Red Rumped Parakeets: Everything You Need To Know About Red Rump Parrots
There’s definitely no doubt that you’re reading this article because the beautiful plumage and sounds of the red rump parakeet have captured your heart.
I mean...
Who wouldn’t want to adopt one, right?
Well before you do, it’s crucial to study and understand them first to know whether you really want to take responsibility for these birds or not.
Species Overview
Red Rump Parakeets (Psephotus haematonotus) are birds found in south-eastern Australia. They are also known as the Red-rumped Parakeet, Red-Backed Parrot, Red Rump Parrot, and Grass Parrot.
They can often be found in open grasslands, places near rivers or streams, and lightly timbered plains with elevations of up to 3000 ft. Their population continues to rise as they are of least concern in the IUCN Red List.
Characteristics
Size And Appearance
They are medium-sized parrots that are only 27-28 centimeters (10.5-11 inches) long with half of it being its tail, and a slim body that weighs 1.9-3 ounces (55-85 grams)
The male red rump parakeet is primarily bright emerald green, they have yellow underparts, blue wings, and upper back highlights and a red rump. On the other hand, females are less vibrant with their dull green back and wings, olive underparts, and dark blue wingtips. Both genders have flesh-colored legs and a black beak.
Behavior And Ability
Sonation and Vocalization
Red Rumped Parakeets have a balanced noise level, they’re not too noisy. Yet they are not too quiet either as most of the noise they make is soft call-like songs that consist of satisfying chirps and tweets.
Talking
These birds make beautiful vocalizations. However, they are not inclined to mimic sounds or voices, they are not skilled talkers either. Yet, with a lot of perseverance and patience, it is possible to teach them to talk. It is ideal that you teach them this instead of bringing them to a professional as birds tend to learn efficiently when taught by someone they have a strong bond with.
Life Expectancy
They are expected to live for 32 years with proper care and enough exercise. Although they commonly only live for 15 years in captivity.
Raising A Red Rump Parakeet
Personality
These birds have such pleasant and wonderful personalities, they are tremendously energetic and would love to roam around and explore their surroundings. They also love to socialize and will make sure that they spread affection towards those who spend time with them.
Accompaniment
Even though they are very social birds, they can still be aggressive and territorial towards their own kind, so it’s best to keep them alone or with a pair only.
However, they are not prone to being aggressive towards us humans. Their tiny beaks won't do much harm either, so it won't be a problem to let them play with children as long as they are supervised.
They require a lot of toys and attention for mental stimulation as they get bored easily. It’s best to spend time with them by hand feeding them or stroking them in order to strengthen your bond.
Extremes
Red Rump Parakeets are normally mild-mannered, yet there are situations that can trigger the extremes of their behavior.
For example, if you leave them alone without a mate for an ample amount of time, they would seem less social at first, but then you’ll find them acting very hostile. Their aggressiveness also displays when they feel threatened, annoyed, attacked, and this will cause them to be excessively angry and territorial.
Training
It surely does take a lot of patience and will to domesticate and tame these birds. Training them won’t be easy at all and in fact, they tend to be stubborn. But you’ll succeed with a strong will. And even so, they still enjoy the interaction and experience for a period of time.
Home Type
Since these birds are neither noisy nor quiet and don’t really require a lot of space, they are ideal for apartments and bigger houses. And if ever these birds would make noise, they would be pleasingly beautiful songs anyway.
Required Experience Level
These birds give little to no troubles to raise healthily and happily, which means they are appropriate for both beginners and experienced owners.
They unbelievably adapt to most conditions and are easy to bond with, too. The only bad side would be that they aren’t the easiest species of parakeets to train as they tend to be quite stubborn.
Caring For A Red Rump Parakeet
Cage
They tend to do well in cages in aviaries, however, they’d hate to stay somewhere cramped or overcrowded which causes aggressiveness towards their fellow birds. This is why proper cage dimensions matter so much.
Your parakeet’s cage should be at least or be bigger than 30 inches long, 20 inches wide, and 20 inches high with a bar spacing of ½”.
Another reason why they need such a huge cage is that they get bored and feel apathetic quickly. In order to avoid this, keep them mentally active by filling their cage with a birdbath, multiple climbing ladders, and toys.
It is crucial for red rump parakeets to have a birdbath because, without daily bathing, their feathers tend to lose their color and healthiness. And since they are too energized, climbing ladders and toys help a lot. Without those, their energy would go to waste which will eventually cause them to overeat and get sick.
Diet
Without a proper and balanced diet, your pet bird will undergo obesity, starvation, and other diseases. Which is why you must change your parakeet's all seed diet into a balanced one. And it won't be easy at all because, for birds, seeds are like candy, so you’d understand that they would choose them rather than the fruits and vegetables you offer.
A parakeet’s balanced diet would consist of 50% pellets, 40% fruits and vegetables, and 10% seeds. Keep in mind that you should wash the fruits and vegetables you provide them properly and quickly remove the uneaten ones as spoiled food can no doubt harm your pet.
Wild bird seeds are your best option as they offer higher nutritional value and lesser carbohydrates. Mixed canary, sunflower, and millet seeds are some of the most appropriate bird seeds for your parakeet. It is best to only give your birds seeds as a last treat to make sure that they finish their healthy food first.
Breeding
They can already be easily bred at age 1 during the season of spring or any time of the year that rainfall is present.
They must be provided with flight space and a large vertical nesting box that measures 10” x 6” x 6”. You should add peat and wood shavings to the bottom of their nests to absorb their droppings and keep the eggs in place.
The hen will lay 3-7 eggs that will be brooded for a maximum of 20 days and will hatch after a month. She will also not leave her eggs alone at any circumstance.
Price
Red Rump Parakeets often cost around $20-800. Common varieties usually cost $20-50 while rarer versions and different color mutations tend to be more expensive costing around $1,000.
Health
These birds surprisingly require very low maintenance only and also have an incredible resistance to diseases when properly cared for.
The necessary care they need is regular baths, a fresh supply of water, nail trimming, and a clean and disinfected cage/aviary. Without these, they can be more prone to a few problems like eye infections, feather plucking, frostbite, fever, and respiratory problems.
Common Species
Mulga Parakeet
These birds have the same size and dominant green plumage as red rump parakeets. Their only difference is the yellow band the mulga parakeets have above their bills and the light green band across their rumps.
Rosella Parakeet
Rosella Parakeets share the same size and beautiful sounds and plumage with red rumps, but that doesn’t mean they have the same plumage, they are just both breathtaking. They are also not great talkers but would definitely try their best to learn a few mimics.
Quaker Parakeet
These birds may have excellent speaking ability and intelligence, unlike red rump parakeets. However, they have the same size, lifespan, social ability, and difficulty when it comes to taming and training. They also share the same feather plucking behavior that occurs when they are left alone for too long.
Should You Adopt A Red Rump Parakeet?
A pair of these birds would be ideal for those who wish to appreciate the beauty of their voice and plumage without having to care for them intensively. Aside from that, they don’t need a lot of attention either. They would be fine with minimal interaction and a cage filled with new and interesting toys.
However, if you can’t provide them a huge cage where they can live alone or with a pair only, then it’s best to just check your other options. They aren’t really the type of birds you can put in an aviary or a huge cage with your other pet birds, because aside from them being territorial, they tend to be very aggressive and hostile.