bottom of the cage should be cov­ ered with clean sand. These birds seem to enjoy a little stroll on the ground, so keep the cage bottom clean. The nest box should be the size ofa Those Wonderful Neophemas peachface lovebird box but deeper; 10" wide by 10" long by IS" deep byJoe Atkinson with the entry hole on the high part Clements, California of the box. The nesting material should be a combination of peat moss, shavings and eucalyptus leaves mixed together. I like to use 3 to 4 Editor's note: The Turquoise Parrot six feet long. Four feet of the flight inches ofthis mixture in my boxes. this article refers to is Neophema should be covered, containing the The breeding season starts about pu1chella. In American aviculture, it feeding and nest box area. The February. The female usually lays is more commonly known as the remaining two feet of the flight four to five eggs. The eggs hatch in Turquoisine Pm'akeet. should remain uncovered, allowing 17 to 19 days, and the babies will stay Neophema is the scientific genus the birds access to any available sun. in the nest for four or five weeks. I name given to a group of small, Nest box privacy is essential. There­ recommend only allowing the pair Budgie-sized parakeets from Austra­ fore, if you have side-by-side flights, two clutches a year, so as not to lia. Neophemas are quite beautiful, you must place partitions in the overbreed. Overbreeding will cause all being grass-green except one flights which will provide adequate you to have weaker babies. member, the Bourke's Parakeet. The privacy. Weather is usually not a I like to provide small hookbill mix, Bourke's Parakeet is light brown with major problem, but cold wind Petamine, canary seed and mixed a soft pink chest and belly and large, can be. Many breeders prefer to parakeet seed to my birds along with dark eyes. These large, dark eyes give cover their flight with plastic neo­ carrots, apples, wheat bread and them the ability to see better at twi­ prene during stormy weather. some soaked seed. It is also very light time than other grass parakeets, In the wild, grass parakeets are important to provide cuttlebone, a thus earning them the name of the cavity nesters, using hollow tree mineral block and gravel. The food Night Parrot in their native Australia. branches and hollow tree trunks should always be fresh. Any sign of The grass-green Neophemas, who which are their preferred nest sites. I mildew can cause illness in your spend most of their time on the have used natural nest boxes made birds. Fresh water should also be ground, have been given the nick­ from hollow logs and the birds loved given each day. name"grass parakeets." them, but these natural nests are dif­ If you notice any sign of distress, Grass parakeets are not considered ficult to clean and impossible for your bird should be brought into the difficult to raise, in fact, some mem­ banding the baby birds. The common house and kept warm (90-95°F). I bers are quite good breeders. How­ Budgie box works great, is easy to have found that a fish tank with a ever, like all birds we attempt to raise clean and easy to repair. Fill the box wire screen on the top works quite in captivity, they have their special three inches deep with pine shav­ well as an infirmary. I put a heating requirements. This article is by no ings, and pack it down smooth. Grass pad on low heat, with a towel on top, means the last word on raising grass parakeets like to dig in their nest box. under the bottom of the fish tank. parakeets. Birds seem to know when With the shavings packed smooth, You should not have a perch in this their keepers are thinking too highly you can tell if your birds are work­ tank. I have found that these tanks of themselves and will show us just ing the nest box in preparation for can be cleaned easily and thoroughly. how little we do know. nesting. If the bird is not eating dry seed, a In any new undertaking, trial and Nesting takes place in the spring little soaked seed should do the trick. error is the best rule of thumb. Grass and throughout the summer. The The seed should be rinsed well and parakeets are no exception. Over the clutches are usually three to five eggs refrigerated from 24 to 30 hours, years, I have certainly made my share in number but can go as high as then rinsed again. oferrors and hopefully I have learned eight. Grass parakeets will stop nest­ Once the bird is feeling better, a few things along the way. I hope ing on their own in late summer and remove the heat gradually. Put the this article will smooth the road for should be encouraged to do so. How­ bird in a wire cage in the house to you and help you have an enjoyable ever, in indoor setups where light make sure the bird is well. Acclimate time with yourgrass parakeets. and temperature are controlled, they. the bird to the outside cage on a will nest all year. In outdoor setups, sunny day. Keep a close watch for FlightsAnd Nest Boxes leave the nest boxes up all year any signs ofdistress. Grass parakeets will reproduce in because on cold winter nights they These birds are best raised with just about any size flight, from 2'x 3' will use them for sleeping. only one pair per cage, but can easily indoor setups to the largest outdoor be caged with finches. I think you flight. Because they will not normally Diet will enjoy the caring for and raising colony breed, it is best to have only Grass parakeets will do well on of these interesting birds. I have one pair per flight, so large outdoor most diets that are well-rounded and had a great deal of joy and success flights are not practical for the seri­ balanced. I use a dry seed mix of with these lovely birds. Good luck ous breeder. In California, grass para­ white millet, canary seed, oat groats, to those who will take up this keets are kept outside in flights that black sunflower seeds, safflower endeavor.• are two feet wide by four feet high by seed and powdered Vitamins. On the 26 February / March 1993 side, I feed oyster shells and in the th'ey improve the original bird. The The cinnamon mutation is not a spring fresh wild grass with seed pied mutation in grass parakeets is major change from the normal color heads on the stocks. Some breeders not particularly attractive. When I of the Scarlet-chested Parakeet. The will feed the same dry mixture, but think of a pied, a good pied cockatiel grass-green color of the body is a sprouted. Sprouted seeds are soaked comes to mind but in grass parakeets more pastel green in the cinnamon in water and are starting to germin­ these pieds are not that refined. They mutation, with the scarlet-red chest ate. I have fed both diets and have look more like the color~ are diluted being orange in the males. The nor­ found that birds do equally well on instead of being pure. Not to say that mal sky-blue face is changed to a either one. they aren't interesting, but don't lighter powder blue. The cinnamon Grass parakeets do not enjoy fruit. expect a clear, refined colored pied is important for genetic reasons. You Only the Scarlet-chested Parakeet - maybe someday. The pied muta­ need this mutation to produce the will take apple, which is a real treat tion can be seen in Scarlet-chested royal blue mutation. for them. Parakeets, Turquoise Parakeets and The Bourke's Parakeet comes in Bourke's Parakeets. The Bourke's the most mutations, pied, yellow, Popular Grass Parakeets Parakeet pied is the most refined cinnamon and the very popular rosey The most commonly kept grass with the Scarlet-crested Parakeet mutations. The pied has already been parakeets are the Scarlet-chested Par­ next and followed distantly by the discussed and the yellow and cinna­ akeet, the Bourke's Parakeet and the Turquoise Parakeet. mon are both quite nice, but to the Turquoise Parakeet, the favorite Scarlet-crested Parakeets also come untrained eye look like color phases being the Scarlet-chested Parakeet. in cinnamon and blue. The blue can of the rosey mutation. The Rosey Besides their beauty, these three be a very attractive mutation. But Bourke's is certainlythe best known of popular parakeets are easy aviary buyer beware, there are two shades the grass parakeet mutations. Most breeders. of blue - a grayish blue and a royal people, new to the world of bird Color mutations do occur in grass blue. The gray blue is just that - more breeders, do not realize that this is a parakeets and, like all birds, there are gray than blue. The royal blue is by mutation. A good Rosey Bourke's is good ones and poor ones. Mutations far the prettiest - bright royal blue "Pepto-Bismol" pink all over with a in all birds are rare and expensive. with the males having a white chest. light powder blue strip on the fore­ Since grass parakeets are easily repro­ I have only seen one royal blue in the head. Good ones are hard to find and duced, when a mutation does occur, United States. They are well estab­ cost more. They do come in many dif­ through selective breeding it is not lished in Europe but rare in the ferent shades of pink, ranging from a lost. Mutations are judged on how States. light pastel to a bird with a pink color

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afa WATCHI3IRD 27 just a shade offfrom the original. The Elegant Parakeet has a yellow mutation that is very attractive. This mutation has not proved to be very popular. The Elegants do not have many colors to start with, so the change to yellow, although nice, reminds people of the common Bud­ gie. Unlike the yellow Elegant the yel­ low Turquoise Parakeet is considered one of the most attractive mutations of all. The female yellow Turquoise Parakeet has a powder blue face and shoulder, contrasting nicely with the deep yellow on the body. With the males, the blue is a little darker and covers more area on the shoulders. They have a blood red shoulder patch which adds the finishing touch to this beautiful mutation. There are more mutations of the grass parakeets than I mentioned here. I have only touched on some of Scarlet-chested Parakeets, pair, they are one oj'the most colorful ofthe Neophemas, and they the more well known ones. No mat­ g are an endangeredspecies. CI'J ter which gras parakeet you choose, ~~~~ ...... ~~~..... you will find them all delightful. They ~ Q) are a very pleasing addition to any ~ ~~~;:.;;r-;;_~~~=:;;.~~~~ >­ aviary.• ..0 o 2~~...... ;-.p::;:p; Q..

The cinna1non 1nutation oj'the Scarlet-chested Parakeet is one oj'the unC011unon 1nutations found in captivity.

The norJnal male Bourke's Parakeetshows a blue brow band when it matures. This species can be easily colony bred. The yellow 1nutation ofthe Turquoisine Parakeet is one ofthe most beautiful 1nutations found in theparrot world. It is a recessive mutation. 28 February / March 1993 SATISFACTORY UNSATISFACTORY

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