Crimson Rosella. And cockatiel?

[Snowdo]

Hi all,

Recently we stumbled upon a crimson Rosella.

It had escaped from its previous owner and was about to get eaten by the local predators when we found it in the street.

Fast forward a few weeks. He/she recovered completely at the vet.

Being somewhat naive we decided to adopt the bird, however we are generally against keeping birds as pets.

Fast forward a few more weeks and it has dawned on us that this is definitely not a "pet" bird. Reading up on the breed itself seems to confirm this.

A few options forward. We find it a new home, we try a different way to keep it or we find it a friend.

My first thought would be to introduce a more social breed. Question is of course, reading Rosella's are aggressive birds.. can we? If so, which breed? A cockatiel seemed to be somewhat similar in size and such?

Thank you

 

[Betrisher]

Goodness! What a pickle! Firstly, what makes you think the bird is not a pet? What made you think it was in the first place? It's pretty important to determine whether the bird *is* a pet because it would be disastrous to set it free!

On the other hand, you could do a forum-search for Sunny, the wild Long-billed Corella found and taken care of by Hannah. AFAIA, Sunny is currently enjoying his freedom in Victoria and still visits his Mum, Hannah, occasionally. Hannah found Sunny as a young bird, cared for him, and then gave him the opportunity to choose freedom or domestication. He appears to have chosen both!

Rosellas are among the first of all the Australian parrots to be caught and domesticated, however they don't make very affectionate or endearing pets in general (although I've heard of exceptions). It takes a lot of work to stay close to a rosella and if you miss a few days, they quickly revert to being nervous and suspicious of humans. Nevertheless, they're beautiful and will sometimes learn to talk, even if they don't want to sit on your hand.

If you acquire a 'friend' for your bird, what makes you think he will automatically get along with it? A friend of the same species 'might' work or it might not. A friend of a different species is much less likely to work because parrots don't generally seek out relationships with other species in the wild. It happens in captivity sometimes, but usually in spite of human intervention, not because of it. With a standoffish species like a Rosella, I'd be doubtful.

If you're absolutely certain the bird is wild, probably the kindest thing would be to surrender it to WIRES or a local sanctuary that takes birds. That way, it can be given as close a life as possible to its wild existence, without the stress of having to suffer humans around it all the time. If you decide you want to keep and tame it, then that could work, depending on how much effort you're prepared to put in. Please search among our forums for advice on taming and handling wild-caught birds.

If you do keep the bird, please get the largest, largest cage you can possibly afford and fit in your house! If he's wild, then he'll really appreciate maximum space between himself and you. Give him a secluded corner at first until he grows calmer. Feed him as close to a natural diet as you can, gradually introducing him to a pelletted diet (ask your vet for help). Spend as much time as you can in his vicinity, moving quietly and slowly and not allowing loud or sudden noise around him (eg. loud tv or radio).

I'd love to know more about the bird (how you found him, his behaviour etc). Does he have a name? Also, where are you situated? Maybe other members can help with vets' names etc. So do let us know what you decide to do! Best of luck to you both!

 

[itzjbean]

Remember there are no guarantees at all that two stranger birds will get along. If you get a smaller species you have a higher likelihood of the larger rosella attacking the smaller birds and then you're in even more of a mess.

You should only ever acquire a new birds because you want one, not because you want it to be a friend for another bird. The only exception to this are the smaller bids like finches and budgies who generally do better with another of its kind with it.

You mentioned your options and 'trying to find a different way to keep it' what do you mean by that? What kind of cage does he have now, what kind of diet?

Owning a parrot such as this is a lifetime commitment and should only be taken on if you can provide a happy home for your new addition. This means a very spacious cage with lots of toys changed out periodically to give them something to chew on and keep busy, time outside of the cage (you can train them to be stick trained if it is not tame) weekly showers/baths, regular nail trimmings, etc. and these birds live a long time!

If you don't think you can provide that for this bird, then I would rehome it. No sense in bringing another bird into the picture especially if you are not experienced.

 

[Snowdo]

Hiya,


Thanks for the responses - perhaps I should adjust my verbiage a little.


I am probably of the unpopular opinion that birds like this should not be caged - so by 'wild' I mean not 'domesticated' or in the case of this bird adverse to human company. In no way is this an actual wild bird as I live in Western Europe! (he wont last a day outside - we found him surrounded by crows who were pecking at him / pulling out his feathers)


Anyways - the bird is otherwise well taken care of; has a basic cage but has pretty much been flying around in the living room most days. Food etc as suggested by the vet -



As far as toys go - not sure what to get him; so far he's just been running around chewing up the plants and throwing around soil - doesn't seem to be interacting with the mirror / cuttlefish bone / sticks we got it.


Other than that he looks to be keen to be out of his cage; chirping at the windows; and avoidant of us - I wouldn't say hes terrified as when its bedtime for him I can pretty much stand next to him and he stops caring. I.e. seems he is just not fond of humans.


Oh, and we called him Russell!


From the advice given so far - I can see a second bird is definitely not a good idea.


Thank you

 

[noodles123]

No parrots are domesticated (they are only a few generations out of the wild at best, and domestication takes hundreds of years), but I get what you mean...he was owned by a human previously, right?
You should never get another bird unless you could handle two of them in totally separate spheres, cages, rooms, separate social time etc because if they don't get along, that is what you may have to do.
It's impossible to know if 2 birds will ever get along, but if they do, there is also the possibility of them getting along too well and then you having to deal with hormonal aggression etc. Having another bird will also make it much harder for you to bond with the bird.

 

[LaManuka]

Hello, welcome and thanks for taking such good care of Russell!

Most rosellas really don’t make very good house pets and are more commonly kept as aviary birds. If you’ve been unable to find his previous owner he might very well be perfectly happy to remain as a permanent guest in your home

Chewing plants and soil probably isn’t very good for him though and I’m not sure rosellas are that much interested in mirrors. My guys like chew toys made of wicker or balsa wood, they get destroyed in a few weeks so I just rotate new ones through.

Good luck with Russell (Crowe?), I look forward to hearing more about him!

 

[SilleIN]

I have had about 15 years if experience with rosellas. They are great birds, BUT if they are not handled from very young, they make lousy pets- however if they are handled from young, the are actually great pets.

Here are some vids of me and a blue mutation of the crimson rosella:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cRLBzUtgNM&t=1s"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cRLBzUtgNM&t=1s[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsKWb9kJDzU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsKWb9kJDzU[/ame]

My opinion is Russel is better off if you could find him a large aviary for him to be in with other rosellas. Alternatively you should find Russel a mate, who has been handled from young and Russel will get his needs met and you will have his tame mate as a pet.

I have tried many times to tame an already adult rosella. The best I have ever gotten to do is get them to take a treat from my hand and then hurry away.

(And if anyone can read Danish- sorry about the t-shirt )

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Welcome to the forum Snowdo...I was thinking that you may be from a location that experiences 'snowfall' due to your choice in name. First thought is Australia when we hear of our beloved Crimson Rosellas. They are our beautiful and welcomed daily visitors from the wild.


May I ask a couple of questions in response to your initial post:
Being somewhat naive we decided to adopt the bird, however we are generally against keeping birds as pets...Fast forward a few more weeks and it has dawned on us that this is definitely not a "pet" bird. Reading up on the breed itself seems to confirm this. What changed you from being a 'hesitant/reluctant' bird owner to one who adopted a 'not very good pet' bird such as this Crimson Rosella? This is a very BIG challenge!


A few options forward. We find it a new home, we try a different way to keep it or we find it a friend. Am I sensing regret about the decision to 'adopt' the Rosella now? If so, then perhaps re-homing to an appropriate rescue/sanctuary providing a large aviary with suitable companions may be a really good choice for you both. Then, when you are SURE that you would like a bird companion you can make a more suitable choice based on your personal situation and preferences?


You have been very kind to take on this Rosella and care for it's needs. It's ok to 'let go' also if you find the suitable situation. We recently rescued an immature Crimson Rosella that we found on our acreage. It had a broken wing. We caged and fed it (keeping the wild bird apart from our Ellie of course) over the weekend until our local bird rescue contact could come and take it to their vet. The Rosella was walking around in the cage and eating well. Our nearest CAV is a two day trip away. So, the Rosella was taken (by rescuers) to a 'regular' vet let's say, early on a Monday morning.



We were later informed that the Rosella was euthanized because the broken wing could not 'be fixed' and therefore unable to be released back into the wild. The 'rescue team' said it was difficult for birds such as that to be adopted out, hence the euthanasia. We had volunteered to take the bird back but it wasn't permitted. We were heart broken after only three days with the wild immature Rosella. I can imagine that despite the 'non-pet-like' behaviour, or 'dislike for human interaction', of Russell that the little fella must have some pull on your heart-strings already or you would not be facing this dilemma.



I wish you well with whatever decision you make,
Kind Regards,
Debbie

 

[Snowdo]

Hiya,


So, not to leave a story without an ending.


After some weeks, I was out walking the dog - and heard something suspiciously Rosella-like. Upon further inspection of the neighborhood - someone had an aviary in their backyard.. lots of birdies.. and a Rosella!


Long story short - I went to ring the door and find out if this was the owner.. and it was. However, I didn't exactly get a good feeling off the owner. And even when trying to do the 'right' thing and return Russell - we were stopped from returning him by someone passing by in the street; advising us *not* to give any animals to the person.


Fast-forward a few more weeks - it had become apparent that Russell was only happy/whistling when outside of his cage; and miserable inside. And became all the more wily as not to have to return to his cage.


This became an issue - as a living room is not an aviary.



Today, with the greatest of sadness, we decided to re-home Russell.



We have asked a specialized vet to get him a good home; with other Rosellas & aviary - and that we'd like to know about his new home as soon as he gets one.



Oh; and we found out that the previous owner had mental issues and had killed his gray macaw the week prior trying to feed it medicine..


So even though Russell has been through some turbulent months; hopefully this will all have been for the best!

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Hiya,


So, not to leave a story without an ending...Today, with the greatest of sadness, we decided to re-home Russell...We have asked a specialized vet to get him a good home; with other Rosellas & aviary - and that we'd like to know about his new home as soon as he gets one...So even though Russell has been through some turbulent months; hopefully this will all have been for the best!

Thank you for letting us know the outcome Snowdo...I'm glad to hear that a vet will be taking care of Russell's rehoming.