General Care:
These birds are fairly low maintenance but provide bath water daily to keep feathers in good condition!
Distinction between the sexes:
Point out the differences between male and female is easy. The females of these species are often paler and sometimes have a smaller head and beak. Moreover, body size is smaller, besides the main feature that gives it its name (red rumped) the red back of males.
Social characteristics:
Red Rumps can be aggressive and are best kept alone or in single pairs.
Males, especially, can be very intolerant and attack each other up through the railing if given the chance. It is not advisable to create these birds along with other species of parakeets. These birds get along relatively well with other species of birds since they are not too timid or small and there is enough storage space.
Housing:
They can be housed in breeding cages or aviaries. Red Rump Parakeets can tolerate low temperatures of 40 degrees if naturally acclimatized to it over a period of time but if they are suddenly removed for warmer temps and placed into cold climate they can become ill. I would suggest a minimum breeding cage space of 32 inches long x 20 inches high x 20 inches wide. We breed our Red Rumps in tier-style box cages made of 1 inch x 1/2 inch welded wire. Do not house them in round cages.
Sometimes, we create isolated birds in indoor cages, but the bird must be able to stretch its wings out of the cage regularly. Animals like to chew so you should not put plants in the nursery.
Temperature:
These birds are very resistant to winter months and require no warming since they have access to a night shelter to protect them from frost.
Diet:
A good Red Rump diet consists of mixed canary seeds, millets, and a small amount of sunflower seeds. A lot of people use a Parakeet mix and add in some Sunflower seeds. They also seem to be fond of Cockatiel mix. If you use a Cockatiel mix try to buy it without fillers such as maize or dog food as most cage birds won't eat these anyway. To condition our birds we coat the seed mixture with Wheat Germ Oil (1/2 tsp per pound of seed). It helps prevent egg binding and provides vitamins. Fresh water, cuttlebone, oyster shell and grit should be supplied at all times. We provide other supplements such as Petamine breeding formula (during breeding season) and Feather Up (while molting) in small treat cups. Lettuce, spinach, chickweed, peas, green beans, corn, spray millet, eggfood, soaked seed, apple, broccoli tops and carrot tops can also be offered on a regular basis. Be sure to wash all fruits & veggies before allowing birds to consume them!
Activities:
These parakeets, one of the most attractive species known, are not very noisy when they get scared. They can also produce a variety of sounds that are pleasing to the ear. They are very active birds who like to take baths in the hot days. If the birds are raised indoors they should take showers daily using a spray bottle for plants. If they have a careful treatment, the young birds can grow to become very tame. They will occupy all areas of the nursery, but they are usually on the ground, scavenging for food.
Song:
Compared to most Parakeets, Red Rumps have a pleasant sounding call which could almost be considered a song.
Breeding:
Our experience with Red Rumps is that they are easy breeders and make good beginner birds for people just starting to breed Grass Parakeets. They seem to prefer vertical nest boxes. We supply our Red Rumps with boxes 10in x 6in x 6in that have a concave bottom with a little aspen shavings so the eggs cannot roll all over.
Box material: Add about 2 inches of decomposed suitable nest box litter to the bottom of the box to help stabilize the eggs and absorb the droppings from the chicks.
Options for suitable nesting material are decomposed non-toxic saw dust, corn cob, shredded newspaper, clean straw / dried grass or wood shavings (i.e., Aspen shavings or wood chips). The larger wood chips the better, so the parents don't feed it to the babies or the chicks accidentally ingest it.
Please note that some wood shavings - such as pine, cedar and redwood - give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic and can cause dermatitis, allergic symptoms and irritation of the digestive tract. They should not be used in cages, aviaries, or nestboxes.
When in breeding condition the male can be seen side stepping from one side of the perch to the other calling at the hen. Then he will raise to his full height, lean forward and fan his tail while bobbing his head. The male feeding the hen is a sure sign of eggs soon to come. After mating has taken place the hen will lay 4-6 eggs. For the most part the hen does the majority of the incubating while the male guards the nest. The male will relieve the hen to drink & eat or will feed her himself. Some males will at times incubate with the hen. The eggs hatch after 20-25 days of incubation and the babies are covered in a soft white down. Below is a photo of a baby. Red Rumps can and will breed all year if allowed so be sure to give them sufficient rest especially during hotter and colder months. I would only breed those which are 1-5 years of age. Baby Red Rumps can be pulled out of the nest at 3 weeks old in order to hand feed them. I see no reason why they need to be pulled before 3 weeks unless the parents are not caring for them correctly. If not pulled from the nest young birds will fledge at five weeks old and become independently weaned at 7-8 weeks.