Pictures and Questions about my RB2's

Kimennever

New member
Jan 31, 2013
17
0
NSW, Australia
Parrots
1 RBT/Galah
Hi everyone :) I posted an introduction thread a few days ago. I now own 2 RB2's, one mine and one my partners.

I'm new-ish to parrot/cockatoo ownership but have had my RB2 (Meisha) for just under a year. I have learnt a lot in that time, and over the last few months have made a huge change in the care of her. We now also have Max, another younger RB2.

Anyway, I thought I would post some pictures - but I also have some questions (I'm a worrier!).

1. Meisha's crest is significantly shorter/smaller than Max's. Is this anything to worry about?
2. Meisha's feathers are also a lot 'fluffier' than Max's, again can this be normal?
3. Recently (last few months) I have changed to feeding more vegetables than seed, and they rarely get any seed now. While slowly losing weight, I think Meisha still looks too plump. Any other suggestions?


Now for some pictures!

Meisha loves scratches
2bv3o3.jpg


Fluffy Meisha
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Max
11uf1gz.jpg


An example of chop mix I feed (ingredients change daily - I like trying new combos)
- green beans
- carrot
- cabbage
- mix lettuce
- quinoa
- chilli pepper
- beetroot
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- small amount of corn (to encourage them to try new things which stick on it)

ff75nn.jpg
 

aether-drifter

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Jan 12, 2013
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Portland, OR
I don't know about the crest size and feather differences...could they be different sub-species? They are both beautiful and look very healthy though. :)
 

Featheredsamurai

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Aug 24, 2011
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Max is the western subspecies, they have a larger crest, are a little slimmer, and have a white bumpy eye ring. I forgot, is Meisha flighted? Because Galah's are highly prone to fatty tumors they should remain fully flighted or you drastically shorten their life. And try changed their seeds to pellets. Fellow australians can tell you the best Local brands. You can also sprout seeds to make them healthier, but it's a breeding ground for mold and must be done carefully.

Do you freeze your chop mixes? I make Rosie's in bulk and freeze them. It's a great idea so if you don't have time to make it fresh you have a back up. It takes me around 6/7 hours to make a chop mix. There's also a awesome bird cookbook by birdtricks that has seasonal chop mix recipes.

Dark leafy greens are much healthier than lettuce. Also quinoa, barley, 16 bean soup(no flavor packet) and brown rice are all great things to add to a chop mix.
 
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Kimennever

Kimennever

New member
Jan 31, 2013
17
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NSW, Australia
Parrots
1 RBT/Galah
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Thanks moonchild and copperarabian. Glad to know everythings okay!

I don't freeze my chop mix, but I will try it after I go to the market and make a bigger batch. I'll try replacing lettuce with kale and silverbeet?

Unfortunately the 'bird rescue' I got Meisha off encouraged me to keep her wings clipped. I know better now, and I am letting them grow out. Hopefully I will be able to harness train her using some of your tips you gave me, and will be able to get more exercise. I'm also saving up for a larger cage to encourage more movement.

I feel bad about how naive I've been about everything, but I had been relying on people who I had thought were experts (the bird rescue).
 

Featheredsamurai

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Aug 24, 2011
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California
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Clipping and not clipping is a controversial subject. Although it's better for bird to remain flighted many birds can live a happy life clipped. Unfortunately keeping a galah clipped is irresponsible and lazy, but most people aren't educated and are simply unaware of this.

Don't be to hard on yourself. it took me more then a month to realize Rosie was horribly skinny, when I realized this I started to cry. She even had organ failure, and a calcium defiency. Now Rosie is doing amazing and I feel like a I give her a great home. You'll soon feel the same way :)
 

Thingamagigs

New member
Oct 13, 2012
627
1
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Parrots
Mana the manic female galah; yet to be named male corella
Max is a gorgeous assimilis, just as copperarabian said! So that's where the difference is :D They have a lovely huge darker pink crest that blends at the back of their head and they look leaner with finer feather. They are also bundles of energy... and noise LOL They usually have a better talking ability as well. Sometimes it looks like they have dark cheek patches.

Meisha looks like my Mana bird :) They just look fat most of the time LOL even if they aren't. They are just fluff butts. Get a set of scales and weigh her, it won't tell you exactly how overweight she is or isn't... but can give you an idea. For example... Mana is 260grams, which is very small for a galah. Yet she looks like this...

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When you feel her, she is very lean, she just has VERY fluffy feathers :)
She looks like a fatty bum compared to your beautiful streamlined Max doesn't she? LOL :)

Galahs should weigh between 270grams and 350grams. Most lean healthy galahs weigh between 280 and 320. But I do know of some healthy happy birds who weigh as little as 240grams.

I am in love with your Max!! Pure westerns are so very beautiful! Even the crosses are lovely.
 

Featheredsamurai

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Aug 24, 2011
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Max is a gorgeous assimilis, just as copperarabian said! So that's where the difference is :D They have a lovely huge darker pink crest that blends at the back of their head and they look leaner with finer feather. They are also bundles of energy... and noise LOL They usually have a better talking ability as well. Sometimes it looks like they have dark cheek patches.

Meisha looks like my Mana bird :) They just look fat most of the time LOL even if they aren't. They are just fluff butts. Get a set of scales and weigh her, it won't tell you exactly how overweight she is or isn't... but can give you an idea. For example... Mana is 260grams, which is very small for a galah. Yet she looks like this...

563790_331334670319127_1569921924_n.jpg


426161_331334680319126_1161240603_n.jpg


When you feel her, she is very lean, she just has VERY fluffy feathers :)
She looks like a fatty bum compared to your beautiful streamlined Max doesn't she? LOL :)

Galahs should weigh between 270grams and 350grams. Most lean healthy galahs weigh between 280 and 320. But I do know of some healthy happy birds who weigh as little as 240grams.

I am in love with your Max!! Pure westerns are so very beautiful! Even the crosses are lovely.
Wow! Mana's really small. How does her chest feel, or what I should really ask is how should a lean galahs chest feel? When Rosie was skinny her keel stuck out about a quarter inch before it started to V back. Now she weighs right around 260 grams and seems to be stuck there. I'm hoping for some improvement since she's been eating her chop mix really good, I'm going to weigh her in the morning. Her keel is still easily felt but only sticks out a teeny bit, her chest is now a U rather then a V. the only other Galah I've felt the chest of was a overweight galah so I don't know what a normal bird should feel like. I'm taking her for a big check up in a month or two(whenever my tax return comes so I can do extensive blood work, do a really through exam, and maybe have her mircochipped and a DNA sexing), I'm crossing my fingers that she no longer has a calcium deficiency and is still improving.
 

Thingamagigs

New member
Oct 13, 2012
627
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Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Parrots
Mana the manic female galah; yet to be named male corella
Mana even looks small doesn't she, it always gets me how tiny she looks.
She looks kinda cockatiel like sometimes, especially her precious little face and innocent little googly eyes. Her little voice is the most precious thing in the world and you would never believe she is a tantrum throwing noisy monster LOL

She has that horrible clip still (hasn't molted out yet :( ) so her chest muscle hasn't filled out nicely. Her keel is noticeable when you put your hand over her chest but its not prominent like it was when I got her. She was so horribly skinny.

I think it really depends on the galah as to what is normal. Their size can vary so greatly.
Larry was my first galah, he was a typical male galah, a normal size (maybe even a bit large) and average personality and activity levels. He did not like flying even though he had full wings. His chest felt nicely filled in but not too plump. His keel was not prominent but could be felt. I get the feeling he was a bit on the heavier side weight wise.

Mana is a tiny galah and she is active constantly. She doesn't take much of a break from playing and gets bored very easily. She has a full flapping screaming session probably three times a day on average. Sometimes its all day LOL She wishes she could fly, I can't wait until she has her flight feathers :) She is going to love flying. I've just switched her staple to pellets and she loves them but prefers seed. I am taking seed out of the equation because she prefers it over everything and neglects to eat her fresh stuff. Interestingly the pellets are coloured and she only eats the blue and green ones, refuses to eat the red and yellow ones LOL

I get the feeling that a healthy galah who flies daily will have well developed chest muscles and you will still be able to easily feel the keel without it being prominent. That probably doesn't help what so ever LOL
 

Featheredsamurai

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Aug 24, 2011
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No that helped some :) so Rosie is probably a little underweight still but not too bad. Rosie isn't a big flier either. But she flies at least once a day.

I just weighed Rosie, I didn't catch her before she ate though so she she's not 100% empty. But she's 280 grams! I've been lazy and didn't weigh her last month. And one side of her chest feels really nice and rounded, while the other side is drastically smaller. I think she has less muscle on her side with sher bad leg and that's why I though her keel still stuck out a little.
 

moni.k

New member
Sep 2, 2012
275
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Pasadena, CA
Parrots
~SI female eclectus: Nalani~
~pineapple.turquoise GCC: Layla~
Gorgeous babies!! I love Mana and Misha, hehe they remind me of little teddy bears and Max looks stunning. The photo looks like he's painted on a canvas. Thank you for sharing the photos.
 

Sungazer

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Feb 14, 2013
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Australia
Parrots
Galah
Eclectus
Crimson Rosella
Unfortunately keeping a galah clipped is irresponsible and lazy, but most people aren't educated and are simply unaware of this.


I have to say that I think you are way off track here. My galah is clipped for his own benefit. This way he can spend most of the day outside with me. He loves riding on the tractor, sitting on cut down trees while we split wood or do other jobs. He will walk around outside sit on the chairs on the deck and knock on the door when he want to come inside.

But he is still a bird and will fly off sometimes further than he knows how to get back even with a clip as it grows out. If he was un clipped he would not have this freedom.
 

Featheredsamurai

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Unfortunately keeping a galah clipped is irresponsible and lazy, but most people aren't educated and are simply unaware of this.


I have to say that I think you are way off track here. My galah is clipped for his own benefit. This way he can spend most of the day outside with me. He loves riding on the tractor, sitting on cut down trees while we split wood or do other jobs. He will walk around outside sit on the chairs on the deck and knock on the door when he want to come inside.

But he is still a bird and will fly off sometimes further than he knows how to get back even with a clip as it grows out. If he was un clipped he would not have this freedom.
Clipping/not clipping a galah isn't about how much freedom they have, it's about their health. A clipped bird cannot get the necessary exercise and it's greatly increasing their chances of having galah prone health problems which may shorten their life.

Even though Rosie is clipped she still gets to do all sorts of stuff with me, I let her fly outside in her harness(attached to a 100' rope), take her places, and allow her to experience new things nearly everyday. Even if she was clipped I would never allow her to walk around outside, it's dangerous and there are so many predators, at least were I live are there are.

rosie_flying_outside_by_copperarabian-d5hgcyf.jpg


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Sungazer

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Feb 14, 2013
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Australia
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Galah
Eclectus
Crimson Rosella
Animals live in the moment, so quality of life is one of the most important things. Everyday my little guy is outside walking around getting exercise he is 390g but still is smaller than some of his wild friends that fly in and hang out with him.

If he doesn't live to 60 or is killed by a fox or meets some other fate I will be very upset and the family will be devastated but things happen.

Just last week somehow one of the chickens either knocked over a ladder or the ladder blew over in the wind and landed on its neck end of chicken.

Lots of things are dangerous but you don't stay inside curled up in fear of going out. Even more true for an animal.
 

moni.k

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Sep 2, 2012
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Pasadena, CA
Parrots
~SI female eclectus: Nalani~
~pineapple.turquoise GCC: Layla~
Clipped/flighted has been a long debate. I honestly think both copperarabian and sungazer are right. There's a lot of pros and cons to both. My eclectus has her wings clipped, but I am considering growing them out and letting her be flighted. But I don't think clipping is inhumane.

If and when I get a galah I think I will have his/her wings clipped for possible the first year or few months so that I can really bond with and get to know the bird. Once I feel comfortable I think flighting the bird will be best for my situation. Although galahs are prone to fatty liver tumors and exercise is important, I think a clipped RB2 can live a full potential life happily and healthy. Just depends on the time and energy spend with the bird (birdy cardio exercises :)). My vet taught me a few to do with Nalani to help keep her from becoming obese, since she eats like a pig. She says 5 minute sessions 2x a day will be enough to keep the bird exercised and healthy.
 

Thingamagigs

New member
Oct 13, 2012
627
1
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Parrots
Mana the manic female galah; yet to be named male corella
For health it is best :) Galah owners should strive to have a flighted galah. Especially if you have a lazy galah. However, if you are dedicated to managing their diet and exercise in other ways then you are still being a responsible owner. :D :D
But if you clip because you are lazy... tsk tsk :p lol

Some behavioural issues may require you to clip at least for one season. Male galahs can develop a habit of aerial attacks during breeding season. Young galahs and galahs with excess energy (they do happen... *looks at Mana*) can also develop a habit of flying into your face to demand galah cuddles or wrestles. And galahs are never gentle when they make demands :p LOL
I have only had to recommend clipping once and it was recently... the owner was at wits end and about to attempt rehoming. I suggested their highly active male was just full of beans and bored and had more involved needs than your average bird so loads of home made foraging devices, a ground level play gym and a clip for the season until behaviour was resolved would get the ball rolling. She was able to keep him after making some adjustments :)

My corella flies very well with his wings clipped, so I think it is less important for him to be fully flighted... he easily flies from the play stand to my face when he feels like it LOL talons piercing my soft squishy neck!
I am studying mental health at the moment... today I had to explain why I had cuts all over my arms and neck LOL Only another bird owner could understand :)

Oh... copperarabian... its pretty common here in Australia for parronts to clip their galahs and other cockatoo species and allow them indoor/outdoor access through the day. Especially in rural areas. A lot of farmers will find an abandoned baby, handrear it and then become attached lol Not all farmers hate cockatoos with a passion :) The thought of allowing mine to do that, scares the bejebus out of me. But their way is no less valid than mine. It may make me cringe, but their outlook is different. There are two things that work in balance when it comes to this sort of thing.. safety and enrichment. Some people place a higher value on enrichment than safety... some try to get a balance right in the middle (I think I am in this group, however on some things I could sway either way)... and others will sacrifice a bit of enrichment for further safety. Its just a matter of perspective. And it is true... a lot of cockatoos living such a life live a very full and happy... but short... life.
 

Sungazer

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Feb 14, 2013
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Australia
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Galah
Eclectus
Crimson Rosella
My corella flies very well with his wings clipped, so I think it is less important for him to be fully flighted... he easily flies from the play stand to my face when he feels like it LOL talons piercing my soft squishy neck!


With only a small breeze my galah can fly about 300m that is 1000ft but he cant really gain much altitude. He normally has one full flight feather each side (which gets cut when a new one starts to grow). If there is a strong wind he can fly for ? and can gain altitude. Days to be very careful:)

He doesn't normally fly off on his own but now and then I give him some encouragement just to keep those muscles fit.

This bird was not a wild bird but I have had wild birds in the past. The last one I came upon had a broken wing. Within I week he was a fully hand tame bird. Never bit a sole after the week of training loved people had the run of the house and knew where everything and everyone was all the time.
 

Featheredsamurai

New member
Aug 24, 2011
4,172
19
California
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African Greg
2 cockatiels
For health it is best :) Galah owners should strive to have a flighted galah. Especially if you have a lazy galah. However, if you are dedicated to managing their diet and exercise in other ways then you are still being a responsible owner. :D :D
But if you clip because you are lazy... tsk tsk :p lol

Some behavioural issues may require you to clip at least for one season. Male galahs can develop a habit of aerial attacks during breeding season. Young galahs and galahs with excess energy (they do happen... *looks at Mana*) can also develop a habit of flying into your face to demand galah cuddles or wrestles. And galahs are never gentle when they make demands :p LOL
I have only had to recommend clipping once and it was recently... the owner was at wits end and about to attempt rehoming. I suggested their highly active male was just full of beans and bored and had more involved needs than your average bird so loads of home made foraging devices, a ground level play gym and a clip for the season until behaviour was resolved would get the ball rolling. She was able to keep him after making some adjustments :)

My corella flies very well with his wings clipped, so I think it is less important for him to be fully flighted... he easily flies from the play stand to my face when he feels like it LOL talons piercing my soft squishy neck!
I am studying mental health at the moment... today I had to explain why I had cuts all over my arms and neck LOL Only another bird owner could understand :)

Oh... copperarabian... its pretty common here in Australia for parronts to clip their galahs and other cockatoo species and allow them indoor/outdoor access through the day. Especially in rural areas. A lot of farmers will find an abandoned baby, handrear it and then become attached lol Not all farmers hate cockatoos with a passion :) The thought of allowing mine to do that, scares the bejebus out of me. But their way is no less valid than mine. It may make me cringe, but their outlook is different. There are two things that work in balance when it comes to this sort of thing.. safety and enrichment. Some people place a higher value on enrichment than safety... some try to get a balance right in the middle (I think I am in this group, however on some things I could sway either way)... and others will sacrifice a bit of enrichment for further safety. Its just a matter of perspective. And it is true... a lot of cockatoos living such a life live a very full and happy... but short... life.
That's really funny about the scratches! I use to have scratches all over my hands and my arms from Rosie just standing on me XD People were always like "new kitten?" lol. Since using the safety pumice perch I no longer get scratched by her nails at all.

Thanks for that info, I didn't know it was common to let them have indoor outdoor access. I would never dream of doing that XD Here's a pic I took of a coopers hawk sitting in our eucalyptus looking out for doves, and only a few weeks ago my friend let her toy poodle out to go potty right after sunset. He was outside for less than 10 minutes and in that time either a coyote or cougar jumped the fence got him without them hearing anything at all :(
 

reikibella

New member
Apr 12, 2014
10
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Doreen Victoria Australia
Parrots
Galah ( Rose Breasted Cockatoo) named Bandit
Hi all
I'm new to owning a RB2. I named him Bandit as he likes to grab his toy carrot or corn and run away with it hoping you will chase him lol. Anyway he is 4 months old and he weighs around 270g to 272g and i am wondering if this is a good weight for a 4 month old. The person i got him from raised him on seed only and i am currently trying to get him onto pellets and fresh fruits and veggies. Please if anyone can give me some tips on how to get him onto a better and more healthy diet i would be very thankful. I've only had Bandit for about a week. Also the person i got him from clipped his wing, i will not be getting it done again i want to have him fully flighted so i will be looking for a flight harness to get him used to it.
Thanks
bella
 

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