i have been thinking of getting this bird i found on craigslist. she is a very pretty female Mustache parakeet. i don't know much about them but i did have a pair of ringnecks and i think they are similar.
i also did some on line research and they sound like a nice bird.
anybody know anything about them? pros/ cons?
i have to make decision soon before someone else buys her. i am going to speak to the owner on the phone sometime today i hope.
her reason for selling is she has too many birds and wants to downsize.
my question is why did she pick this one to part with?
Mustache keets are like ringnecks - not very touchy feely, can be one person birds if not well socialized, and are a little noisy. That being said? They're really adorable birds, they smell like fruit, and can be very friendly. They just are a little wary of hands and tend to not like their heads being scritched. Someone once told me the "ringneck" or long-tailed keet family don't like their heads scratched or feathers ruffled because their feather structure is different from other birds? Not too sure on that one
Either way, they can be wonderful little birds. Their main contact call is a little high in pitch, but tolerable, I think.
thanks for your input, i still have to talk to the owner before i make my decision.
how many other birds does she have? what kinds etc.
maybe the little one is just lost in the crowd...............
Personally I don't think they are as scatty as the Indian Ringneck tends to be but are slightly closer to the Alexandrine and the Derbyan. If they have half the temperament of the Alex they are delightful. I only know one or two people that have one for a pet but know a few breeders.
Jenny the Asiatics do have a different feather structure than many other parrots. There feathers are very tight where many parrots particularly the Cockatoos and the Lorikeets have a very loose feather. This is one reason why the Asiatics always seem to look so lovely except when they are in moult. When in moult they look like crap, but luckily that is only for about 6 weeks or so every year. Otherwise their feathers are sooooo smooth and sleek which is one of their attractions. So they don't like having their lovely hairdo mussed up.
Jenny the Asiatics do have a different feather structure than many other parrots. There feathers are very tight where many parrots particularly the Cockatoos and the Lorikeets have a very loose feather. This is one reason why the Asiatics always seem to look so lovely except when they are in moult. When in moult they look like crap, but luckily that is only for about 6 weeks or so every year. Otherwise their feathers are sooooo smooth and sleek which is one of their attractions. So they don't like having their lovely hairdo mussed up.
Thanks for the clarification, Kate :thumbsup: The two Mustaches I raised were very mellow birds, loved kisses, and were very friendly. One was more hand-shy than the other but I think that was just a personality difference between the two. This is the friendlier of the two babies - he loved having his beak stroked The first is when he was still in the nursery, the second was when he had fledged. If you turn the volume up a decent bit in the first video, that was the loudest noise he ever made while we had him. Once he got over "I NEED FOOD NOW!!" he made that quiet little sigh of a call you hear in the second video and that was about the only noises he made on a regular basis
The second video he sounds more like the Alex's, more soft and gentle and not raucous like the Ringnecks tend to be. Alex's are also more noisy as babies in the nursery until they are fed and then their noise is more like a moan. Just like they are overfull. They moan and groan for hours.
A friend of mine has just got his first pair of Alex's (I have been telling him to get them for years) and he now realizes what I have been telling him. They are so placid and nice natured especially since his are aviary bred. He can't get over how quiet they are in the aviary and that they don't go into a panic when he goes in to feed and clean. They are still getting to know him as he has only had them a bit over a week.
That's cool, Kate. I met an Alex once, and was expecting it to be nippy or bossy like a Ringneck when it ran right up to my shoulder but she was super sweet and gentle, even though she didn't know me. She was a rescue and a new addition to these people's home as well, so they didn't know her personality themselves. We were all very pleasantly surprised
well i did talk to the owner on the phone today and Skittles is very hand shy but will take something if she puts it on her arm. i heard her make some cute little noises and then a full blown shriek or loud call. she says she only does it when she is alarmed about something. it was pretty loud but i can handle that in moderation.
i did see a nice hand tame Alexandrine for sale too but i like the smaller birds i guess.
i hope to get her next weekend if i can work it out
IRNs are very sweet if you play with them alot, mine loves to have her head scratched but they do need loads of atention
if you have time they are great birds
Good luck! They are very pretty & can talk very well. Keep us posted!
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