Red Shining Parrot
Characteristics
Length: 45 cm (about 18 inches). Head and underparts crimson. Nape band blue, as are the primary wing feathers. Back, wings, rump, uppertail coverts, and tail green. Forehead, chin and lores red. Eyes orange-red, beak black, legs dark gray. The young have a brownish iris and a yellow and black beak. Quite popular among experienced aviculturists although the birds are protected under the Washington Convention and therefore rare and expensive. Thanks to breeding successes however, they are occasionally offered on the bird market.
Social Behavior
Prefers to be kept in pairs or colonies.
Diet
All parakeets and parrots need a large variety of fresh, healthy foods, whether on a pellet or a seed diet. Beneficial foods include dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, broccoli, dandelions, and chard, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Healthy table foods like cooked eggs, corn, beans, pasta, and rice can also be offered. Remove perishable foods after a few hours and at bedtime. Grit, gravel, and oyster shells should never be given. A seed-only diet will result in malnutrition. Eventually, a parakeet or parrot should become acclimated to a diet containing specially formulated pellets. An AVIAN vet can help with more information.
Cleaning
Tray liners should be replaced every day and the cage bottom, fittings and dishes regularly washed with hot water and soap. Once a month, disinfect the cage with diluted bleach and rinse thoroughly. Line the tray with black and white newspaper or paper towels. It is unsafe to use pine/cedar shavings, corn cob or walnut bedding.
Fertility
They need wheat, white seed, milo, millet, sunflower seed, pine nuts, apple, blueberries, oranges, papaya, figs, lettuce, hydropnic barley, and bread to stay in breeding condition. The female lays 2 eggs which hatch in about 26 days. Nest boxes should be about 50 x 50 x 65 cm with a 10 cm entrance situated high in a large aviary flight.
Health
All parakeets and parrots should be examined by a qualified AVIAN vet at least once a year or ASAP if any bleeding, injuries, or other signs are noted. It can be hard to tell when a bird is ill, and by the time you notice a problem, the sickness is usually well-advanced. Delaying a visit with an AVIAN vet or using over-the-counter or human medicines may be fatal.
Warnings
All parrakeets and parrots have very sensitive respiratory systems and should not be exposed to cigarette smoke, aerosols, harsh cleaning products, or other toxic fumes.
