Growing to approximately thirty centimeters in size, Rosellas are one of the smaller parrot species. They are divided into two general groups, namely the white cheek and blue cheek group. Within these groups are various different Rosellas, such as the Tasmanian Eastern Rosella and the Golden Mantled Rosella that fall under the white cheek group, while the Crimson Rosella and the Adelaide Rosella are in the blue cheek group. They make wonderful pets as they have a lifespan of more than twenty years. Housing a Rosella in a metal cage or aviary is advisable, as they enjoy chewing on timber and wood. Cages and aviaries should also be large enough so the Rosellas are able to fly and get a certain amount of exercise. They do enjoy human companionship, but need a little freedom to enjoy a fulfilled life. A small bath is also recommended, as Rosellas enjoy bathing and playing in water.

These magnificent birds have a wide variety of dietary needs, so owners should be vigilant in offering their Rosellas more than just the usual mix of grey striped sunflower seeds, canary seeds and hulled oats. Rosellas also eat seeding grasses, berries, fruit and nectar, which are essential to their wellbeing. Breeding pairs should be kept on their own, as this will prevent the production of hybrids and birds should only be allowed to breed when they are between eighteen to twenty-four months old. Breeding pairs have been known to raise young until the age of ten years old. Over and above being spectacularly beautiful, Rosellas are very rewarding birds to have as pets. They are colorful companions and make wonderful additions to the family.

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You might think its cool when your friend calls his bird over and it lands on his arm – but how do you get yours to follow suit? Your bird has been sitting in his cage so long that you’re not even sure he knows how to fly. Target training birds is not very difficult, but it helps to understand how to go about it in a way that benefits the bird and never causes it to become tired or uncomfortable.

To start with you will need to understand that flight requires energy, muscle and strength. If your bird has spent most of his life sitting around in a cage, he’s not going to have what it takes to fly straight off the bat. Just as it takes effort to get off the couch that has been your constant companion for months, it is going to take effort for your bird to get off his perch. You will need to condition him slowly and progressively so that he can successfully enjoy the sensation of flight. With that in mind you will need to think in terms of encouraging short flights and more activity initially than long flights and specific flight behavior.

To start with, you might want to make sure that your family has not set up any hidden cameras as you will need to start encouraging flapping behavior my imitating this activity yourself. Your goal is to persuade the bird that it wants to fly, and this means never pushing it past a level that is comfortable for the bird. If you hurt the bird in any way, it will become discouraged and your work up to that point could well be lost. Once his wings are a little more exercised, its time to get him moving. Choose a perch that is familiar to the bird and start encouraging it to move to the perch via a series of short hops. This can be done once or twice a day, and it usually helps to choose a time of day when the bird really wants to get back to that particular perch. Doing it just before feeding time is usually best. Your ultimate goal is a short flight to the perch, but for some birds it may take a long time to reach that goal. So be persistent and move slowly and when the time is right, your feathered friend will eventually get the idea. Once your bird is better at making little hops or short flights towards his perch, its time to increase the distance. If the bird looks uncomfortable at any time, you are pushing it too far. Take your time and help your bird build his confidence as he develops his athletic ability. If your bird is clinging to your arm and is reluctant to hop, you are probably pushing him too fast and should go back a step by shortening your distance, ensuring that he is motivated and helping him to continue to strengthen his muscles by making use of flapping exercises.

The turn-around point comes when your bird initiates the hops of his own choice. This is when you know he is getting comfortable with flying and you can start to cue the behavior and so reinforce it. Once he gets to his perch, praise him and give him a treat. Before long he’ll figure out that he gets rewarded for his efforts and that’s when you’ll have him eating out the palm of your hand. Once he has fully grasped the concept, you can start to point to the perch and ask him to fly to it, rewarding him once he reacts accordingly. Once you’ve got this right, all you need to do is continue to build on it slowly and you’ll soon have your bird flying exactly where you want, all the while getting healthy exercise and enjoying a change of environment.

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People who keep birds as pets, generally do so because they enjoy their company and entertaining antics. Yet many of these bird lovers inadvertently allow their pet birds to become overweight, even to the point of obesity, exposing them to a host of possible health problems. Pet birds are very often confined to a cage and have their wings clipped to prevent flight and possible injury, resulting in a lack of exercise. Add to this the temptation to offer tasty tidbits to your feathered friend, and it is easy to see why pet birds can have the tendency to gain excess weight.

Of course prevention is better than cure, but if your bird is already a little on the chubby side don’t despair, with some patience and discipline, this situation can be corrected. There is no clear cut definition for obesity in birds, but dogs and cats are considered to be obese if they are 15% above their ideal weight, so this is can be used as a guideline. In a nutshell, obesity results from a bird taking in more calories than it can burn off. Lack of daily exercise is therefore a major contributing factor to obesity. Also, most bird owners incorrectly feed their birds a diet which consists mostly, or completely, of seeds. Birds love seeds because they are high in fat and taste good, however, this type of diet is not only deficient in many essential vitamins and minerals, but is the leading cause of obesity in birds.

Obese pets – cats, dogs, birds – have an increased risk of a number of life-threatening diseases, including heart disease, arthritis and cancer. Additionally, obese birds run the very real risk of developing hepatic lipidosis, more commonly known as “fatty liver disease”, making them very susceptible to stress and repeated infections. Health problems lead to an increased number of visits to the veterinarian, which is a stressful event for any animal, but for an unhealthy obese bird this type of stress may prove to be too much to bear, and could even result in death.

To maintain optimum health, pet birds should have a daily diet consisting of pellets, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, with a limited quantity of seed. Any switch in diet must be done very gradually or your bird could become stressed and refuse to eat. Remember that it took a period of time for your bird to gain its excess weight and it will take possibly even a longer period of time to lose that weight. Rest assured though that your bird’s eating habits can be changed, and the resultant health benefits, along with the extended lifespan of your beloved pet, will make the effort well worth while.

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A day in the life of a wild bird consists of finding food, preening feathers, building nests and sleeping undisturbed at night. These activities ensure that birds remain active during the day and that they get the necessary exercise they need to prevent obesity and health problems that result from being overweight. Birds that are kept as pets spend most of the day in their cages, while their owners are at work, and many birds develop bad habits due to boredom. Foraging is therefore a recommended activity for caged birds.

Birds are inquisitive by nature, and enjoy new challenges and exploring new toys. For mental stimulation, birds should be encouraged to play and do a little problem solving during the day. Reducing a natural instinct, such as foraging, from hours a day to a mere few minutes can lead to behavior problems such as pulling feathers, destructive behavior and being unsocial. So instead of waiting for their food bowl to be put in their cages, foraging toys and challenges force pet birds to find their food and keep them busy during the day.

When introducing foraging to pet birds, owners are reminded to start their birds off slowly and to be patient with their progress. For instance, owners can start by letting their bird’s watch where they put the food and toys. This will automatically increase their curiosity and they will go and investigate all the places they have seen their owners put things in. Eventually, once the birds have grasped the basics of what is being done, owners can start to hide food or introduce more difficult scenarios for their birds to explore. There are many foraging toys on the market, like blocks stuffed with peanuts, in various shapes and sizes. But owners do not have spend a lot of money creating foraging opportunities for pet birds as there are many easy to make items that can be used.

When hiding food in the bird’s food bowl, it is important to make sure that the items used for hiding food are big enough so the bird cannot swallow or eat them. Items such as large stones or safe wood are well suited to this. Weaving fruit and vegetables (such as carrot strips) in the bars of the cage forces the bird to climb to the food and unweave it before eating it. Rod feeders with fruits threaded onto it will get the bird to hold the rod while eating and a cooked chicken bone, given to bigger parrots, will keep them busy for hours, trying to strip the meat from the bone and getting to the bone marrow. Taking a pine cone and stuffing the openings with fruit and vegetable pieces is both entertaining and a good foraging method.

The mental health of a pet bird is just as important as nutrition. Encouraging birds to develop their natural abilities and skills will lead to happier birds and a better relationship between bird and owner. Feeding time will become a fun activity for both and ensure a healthy lifestyle for caged birds.

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