Aussie Finch Forum

Is anyone keeping Hooded Parrots and having breeding results?

I wish ..local pet shop has a pair not coloured up yet ...he is holding them till they are fully coloured .

Im actually looking at a poster of them now and yes drooling.

Not much help I know but hey Im bored .

Not since they were on lisence, but breed a few over a couple of seasons.

I have a young pair, now that their off licence here in Vic, showing some interest after the rains and warm weather we had lately, but I will not let them breed now, getting a bit cold where I am now, I have a mate that has an older pair but alas no go, he got one nest with clear eggs and another nest with one clear egg and one dead in the shell

Kept them for 11 years now. Unfortunately, my original pair were stolen last year, so I haven't bred one since. Have made up 3 young pairs now ( 2 unrelated, 1 brother /sis). All pairs showing some interest in the nests now, but I have found them to be touchy birds. When they they go they really go though. Beautiful, tidy birds, full of character. Wherever possible, get them young and let them pick their own mates. Older birds are extremely tempremental when it comes to accepting new partners. Full roofed aviaries 2.5 to 3.5 m long are best. They must be kept dry and warm, that's the main thing.

Thanks for the feedback. I have a pair and find them a bit frustrating as they tend to stop brooding the young at about two weeks of age and the young ones die from cold. Where they come from (Northern Territory) the temp rarely gets below 25 Deg, are winter breeders and they nest in termite mounds, They have evolved in a way that they don't need to keep the young warm as the termite mounds are an even 30 odd degrees at all times. This year I thought I'd beat them at their own game and I put a reptile heat pad in the bottom of their nest box and turned it on after the eggs hatched. Two young are a fortnight old, the nest is toasty warm and so far so good.
Just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences or has used double insulated boxes?

I have bred quite a few over the years. I do not keep them anymore.
Living in the Tropics helps but I have seen heaps of successful breeding pairs if the boxes are insulated or heated. This is because the birds leave the nest for hours at a time. They don't like you sticking your beak in either.
The big trick is knowing where your birds come from, as they show a preference for breeding in the same type of box they were born in.
I wish you luck as these birds are one of the most endearing native parrots. Mine became very tame. Once they breed, they will follow up like rabbits.

Adam F from canberra has had some success I think, as has Ray B.

Hey Jeff, I used a double box with styro between them, a bamboo spout, & jamed the spout full of damp cruhed up termite nest. They loved to dig out the spout & leave just enough room to sqeeze in & out. Never lost a chick to the cold, but only had about 75% ferility, but would go three rounds with out too much trouble.

Vriton,
Hooded parrots are not a liscensed parrot.

Thanks Nathan