Red-tailed Jacob: description, conditions of detention, diet

Fans of tame birds are often chosen for domestic maintenance of red-tailed Jaco. The fact is that this bird has extraordinary mental abilities. It's enough just to teach to talk. But as far as content is concerned, this is not so simple, it's still a bird, not a home toy. Therefore, before buying, you should study what the red-tailed Jaco needs at home.

Acquisition of a parrot

Problems for bird owners arise from the lack of truthful information about the content of birds. Many sources write that red-tailed Jaco is unpretentious at home. However, this is an erroneous judgment. Parrot red-tailed Jaco is not a toy, and not even a canary, but rather a serious bird that needs constant care and training.

The first difficulties can arise at the stage of buying a bird. The fact is that the official catching is very limited, the counts of captured and sold individuals are being conducted. Therefore, the black market of these birds thrives.

Poachers tend to sell older birds. Wild parrots are offered under the guise of young individuals. And people acquire them, not knowing that they will have to learn all the difficulties of raising an age-old bird. Well, if it is not completely wild and embittered, since it is simply impossible to re-educate such a specimen. Age unfortunately, unfortunately, can only be determined up to a year and a half.

Nuances you should know about

Abroad there are special nurseries, where such parrots are bred. It is in them that the red-tailed Jaco chicks are sold. Of course, the price for such a bird is just off scale, so people also contact dubious traders.

An honest salesman will never recommend buying a man hot without the experience of caring for large parrots. If you keep the bird only in a cage and do not train her mind, then neuroses will develop. In this situation, the parrot will start terrorizing others.

If there is time and desire to engage in such a serious bird as the red-tailed Jaco (photo is given in the article), then you can raise yourself a good real friend. Such a manual parrot is very much attached to the owner and can even be jealous of him. Since the red-tailed Jaco has a high intelligence, so it can be taught in various games, human speech and imitation. In captivity, he lives hotly until he is forty.

Red-tailed Jacob: description

Jaco is probably the most unattractive sight of all the big talking parrots. He does not have such a bright plumage as, for example, a parrot ara, so beautiful spectacular photos with him will not work. The main tone of the feathers is gray, it can have different shades, from light to darker. It is because of this coloring that the bird is also called an African gray parrot. A bright accent in the plumage is the red tail.

Red-tailed Jaco is a large bird. In length from head to tail, it reaches forty centimeters. In adult parrots, the iris is colored yellow. As a rule, males are slightly larger than females, however, it is possible to distinguish their sex authentically, only by making an analysis (DNA testing). The chicks have a slightly darker color of feathers and iris. With age they become lighter.

Lifestyle

Red-tailed Jaco (pictured in the article) lives in nature in tropical undergrowth near rivers. Sleeping parrots flock to the trees. They live in small groups, but they cause considerable damage to agricultural plantations. During the nesting period, the birds are divided into pairs and the chicks retire until the end of feeding.

Parrot red-tailed Jaco is very cautious and screaming. Birds are afraid of people, because they are hunting for meat and chicks for sale. Jaco badly fly, their numbers have decreased markedly due to poaching. The subject of hunting is also bright tail feathers. They are used not only as decorations, but also for magical rituals.

In the last century the birds lived in large noisy flocks, and now they live only in small groups.

Talented talent

It is believed that Jaco - the most talented parrots, capable of onomatopoeia. The bird on average can remember more than a hundred turns of human speech. Numerous studies by Dr. Irene Pepperberg have shown that birds associate words with objects they designate. In addition, they perceive colors, shapes, ordinal numbers and even zero. Talking red-tailed zhako - quite a frequent phenomenon. Many birds are already beginning to say a little to two or three years.

Wild animals are very loud themselves. They scream, piercing, whistling, loudly clicking the beak. When planting such a bird, remember that it will behave in the same way at home. Many are annoyed, but this is the nature of the parrots. Therefore, one should think carefully before taking such a pet.

Quite often the parrots repeat the sounds they hear around them. It can be the sound signals of equipment, alarm clock, intercom, dogs barking and meowing cats.

Reddish zhako: care

Jaco were domestic pets from ancient Romans and Greeks, that is, about 4,000 years ago. In those days, only rich and noble people could afford to have such a beautiful speaking bird. One of the most famous owners of such a parrot was Henry VIII. How does a red-tailed Jacob lead in captivity than feed this bird? Such questions are most often asked by beginners, who first encounter such a large enough bird. In fact, the parrot is not very demanding. Red-tailed Jaco, whose diet does not contain exotic products, eats a variety of fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, greens. But it should be remembered that birds do not tolerate drafts and do not like tobacco smoke.

Communication with the pet

But what is demanding is hot, so it is to attention from the side of a person. Birds are very social. For a full-fledged life, they need to communicate daily with the owner, whom they trust, for at least a few hours. The longer their communication lasts, the better.

To win the full confidence of the parrot and its affection is not so easy. To do this, it is necessary to make a lot of effort and spend a lot of time. But when you manage to make friends, then you will not regret spending hours.

Adaptation is greedy for the new habitat and for new people can be very long. The duration of this period depends on a variety of factors: from individual characteristics, age of the bird, effort and time, which are spent by the owners on their pet. Immediately after acquiring a parrot, it is best to leave it alone. He must get used to the new situation. From the cage, too, it is not worth releasing it, it is also necessary to track the contacts of the bird with other domestic pets, if any.

Young individuals very quickly get used to people. In general, Jaco has such a trait as the need to choose a leader for himself, and it does not matter - it's a human society or a bird flock. How quickly the parrot will get used to the owner and become tame, directly depends on how much time a person pays to him.

Rules of communication

A parrot is not an ornamental toy. Therefore, a cage for a red-tailed Jaco can not be a permanent habitat. The bird can not be kept in it constantly. Since he needs constant communication, he should not be bored and be left to himself outside the cage.

A parrot can very well reproduce a person's speech. Therefore, you can easily bring the moment when the bird begins to talk. For this, it is necessary to devote some time to learning the conversation. Lessons should not be too long, it is better to spend a few short sessions a couple of minutes a day.

Words must be pronounced separately and clearly. In addition, it is better to use words or phrases only when they are relevant in the situation. If there are already speaking birds in your house, then it will be possible for them to learn how to speak. And on the other hand, the talking parrot can teach the beginner to talk.

An important point is that you need to teach a pet not only to communicate with a person, but also to entertain himself. This is necessary in order for Jaco to play himself while the host is away. To do this, you should buy toys for your pet and change them regularly. With a lack of attention on the part of man, the Jaco can develop psychological problems that can cause plucking of feathers.

Where to put a pet cage?

Parrots need at least ten hours of darkness and complete silence. Such birds tend to get used to the place, so they react very painfully to his shift. Moreover, even minor changes in the familiar surroundings already make the parrot nervous.

Red-tailed Jaco, whose conditions of maintenance, on the one hand, are simple, and on the other - require the implementation of certain rules, does not like being in a draft or near a heating device. The cell should be placed in a well-lit place, but it should not be a window sill, since open space and bright light also cause discomfort.

One side of the cage should be adjacent to the wall, so that there is a zone of tranquility. In the kitchen and in the bedroom, the bird should not be placed - it does not comply with hygiene standards. In addition, the cell must be arranged so that communication with Jaco occurs at eye level.

The shape and dimensions of the cell

The cage for the parrot should be large enough so that the bird, while on the perch, could spread its wings, wave them and at the same time not catch anything.

The cage must be stainless steel. Between the twigs should be such a distance that Jaco could not stick his head. It must be remembered that the parrot will break, bend, crush, unscramble everything that it will fall. Therefore, the cell must be very strong. Closing it must be reliable, you can even lock it, as the bird shows special trick at opening all kinds of locks.

Diseases are hot

A healthy parrot has a smooth and dense feather, clean feathers on the abdomen, brilliant clear eyes, a smooth beak, a fattened breast, paws without damage, quiet breathing. Unfortunately, like all birds, the red-tailed Jaco is subject to ailments. Diseases can manifest as follows: a decrease in the reaction to occurring events, uncoveriness, stuck together feathers, shallow breathing, bulging of the bones of the sternum, abdominal swelling, flaking of the beak, feces on the paws.

In parrots there is a constant loss of a small amount of fluff. This is a completely normal process. But in the moulting periods, the fluff becomes larger. Dry air in the room can lead to increased dandruff.

The most important part of the care is bathing. Jaco simply love water. Frequent bathing (preferably daily) helps to preserve the natural structure of feathers, horny integuments and skin, removing them from dust and dirt. Birds can be sprayed with a spray, also put in a cage baths with water and even bathe under a weak pressure in the shower. It must be remembered that it is necessary to accustom the parrot carefully and gradually, so as not to frighten it hotly. If the trust relationship is already established, and the parrot allows to take it in his hands or at least sits on a stick, it can be carried to the bathroom and there thoroughly washed until the feathers get wet. If the bird does not yet trust you, then bathing under the shower can be arranged right along with the cage. You will not only wash it, but his house.

The drying process of feathers is necessarily accompanied by increased heat emission, for this reason the parrot should dry in a warm room (the temperature should be at least 20 degrees).

One of the important moments is the creation of optimal light conditions. In summer everything is much easier, the sun is enough, only you need to shade the cage from the direct rays. But in winter, the lack of light will have to be compensated by a fluorescent lamp. Their application gives excellent results.

All parrots can get sick, except there is not a red-tailed joker. Tumor of the cheek is one of the possible diseases that occurs due to the transferred infection. The doctor can prescribe vitamins and medications that will help to transfer the purulent focus to a solid state and then the tumor is removed. Sometimes, antibiotics are required, but tests are done beforehand. In addition, adults are often prone to benign tumors. Sometimes they reach such a size that they prevent the bird from moving, then it is removed. This is absolutely not dangerous for Jaco.

Reproduction is Jaco

Sexual maturity is achieved in the fifth year of life. And if they are kept in captivity from birth, the process can drag on. However, couples are formed at the age of three. Ideal conditions for the selection of partners are natural environmental conditions. Their similarity can be reproduced by placing birds in one enclosure, and then observing the behavior of parrots. Gradually you will see who prefers whom to whom. A ready-made couple can be planted separately.

But it makes sense to be convinced of the diversity of partners, because they can form same-sex couples. The main sign of the formation of sympathy is the process of feeding each other's beaks from the beak.

Appearance of chicks

The mating season for parrots lasts from October to May, and sometimes nesting takes place in July. The couple settle separately, they are put a box or hollow, which will serve as a nest. In the clutch of jaco, there are usually three to five eggs that they lay in a few days. The incubation process lasts 28-30 days. The female is engaged in this, and the male protects the nest and feeds his girlfriend. The nestlings are born with an interval of several days. The first hours do not feed them, and then the female gives them her goat's milk. During this period, more feed should be given to the birds, and it should contain more protein, the concentration of which is better to decrease as the young grow up.

The first week the chicks themselves can not lift their heads, they are very heavy, so the female rolls them with their beaks on their backs and pours milk. The male at first does not help to feed, it is admitted to the process only after ten days. The young man opens his eyes from the tenth to the eighteenth day. Another four weeks the female will always be near the babies and not leave them. And then the female and the male are already flying out and bringing food to the children.

Self-feeding

You can try to nurture the chicks yourself and grow them in an incubator. But this is a complex process. Feed them all the time with a spoon. First they are given drop by drop water with saline solution, then you can add liquid baby puree (apple or banana). In the first week the food should be liquid and heated. As the chicks grow up, their needs also increase in food. Gradually, portions need to be increased. Food should not be liquid anymore. Imagine that during the first week the young should be fed every two hours. After two weeks, the interval is already six hours. And after six weeks, feeding occurs twice a day.

It's easier to take the kid from the parents at the age of one or one and a half months and then manually add it yourself if you plan to make it your pet. Nestlings with constant contact with the person feeding him very quickly become tame. In this case, it is better for babies to contact more people. This favorably affects the behavior of the nestlings. But this method also has its drawbacks. The fact is that grown up in this way, Jaco is experiencing difficulties in creating a pair and multiplying. A little to alleviate this effect is possible by the simultaneous cultivation of several chicks.