Rosella ( Platycercus means )

Species:

 1.   Platycercus icterotis.

 2.   Platycercus elegans.

 3.  Platycercus caledonicus.

 4.   Platycercus adscitus.

 5.   Platycercus eximius.

 6.   Platycercus venustus.

Rosellas are often sought out as pet birds because of their striking appearance. They tend to be kept in an aviary setup with others of their kind. However, a well-socialized, hand-tamed rosella can be a sociable companion.

Native Region / Natural Habitat:

Rosellas are native to southeast Australia and nearby islands. It inhabits open forests, woodlands, gardens as well as parks, and its wild diet consists many of native grass seeds, herbs, fruits and flowering buds.

Care & Feeding:

Rosellas need space and a good diet to help them thrive. The largest cage you can afford is ideal, but be careful that the bars are the correct spacing for a bird with this head size. An aviary situation is ideal for rosellas, which will live peacefully with others of their kind in a large enough space. Rosellas love to bathe, so provide a shallow dish of water for them to bathe in.

A standard diet for a rosella should include lots of fruit and vegetables, and some healthy table foods. Your hand-fed, tame rosella might sit on your shoulder at the dinner table, and will be quite well behaved, unlike many birds that will tend to wander. This is a good way to reinforce the bond between you and your bird, and you can feed him tidbits from your plate. These birds are reported to live for more than 25 years if cared for properly.

Personality & Behavior:

While rosellas might not be inclined to cuddle or want to be petted like other parrots, they can be sociable if they are consistently interacted with. Rosellas make great aviary birds, and will still retain their pet quality in a flighted situation if you take the time to play with them.

Speech & Sounds:

Rosellas are capable of loud chatter, especially in the morning and in the evening. Rosellas are not great talkers but may pick up a few simple words. Rosellas are, however, great whistlers and can learn to whistle songs. Play a CD of whistled tunes for your rosella, and you might be rewarded with your rosella’s “playback” of the tune.

Health & Common Conditions:

Rosellas might be more susceptible to fungal infections and intestinal worm infections, namely because they are commonly housed in an outdoor aviary where they forage on the ground. Housing a rosella in an outdoor aviary means diligence in keeping the enclosure clean. Rosellas are also prone to psittacosis.

Breeding:

A rosella is one of five to eight species of colorful parrots in the Platycercus kind which also includes the Eastern Rosella. A common feature of Rosella and other members of the tribe is that they are broad-tailed parrots. Their diet is mainly seeds and fruits; they grow up to a size of about 25 – 30 cm, and most colorful of these species become popular pets

Rosella is colorful parrots which belong to the Platycercus species. All species are native to the Australian mainland or some nearby islands and live in forests as well as agricultural land. They also managed well to live in the vicinity of humans and are now found in many parks and gardens. Rosella parrots live only in the mountains and coastal plains and are not present in the outback of Australia.

Breeding Age:

Rosella ought to be about 18 – 24 months of age by the time they are allowed to breed. If the birds are allowed to fully mature the breeding life of them can be safer and longer than those that are permitted to breed at an early age. Rosella can lay and productively raise young up to the age of about 10 years, every so often even longer.

Pairing:

Finest breeding results are achieved by pairing up distinct birds. Buying two young birds from the identical place may provide a brother-sister combination. To keep away from the likelihood of producing hybrids, just keep one pair of Rosella per aviary. Make sure to only breed one species or its sub-species. Keep all species and sub-species clean and stay away from breeding from hybrids. Unintentional hybrids can be sold to the pet bird deal and aloof from the breeding stock. If in hesitation about the purity of any accessible breeder birds seek professional advice.

The Process:

Once the environment is formally established, females will normally lay among six to eight eggs. The incubation period is a standard 20 days. Then they will wean as of their parents at 8 to 10 weeks old.

The minimum aviary size should be about:

Width: 40 inches (1 meter) - 47 inches (1.2 meters)

Length: 16 feet (5 meters)

Height: 7 feet (2.1 meters)

Nest Box:

A standard Rosella nest box size would be 10" x 11" x 24" ( 25 x 28 x 60 cm)