Hi to everyone on the Alexandrine Forum

My friend is hoping to buy an Alexandrine.

Unlike other countries, there are very few shops in the UK where Parrots can be bought. Consequently, our options are very limited. There are birds sold by private sellers on websites such as ‘preloved’ or ‘Pets4Homes’ but we will not go down that route, as my friend and I have little/no experience in spotting things that are wrong or any potential problems.

And so to the reason for posting this question ...

My friend Ruth has seen a couple of Alexandrines being sold by a shop who takes the birds in when they are ready to be sold - he doesn’t breed or rear them himself. I am attaching a photo of parrots, together with screenshot photos of two comments that he made to her yesterday (in answer to her questions).

I am not sure whether the Rules allow for Members to comment on specific birds that are not yet owned but, if it is allowed, would anyone be able to say if these birds look like they are just 14 weeks old, whether they look in good condition and also if they are likely to grow much more (if they are as he states just 14 weeks old)?

Any advice and comments would be really be appreciated as this is the only seller in a our region who is Local Council Registered.

Thank you.
Cheerio
LuLu.F

Attached Thumbnails

     

Baby birds rapidly reach adult size , i would expect they would fill out and only a modest increase in size if any as they reach 2 years of age. These do look like young birds. I have no experience with them tho.

I would have her pick the parrot thst is interested in her. And a well socialized baby should be willing to step up.

This info is probably what you yourself can find. But I'll add it.


The parrot is named after Alexander the Great, who transported numerous birds from Punjab to European and Mediterranean regions. These birds were prized by royalty and nobles. Feral populations currently live in Spain, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, and Hong Kong.

Temperament
Tame, handfed Alexandrine parakeets can make loving and affectionate pets, although they tend to become "one-person" birds. They strongly bond to a favorite family member while shunning others within the household.

Like other Asiatic parakeets, many Alexandrine parakeets go through a hormonal, aggressive bluffing phase during adolescence (age 4 months to 1 year), which can be difficult for less seasoned bird owners to handle. This period can last from two weeks to two years, depending on the bird.

With proper socialization and the use of bonding techniques, Alexandrine parakeets generally settle nicely into their new home environment and thoroughly enjoy interacting with their owners. These birds are highly intelligent and are known to be excellent talkers, making them very popular pets.

Speech and Vocalizations
Alexandrine parakeets can be quite noisy and loud, so they are probably not the right choice for those who live near neighbors. Their powerful vocalizations carry over a long distance in the wild, so it can be challenging to keep one in an apartment or condominium setting.

This bird has an excellent capacity for imitating human speech clearly. The Alexandrine parakeet has a variety of calls, including ringing sounds, loud and deep "klak" sounds, and a resounding "gr-aak" call. Its calls are deeper than the Indian ringneck parakeets, and it's alarm calls are louder, too.


How to Teach Your Bird to Talk
Alexandrine Parakeet Colors and Markings
Slender Alexandrines can reach a length of 25 inches, and most of this length is due to its long, elegant tail feathers. They are slightly more stocky than Indian Ringneck parakeets.

Coloring is predominantly green with blue-grey on the cheeks and back of the neck, yellow-green abdomen, red patch on the shoulders, a massive red beak with yellow tips. The underside of the tail is yellow; the top of the tail is green and blue with yellow at the tip.


Alexandrine parakeets are a dimorphic bird species, meaning you can tell males apart from females. Adult males have a black and rose-colored ring around their necks. Females are the same color without the neck rings.

Caring for an Alexandrine Parakeet
Known for their beauty, intelligence, and excellent talking abilities, Alexandrine parakeets need a lot of space, hours of interaction, and supervised out-of-cage time every day. Care for this bird can be a decades-long commitment.

This bird may be a medium-sized parrot, but it still needs a large cage to accommodate its long tail feathers. At the minimum, provide a cage that is at least 3 feet tall and 2 feet long and wide.

These birds love to bathe frequently and play in the water. Provide a large water bath at least once a week. Your bird might also like an occasional misting.

__________________
"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

A link on the hormonal stage, most of us have to deal with some sort of bumps in the road during this
https://www.thesprucepets.com/bluffi...parrots-390306

__________________
"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

And a couple of my favorite articles
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress...ot-companions/

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

http://www.parrotparrot.com/articles...rd-safe-homes/

__________________
"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

Laurasea.

Thank you SO much for all your thoughts, advice and links - Laurasea - they will all be extremely helpful to both Ruth and me.

LuLu.F

aww you are welcome

__________________
"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

Also adding to what has already been said, if the birds are not banded to indicate the age of the bird. You can tell if a young Alexandrine by it's eyes, a young Alexandrine's eyes are still dark, they don't develop that white ring around their iris (I believe) just close to a year. Additionally, you will not tell if it's a male only close to 2 years of age when it will develop that prominent ring around it's neck. Otherwise, it is difficult to distinguish the bird's sex until after 2 years unless you get a DNA sex of the bird as young Alexandrine's resemble a female. Thus, these are the two characteristics I always look at when sellers (breeders) are trying to sell young Alexandrines (saying they are less than a 1 yr old) when they are actually at least 2 years old.

Moreover, parrots in my experience are similar to shy dogs where they need to feel confident and trust in you. Similar to a new dogs, parrots need that sense of consistency with their care giver. Subsequently, once they let their guard down and fully trust you, Alexandrines in my experience are amazing and such underrated parrots and as you can develop that bond with them and you can see their individual personality.

Hope that helps.

Soloist

Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to respond to my question - your comments and advice are most helpful.

LuLu.F

Hello,

I don't think the bird on the left is a youngster, but the bird on the right is (young birds eyes are basically all dark so they look big. Older birds have a defined iris that is white to orange in Alex's). Young birds also have a goofy, stupid look to them, which the bird on the right has, but not the one to the left.

Are they meant to be siings or just birds of a similar age from different breeders?

The size won't change very much, but their tails may get longer if they still have "baby" tails or of they are broken, which they often are when they are young.

They both look to be healthy, but it's worth noting that only the most obvious illness can be visually seen in birds.

Your friend needs to go and interact with the birds and see what she thinks of them and vice versa.

Jottlebot

Your observations, comments and advice are extremely helpful and will definitely give us more confidence when we go to view the parrots we are interested in at the shop. Tbh, it is all a bit daunting but I am so glad to have come across ParrotForums because the support and advice has been invaluable.

Thank you
LuLu.F