Breeding elegant Parrots

[angelicvampyre]

Anyone done this? Anyway have some sugestions? i have been trying to find info but outside of "they breed in logs" i have nothing!

Also can you handtame the young?

[avinet]

I've bred them a few years ago, and there is no rocket science involved. Basically it is much the same as cockatiels and budgies. Get a male and female, give them good food, a suitable nest box, and let nature take it's course. Male Elegants can be quite territorial at times so if they are in a mixed flight keep a close eye on any aggression.

Breeding season is basically second half of the year, but they may continue to breed through until the end of summer. Standard sort of food - seed and/or pellets, with fresh veggies etc, and I would give plenty of sprouted seed as the start of the breeding season approached.

A standard cockatiel nest box can do in an emergency but ideally it should be slightly smaller - about 20cm square base and maybe 30 cm high. Nest box opening a bit smaller than a cockatiel box, probably around 50 mm diameter. They seem to like an opening that is a fairly tight squeeze - I guess it means that larger birds can't try to take over the hollow in the wild. Many Neophema breeders like to use a "A" shaped box for them, but I'm not convinced it makes any difference. Always with a new pair of birds (of any species) give them alternative boxes to choose from - after they have selected on then the other can be removed.

Don't bother trying to hand raise or tame them, like other Neophemas they aren't really interested in interacting with humans and hand rearing is a waste of time and can result in a bird that is hopeless at breeding.

cheers,

Mike

[Laraine]

My only comments are that I have a pair in a communial aviary and they didn't breed. Next year I am going to separate them into their own cage.

[angelicvampyre]

Thanks guys. At the moment they are in a budige breeding cage (0nly one I had that enabled me to do quarantine) Hen has attempted to get into the box but going to try and not let this happen as I want them to settle before I try and get them to breed. Even then not that intrested in breeding I just thought they where pretty

Good to know that I can pretty much keep them on the Budgie diet (seed, pellets, fruit and veggies) and they will be happy.

[Karen]

Mine bred successfully in the same mini aviary as the bourke's this season giving 3 beautiful chicks.
They need a higher nest box as the youngsters have a tendency of jumping out of the box.
The young can be tamed a bit but not like a budgie - at best it makes them not as afraid of humans. My hen (Ginger) is/was tamed a bit and when she's in the nest she'll allow me to pick her up off the eggs/chicks to examine them and when I'm finished I pick her up again replacing her on the eggs/chicks.

[angelicvampyre]

Ok cool, Do you think the that cockitel boxes would work for them as I have a few that the Green cheeks are sort of using till they get their avairy and I will get them z boxes.

Hmm thinking thinking how all this works.

[Karen]

Depends on what you call cockatiel boxes - I've seen some so-called cockatiel boxes around that are just a few inches bigger than a budgie box.
The ones I used for the Elegants were pretty much the size Avinet said.

[angelicvampyre]

Yeah this is what I have I think I have a bit bigger then a Budgie box and deeper.

[Karen]

Here is a pic of the boxes I just put away from the breeding season.
I really wouldn't recommend anything smaller.

[angelicvampyre]

Yes they are them, cool means i don't have to buy them some as i have two already

[sypher]

www.birdcare.com.au/elegant_parrot.htm

[sypher]

Oh, Nice pics! I wish you were closer. I love the pink Bourkes!

Shaun