Those Wonderful Neophemas

Editor's note: The Turquoise Parrot this article refers to is Neophema pulchella. In American aviculture, it is more commonly known as the Turquoisine Pm·akeet. Neophema is the scientific genus name given to a group of small, Budgie-sized parakeets from Australia. Neophemas are quite beautiful, all being grass-green except one member, the Bourke's Parakeet. The Bourke's Parakeet is light brown with a soft pink chest and belly and large, dark eyes. These large, dark eyes give them the ability to see better at twilight time than other parakeets, thus earning them the name of the Night Parrot in their native Australia. The grass-green Neophemas, who spend most of their time on the ground, have been given the nickname grass parakeets.'' Grass parakeets are not considered difficult to raise, in fact, some members are quite good breeders. However, like all birds we attempt to raise in captivity, they have their special requirements. This article is by no means the last word on raising parakeets. Birds seem to know when their keepers are thinking too highly of themselves and will show us just how little we do know. In any new undertaking, trial and error is the best rule of thumb. Grass parakeets are no exception. Over the years, I have certainly made my share of errors and hopefully I have learned a few things along the way. I hope this article will smooth the road for you and help you have an enjoyable time with your parakeets. Flights And Nest Boxes Grass parakeets will reproduce in just about any size flight, from 2'x 3' indoor setups to the largest outdoor flight. Because they will not normally colony breed, it is best to have only one pair per flight, so large outdoor flights are not practical for the serious breeder. In California, parakeets are kept outside in flights that are two feet wide by four feet high by six feet long. Four feet of the flight should be covered, containing the feeding and nest box area. The remaining two feet of the flight should remain uncovered, allowing the birds access to any available sun. Nest box privacy is essential. Therefore, if you have side-by-side flights, you must place partitions in the flights which will provide adequate privacy. Weather is usually not a major problem, but cold wind can be. Many breeders prefer to cover their flight with plastic neoprene during stormy weather. In the wild, parakeets are cavity nesters, using hollow tree branches and hollow tree trunks which are their preferred nest sites. I have used natural nest boxes made from hollow logs and the birds loved them, but these natural nests are difficult to clean and impossible for banding the baby birds. The common Budgie box works great, is easy to clean and easy to repair. Fill the box three inches deep with pine shavings, and pack it down smooth. Grass parakeets like to dig in their nest box. With the shavings packed smooth, you can tell if your birds are working the nest box in preparation for nesting. Nesting takes place in the spring and throughout the summer. The clutches are usually three to five eggs in number but can go as high as eight. Grass parakeets will stop nesting on their own in late summer and should be encouraged to do so. However, in indoor setups where light and temperature are controlled, they. will nest all year. In outdoor setups, leave the nest boxes up all year because on cold winter nights they will use them for sleeping.