make fantastic companions. They are known to have strong independent natures, and not as cuddly as other parrots. They seem to prefer to have the control of how much or how long the affection last. Obviously all parrots have their own personalities and some can have very unique and unusual natures and actions.
Size: The Alexandrine is on average 56 and 62 cm and the tail making up 35 cm of this length.
Weight: anywhere from 220 grams (7- 4/5 oz.) – 250 grams (9 oz) or more.
Lifespan (estimation): 20years or more. I heard of some Alexandrines that lived up to 40 years.
Pet status: The Alexandrine Parrot is a popular pet, and is well-known for their playfulness, good looks, charming calls, talking ability and size. Hand reared birds make good pets and with time and patience can be trained to do tricks. A pet Alexandrine is a highly intelligent bird and especially needs frequent handling and constant companionship or entertainment.
Due to their size and rather long tails they require a considerably tall cage, filled with chew toys for mental stimulation and to maintain wear on their large beaks. Also include numerous and various sized perches. Natural branches offer the best variety in size, allowing them to maintain fitness and strength in their feet.
I often place fresh, leafy and seeded branches from Banksias, Grevilleas and Bottlebrushes, to create a maze effect, effectively simulating my parrot while I am out shopping or busy, the seeds are an added snack and chew bonus. They must be allowed out of their cage, for extended periods to make sure they are getting adequate exercise and mental stimulation. If you honesty think you are capable of meet these needs then an Alexandrine may be your ideal friend.
Ability to Talk: Both males and females have excellent mimicking and talking abilities.
Level of Noise: They are a large bird and can be noisy, especially if they don’t receive adequate stimulation. This can make them unsuitable in a built-up residential environment.
Informative websites:
Alexandrine Parakeet’s Fact-Sheet describing the different sub-species & colour mutation
It uses some material from Wikipedia.org.
________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2008 http://safekidsonline.wordpress.com.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document’s text
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU
Free Documentation License“.
Copyright (c) 2008 All Images are covered by copyright law.
Please contact me, using the comments, if you would like to use them so were can
discuss any arrangements.
Filed under: Parrots Other, Uncategorized | Tags: Alexandrine, Australia, flocks, Food, fruits, nest, nesting, Parakeet, Parakeets, parrot, parrots, plants, seeds, trees
The Alexandrine Parrot is not a native species of Australia. They are an Asiatic Parrot and can be found throughout South-east Asia, Nepal, Pakistan, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Assam, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Afghanistan India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Andaman Islands and Bangladesh. The Alexandrine is an outgoing and boisterous parrot, which can seem deafening when they flock together in extremely large groups consisting of hundreds or more for their evening roost in palm trees. These large evening flocks separate into smaller groups in the morning. During the day they travel in their small groups all over their indigenous area searching for seeds, fruits, flowering plants and available large trees for nesting, either in hollows or they will gnaw out their own nest. They are incredibly precise, solid and expeditious in flight.
Informative websites: Wikipedia.org.
Filed under: Parrots Other, Uncategorized | Tags: about, Alexandrine, Australia, Australian, birds, breed, India, Indian, nature, Parakeet, Parakeets, parrot, parrots, Psittacula, subjects, tips
The five sub-species, differing in mostly minor plumage details and size:
Psittacula. e. eupatria - The Alexandrine Parrot: 
The primarily colour for an Alexandrine Parrot is green, with brighter green feathers on their head, a lighter green under their wings and the feather on the top of their wings is the darkest of its green shades. The males developing a solid black neck ring which is widest under the beak and tapers of near the back of the neck. They will also develop a pink band beneath the back of the black ring, which is usually not visible until after their first full molt, which can take about two years.
They also have a reddish/burgundy patch on their shoulders and yellow under feathers in their tail. Their cheeks have a slight ting of blue and sometimes a rather faint black/grey stroke can be seen between the cere (at the top of the beck) and the eye. Their iris is white with a slight yellowish tinge, which are encircled by their tan coloured lids. Their beaks are a magnificent robust red and are very large. They have rather big feet which like their legs are a grayish brown colour and the length of male Alexandrine is between 56 and 62 cm and the tail making up 35 cm of this length.
The female and juvenile Alexandrines look very similar to the male but don’t have the black and pink neck ring. The Hen also has slightly shorter tail feathers and the juveniles have shorter tails feather then the females.
Psittacula. e. avensis – Burmese Alexandrine Parrot: The green top of the head has a yellowish ting and a blue tinge on the cheek in both the sexes. They have a narrower and pinker nape. As the name suggests they are natives of s Burma.
Psittacula. e. magnirostris - Andaman Islands Alexandrine Parrot: They are about 60cm in length. Their chest and abdomen feathers are marked with a greyish white tinge in both sexes. Above their broader pink band is a slight blue tinge to their smaller nape. Their shoulder patch is lighter in colour and they have a larger and thicker beak. They are native to Andaman.
Psittacula. e. nipalensis - Nepalese Alexandrine Parrot: Their chest and abdomen feathers are marked with a greyish white tinge in both sexes. Their cheeks and nape are tinged with blue, with a larger, broader band to the nape. They are found in Assam, Afghanistan, Bhutan, India and Pakistan.
Psittacula. e. siamensis – Siamese or Laos Alexandrine Parrot: The back of their head and nape is a light blue, spreading up towards their crown. They have a narrower and pinker nape and their cheeks are a greenish/yellowish. Their shoulder patch is a little smaller and darker in colour. Thy have yellowish coloured feet and at 56 cm they are the smallest of all the Alexandrine sub species. They are native to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
Informative websites:
Alexandrine Parakeet’s Fact-Sheet describing the different sub-species & colour mutation
It uses some material from Wikipedia.org.
________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2008 http://safekidsonline.wordpress.com.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document’s text
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU
Free Documentation License“.
Copyright (c) 2008 All Images are covered by copyright law.
Please contact me, using the comments, if you would like to use them so were can
discuss any arrangements.
Filed under: My Pets | Tags: about, Bella, death of pet, loss, obituary, Pet, pet memories, pet obituary, pet stories, photos, subjects
This post I am sad to say is not about one of my wonderful birds. It is about the four legged love of my life, Bella. My 17 year old Chihuahua, baby, sadly passed away two days ago. We found her in her outside bed, initially she appeared to be sleeping but she must have passed away in her sleep.
We rescue Bella and her little sister Tilly (a “so called” Teacup Chihuahua), from the Animal Welfare League on the Gold Coast about eight years ago. Bella and Tilly lost their lifelong human Mum, when she passed away due to old age. Tiny Tilly lasted about two years with us and died suddenly due to a stroke, she was about twelve years old at the time.
Bella was a loving, gentle little lady that loved spending every minute she could by my side. Bella, loved to crawl under my blanket at night and would stay with me till I awoke. She loved to go on car adventures with us.
She preferred to eat what ever we were eating. She never hurt another living soul. She will be forever missed. I intend to paint her portrait for my bedroom, to help me cope with my deep grief.
Please say a pray or think a kind though for Bella, my little companion who never hurt a soul on this earth.
Filed under: My Pets, Uncategorized | Tags: Alexandrine, Australia, Australian, birds, breed, Food, health care, Humphrey, nature, New Bird, parrot, parrots, Personality, pet stories Toys
SETTING UP HOME FOR HUMPHREY
I couldn’t wait to show Humphrey of new Alexandrine his new cage. I had decked it out with so many gadgets to make him a happy and spoilt friend. Humphrey’s cage and some of his toys were hand-me-downs from MiniMickyMoo. The cage was about 1.2 x .8 x .6, we layered the base with shell grit and filled it with various types and sizes of perches. We gave him a bendy soft pliable perch, a plain wooden perch, a mineral perch and various sized branches. We also brought him a swing and a play gym, a cuttlefish, and several wooden and plastic toys.
FOOD, PERCHES AND TOYS
It didn’t take very long for Humphrey to settle into his new home. I brought him the best quality seeds I could find and offered him all the fruit and vegies that we could find. Within a week he was looking really good, his beak was a bright healthy red, I had given him a number of light sprays of water to help him clean up his feathers which were looking perfect.
LEGEND CHEWER
Now I always new that parrots needed to chew, but Humphrey proved to be a legend chewer. All the small toys, bells, balls and mirrors were smashed within hours. He then set about destroying all the more expensive wooden toys. In a couple of days he had pretty much destroyed all of MiniMickyMoo hand-me-downs and most of his new stuff. The only things to make it were the hardwood branches, the pliable and most the mineral perch and a large hanging wooden ball toy, and I believe if he could have found a way to get a good grip, it would have perished also.
CHEWING ADDICT …lol
When I lived on the farm I had a pet Cockatoo that did far less damage then Humphrey and his giant beak. Humphrey loves to chew, and he happens to be a professional, we often joke about whether or not the latest toy will last more then 10 minutes. We quickly taught him which areas were his, and made sure that we keep important things clear from there. We have learnt at lot from Humphrey, he has us working very hard to support his Chewing Habit. Every now and then I will treat him to a set of vegetable shaped wood chews, he can down a wood chew in minutes, they cost almost five dollars and their gone in less then thirty minutes. At least we get to keep the metal hanger they come with, I use them to serve up his vegies and fruit treats.
MAKING CHEW TOYS
We go to local schools, parks and bush walks to hunt down he latest chew hit. Pine cones are really good, I wire them into his cage and he crunches away for hours. We get a lot of branches, especially the seeded branches of the Banksias, Grevilleas and Bottlebrushes. We make most of his toys now, from the branches and seeds we find.
THE GENTLE APPROACH
I don’t believe in forcing myself onto a bird, I prefer to let them decide on what type of attention they want and need. This simply involves slowly approaching the cage and quietly talking to him or leaving a little treat. I quickly had him taking treats from my hand. I let Humphrey out of his cage after week of gentle talks and treats. I placed his play gym in front of his cage and opened the door. He was out in minutes, nervous but excited with the opportunity of chewing up his wooden play gym. Later when I went to put him back in his cage, he flew off. It took a long time, a stressed human and an exhausted, frazzled parrot to get him in for the night.
TO CLIP OR TO NOT CLIP
On his third day out of his cage, he finally found the inclination and/or courage to sit on my shoulder. However, he only did it when I had my back to him, washing up the dishes. I was so excited. I continued to have awful experiences when trying to get him in his cage for the night. I was sure his was going to fly into the window or wall and break his neck, we also had ceiling fans and they were a terrible worry even though I always made sure they were switched of. I eventually gave in and clipped his wing. He could still lift himself of the ground but he couldn’t fly very far, the guilt! In all honesty I would have preferred to have left his wings, but I was so scared for him and hopefully he will be a lot more settled when it grows back.
NOISE??????
I was always a little worried about Humphrey’s noise potential. I was very surprised, the first couple of days, he would squawk a little, but after he settled in he pretty much stopped. His sounds are mainly directed at the family, gentle chatting or calls to get our attention, which we always happily provide. The whole family are trying very hard to teach him to talk. Good morning is his first greeting each day, repeating various words throughout the day. 
I image if my neighbours could hear me they would be convinced I was a nut. I even go online to YouTube and entertain him with other parrots taking.
All in all, I couldn’t be happier with my little buddy. Our lifelong friendship has just begun, so I intent to work hard at making it a mutually pleasing relationship. We are off to a good start.
Filed under: My Pets | Tags: about Alexandrines, Alexandrine, Alexandrines, Australia, Australian, birds, breed, health care, Humphrey, nature, New Bird, parrot, parrots, Personality, pet stories
Humphrey came to us some time after we lost little MiniMickyMoo. So we were still a little sad and a whole lot nervous. I lost our Indian Ringneck, MiniMickyMoo so suddenly I couldn’t help but be wary of the fragility of our new feathered friend. It’s not until you loss a pet bird that you are harshly reminded of their tiny little bodies, even the toughest looking parrot is so easily broken.
WHERE I LOOKED
I found Humphrey online, in an advert from a popular pet classified site. It is one of the largest and busiest sites in Australia. The birds on offer come from all over Australia and are mainly from breeders, both professional and novice. Many of the breeders hand rear their birds and individuals advertise also. I had been looking at the site to get an idea of the birds available, their cost and then I would do a search to find more information on caring for that particular breed of bird.
DECIDING ON THE BREED OF MY NEW BIRD
I had first wanted to find another Indian Ringneck but the season was over and the only birds left were over priced. I email a couple of ads from individuals looking for a new home for their pet Ringneck but these birds went really quickly. I came across a number of ads for Alexandrines “Psittacula eupatria” a relative of the Indian Ringneck. They are indigenous to India and are a larger parrot then the Indian Ringneck, up to around 6o cm but their tail makes up almost half its length.
WHAT THE ALEXANDRINE PARROT LOOKS LIKE.
They are primarily green like our MiniMickyMoo, and like the Indian Ringneck, the males develop a black neck ring, the Alexandrine also have a pink band beneath the black ring, usually not visible until after their first full molt, which can take almost two years. They also have a reddish brown patch on their shoulders and yellowish feathers in their tail. The females and juveniles look very similar to the male but don’t have the black neck ring and the pink ring is much fainter.
PERSONALITY AND NATURE OF ALEXANDRINES.
I also found out that they have very similar personality types to the Ringneck. They are strong independent natures, and not as cuddly as other parrots. They seem to prefer to have the control of how much or how long the affection last. Obviously all parrots have their own personalities and some can have very unique and unusual natures and actions.
WINNING THE LOVE OF AN ALEXANDRINE.
You really have to work for your Alexandrines love. You can’t expect devoted excitement when you have forgotten to spend the expected time and attention that they may have come to depend on. Alexandrines also go through a grumpy adolescent period. I read a number of stories about how a loving, attention seeking, hand reared babies, suddenly appears to turn into a rebellious, cantankerous, biting, antisocial sulk.
THE REBELLIOUS ADOLESCENT
This I found out was an important aspect of growing up, for a wild Alexandrine. In the wild when they reach this age, this new behaviour urges them to become independent, to leave home, searching new territories and ultimately ensure the diversity of their species.
WHAT TO PAY?
After researching the Alexandrine parrot, I knew I had found my new companion. What should I expect to pay? The price of an Alexandrine like any other pet bird, can vary drastically, depending on what you
expected from your new bird. If you want a hand reared baby or tame pet, the price is anywhere up to $500. Birds of breeding age are also expensive compared to a young aviary bird, priced from around $250.
BRINGING HOME MY ALEXANDRINE, HUMPHREY.
A two hour drive to Brisbane and back, and I finally had my little man home, safe and sound. He was stressed, his beak was dull and he was jumpy. I put him in the bedroom and covered his cage, nice and dark, and nice and quiet. He needed time to settle down, and get over the stress of leaving his only home and traveling hours in a car. His original family had named him Rex, but he didn’t look like Rex to us. Half way back home, he was named, Humphrey. This prestigious, old fashion name really seemed to suit him
