Red Rosella: Maintenance and Care

One of the most popular birds that conquered the hearts of many exotic lovers is the red Rosella. Attract beautiful color, unpretentiousness, quick addiction to a new place and a pleasant voice of this little parrot - a native of Australia.

Appearance

This bird is the largest of all representatives of the genus Rosella and, perhaps, the most beautiful. The body of an adult is covered with a dark carmine plumage, on which blue wings and a tail are distinguished by bright spots, the neck and chin are of the same color. The back resembles scales. A similar impression is created by black feathers, surrounded by a red border. Young Rosella are predominantly green in color. Red color is only visible on the throat, forehead and podhvoste. The male differs from the female with a larger head and a broad base of the supraclue. The size of birds is from 32 to 36 cm, almost half of them are tail.

Lifestyle

In the natural habitat, the red Rosella inhabits predominantly forest areas, which differs from other species of parrots of this genus, which prefer to dwell in savannas and steppes. Recently, birds can be found in gardens and city parks located on the Australian continent. For nests, they use tree hollows. It is important that it is deep, and can be located very close to the surface of the earth. Within 25 days the female incubates eggs, while the male at the same time produces food for her. Parrots like to eat apples, pears and other sweet fruits, sometimes raiding fruit gardens. At the same time they destroy insect pests, which are of considerable benefit.

Red Rosella is a parrot that flies pretty badly. Therefore, these birds are unable to overcome great distances. The cold is not terrible for them, and rozells can live at an altitude of 2 thousand meters throughout the winter.

Conditions of detention

For comfortable living of this species of parrots in captivity they need to provide a clean, dry and spacious room (preferably aviary), protected from drafts. It can be a large cell with a size of not less than 1.5 x 1 x 1 m. The bird should be able to move freely, therefore it is necessary daily to let it fly around the room. Before this you need to take care of security measures - close and curtain the windows, all mirrors and glass curtains, remove items that the bird can get injured. The lack of movement, the constant presence in a confined space can cause various diseases and even lead to death.

Red Rosella loves to swim. To do this, put a special container of clean water. Its size should correspond to the size of the bird. It is necessary that the room where the rosella is kept is warm and dry. Humidity should not exceed 70%. This species of parrots is able to transfer the temperature to minus 10 ⁰С without consequences, the optimal temperature is 20 ⁰С. Daytime in winter, prolonged by additional lighting up to 18 hours a day.

Cell selection

A spacious house where the parrot will feel safe and at the same time comfortable enough - one of the most important conditions for its maintenance. The ideal option is to make an enclosure 4 meters wide. Not all owners have such an opportunity, so you have to choose the cell. It is necessary to pay attention to the following points:

• The bottom of the cell should extend. This will facilitate the maintenance of order within it.
• The distance between the rods is not more than 2 cm.
• The absence of lead in the paint (this substance for parrots is very poisonous).

In the cage, you need to equip the interior space in such a way that it feels as comfortable in it as a red rose rosella. A photo of one of the options can be found in this article. At the bottom place a layer of calcined river sand or sawdust of hardwood trees. The drinking bowl, the feeding bowl and the bathing bath must be located at a sufficient distance from each other.

Required element of the house for parrot - perch. They are installed at such a distance from the rods that the bird can not hurt the tail feathers. As a perch, you can use birch or oak twigs. Their thickness should be such that the bird can sit quietly.

Feeding

If in nature the main part of the diet consists of plant seeds and insects, then in captivity it is predominantly a grain mixture. In addition to it, also include animal feed, vegetables, fruits, greens, sprouted cereals. Parrots gladly eat carrots, apples, cucumbers, berries. As mineral top dressing it is recommended to use crushed shells, egg shell, chalk. Food is given in the form of small pieces. Norm for a parrot - 2 tablespoons a day.

Of great importance is a well-formed menu during the breeding period. Every week the bird should receive animal food in the form of a bloodworm, flour worms, larvae, cottage cheese and milk.

Than you can not feed a parrot red rosella, so it's products from your table - fatty, salty and smoked food. Correctly organized feeding of birds allows them to keep bright beautiful coloring and to receive a healthy offspring.

Reproduction

Pick up a pair for a parrot is not easy. The problem is that these birds are very selective. Therefore, sometimes mating occurs between individuals of different subspecies. For example, if you cross a red and ruby rosella, you can get a motley offspring. Mating is possible only among individuals older than one year. Nesting period lasts from October to January. In a cage, a small house (25 x 25 x 40) is placed in a matching pair of rosettes, the bottom of which is covered with sawdust. The male, drawing the attention of the female, performs a marriage dance. He quickly jumps over the perches, spreads a magnificent tail, it is important to walk, accompanying this action with characteristic sounds.

In the masonry, usually 4 to 8 eggs. Both in nature and in captivity, the female hatch them. The male is engaged in the protection of the nest and the production of food. The incubation period is 25 days. The chicks are born naked and helpless, but after 5 weeks they become independent.

Red Rosella is able, with good care, to live in captivity up to 20 years.