[nanay]

I am curious about Princess of Wales and Regent Parrots - or Parakeets. Does anyone know anything about them?

I am wondering how similar in personality, vocalizations, etc. they might be to the small grass parakeets like the bourkes, splendids, tourquisines, etc.

 

[Jenny]

Hmm... I've only worked with one Princess of Wales, and that was to groom him, so I don't necessarily have the best impression

He wasn't loud, he kept saying 'Hi! Hi!' from inside his carrier :lol: They're a moderate size, I want to say like a Senegal almost, but not as stocky and with a longer tail (it's been months so... I might be a little off there!) He stepped right up and out, was giving me kisses and chattering at me, very pleasant noises! When I toweled him to groom him, he started shrieking, but it really wasn't too bad - maybe a touch louder than a linnie contact call? After the grooming he nipped me once (to say "That was mean!") then went right back to talking to me.

His owner said he was sweet enough, just not very touchy-feely. I don't know if this is a standard, if he was an exception to the rule, etc but he was certainly a pleasant little bird. Gorgeous too!

 

[Kate]

I have Princess Parrots here and have kept Regents in the past. I have hand raised both. I have never really kept either species as pets but I have shown them and hand raise to make quieter birds that are not frightened of people so that they show better.

My preference is for the Princess though. They are such sweet natured birds and even when not hand raised will get so used to their owners in the aviary that they will climb on you when you go into the flight to feed them. When I had more here I had to scrape them off my back to get out of the aviary. They have a very pretty call that I think sounds like the tinkling of a small bell. A friend had them in with Cockatiels and was breeding both together and there was no aggression as they were not competing for nests as the Princess's nest is much larger than the cockatiel box. The colours of the normal Princess is so pretty, all those different shades of green and the shocking pink under the neck and the top of the legs plus the violet over the rump. There are a number of mutations including blue, albino and lutino. I prefer the normal and don't mind the blue.

For a pet I still believe you need a hand raised bird.

 

[rosyshalice]

I have been wondering about them too, Nanay. I have been watching videos of them on youtube-that's how I got hooked on linnies:lol: A lot of people have them listed as princess parrots on there in case you want to do a search too.
This one is really cute
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdE23kq_LeI"]YouTube- Topaz the princess parrot[/ame]
I have been doing a lot of reading too and it sounds like they don't like to be petted a great deal but like other interactions and are very chatty. It also sounds like they can make loud calls occasionally but no one seems to really explain what that means...

 

[nanay]

Ladies,
Thank you so much for the information. I shouldn't be even thinking about other birds, but I find I am very interested in learning about these, especially moreso now the Princess of Wales.

Jenny,
Guess you can't blame the poor fellow for expressing his feelings about the clipping. How hard was the nip?

I once had an alpaca who would ALWAYS give you one kick any time you had to vet him. He could hold a grudge for some time, and always managed to get you in a spot a bit later so he could give you that one kick. To my knowledge, he never kicked anyone for any other reason, and it was always only the one who actually caused the pain (gave the shot or tended the wound, etc.) that he singled out for the kick. :lol: Then he would be sweet as pie. But he sure had a satisfied look on his little face when that kick landed!

Kate,
It was wonderful to hear from a breeder. I have a bourkes and a splendid - pets only. Do you know if their personalities are in any way similar? You didn't state you have experience with either of those, so I know it is possible you do not.

Rosyshalice,
Thank you for posting the video. That bird is precious! Is it a mutation color, or is my monitor off? It doesn't look green to me at all. It looks gray.

 

[Kate]

I have kept Bourkes and Turquoisine (aka Splendid) Parrots but never hand raised ones. The Bourkes are quite timid and I still have one that flies in the aviary with the budgies. I never had much success with the Splendid and only had them for a short while. The Princess is a much larger bird than both the others. I actually prefer the larger parrots, hand raised they are often a lot gentler than the smaller birds. I have only ever been nipped by 2 large parrots and both have problems with humans. George is slowly coming around, he is a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and Kaspar is more cheeky than nasty, he has his days, he is an Eastern Short Billed Corella or Little Corella. The worst bites I have had have been from the smaller birds, particularly the budgies. Only been bitten once by a Cockatiel and he was not hand raised and I had just purchased him and was trying to transfer from the box to a cage when he latched on. I get the odd bite from my Rainbow Lorikeets but that is usually because I have fed them in the wrong order and they have not appreciated it.

I would say that the Princess is not as quiet as the Bourke or Splendid, but saying that the sounds that the Princess makes are very pleasant and not at all shrill.

The Princess in the video is a Blue Mutation. I have 3 Blues and 2 Normal green.

 

[Jenny]

Nanay - the bite really wasn't bad, compratively. Have you been bit by a linnie yet? It's a little worse than that... like a warning nip from a Sennie

 

[Sensfan]

I love the video with the mirror. He's adorable :lovehearts: and trying so hard to interact with his image :biggrin5:

 

[Kate]

Cess that was actually mating ritual. It is really funny to watch both birds doing that to each other. It is really very sweet.

 

[rosyshalice]

I adore the blue mutations. Its such an elegant color! Of course, all of them are lovely. The bird is such an adorable combination of elegance and silliness
Kate, thanks for sharing!

 

[nanay]

Jenny,
I have not been bitten by a linnie. Guess I still have that new experience to look forward to, lol.

Kate,
Thanks again for the info.

You two ladies have both done a great job of making comparisons to give lots of helpful information.

 

[Apple]

I loved watching that video! lol So cute.