The Plum-Headed Parakeet, Psittacula cyanocephala, combines an excellent, unique look with hardiness and an interesting persona. Even supposing lively and inquisitive, their calm and comfy demeanor makes those South Asian natives glorious pets and aviary additions.
Learn on to determine why they’re one of the crucial fashionable hen puppy possible choices on the planet.
Species Assessment
| Colour: | Inexperienced, various over the frame, head is pink/crimson (male) and blue/grey (feminine) |
| Dimension: | 13–14 inches (grownup) |
| Weight: | 2.3–2.8 oz |
| Wingspan: | 14 inches |
Medium-sized parrots of singular attractiveness, Plum Headed Parakeets make excellent pets, being much less competitive and possessive than different species, and getting alongside effectively with others. Whilst much less tough of householders’ time than different parrots, they nonetheless require common interplay to deal with socialization.
Those social birds can are living on my own or in teams. House owners recurrently stay 2 to 4 parakeets in combination in one enclosure. Absolute best circle of relatives pets, Plum Headed Parakeets thrive in eventualities the place a number of individuals are offering socialization and enrichment.
Plum-Headed Parakeet Traits
Historical past & Herbal Habitat
Plum Headed Parakeets originate from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and they may be able to be discovered within the woodlands and forests of just about any well-wooded house instead of the prime Himalayan mountains. Within the few circumstances through which they have got been transplanted, Plum Headed Parakeets have succeeded in a number of climates all over the place the arena, having even been identified to ascertain small breeding populations.
Whilst wild numbers have step by step lowered with habitat loss, Plum-Headed Parakeets nonetheless thrive and aren’t threatened via extinction.
Issues to Know When Proudly owning a Plum-Headed Parakeet
Temperament
Plum Headed Parakeets are identified to be mild, social, and affectionate, specifically with their homeowners. With strangers, on the other hand, they may be able to be fairly aloof and unresponsive. Moderately quiet for parrots, they may be able to be a good selection for the ones in flats or different shut quarters with neighbors.
If hand-fed from infancy, Plum-Headed Parakeets can turn into reasonably tame and expand robust bonds with their homeowners. Whilst they’re typically much less tough of devoted proprietor interplay than maximum parrots, a specific amount of normal interplay stays necessary to maintain bonding.
In case you are green with Psittacula species, you wish to have to bear in mind that they regularly go through a “bluffing” segment all over youth. All over bluffing, you are going to most probably see larger aggression, together with hissing, biting, and general resistance to interplay. Bluffing is exactly hormone-related and on no account a trademark of the hen’s eventual persona. It’s vital all over this time to forget about the hen’s cues and proceed common bonding behaviors, regardless of the reaction.
It most effective lasts a couple of months, so it’s no longer that massive a deal. Plum-Headed Parakeets which might be treated each day will keep tame and proceed to bond effectively as soon as their hormones have stabilized.
Sounds, Speech & Vocalizations
Plum Headed Parakeets have well known speaking skills, which is able to come with mimicking and reproducing human speech. They be informed effectively and will imitate a wide variety of phrases and words correctly, due to intelligence and a willing sense of listening to. Plum Headed Parakeets are fast rookies with awesome reminiscence retention and are identified to acknowledge sounds and reproduce them simply.
If correctly skilled and socialized, can learn how to affiliate phrases with particular eventualities or movements, and answer in flip. Additionally, vocalization is numerous and will incorporate a spread of whistles, chirps, squawks, and different sounds. Their distinct making a song taste is exclusive from different parrots.
Plum-Headed Parakeet Look
Plum Headed Parakeets are one of the vital maximum superbly coloured birds you’ll be able to personal.
They’re sexually dimorphic, this is their look will fluctuate via gender.
Men have red-colored heads shifting to gray or, clearly, plum, to a bluish-purple in the back of the top, again of the neck, and cheeks. The male is definitely identified via a slim black neck collar and a black chin stripe extending to the decrease jaw. Additionally they can display a crimson shoulder patch.
Women folk showcase a bluish-gray head and not using a black neck band, however fairly a gradient pale-yellow collar. More youthful women have inexperienced heads and yellow mandibles. Each sexes have lengthy, slim, bluish tails shading to white on the very tip. The irises are black, and the legs are light grey.
Taking good care of the Plum-Headed Parakeet
Plum-Headed Parakeets have a typically comfy nature, permitting them to typically coexist peacefully with different birds in shared quarters akin to aviaries. Like different species, regardless that, they may be able to turn out to be competitive all over breeding sessions, particularly women, so that they must be monitored. Transient separation is also important.
In captivity, they will showcase preliminary shyness and timidity, even though this will also be triumph over with common, constant coaching and day by day interplay. You must bear in mind that, regardless of being sociable, they typically aren’t keen on being cuddled via their homeowners. Fairly, yours it will likely be completely content material to easily sit down for your shoulder and chat with you.
Protecting your Plum-Headed Parakeet’s plumage wholesome and blank is relatively easy. A flat container filled with water must be saved to be had for normal bathing. Additionally, a bath sprayer can be utilized to wash them two or thrice weekly. You must even have particular grooming equipment and pieces to trim beaks and nails as important.
Nutrition & Vitamin
Within the wild, those birds most commonly exist on fruit and seeds. In captivity, a nutrition consisting of top quality seed and pellet combine, akin to a excellent small parrot feed mix, supplemented day by day with recent, bird-safe vegatables and fruits will do them effectively.
A Plum Headed Parakeet will consume as much as 1 tablespoon of meals according to day. They do revel in selection, so you’ll be able to experiment with meals like sprouts, leafy vegetables, and berries.
Branches from budding apple, pear, peach, and different fruit bushes will please them, in addition to stay them occupied for hours. Plum-Headed Parakeets like to carry their meals in a single foot whilst perching with the opposite. Reducing vegatables and fruits into cubes of kind of 1 sq. inch will let them indulge on this.
Cage & Housing Necessities
Since they’re fast, vigorous flyers, Plum Headed Parakeets do effectively in better cages or aviaries. A cage minimal of 40 x 20 x 32 inches is excellent to accommodate a couple. Two softwood perches of a few part inch in diameter positioned at other heights within the cage supply excellent roosting. Cage equipment akin to toys, meals dishes, and perches must be saved to a minimal, so there’s quite a few room to transport with out crowding. Be certain the cage is in a location clear of drafts or destructive fumes.
Branches from non-toxic bushes must be supplied for herbal perches and to provide a chance to chunk on bark, leaves, and seeds, which they no longer most effective love, however additional supplies very good beak workout. Those birds like to climb and are skillful, sleek fliers. Thus, they do very best in out of doors or indoor aviaries, so they may be able to keep lively and feature a captivating setting. Whilst Plum-Headed Parakeets can get used to existence in a big cage, they nonetheless can get slow in the event that they don’t have day by day workout out of the cage.
Even supposing they’re present in tropic-like habitats, Plum-Headed Parakeets additionally incessantly inhabit upper altitudes during the Subcontinental area. You may well be shocked at how well-adapted they’re to cooler temperatures. Outside housing can regularly figure out effectively if warmth is equipped to their house.
Your Plum-Headed Parakeet is mild-mannered and typically will get alongside effectively in teams and with such neighbors as Java Rice Birds, Chinese language Quail, better finches, and an identical birds. Breeding pairs, on the other hand, are very best saved on my own.
Workout
As famous, it is strongly recommended that your Plum-Headed Parakeets spend time outdoor of the enclosure on a daily basis. They want the room to stretch out and use their wings, and this gives numerous the workout they want.
Within the enclosure, parakeets can be supplied with hiking and chewing toys for extra workout and enrichment during their day. Some examples of those are ropes, swings, and ladders.
Parakeets thrive on constant enrichment and interplay. As we’ve stated, they may be able to be skilled to execute no longer most effective tips but in addition obey instructions for naturally happening movements akin to flying to positive spots and retrieving pieces.
Well being & Stipulations
Plum-Headed Parakeets are a hardy and resilient species, however the next preventative well being measures must nonetheless be taken.
Strict worming and parasite keep watch over
Handle hygiene via automatically cleansing discarded meals and droppings
Blank water dishes day by day
Take away recent meals sooner than spoiling
Commonplace Diseases for this birds are:
Minor Stipulations
- Parasites (particularly mites)
- Weight problems
- Hypovitaminosis A (low ranges of diet A)
Critical Stipulations
Tumors
Goiters
Liver Illness
Bumblefoot and different foot problems
Psittacosis
Osteoarthritis
If the habits or look of your parakeet turns out atypical, it’s all the time a good suggestion to hunt hospital treatment.
3 Little-Identified Info In regards to the Plum-Headed Parakeet
1. All over flight, Plum-Headed Parakeets alternate instructions swiftly, twisting and turning whilst making distinctive sounds.
2. Chewing is nearly as interesting to them as flying. They’ll chunk on anything else they may be able to of their enclosure.
3. Traditionally, Plum-Headed Parakeets have been integrated in the similar workforce as Psittacula roseate, the Blossom-Headed Parakeet.
Conclusion
An interesting persona and set of personality characteristics, shocking look, and delightful social profile make the Plum-Headed Parakeet a most delightful member of the circle of relatives. Cherished international, they’re very suave and playful, simple to maintain, and will also be depended directly to make the day brighter and extra attention-grabbing.
Featured Symbol Credit score: Amol Subhash Rapte, Shutterstock