Red Rosella: maintenance and care

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

One of the most popular birds that won the hearts of many exotic lovers is the red rosella. Beautiful coloring, unpretentiousness, quick getting used to a new place and a pleasant voice of this small 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 dark carmine plumage, on which blue wings and tail stand out with bright spots, the neck and chin of the same color. The back resembles scales. A similar impression is created by black feathers surrounded by a red border. Young rosellas are predominantly green in color. The red color is noticeable only on the throat, forehead and undertail. The male differs from the female in a larger head and a wide base of the mandible. The size of the birds is from 32 to 36 cm, of which almost half falls on the tail.

Lifestyle

In its natural habitat, the red rosella inhabits mainly forest areas, which differs from other species of parrots of this genus, which preferlive in savannahs and steppes. Recently, birds can be found in gardens and city parks located on the Australian continent. They use tree holes for nests. It is important that it be deep, and it can be located very close to the surface of the earth. For 25 days, the female incubates the eggs, while the male at this time produces food for her. Parrots love to eat apples, pears and other sweet fruits, sometimes making raids on orchards. At the same time, they destroy insect pests, which bring considerable benefits.

The red rosella is a parrot that flies pretty badly. Therefore, these birds are unable to overcome long distances. They are not afraid of cold, and rosellas can live at an altitude of 2 thousand meters throughout the winter.

Containment conditions

For a comfortable life of this species of parrots in captivity, they need to provide a clean, dry and spacious room (preferably an aviary), protected from drafts. It can be a large cage no less than 1.5 x 1 x 1 m in size. The bird must be able to move freely, so it must be released daily to fly around the room. Before that, you need to take care of security measures - close and curtain the windows, hang all mirrors and glass, remove objects that the bird can get hurt on. Lack of movement, constant being in a confined space can cause various diseases and even lead to death.

Red Rosella loves to swim. For this, a specialcontainer with clean water. Its size should correspond to the size of the bird.

It is necessary that the room where the rosellas are kept is warm and dry. Humidity should not exceed 70%. This type of parrot is able to endure temperatures down to minus 10 ⁰С without consequences, while 20 ⁰С is optimal. Daytime in winter is extended with additional lighting up to 18 hours a day.

Cage selection

A spacious house where the parrot will feel safe and at the same time quite comfortable is one of the most important conditions for its maintenance. The ideal option is to make an aviary 4 meters wide. Not all owners have such an opportunity, so you have to choose a cage. Pay attention to the following points:

• The bottom of the cage should slide out. This will make it easier to maintain order within her.
• The distance between the bars is no more than 2 cm.
• No lead in paint (very toxic to parrots).

In the cage, you need to equip the interior space in such a way that Rosella red feels as comfortable as possible in it. A photo of one of the options can be found in this article. A layer of calcined river sand or sawdust of deciduous trees is placed at the bottom. The drinker, feeder and bathing tub should be placed at a sufficient distance from each other.

A mandatory element of a parrot house is perches. They are installed at such a distance from the rods that the bird could not injure the tailfeathers. As perches, you can use branches of birch or oak. Their thickness should be such that the bird can sit quietly.

Feeding

If in nature the main part of the diet of rosella is plant seeds and insects, then in captivity it is mainly a grain mixture. In addition to it, they also include animal feed, vegetables, fruits, herbs, germinated cereals. Parrots eat carrots, apples, cucumbers, berries with pleasure. As a mineral supplement, it is recommended to use crushed shells, eggshells, and chalk. Food is given in the form of small pieces. The norm for a parrot is 2 tablespoons a day.

A properly composed menu during the breeding period is of great importance. Every week the bird should receive animal food in the form of bloodworms, mealworms, larvae, cottage cheese and milk.

What you can not feed a red rosella parrot is the products from your table - fatty, s alty and smoked food. Properly organized feeding of birds allows them to maintain a bright beautiful color and get he althy offspring.

Reproduction

It can be difficult to find a pair for a parrot. 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. The nesting season lasts from October to January. A small house is placed in a cage to a matched pair of roselles.(25 x 25 x 40), the bottom of which is covered with sawdust. The male, attracting the attention of the female, performs a mating dance. He quickly jumps on the perches, spreads his magnificent tail, strides importantly, accompanying this action with characteristic sounds.

A clutch usually contains 4 to 8 eggs. Both in nature and in captivity, their female incubates. The male is engaged in the protection of the nest and the extraction of food. The incubation period is 25 days. Chicks are born naked and helpless, but after 5 weeks they become independent.

Red rosella can live up to 20 years in captivity with good care.