Avian Husbandry - Parrots Flashcards
Can you list the reasons why birds are commonly kept?
Pets, Sports, Zoos, Farms
List the general points of a parrot
10-3Kgs,
Large heads,
Hooked beaks,
Zyogdactyle feet,
Good climbers,
Intelligent (behavioural problems & noisy),
Social (live in flocks),
From warm & tropical regions,
Prey species with altrical young
What are some of the problems you ecounter when keeping parrots?
Inappropraite pair bonding with owners (common in hand-reared parrots),
- Avoid feedng mouth to mouth,
- Avoid stroking lower back, belly & inner leg,
Average lifespan is short due to poor husbandry (esp diet)
What is a common zoonotic disease in parrots?
Chlamydia psittaci
Can you list the commonly kept parrot species?
Budgerigars,
Cockatiels,
Lovebirds,
African Grey,
Eclectus,
Amazons,
Cockatoos, Macaws
When do budgerigar reached sexual matuiry?
6 months
Lifespan of budgerigar
18 years (pet birds 5-6 years)
Describe budgerigars as pets
Good,
Kept in large groups,
Wild diet predominantly seeds - obesity common,
Cnemidocepts mits & neoplasia common
When do cockatiels reach sexual matuirity?
6-2 months
Lifepsan of a cockatiel
30 but captivity 6-7 years
How do you sex a cockatiel?
Males - brighter cheek patches,
Female - Bards underneath tail & flight feathers
Body weight of a cockatiel
80-125g
Describe cockatiels as pets
Good pets,
Males better singers,
Colour mutations
How many species of lovebirds are there?
9
When do loverbirds reach sexual matuiry?
8-12 months
Lifepspan of lovebirds
12 but 4 years in captivity
Body weight of a lovebird
35-55g
Do they maky good pets?
Noisy - can be aggressive
When do aftican greys reach sxual matuiry?
3-5 years
How can you tell the differences between young and mature african greys?
Young - dark eyes, Adults - yellow eyes
Lifespan of african greys
50 years byt 15-20 in captivity
Body weight of african grey
450-500g
Why do some african grey have a red tail?
Sub-species: Timneh these are smaller (330-350g)
Do african grey make good pets?
Popular, Good talkers, Intelligence of 3-5 year old child
When do eclectus reach sexual maturity?
3-6 years
Lifespan of electus
20 years but 8-10 in captivity
How do you sex a electus?
Males - Green, Females - Red
Body weight of electus
400-450g
Do eclectus make good pets?
Females can be aggressve
How many speices of amazon parrots are there?
30 species of green parrot
When do amazon parrots reach sexual matuiry?
4-6 years
Lifespan of amazon parrots
60 years but 15-20 in captivty
Body weight of an amazon parrot
350-600g
Do amazon parrots make good pets?
Excellent talkers, Very destructive to funture, Prone to obesity
How many species of cockatoos are there?
20
When do cockatoos reach sexual matuirity?
1-6 years
Lifepsan of a cockatoo
60 years but 15-20 in captivty
How can you sex a cockatoo?
Males - Black Iris, Females - Red/Brown iris
Body weight of a cockatoo
350-1100g
Do cockatoos make good pets?
Loud & Destructive, Hand-reared = seviour behavioural problems, Mate aggression common, Produce lots of powder down
When do macaws reach sexual matuirty?
3-7 years
Lifespan of macaws
50 years byt 15-20 in captivity
Body weight of a macaw
200-1700g
How do you sex budgies?
Males have a blue cere, Famles are brown
How do you sex a ringneck parakeet?
Males have ring
If there is no visual differences between sexes, what do you do?
DNA sexing from blood or feather, Endoscopic sexing
How are kept parrots identified?
Rings on tarsometatarsus & Microchipped in left pectoral muscle, caudal third
Different rings birds can have
Close - applied when chick,
Open/Split - applied any time,
Females - Left,
Males - Right
Handling parrots
Windows & Doors closed,
Restrain head,
Handle in towel or cloth with one hand around head and the other around weeks with the feet in the towel,
No restriction of sternal movements (as no diaphragm = suffocate),
Avoid prolonged dorsal recumbency,
Budgies can be ringer grip with one hand and head between first two fingers
Indoor Cages - Housing
Cages - large as possible & must allow bird to extend & stretch wing (W&C Act 1981),
Stainless steel or Powder coated (no galvanised wire as zinc is toxic),
Horizontal bards for climbing,
Easily cleaned,
Place in corner for security (Prey), separate activty, foragaing centre and gym
Aviaries
Can be kept in all year around,
Mesh cannot allow head to go through,
Shetler & Some require heating
Aviaries & Breeding birds
Adjacent flights for breeding pairs should be double-wired or separated by vegetation,
Budgies & Cockatiels - Avaries with multiple nest boxes for groups or rows of breeding cages for individual pairs
Suspended aviaries
Allow droppings to fall through,
Not easy to catch birds or replace perches
Substrate for aviaries
Parakeets like foraging on ground but soil substrate increase risk of worms.
Solid pavings or concrete floors prevent rodents burrowing in
Perches
Natural branches from non-toxic trees,
Variable diameters,
Enjoy chewing them,
Wash & Renew regularly,
Knotted cotton, sisal ropes & swings are good (no nylon),
Sandpaper, therapeutic, plastic or dowel uniform perches can cause bumblefoot
Enrichment
Bathing or Misting is essential,
Foraging Important,
Provide food in a form that requires ‘work’,
Non-toxic branches
Toys
Change & Rotate regularly,
Chewing toys - avoid rubber or plastic, instead destructible items like cardboard, pine cones and rawhide,
Climbing toys,
Mirrors for companionship but can stimulate sexual behaviour
Lighting
12-hour day/night cycle,
Bright indirect light,
UV important for synthesis of vit D (esp in African greys) - Natural sunlight best if not indoor birds need full spectrum tube to provide UVA & UVB
List the different types of Diet & Nutrtions
Granivores (Budgies & Cockatiels),
Frugivres (Amazon),
Florivores (African grey),
Omnivores (Cockatoo)
Nectarivores (Lories & Lorikeets)
Diet
Seed-based most commonly fed - common cause of disease & reduce lifespan,
Fresh water always available,
Calcium supplementation important for egg-laying females,
Grit not necessary but canbe given to small species (can be harmful)
Seed-base Diet
All-seed (sunflower)/peanut diets are: high in fat & calories, Deficient in vit A, D3, B12 & calcium, iodin & amino acids, poor calcium:phosphorus ration,
Downside of a seed-base diet
Often poor quaility & Contaminated with fungal spores, Improper storage = Contamination of aflatoxins, Encourages selectivbe feed & Difficult to supplement, Coating on seeds are devauled if dejusked when consumed
When can seed-base diets lead to?
Respiratory disease,
Oral disease,
Poor feathers & skin quality,
Chronic infection,
Obesity,
Hepatic lipidosis,
Atherosclerosis,
Metabolic disease,
Poor repro & egg binding,
Goitre (voice change)
Pelleted Diet
Complete balance formulated diets recommended - prevent selective feeding, species specific, fruit & veg for enrichment, ideal for weaning
How to convert a see junkie parrot
Mix pellets with seeds & gradually reduce % of seeds, limit time seeds offered, place pellets on mirror, disguise pellets (peanut butter), Offer from owners plate, Hospitilaise bird
Home Made diets
Possible but difficult, Birds must eat it all, 60% varied grains, 25% beans cooked or sprouted pulses, 10% greens, veg & 5% fruit, 33%cooked brown rice, 33% cooked pulses & sprouted seeds, 33% veg & fruit, Avoid over-supplemenation
Household hazards
Teflon fumes (non-stick pans), Heavy metal objrcts, Fans, Salt, Chocolate, Avocado, Milk & Alcohol
