upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Hi,
Just wondering if any of you rosie owners would tell me about your birds. Are they different than other toos in the fact that they are not as noisy??? I keep reading that, but some say its not true. Whatever you can tell me about your birds would be much appreciated. Any of you that have adopted/purchased an adult that hasn't been handled much??? How did you gain their trust??
Thanks for anything you can tell me.

I have a Galah aka Rose Breasted. He's 30 this year. He was raised from very tiny by a lady who had to give him up when she went into a nursing home about 5 years ago. He "Pretty Boy" then went to some friends of mine, and shortly thereafter came to me. And will remain with me for the rest of his life. He is an absolute darling! Yes, compared to other too's he is very quiet. In fact, even though there are wild galahs in the trees behind my house several times a day, he never joins in with the racket. Once or twice a week he has a bit of a screech and flap, but that only lasts a few minutes. He is a rather accomplished talker though. My fave things that he says are that he "wants fish and chips" "what's your prob?" and "Where's Fred? Gone twash and tweasure?" He laughs, meows, and coughs. It's taken some time and a few bites for Jeff my partner to win him over, but he's never bitten me. I just took it slow and started with stick training before I was game to offer him my hand. He does have a tendancy towards being cage bound, but if given time to acclimate he seems to really enjoy time outside in the grass fossicking etc.... Even though they are as common as can be here and only worth maybe $40 I think they are stunning birds. And definitely full of character! In my experience, (I have handraised many Galahs that were rescued as chicks from the wild) they are not as needy and clingy as GSC2's or Corellas. Pretty Boy enjoys his toys. Esp one that has a small cowbell. He rings that most adamantly when he wants something. He, like most parrots loves to chew, so I keep his cage full of browse (eucalypts and other natives) to keep that beak of his busy. He lives outside on our back verandah which is where we spend most of our time, so he gets heaps of companionship from us as well as our other birds. When I got him he was being fed a diet that consisted of sunflower seeds and the occasional apple. Since then I have been able to very gradually convert him to a much healthier and varied diet. Hope this helps.

I got my Rose Breasted, Elvis, as a 5 year old rehomed bird.

I was told that Elvis could be nippy and difficult to get out of the cage. That has not been my experience at all. He will always step up for me. Just because a bird is one way at their current home doesn't necessarily mean that they will be the same in yours. It's a good indication but not absolute.

It's been my experience that RB2s are not as needy as some of the other cockatoos. Elvis is also not a cuddly bird, although he likes to "hang out" with me.

You will most likely need lots of wood toys for a RB2 to chew up. Elvis is quite the chewer, much more so than my Triton was.

The noise factor is pretty variable. I've discovered that Elvis thinks he is a "watch bird." If someone comes to the door, if the mailman delivers the mail, etc., Elvis will sound off. I've been told by other small cocktoo owners that their birds are the same way. While I wouldn't consider him a screamer, the noise he makes when sounding off is ear piercing. It is high pitched and sometimes difficult for me to tolerate. He is by far my loudest bird. My Triton, which are normally considered loud, was my quietest bird.

We have 3 Rosies and love them dearly . Much easier than Umbrellas! They love to play and play hard,we make toys deglore they are very active and need to remain active. They need a well balanced diet, of fresh/cooked as well as quality seed/dried fruit mixture. Ours are not cuddlers but love to be out with you but do not demand it, they need spacious cages, they use every inch. They can have alittle attitude and can be nippy but have never broken skin. We bought Pepper as a baby


Spicey was a 5 yr old that was given to us:


Sugar was also given to us: