Alexandrine help...

[Crazy Bird]

Hi everyone... I'm looking for any information/stories regarding Alexandrines. Looks like it may the next bird we get (in about 6 wks, once it's weaned) so I would love to hear anything about them for you all. Thanks so much!

 

[antoinette]

Hi there Crazy Bird
Below is a link pertaining to Alexandrine's, very informative

Alexandrine Parakeet Birds

Good luck

 

[shrek&fiona]

Good Morning and welcome to the forum.
We have two Alexandrians and I can tell you that you will love them. Fiona, the older of the two is female and Shrek, the younger one is a male. They get along famously with each other and everyone that they meet. They like to get at least 15 or 20 minutes of people time each day and are more then happy to sit on our laps and watch tv or just chill out with us.
They are great chewers and need a good supply of toys to play with. The female prefers puzzle toys and is quite happy trying to get blocks out of cubes or undo whatever she can. The male is more of a gnawer, and likes to sit on his perch and chew up any hanging toys that he can reach.
They both enjoy eating a lot and love people food, especially breads and pasta. They will take food from us and are very gentle with people all the time.
They both continue to learn ... Fiona has four or five words in her vocabulary now and enjoys trying to learn more. Shrek has a couple words but prefers to surprise us with when he chooses to speak.
They can both be very vocal (loud) when they want attention and always let us now what they want. Their cage is beside our patio doors and they enjoy watching and mimicking the birds in the feeder outside.
I am sure you will enjoy your bird when she/he arrives and I hope that you will post some photos once it is at home.

S&F

 

[Crazy Bird]

Thank you guys for responding so quickly! The breeder continues to tell me I should go this route versus the Green Cheek Conure babies that are also available. He raves about Alexandrines and I wondered if it it's all true or more of this being the bird he wants me to buy (price is a little higher on the Alex babies etc). S&F... Are they very cuddly at all? Like to be touched? Or rather sit with you etc.? I love the sound of their little sweet voices and would love to teach mine to talk! Most of the prior research I'd done was on Conures and now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about the Alexandrine so that I know I'm making the best choice... Thanks again for you time and help!

 

[parrotqueen]

Thanks for chiming in, S&F! It's good to have someone with the experience of actually owning an Alexandrine. And Antoinette supplied an excellent link.

I have been reading that they have similar dietary needs as most parrots, with the difference being that they require more variety, there are also some species of flowers that they should include in their diet.

They can easily be excessive screamers if not given adequate attention. They need constant stimulation, and they usually enjoy destructible toys most. They require a fair cage size in order to protect the tail.

I might add more to this later... but I hope this helps!

 

[shrek&fiona]

Yes, They can be quite cuddle. They both love to have their head in your palm while you are scratching the back of there necks. The female also loves giving "kisses".
Remember that while different types of birds usually have similar traits they are just like people and each one is an individual.

 

[HRH Di]

Ditto to what S&F has said. I also have an Alex and think they're wonderful little birds. My Max isn't really cuddly at all...especially when compared to our attention-monger RFM - but that could be his individual personality. However, he craves being with us. He loves to sit on my shoulder and preen my hair and ear. He does give kisses when he's in the mood.

He's very smart and prefers challenging toys and something he can rip to shreds. He's a master matchstick maker - getting a $30 wooden toy into about a million splinters in a couple hours. He doesn't talk but then I haven't really tried teaching him. He almost never bites, and if he does, only if provoked.

As for feeding - he's not finicky at all. He loves his pellets, veggies and sprouts. He's very good at peeling a Brussels sprout to get to the tender middle part. We give him seeds and nuts very sparingly. But his favorites are walnuts, apples and Cream of Wheat. Our family joke is that he'd wash your car if you paid him with walnuts and CoW.

He isn't noisy at all unless he's in the other room and wants to be with us on a shoulder or his play perch. Even then, he's much less noisy than his RFM sister.

Good luck! They are really wonderful birds.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi, I have a 2 year old female Alexandrine named Emmy Lou. She is very cage protective and I can not imagine her allowing another bird to even visit. How did you introduce the male to your female? Do they now share a cage or just visit on a play stand? Do you think you will allow them to breed? What happens to their relationship with you when you allow them to breed? Is the breeding behavior only for the time they have eggs or is it a changed behavior when they have formed a bond with a male? I know this maybe more than you have experienced so if anyone else has something to add please do. Thanks, Lynne

 

[HRH Di]

Very carefully! My Alexandrine, Max, is also very cage protective, and he doesn't really like our other birds. Luckily, he doesn't feel that he has to remind anyone that he was our first bird, therefore is at the top of the heirarchy. Honestly, he just ignores our other birds. But they all have their separate cages and don't have to be close to each other unless they choose to be.

SB has comepletly converted me to the book Parrots for Dummies. We got a copy for my in-laws this past weekend and it has a great section on introducing a new bird.

 

[ronnie_jsph]

hi , i have an alexandrine which i had bought 11 months back. i m not sue if it is male or female. it does not have the black band around its neck. can anyone help ? i would post its pictures soon in my gallery . kindly reply at the earliest.

 

[ronnie_jsph]

hi guys. i have an alexandrine . i bought him when it was just 15 days old. it has been 11 months since i got him. i m not sure if it is a male or a femal bird. i have uploaded 4 pics in my album. kindly have a look and tell me if it is a male or female at the earlies.t