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MUSTACHED PARAKEET
Psuttacula Alexandri Alexandri |
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By many, this is the most beautiful Alexandrine species. It originates form Asia and inhabits India , Nepal , Indonesia , Java, Bali and Borneo . It grows to be 35 cm that puts him among middle-sized parrots.
Head is gray with blue reflection, nape is emerald green and region around the eyes is green. Eyebrows are expressed in form of black band; beard and under-chin after which he was named, are also black. Back is green while upper parts of chest and belly are pink, and as feathers go to the tail they turn to blue and green. Secondary coverts are green-yellow and under-coverts are light yellow. Compared to other Alexandrine species, tail is a bit shorter, having 14-19 cm in length, and this makes Mustached parakeet the only species of Alexandrines that have longer body than tail. Two central tail feathers are blue and turn to yellow-green at the ends. Iris is light yellow. Beak is 2.5 cm long and colored in red with male, while female has a black one. This is the most visible difference between sexes. Legs are greenish grey with black claws. Females have more pale colors comparing to males and her tail is a bit shorter. Youngsters resemble females regarding colors, only their colors are somewhat unspecified until they reach the age of three when they gain full coloring and become sexually mature. |
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This Alexandrine species has no mutations, instead seven subspecies are present that consider the habitat and nesting regions.
As for the intellect, including the whole Psittacula group, it can learn to imitate several hundred words. It can live up to 40 years with proper care and food.
Their diet is no different from other Alexandrine species and consists of seedish mix: oats, millets, hemp, sunflower, corn, sorghum and bar-millet. They love dandelion leaves, spinach, beet, and branches of parsley. As for vegetables and fruit, they should be fed with carrot, cucumber, sweet paprika, all fruit except pears, melons and watermelons. They eat by holding the food in their claws, so when preparing a meal you should chop food in cubes 1 cm wide and 3 cm long. Fruits and vegetables should never be peeled, instead wash it and dry it with a cloth. |
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Female Mustached,
(photo of a male is at the beginning of the page) |
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| This is very attractive pet, very soon (talking about months) with proper lessons, it starts to imitate speech and becomes more quiet. Progression in learning is entirely up to you and the amount of time you spend with your pet. It is important to mention that the cage should fit the bird, that it should never be covered and never filled with paper. Instead you should use the zeolite, which is natural mineral with absorbing properties that will neutralize the smell of feces as well as it will prevent bacterial growth. Zeolite enables you to clean cage after two months (tops). You can purchase this mineral from all breeders. Cage should be positioned as high as possible, and in no circumstances lower than 80 cm, and most certainly not in drafty places or near sources of heat (radiators etc) because your bird will constantly molt. | Mustached parakeet youngsters |
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