Hi

First of all I Hope this is in the best possible section, “and Hello, I’m new”. I just got my parrot today…

His elderly owner recently passed away and he (the parrot) has been left on his own for the last two months with someone going in to feed him once a day and a cover over his cage the rest of the time… I don’t know much about him except that he’s called Rocky (because whatever his scientific name is begins with Roc…) the people I bought him from don’t know what type of parrot he his and neither do I - they think he’s native to the Amazon.

To bring this rambling post to a swift close, I need to know what sort of parrot he is to research him and care for him as best I can. He is 6 years old. Pics attached, any help would be appreciated.

PS: he can do a brilliant “phone” impression and can say “Let me out” and “Where you been?” - he hasn’t been clipped and used to fly around his owners living room

Thanks

Ben Martin (24, UK)

Hi Ben,

Welcome to the forums. The photograph that you have uploaded is of a male Rock Pebbler or Regent’s Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus). You can learn more about this species at this page:http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/regent_parrot/.

I used to keep this type of bird two decades ago. Like many of the Australian Parakeets, they then to like to live in large and lengthy aviaries and will spend much of their time in flight.

Good luck with your research and please let me know if you have any question regarding his care.
Best,
Steve-

Hi

Thanks very much He’ll be called Rocky because of the Rock Pebbler name then

Well he seems quite tame and will take apple from me through the bars but I am nervous about reaching into the cage or getting him out just yet until he’s more familiar with me, I don’t want to get attacked… I have 3 questions…

Will he (I dont know he’s male for sure) bite me as readily as any other parrot or this type quite placid?

is his cage too small

and finally how big will he grow or is he probably fully grown? would he be too small for a tethered flight?

I haven’t had much experience with parrots my dad used to have a cockatoo so I know they like to be sprayed with water and they love attention - that’s about it, but I intend to do my homework and give him a good home.

Again, thanks for the help

Ben

Regents are not know for biting—unless humans try to pick them up or catch them with the hands. The bite is not hard.

The cage is too small to live in but will serve for feeding and sleeping if you let him out a lot every day. I would recommend raising it up another half meter in height so he will feel safer.

He is fully grown.

You need to feed him a quality small hookbill seed mix, plenty of fresh greens and sprouts and vegetable morsels (small shavings). And a vitamin mineral supplement in powder form on his wet food. Fruit is fine but with the pips are best and they like many sorts of grasses and wild flower buds.

Be careful when he is out (the males are usually the talkers!) as they like the ground and can get underfoot.

good luck. 

Thanks for the great advice yellowfronts, that has been my experience too.

Ben, Rocky is a mature male and will not get any larger (you can tell by the coloring, males tend to be brighter and end up looking like Rocky). They do not get their bright colors until their second or third year, and are full grown by the end of their first year.

Not sure about the teathered flight. These guys do best in a planted aviary with lots of room to fly. If that isn’t possible I’d suggest letting him out in the house (assuming any potential dangers have been taken care of in advance). They don’t tend to chew as much as some of the larger birds so furniture should be mostly safe .

Cheers
Steve-

Hi

Thank you both for all the info, it’s greatly appreciated

I thought I’d let you both know that Rocky is settling in nicely with us - he is very tame and will flap up onto our shoulders when we open his cage, then have a fly round the room and land back on us, if I go to pet him while he’s perched on me he’ll fly off, I think he’s affraid of being grabbed, but who could blame him!

He goes back in his cage readily enough and hasn’t bitten anyone he seems to enjoy all the food we’ve tried so far: avacado, apple, pineapple and wallnuts. Are the vitamin supplements available as an additive to his water? I would’ve thought it would be easier to measure how much he’s getting if it was in his water as he doesn’t seem to eat the above mentioned food items that are left in his seed dish, he only eats them if hand fed…

Thanks again guys

Ben

Mar,
Avocado is toxic for parrots, so please do not feed your parrot with it as it can be fatal.
Gemma

####, thanks

Ben,  here is a brief list of foods that are poisonous to parrots that you’d find in an everyday household:  avocados, chocolate, anything with caffeine such as coffee or tea, onions, and right now I can’t think of anything else.  If you have ceiling fans, be sure to turn them all off when the bird is out.  If you have a lot of people coming and going in your household be sure to pay attention to where the bird is when opening and closing the doors.  So many of them fly out & become freaked out at the big wide world outside of its own environment.  When this happens you seldom get your bird back.  Since he doesn’t know how to live in the wild he will become food some other predator most likely, such as a hawk, cat, or dog. 

Congrats on getting Rocky and I hope you have a wonderful life together.