Parrots

[KiwiGardener]

Here are my parrots:

Pinky (Galah) is the newest parrot I have. I brought her on January 17th.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/vatmarken_ayrshires/Digital%20camera%20photos/Pets/Img_0035.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/vatmarken_ayrshires/Digital%20camera%20photos/Pets/Img_0700.jpg

And here is Bettercup (Yellow Ringneck). She was half hand reared so one needs to be careful with her (its actually a him but I've called her a her since I brought her as a young baby).
Shes camera shy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/vatmarken_ayrshires/Digital%20camera%20photos/Pets/Img_0021.jpg

And here is the twit of the house, Screechy Boy (rainbow lorikeet).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/vatmarken_ayrshires/Digital%20camera%20photos/Pets/Img_0017.jpg

And if you're wondering - yes the cats get along with the birds. They sniggle up together by the fire in winter.

[DandyLioness]

OMG!!! They're so cute!! :lol:

[grindle]

wow what beautiful colours they are :rolleyes:

[Audwoman]

They are gorgeous. :wub: Are any of them talking yet.


I have to get pics of mine. They fly away everytime they see the camera all I get is a blur.

I have Toby the Cockatoo and Sweety a Grey Cheek (Pocket Parrot).

[KiwiGardener]

Yes - the Glah (she is only young - about one and a half) can mumble "Hello", the yellow and multi-coloured one can say "Rebekah" and "What"

[MrSeedy]

Is it cheaper to get the parrots there KiwiGardener, since some of your's are extremely expensive here, and might be classified as "luxury" or "exotic" birds here running in the many thousands of dollars. Most have to be "domestically bred" nowdays and the supply is short, so the price is high. Some are still smuggled into the states , but they're still very expensive. Does New Zealand still allow the importation of the ones you have?? Anyway, I do love your birds and have always wanted to get some birds again, should I ever be catless at some point. I've found my cats and birds dont' mix well!!!

[HarleyGal]

What beautiful birds! :D

[KiwiGardener]

MrS:-

The Galah and Rainbow lorikeet are "Native" Australian birds.
At some stage I assume they were brought into New Zealand and people have bred from them ever since.

Both birds are classes as pests in Australia - with the Galah destroying farm crops (I've learnt first hand just how destructive they can be!) and I believe the lorikeet can be just as destructive.

The Galah came with a NZ$1,600 price tag. The Lorikeet cost $350 and the Ringneck cost $180.

Breeding Galahs are very tricky.
Hand reared Galahs won't breed because they need partners for life.
So that means that only 'wild' Galahs can do the breeding side of things, and people will take the eggs and hatch them out and hand rear them from then on. That?s why the cost is so high.
'Wild' Galahs will also go off the nest very easily, so you mustn?t disturb them while they sit on the eggs.

I have always been a bird lover ? but I think I have enough now. I had wanted a Galah for at least a year (they?re just fascinating and bright birds) and I now have that.
If I were to get another bird it?d probably be a vacuum cleaner (name has slipped my mind ? they?re flightless birds that eat seed off the bottom of aviaries).

[Audwoman]

MrS is right our birds are very expensive. I want a hyacinth macaw but the lowest pice I have found is $12,000. I do not think I will get that dream. :D

Both my birds have a pretty good vocabulary. Sweety is not sweet. I let him watch cable TV he learned some not so nice words. Toby is the nice one he will not use such foul language. He amazes people when they come in the door he immediately says "Hello I am Toby" :wub:

[MrSeedy]

I've watched a number of television specials about the international smuggling of "exotic" birds, and I'd hope. that most folks would get a domestically bred birds, but I guess that's not always easy to find out! The huge prices here will continue to encourage the smuggling of birds , since there's so much money in the smuggling , though there are so many birds that die in transit under some horrific conditions, stuffed into suitcases , without food and water for days etc etc. Or packed in boxes with shipments. It often seems strange to me that Australia has such a policy of restricting exports of birds that are considered "pest' birds like the Galahs, even though they're worth thousands of dollars each on the interanational pet markets??? Doesn't make sense to me, but on the other hand there are some very rare and endangered varieties of other birds and even cockatoos that are being stollen from their nests as eggs or babies and which are being smuggled as well. Oh well, that's the modern world , where some things are considered ok for export til the numbers are near extinction in the wild and restrictions are placed on their export. That's happening in the pet trade across the board, for all kinds of different animals besides the birds. Many years ago I had the chance to buy a scarlet Macaw from a friend , who owned a pet store for $300 and at the time I thought that was "too expensive". If I'd only known!!! The same ones now would probably cost at least $1,000 nowdays.

I do agee KiwiGardener, that some of those birds are extremely difficult to breed out of their wild habitat, so I can understand the high prices, and think they're worth it provided, that the "smuggled" ones could be kept out of the market. I guess the philosophy or thought behind the Australian decision years ago to restrict exports , was probably based on the idea , that if you allow trade in wild animals , you're opening a can or worms and loads of problems , since there'd maybe be even a greater demand for the "illegally smuggled" ones., but it seems there'd be some way of controlling and governing the "trade"!! Just my opinion!!

[digiflower]

What lovely looking birds wow :wub: :D

[Ginny42]

Love your birds Kiwi! They're so colorful! :D

[gardenlady]

i have a sun conure and a jenday conure. i would love to have one of the big gentle giant blue hyacinths but since i don't have the tens of thousands they cost...my conures will have to do. i did see one for 8500.00 but i still think that is much more than necessary. they sure are goregous tho!

[nauseous]

Hi all

i'm the proud owner of a Galah,

he or she is still just an inquisitive little baby (to young to tell sex), loves nothing more then weatbix mashed in warm water, not to forget a side of corn on the cob.

Heaven is only a potato chip away for lucky.

i've been hand rearing him/her since he was 6 months old, i bought him from a breeder here in australia who had weened and raised him to that age. already he has formed a bond with everyone and is no longer a bird so to speak.

he is spoilt rotten by everyone who visits, getting more attention then most people.

favourite game includes dropping everything she can find on the ground from where ever she may be, and terrorising peoples toes. So far all she can speak is 'scratch scratch' and 'hello lucky' she is mumbling some other words that are not understandable yet. Nearing 10 months old now.

[ondinelamer]

nauseous: From the twinkle in Lucky's eye, I can tell you'll have your hands full. She looks like she's very intelligent - I've been told they are about as smart as a 4-year-old.

[nauseous]

Lucky can be a very full on, persistant little bird. She likes to explore her surroundings, always finding something new to amuse herself with. As yet though still a little young to show a great deal of intelligence, but learning everyday.

Indeed they are extremely smart once matured. I have read that they can develop the problem solving skills of 2 year old infants, you have to remember these guys have a pretty tiny little brain. They also develop high emotions for their chosen partner.

Young galahs will eventually mate with one bird in the wild as they get older partnering with it for life, and become protective of them from the rest of the flock.
This also occurs with humans, choosing one person as a mate and looking at everyone else as the flock becoming extremely possesive over their mate. Loosing that mate can result in severe stress for the bird.

This photo you can see she is in her 'somebody cuddle me' mood. Fluffing her crest up and slowly scratching herself behing the head with one of her claws.

[MrSeedy]

I find it sort of sad to think that birds , which we find so loveable , exotic, colorful, and endearing can be such pests in large numbers I guess to some farmers in Australia, and at one time or "still" the farmers trap them with large nets, or shoot them , when they become too big a problem. Is that still the case nauseous?

[nauseous]

Since Galahs can feed in massive flocks of up to 500 birds they can be extremely damaging to farmers crops.

You need to remember that these birds only occupied a small part of Austrlia until the first settlers arrived and started using the land for farming.

This gave the birds more areas to expand into as they now had fresh water supplies (water troth's for cattle and sheep) and more potential food to scavange. So naturally the Galah spread further and further around Australia.

And sadly yes that is the case, these birds along with Red/Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos and White Cockatoos are extremely unforgiving to farmers crops and are culled how ever possible. These birds will all feed in close proximity of each other. Poison, nets, guns or clubs are used to try thin there numbers. =(

Another big problem we are seeing now here in Austraila is a disease called "Psittacine Beak And Feather" Simply put beak and feather is like bird aids severly damaging the birds nervous and digestive system resulting in death for the bird.

[MrSeedy]

I can understand , where livelyhoods are concerned , that the cockatoos could become a severe problem, but it still saddens me. That new disease sounds for another reason for considerable concern for the native birds well being. I guess some animals to the contrary of being adversely affected for population numbers by human activities, are actually taking advantage of human activity by increasing their numbers to huge numbers. I've seen the same example in Australia concerning the regular domestic "house or door mouse" populations with literally outbreaks at some farms in the 10's of thousands. Saw that on the "Crocodile Hunter".