![]() ![]() What you need to know when breeding. African Gray Parrots have endeared themselves to bird enthusiasts everywhere for centuries (dating back from Ancient Greece), and with good reason: African Grays have great personalities, in addition to being one of the handsomest birds around. Not the easiest companion bird to keep, these fine parrots are nonetheless one of the most interesting pets for experienced and novice owners alike; properly cared for, they can lead long and fruitful lives. The popularity of African Gray Parrots holds a lot of potential for owners looking to support their passion for the bird by becoming a breeder and trader of African Grays. The good news is that this endeavor can become very lucrative if carried out carefully; however, there are no hard and fast guidelines that are 1. The reason for this uncertainty is rooted in the birds having relatively more complex personalities than other species, and it is this same interesting trait that makes them unpredictable. What can apply to a certain individual bird may not hold true for another. Experienced breeders, though, agree on a number of pointers that, arguably, can be used as a comfortable base for embarking on your very own African Gray Parrot breeding enterprise: Stock is Important. To make sure you get excellent young birds from your breeding pair, it is imperative to procure said pair from a reputable dealer. ![]() This will make it probable that you are getting genetically- superior stock, which traits your future African Grays will inherit. If possible, look for parent birds that has a proven track record; that is, they are known to have produced top- notch chicks from a previous breeding run. Consider yourself lucky indeed if you are able to obtain such a pair. Barring this, it will be a bit more challenging to find suitable candidates for your cock and hen birds (the male and female, respectively). Obviously, you would want to get adult birds of breeding age. It is difficult to accurately assess how old an individual African Gray is; the telltale indicator that one is at least an adult bird, is if its eyes are already yellow in color (juveniles have black eyes). Reputable pet shops will also (most of the time) sell accurately- sexed specimens, which is another good reason to get your stock from such dealers. ![]() ![]() Handfed Baby parrots for sale,baby african greys,hand-fed african greys,baby yellow nape amazon, baby african grey parrots,handfed baby yellow naped amazon,handfed. White Bellied and Black Headed Caiques $ 799 Most often heard to be the "clowns of the bird world", these. Ara chloropterus. Also known as the Red-and-green Macaw, this species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 8,100,000 km². One Comment on “Things I wish I Had Known When I First Got A Parrot”. However, if you really want to make sure of the birds’ sexes, you may have them undergo DNA testing. Bonding. Now, some dealers may try to sell you a pair of birds packaged as “bonded” (in human terms, bonded may refer to being “in a relationship”); however, it would be prudent if you verify this for yourself. Experienced breeders will look for pairs that show obvious signs of bonding such as mutual preening, feeding and other “shows of affection”. If you don’t find these cues in the pair being offered, it might be possible that your dealer may be using “Bonded” as a selling point to dump two indifferent birds on you. Be very careful when buying into such packages, as it may take years for a male bird and a female bird to get into a bonded stage, if at all. The logic is simple: if no bonding occurs, then no breeding will occur. Caring for Your Pair. To encourage breeding in your birds, make sure that they are comfortable in terms of housing and feeding arrangements. Most owners find that the African Gray needs to have a sufficiently private environment in order to get into the breeding state. Provide a spacious cage with perches, and ample room for exercise. Feeders should be contrived in such a way that disturbing the pair will be minimized: ideally, it should a setup that easily allows food and water to be introduced to the cages while reducing the probability of the birds making a bid for escape during feeding time. ![]() Here, feeder slots that swing inside would a great option. The nest area can be an enclosure located within the cage itself, preferably at a far end away from activity areas. It should be made of sturdy material, such as thick plywood, with reinforced jointing. The nest area should have roofing over it to further enhance privacy, but the activity areas themselves can be left without a shelter overhead.
![]() All parts of the cage should be made very sturdy, as African Grays have a habit of chewing up whatever surfaces they could find. Breeding. Don’t expect your pair to get right to breeding as soon as they move into their new home. At worst, it will take a few years even for a bonded pair to produce their first eggs. Therefore, some careful nudging in the right direction to encourage breeding will help shorten the wait. Feed your birds with a superior diet to make sure they produce robust chicks from large clutches. A poor diet will result in less eggs and sickly young birds. African Grays typically lay from one to three eggs per clutch; so ensuring that you get two or three each breeding not only makes your efforts more efficient, it also maximizes your profits from the sale of young Grays. Fortunately, African Grays breed all year round, so it’s possible to have multiple clutches in a single year. However, do not overdo it: egg- laying and chick rearing can be particularly hard on the hen. Too much work on her part will exhaust her and possibly kill her. Ideally, a breeder should limit his or her hen to two clutches per year, spaced adequately, to allow her to properly recuperate between each breeding. It is possible to coax breeding at the right time by controlling the birds’ diet. The reason why there is particular breeding season for the African Gray is that, in their original habitat, food sources are available all year round to provide ample nourishment for chicks at any given time. There are certain feed mixes available in the market specifically formulated to encourage breeding. Therefore, provide this food when you want your pair to breed, and exchange this for another type of feed mix when you want your hen to recuperate from her nesting duties. Caring for the Eggs and Chicks. After the eggs are laid, you should give your breeding pair a lot of privacy to make hatching the eggs easier for them. The hatchlings come out from their eggs after a month, so during this time refrain from peeking constantly inside the nesting area. Just make sure the feeders get replenished regularly. Allow about seven weeks from the time the eggs are laid before checking again: by that time, two- to three- week old hatchlings should be present already. Don’t worry about dead hatchlings because, after all, what you’re after are high- quality young birds to sell. Those who do not survive the natural selection process are often those that are weak and sickly, and therefore will not grow into superb specimens that people would want to buy. If you like this.. Things I wish I Had Known When I First Got A Parrot. Galah on a climbing net. People who are new to parrot keeping will agree on one thing: having a bird in the house is a challenge. There is a lot of reading you should do to understand a bird’s needs and wants, and how to keep them safe in the human environment. This is all vital information. Here, though, are some tips that I have stumbled across during my own journey with my birds that you won’t find in the parrot care books. I wish I had known these things from the beginning. Nothing is further from the truth. The companion birds that do best are the ones whose humans have figured out that there is a link between their bird’s physical and emotional health. Unfortunately, most cages are set up having toys and food bowls conveniently within a few steps, offering no encouragement for activity. However, a bird’s body is not designed to sit idly all day, nor is its mind. Arrange your bird’s cage in a way that creates the need to move and plot out ways to accomplish tasks. Obviously foraging is an ideal solution but placing food and water bowls at opposites ends of the cage or even in difficult to reach places can get a bird up and moving during the day. Place favorite toys (or strips of paper) on the outside of the cage so your bird has to hang and reach to get them. When your bird is active, it is occupied and happy. Your job is to keep your bird healthy both physically and emotionally. It is not to make life easy. This is the human presumption of the “good life” – it is not a good life for a bird. Fix Problems Immediately. The minute you experience an unwanted behavior, it should be dealt with – even the small ones. Unaddressed problems only ever escalate over time and what you are experiencing today will be worse in a couple of months. An example: whenever your bird sees your hands at rest, he will go to them and prod them until his insistence is distracting enough that you give him the neck rub he is demanding. This sounds pretty harmless, but there will be times when it is inconvenient. The prods might develop into nipping when you resist. The cycle began when you didn’t stop his insistent behavior early on. You have taught him that you will give in to his demands if he pushes you. You can expect that lesson to rear its ugly head in many other ways as well. Behavior is a lot like muscle memory in that default behaviors will develop in response to certain things. The longer you allow a pattern of behavior to continue, the more ingrained it becomes and the harder it is to eliminate. It isn’t easy to break a habit – so don’t let it develop. Blue and gold macaws with tasty “ball”Get Your Bird To Play With His Food. As I have said so many times before, getting your bird on a healthy diet is the single most important thing you will do as a parrot owner. However, converting to that diet can be a tricky business. One thing goes without saying – if your bird never goes near the food, it is guaranteed that it will never be eaten. For a very young bird, the weaning process involves presenting adult foods to them every day for exploration. The more often you can get that beak dipped into a pureed or soft food or wrapped around a piece of carrot, the more familiar the taste and texture becomes and the more likely it is to be sampled. This holds true with older birds as well. A game I have always played with my cockatiels is flicking a small wad of paper to them soccer- style. They chase the paper ball everywhere. One day I decided to do it with some frozen peas that had spilled on the counter. That was the day my tiels discovered yummy peas, and the day I discovered a new trick. I have used this method of food introduction with every stubborn bird I have had since. While I don’t necessarily hurl food at all the birds, I figure out a way to bring them to the new food, since bringing the food to them is so often unsuccessful. It’s all about trickery. I have learned over the years is that you have to be proactive and forward thinking when you are a bird owner. Try to always be a step ahead by keeping a clear picture in your mind of the bird you want yours to be five years from now. Facebook comments.
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