One of the most popular birds that won the hearts of many exotic lovers is red rosella. They are attracted by beautiful coloring, unpretentiousness, quick getting used to a new place and the pleasant voice of this small parrot - an indigenous Australian.
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 are the same color. The back is reminiscent of scales. The black feathers encircled by a red border create a similar impression. Young rosella are predominantly green in color. Red color is visible only on the throat, forehead and undergrowth. The male differs from the female with a larger head and a wide base of the beak. The size of the birds is from 32 to 36 cm, of which almost half falls on the tail.
Lifestyle
In the natural habitat, red rosella populates mainly forest areas, which differs from other species of parrots of this genus, which prefer to inhabit the savannahs and steppes. Recently, birds can be found in gardens and city parks located on the Australian continent. For nests, they use hollow trees. It is important that it is deep, and can be located very close to the surface of the earth. Within 25 days, the female hatches eggs, the male at this time obtains 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.
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 rosella can dwell at an altitude of 2 thousand meters throughout the winter.
Conditions of detention
For comfortable living of this type of parrot in captivity, they need to provide a clean, dry and spacious room (preferably an aviary), protected from drafts. It can be a large cage with a size of at least 1.5 x 1 x 1 m. The bird should be able to move freely, so it is necessary to release it daily to fly around the room. Before that, you need to take care of security measures - close and curtain the windows, hang all the mirrors and glasses, remove objects that the bird might hurt. Lack of movement, constant presence in a limited space can cause various diseases and even lead to death.
Red Rosella loves to swim. To do this, put a special container with clean water. Its size should correspond to the size of the bird.
It is necessary that the room containing rosella is warm and dry. Humidity should not exceed 70%. This
type of parrot is capable of transferring temperatures up to minus 10 ⁰ without consequences, while the optimum is 20 ⁰. Daytime in the winter is extended with the help of additional lighting up to 18 hours a day.
Cell 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 this opportunity, so you have to stop at the choice of cells. 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 her.
- The distance between the rods is not more than 2 cm.
- Lack of lead in the paint (this substance is very toxic for parrots).
In the cage, you need to equip the internal space in such a way that the rosella red feels as comfortable as possible in it. 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 deciduous trees. The drinking bowl, feeder and bathtub should be placed at a sufficient distance from each other.
A mandatory element of a house for a parrot is a perch. They are installed at such a distance from the rods that the bird could not injure the tail feathers. As perches, you can use twigs of birch or oak. Their thickness should be such that the bird can sit quietly.
Feeding
If in nature the main part of the rosella diet is plant seeds and insects, then in captivity it is mainly a grain mixture. In addition to it, also include animal feed, vegetables, fruits, herbs, germinated cereals. Parrots are happy to eat carrots, apples, cucumbers, berries. As a mineral dressing, it is recommended to use crushed shells, eggshells, chalk. Food is given in small pieces. The norm for a parrot is 2 tablespoons per day.
Of great importance is a properly composed menu during the breeding season. Every week, the bird should receive animal food in the form of bloodworms, flour worms, larvae, cottage cheese and milk.
What you can’t feed the red rosella parrot is products from your table - fatty, salty and smoked foods. Properly organized feeding of birds allows them to maintain a bright beautiful color and get healthy offspring.
Breeding
Finding a couple 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 the red and ruby rosella, you can get colorful offspring. Mating is possible only among individuals older than one year. The nesting period lasts from October to January. A small house (25 x 25 x 40) is placed in the cage for the selected pair of rosella, the bottom of which is covered with sawdust. The male, attracting the attention of the female, performs a mating dance. He quickly jumps in the perches, spreads his fluffy tail, paces importantly, accompanying this action with characteristic sounds.
In clutch there are usually from 4 to 8 eggs. Both in nature and in captivity, their female hatches. 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.
With good care, Red Rosella can live in captivity for up to 20 years.