Planning on getting an Alexandrine

DaRudeDragon

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May 14, 2017
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EDIT: Now that I think of it, I may've posted to the wrong thread :I

Hello! I've been planning on getting an Alexandrine for a while now, though I have barely any experience owning parrots. We had a Budgie while I was still a baby so I don't remember much of it, then we had another one when I was a bit older, though I must admit my parents did most of the work taking care of it and I didn't really pay a lot of attention to it.

I've done a fair amount of research and watched plenty of YT videos, from general parrot-related ones to Alexandrine-specific. From what I've learned I get the impression they're relatively quiet, energetic, love water, playful, intelligent, interactive and the like. I also found out they're among the top 10 "talker" parrots, which piqued my interest even more.

I've been to the local pet store and they only have 1 at the moment, and it's white? I've been googling images of white Alexandrines but found nothing so I'm not sure if they made a mistake while labeling ?? It's labeled as "two-toned Alexandrine", which I've never heard of?

If anyone has tips about their diet, cage size/bar spacing, pros and cons etc., or even personal opinions about the parrot, I'd really appreciate it! If I came to a wrong conclusion or something of the like in the above paragraphs, please feel free to correct me!

Thanks in advance~
:green2:
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haleyd

New member
May 1, 2017
39
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Western North Carolina
Parrots
Green Cheek Conure (Baby Bird)
All I know is that Alex's require a lot of socializing and attention. It takes lots and lots of dedication to make them sweet and affectionate. Most of the Alex's I have met have been rescues from people who did not take care of them, or people who found out five years in that they couldn't handle it. In fact I've only met surrendered Alexs.
Not to say you couldn't handle it, but as a first bird you might want to look at something smaller aka a bit easier to handle.
For example my first bird is a GCC, and eventually I plan to get an electus. But I need to get myself use to birds and their behavior before I get a more difficult animal.
Again, not to say you can't do it! Just make sure you look into more than just the textbook definition and a beautiful face. Birds are not easy haha.
 

Jottlebot

Member
Aug 29, 2012
507
14
Shropshire, UK
Parrots
Orange-winged Amazon - RIP Charlie,
Spock - Common Mynah,
McCoy - Alexandrine
Hi, I'm surprised that you've only met surrendered Alex's, but I don't doubt you. They have a reputation of being gentle giants and when they are a bit more birdy than perfect I guess people feel they're too much and not what they expected.

I have an Alex, he's been with me just over 2 months, I'm his first keeper and plan to be his last! He is currently biting! Not out of aggression, just working out what's OK for both of us, but it HURTS!!! In terms of cages, they need one as big as you can manage. Mine has a 6x6x4 foot! Bar spacings are the same as for an Amazon, I don't know the size off hand. They need a lot of super tough chew toys.

I don't think the bird you have seen is an Alexandrine, they do come in colour mutations, but they are rare and about 5 times as expensive! Don't recognise that colour description either.
 
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DaRudeDragon

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May 14, 2017
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All I know is that Alex's require a lot of socializing and attention. It takes lots and lots of dedication to make them sweet and affectionate. Most of the Alex's I have met have been rescues from people who did not take care of them, or people who found out five years in that they couldn't handle it. In fact I've only met surrendered Alexs.
Not to say you couldn't handle it, but as a first bird you might want to look at something smaller aka a bit easier to handle.
For example my first bird is a GCC, and eventually I plan to get an electus. But I need to get myself use to birds and their behavior before I get a more difficult animal.
Again, not to say you can't do it! Just make sure you look into more than just the textbook definition and a beautiful face. Birds are not easy haha.
Thanks a lot for the reply! I'm well aware of the amount of time one has to put into taking care of a parrot to make sure it behaves the way one wants it to. I believe the main reason I only found Alexes in pet shops is because not a lot of people buy parrots here, from my experience? I've never met anyone with anything bigger than a lovebird, save for a friend of mine who owns an Alex and a few budgies.
I'll definetly look into the Alex parrots more before making a final decision, thank you for your input ! :)
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DaRudeDragon

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May 14, 2017
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Hi, I'm surprised that you've only met surrendered Alex's, but I don't doubt you. They have a reputation of being gentle giants and when they are a bit more birdy than perfect I guess people feel they're too much and not what they expected.

I have an Alex, he's been with me just over 2 months, I'm his first keeper and plan to be his last! He is currently biting! Not out of aggression, just working out what's OK for both of us, but it HURTS!!! In terms of cages, they need one as big as you can manage. Mine has a 6x6x4 foot! Bar spacings are the same as for an Amazon, I don't know the size off hand. They need a lot of super tough chew toys.

I don't think the bird you have seen is an Alexandrine, they do come in colour mutations, but they are rare and about 5 times as expensive! Don't recognise that colour description either.
I stated that I only found Alexandrines in pet shops, not surrendered ones ;). I'll look into larger cages in that case :D. Found out there's Alexandrines in another pet store so I'll check it out as soon as I get some time.
Thanks a lot for the tips! :green2:
 

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