Seeking Mustached Parakeet info

[Von L]

Hi all,

I asked this question in another post, but I thought I would start a new thread in case there is a knowledgeable person out there who wasn't reading the other one.

As I said in the other thread, I recently bought a Mustached Parakeet. He was hatched on April 30th, and I've had him for about 2 months now. I know it is not the ideal to try to learn about a bird after you get it, but, in truth, he picked me (for that story see "To cover or not to cover"), so I had to leard to be a good mommy, right? :p I've been doing tons of research, and learning tons in general, but there does not seem to be much info that is specific to the Mustached. So far I'd say that Squirt knew what he was doing, because it has been a wonderful match so far, and much of the general info I've been learning has been very helpful, but it would be great to be able to talk to someone who had more knowledge about this type of bird then I have been able to find.

Thanks so much! :D

Yvonne

[SweetPea]

I don't know much about mustached parakeet let alone seen one before in my life!! So I can't really be much help persay to you!!

However, I ran into the same problem researching on my black capped conure as well!! There was a lot of info on conures, esp. in the aratinga genre (sun conure, etc.), and those that were in the pyrrhua genre only really consisted of green cheeks and marroon bellied conures. So I came to the conclusion that so long as I research in the same region my bird is from and as close to the species as I can, I'll be "okay" Hope that helps!

[dlaura]

It is hard to find advice on exactly the bird that you have and that was great advice SweetPea.

Von L -- while it is not the ideal to learn about the bird after you get it, it does happen. We love to share what we know about birds, cats, dogs, fish here on PL and to have others share their knowledge with us. It is only when the person who has asked for help returns with a rude comment and says he/she knows better and is not accepting of the advice originally sought - that feathers might get ruffled. If the person who asks for advice returns and were to question it or suggest something better then we were aware of we are more then open to that also. However this was not the case with a recent occurence that I think you are thinking of.

[Von L]

Hi SweetPea and dlaura, thanks for responses.

First, dlaura--I did see the conversation you are referring to, and my first thought when I read your post above was that it hadn't even crossed my mind when I started this thread. After thinking about it a minute or two though, I realized you might be right, but maybe not in the way you were thinking. I have found everyone here to be wonderfully kind and generous with each other, and to be very dedicated to doing their best for all of our beloved animal companions. I was as shocked and dismayed as everyone else by the response of an individual to the advice she had asked for. Because of that, I guess I wanted to make sure no one thought I was an irresponsible new bird mommy who didn't understand the commitment I'd made. Sorry if I seemed to be overly sensitive. :o

SweetPea--That's sort of the approach I've been taking, but I haven't been able to get as close as you were able to with your conure because it doesn't seem that any of the subspecies were considered to be good companion parrots until just recently. Before that they were primarily an aviary bird. That's why I was hoping to find someone who actually had some experience with them. What I do know is that the Mustached Parakeet is an Asian parrot, and depending on the subspecies, they live anywhere from Southern China down through Indonesia. (I don't know which one Squirt is.) They are also supposed to be able to talk very well, but perhaps not very much, and almost everything I've found says they are not cuddly. They are probably most similar to the ringnecks, but I've been reading up on the entire parrot family. (I was even able to help someone ID a lovebird-cool!) Probably the most important thing I've learned is that every bird is an individual, and may be quite different from the norm for the species in behavior and attitude. In Squirt's case, he is always trying to talk, and even though he's not crazy about head scratches, he loves to be held and gives 'hugs' by pushing his head against my neck, so he seems pretty cuddly to me! :D He does do something that I bet at least one of your birds has done before though. When I change the paper in the tray under his cage, there is usually a little bit of paper sticking out of the front of the tray. Squirt loves to rush down there and tear the paper off. He looks so funny, hanging upside down from the side of the cage or the door and tearing strips of paper off. Usually he just drops the paper to the floor, but sometimes he holds on to it and climbs back up into his cage to put it in his bottom water dish. Do you have any idea why he does that? I haven't been able to figure that one out yet. LOL

Thanks again everyone. This is a great site, and I'm glad I found it!

Yvonne

[dlaura]

Von L
This is a great site and I am glad you found it too. I was concerned over that occurence and didn't want it to make members hesitant to ask quiestions. So I am glad to have had a chance to discuss it on this thread. Thank you for your understanding and for responding to my concerns.

There are two people who I know of that have or have had a mustace parakeet and they are Gems & krazy4birds. Being very busy people neither are on as often as some of us, but I am sure that soon they will be along and will gladly share whatever they know about mustache parakeets.

[Von L]

Here are a couple of pictures of Squirt, and one of an adult female Mustached. When I first got him I had no idea he would get such beautiful coloring...I just thought he was an adorable little green parrot! He is in his first molt right now, and his head is starting to get it's grey color. When I first brought him home the only grey he had was just above the cheek patches. To the best that I have been able to determine, he won't have his full adult coloring until he is about 2 years old.

Yvonne

[Magnum]

Awe, Squirt is so cute!!

Hey, the adult on the bottom looks like Krazy4birds Keet.........LOL.

Thanks for posting Squirt's pic. I was just getting ready to ask you if you had a pic yet. ;)

[Von L]

dlaura,

I was figuring out how to post pictures while you were responding to my previous post. I too am glad we had a chance to address what happened in the other thread. I'd hate it if she continued to have a negative impact on everyone. :(

Thanks for the heads up on Gems and krazy4birds. I hope they have a chance to respond to this thread. I'd love to hear about their experiences! :)

Yvonne

[Magnum]

Hahahaha, that is Buddy!! :D

[Von L]

Magnum,

Wouldn't that be just too funny if it is? I found that picture when I was surfing for info on Squirt, so I don't have any idea who's it is. You know when you type in a key word to the search engine and get pages and pages of hits? It is one of the first pictures I found of what an adult looks like though. Aren't they lovely?

Yvonne

[Von L]

Magnum,

I guess I'm just too slow with my typing. Isn't that crazy? Maybe it means that I was supposed to find this site and krazy4birds? This is too cool!

Yvonne

[Magnum]

Yvonne,

I am a total believer that everything happens for a reason. ;) I kept watching to see when a pic was going to show up for Squirt.....lol. I was just about to ask when I jumped on this thread and saw you had posted them already. Then I saw Krazy4birds hand....hahahaha. I think it is very cool that you found this board, and I know Krazy4birds will be happy to share her experiences and knowledge. Just like dlaura said, Gems too is a great source and would love to share as well.

[dlaura]

Oh what a hoot! You found a picture of krazy4birds bird. Your Squirt is a cutie. I can see why you couldn't leave the store without him.
I will let krazy4birds know you are waiting for her to reply and I am sure she will be here when she can.

[Von L]

Magnum and dlaura,

Thanks so much! I can't wait to hear more about Buddy from krazy4birds. This is definitly one to chuckle over! ;) I'm looking forward to hearing about Gems bird too. This is so great!

Yvonne

[Gems]

welcome to the board.
Krazy is definitely way past me with "hands on" experience. Our story is this- I got a semi wild one from her(the one in the pic) and later on, she got a tame one from me.
In my experience, I have found them to be something like alexandrines( a more common member of the ringneck family that you should be able to find info on). Most I have met or seen are not really crazy about being touched(like most ringnecks), but there are exceptions to every rule. One of the sweetest, cuddliest birds I own is a ringneck(she rivals a cockatoo in cuddliness). The one that Krazy has now is also a very gentle bird. She had some plucking issues from a rough life when I got her, but she was so nice. From waht I hear, she is really thriving in Krazy's care and is almost fully feathered.

[Magnum]

Thanks Gems!! That is really cool Krazy's bird is now thriving and filling out her feathers........ :D

[Von L]

Gems,

Thanks for posting! :D Alot of what I have been finding about Mustached's has been in line with what I have found on Ringnecks, so that's a good idea. I'll look at some of the stuff more specific to the Alexandrines and see what I find.

It sounds like the two birds you've had experience with were older when you met them. Is that the case? Do you think it's the fact that Squirt is so young that he seems so affectionate to me, or are my expections just in line with his personality? (He did pick me after all, maybe he knew we were a good match! ;) ) I had a Cockatiel hen when I was a teen (she was sweet, but fiesty), but I've never had any of the really cuddly birds like a Cockatoo to compare him to. Squirt doesn't really like to have his head touched or petted, but if I speak softly and move gently, he will let me scratch it a little. He is molting right now and getting in the gray on his head, so I like to scratch every once in a while to make sure the casings come off of the new feathers okay. He's so funny though, he reminds me of a dog "tolerating" a bath. Definitaly not his favorite thing...lol. On the other hand, he doesn't mind me petting his beak or stroking his throat, and he loves to sit on my shoulder and snuggle into my neck. He gives kisses most of the time he is asked for one, and he gives "hugs" by pushing the top of his head against my neck. He has also bonded very well with my husband, and to a lesser degree, with my daughter. He is more reserved with my son (which is kind of funny because most animals adore Patrick immediatly), but still very comfortable with him. He is also doing very well with not "overbonding", and is often content just to have us in the same room with him. All and all, to me he seems very affectionate. What do you think? Also, alot of what I have read about Ringnecks indicates that they do better as a companion parrot when they are the only bird in the house. Do you think it is the same with the Mustached? Fortunately, if that is the case, it won't be a problem as he is my only bird.

Thanks for any info you are able to give me.

Yvonne

[Magnum]

Squirt sounds like such a doll! I love how you talk about him and can see why Squirt picked you........ ;) This is going to be very cool to be able to watch him grow into a mature bird. :D

[dlaura]

Yes it will be cool to watch Squirt grow up. So please be sure to continue sharing pictures with us. We can never get enough pictures! I wouldn't be surprised if Squirt defies the norm as far as affection and snuggling because you are bonding while he is young and not all birds conform exactly to what is written about them. You are all so lucky to have found each other!

[krazy4birds]

Hello Von L and let me apologize for taking so long to answer but I lost a very dear friend of mind to cancer on Friday the 23rd of September and I have been having a hard time dealing with it but I am feeling better.
I about flipped when I saw the picture of Buddy you posted....ahhh how much I miss her. I got her from a pet shop (I am no good with dates so you'll have to excuse me there) She was about a year old when I got her but had a rough start because she had been in 2 or 3 homes prior to mine. I fell in love with her, first thing in the pet shop she stepped right up on my hand like she had known me all her life. So I bought her, her cage and all her neccesitys. I had not one problem with Buddy but my entire family did. She was very vocal...again, did not bother me. She bonded very well with me but would let no one touch her or even get close to her cage. So after I had her about 2 years...the battles began. It was nonstop...everytime Buddy got rowdy...hubby got rowdy. The kids and grandkids were terrified of her and I was a nervous wreck trying to justify why I should get to keep her but at the 4 yr. mark it all came down. Buddy had to go :( no ifs, ands or buts about it.
I posted her on a classified site on the internet and this is when I met Gems. He was very interested and for some reason I trusted him right off. So I went to a bird Fair in Omaha, Neb. with Buddy and traded her for a 10 week old Green Cheek Conure. Which I might add EVERYONE loves. I still missed Buddy but I felt she was in good hands and I was happy with my GCC, "Louie".
About Christmas time I got a PM from Gems and he asked me if a Moustached Keet was on my Santa list??? Did not take me long to get back to him on that. He wanted me to have this Keet because she had been treated pretty bad and was a feather picker and wanted to know if I wanted to take her in...and indeed I did. I have had her about 9-10 months. She is fully feathered and a real sweatheart....So see, in spite of Gems attempt to make it a so-so trade...you can see who got the better end of this deal :D Thank you Gems..............

[krazy4birds]

Sorry Van L...I realize that did not answer any question...sorry...I got lost in time there. LOL.... I will answer anything to the best of my ability. My Keet right now is named "Lakia" very fitting for the fragile, beautifull grace she has when she walks. I love her very much. In addition to her I have a Timneh Grey, Quaker,GCC, 2 Finches.

[Von L]

Hi everyone! I haven't been able to get online today b/c my laptop crashed this morning. Believe it or not, this was the second time this has happened, and I only got the thing back in July. The power supply just died while I was using it, no warning at all and no signs of life. :( The first time they just swapped the hard drive into a new one and I was out the door. This time, after the same thing happened again, I didn't want the same one, and it turns out I couldn't have gotten it anyway. The whole series had been recalled by HP because of problems. So I got full credit from the store for a new laptop. Of course, I had to upgrade a little, right? :rolleyes:

Magnum and dlaura--Thanks so much! And I will be happy to share pictures as he grows up. It will be so much fun to share them with people who understand how special birds are.

krazy4birds--I am so sorry for your loss. I know there is nothing anyone can do to change anything, but I hope knowing that others care can give you strength.

I'm sorry things didn't work out with Buddy. Gems said that Mustached Parakeets are a lot like Ringnecks, and from what I've read sometimes a Ringneck will bond strongly with one person and not like anyone else. It sounds like that was the way it was with Buddy, huh? I feel really lucky that I found Squirt when he was so young. He had only been weaned for 3-4 weeks when I brought him home, so he didn't have any bad experiences in his past that I would have to try to overcome. I'm trying to learn all that I can so that I don't make any of those kind of mistakes with him. I would love any advice that you have. So far things seem to be going very well, but I haven't hit the birdy "terrible twos" yet...lol. I'm hoping to set a good groundwork so that when he tests the limits it won't be so bad. (I have a 14 year old daughter, so I have a little relivent experience...lol) I'd also love to hear more about Lakia, I'm so glad she is doing so well. Do you have any pictures of her? Also, you said Buddy was about 1 year old when you got her. Did she already have her adult coloring, or did she get that later? The info I've been able to find says that Mustached Parakeets reach maturity around 2-3 years of age, but I don't know if that is when they get their adult plumage, or if they get it sooner.

Yvonne

[Von L]

Something very weird is going on here. My posts seem to be disappearing, but then when I go to post it again the origional one shows up. Anyone else having any trouble?

[Magnum]

Something very weird is going on here. My posts seem to be disappearing, but then when I go to post it again the origional one shows up. Anyone else having any trouble?
Hi Yvonne, there were changes made today to the programming, but this is the first one I have read so far. We will make note of it to keep track just in case others are found. Thanks for telling us.;)

P.S. Give Squirt a scritch on the neck for me.......:D

[Squawksx3]

Hi Yvonne and welcome:)

The board was getting an upgrade and a little remodeling.. maybe that was the problem ;) .

In regards to the laptop... I have a Toshiba and it did the same thing to me a few months ago. I took the battery out and put it back in.... its been working great ever since LOL.

Congratulations on your little Squirt!... he's beautiful. Its so wonderful that you are researching and doing your homework.... the learning process never ends for any of us. Its sounds like Squirt has a wonderful mom already. Im sorry I cant help you out... I have macaws and cockatoos ... so I'll leave you in the hands of krazy4birds, whom we all adore and is such a wonderful and caring person. Best wishes and please give squirt a scritch for me =).

[Squawksx3]

OK Mag.... I need to take another typing class because you keep beating me to posting.... and I think you are peeking at what I'm writing because you always say the same thing I do!!!:eek: ROFLMBO!!!

[Magnum]

OK Mag.... I need to take another typing class because you keep beating me to posting.... and I think you are peeking at what I'm writing because you always say the same thing I do!!!:eek: ROFLMBO!!!
Hahahaha.......the peeping poster.....LMBO!!:p

[Von L]

Magnum--It's me. (Or my new computer :p ) Apparently the settings on the firewall or antivirus programs revert to the last version of the page, even when I use the site tree to navigate instead of the back button. I have to hit refresh to see any new info. I'll have to investigate and set it the way I like it. Sorry for the confusion.

Jan--How funny, my new 'puter is a Toshiba. :) We tried to do the same with the HP, but no luck. We even tried a battery reset where you have it unpluged and take the battery out, then hold the start button for about 15 seconds, then put it all back together. That didn't work either. Whatever is wrong with that series, it fries the battery and kills the internal power supply, no juice anywhere! At least with the recall, there was no fight to get the store to take it back. It's also good to know that your problem with your Toshiba was not a fatal condition...lol.

Yvonne

[krazy4birds]

Hi Yvonne......When I got Buddy she was not colored out yet but she had started. The salmon color had not reached all the way down and the black across her face was not as prominent. Buddy was very attatched to me like I said before. She bonded with no one else but all birds can be different because of personalitys. She will let you know when she decides though. :)
I have pictures of Lakia but I can't get my daughter to download them on her pc.....she took some with her digital camera for me..2 weeks ago...I still have not gotten Lakia figured out. One time she can't wait for me to pick her up then the next time she has a fit. I have her spoiled though...we work on her schedual....I figure whatever she has been through in her past and to end up at Gems not knowing if she would live through the night...she has a right to a comfy retirement :) I am really partial to her so much....she is a one of a kind and you hardly know she is on the place. I am glad to know someone like you who has a Moustached Keet that I can keep in touch with and know how she progresses. I must say that although Lakia likes to be out of her cage and handled she does not like to be petted, she wants to just sit and watch the world go by...hahahahaha..my kind of bird LOL

[Von L]

Hello everyone! I thought I would post some new pics of squirt. As you can see, the gray on his head is really coming in well and the black markings have become more prominent, but I haven't seen any evidence of new flight feathers or tail feathers so far. (Poor clumsy baby, he broke all his tail feathers shortly after he first came home because he was always trying to fly to me. He has gotton better coodinated, and more patient, so I think the new ones will last when he gets them. For now though, he looks like he's some sort of Lovebird...lol.) I also haven't seen any evidence of pink on his breast, so I guess these changes are for future molts.

Krazy4birds - The more I find out about Moustached's, the more I realize how lucky I was to find squirt when he was so young. (I really don't know for sure that he is really a "he", I just have always called him a boy. One of the reasons I picked Squirt for his name though was that it would still work for a girl if I was wrong...lol) Anyway, Squirt was able to get "tons' of socialization from an early age, not just with my family, but also with my childrens friends, so he is very tolorant of being handled, even by strangers! Squirt is like Lakia though, about being petted, so this is probably one of their traits. He will let me pet if I really work at it and move really calmly and talk softly to him, but you can see from his posture that he is only tolerating it for me...lol...so I really only tried to do that much when he had new feathers coming in on top of his head where I knew it was more difficult for him to preen them. I still consider him to be very cuddly though. He loves to sit on your shoulder and preen, talk, kiss, and snuggle. I am able to do lots of stuff with him sitting on my shoulder, even work on the computer (thank goodness he isn't as dusty as a "Too"), and he is happy just being there with me. I really think he is the perfect bird for me, and knew what he was doing when he picked me! ;)

I'm so glad you were able to come into Lakia's life! It sounds like she really needed someone who would love her for who she was. I knew she was a rescue, but I didn't know her situation was so desperete when you got her. What happened to her?

Yvonne

BTW - Squirt is also pretty quiet for a bird. Maybe this is also a trait of theirs. He really only calls out if he doesn't know where anyone is, and he is easy to redirect to quieter "talking". So far he says "hello, pretty bird, come'ere" (all run together like that), and I think "no plop"...lol. He also laughs just like me...which always makes me laugh! :D

[dlaura]

Hi Yvonne,
I was searching for this thread to request new pictures. Guess I missed them when you put them up. Squirt is looking great! Thanks for the update.

[jojoalexis]

nice looking bird! may be quiet now but that can change. keep us posted on his progress

[Von L]

LOL...I did say "quiet for a bird"...I'm not so sure a goldfish owner would agree...LOL

I've been doing lots of research on Moustached Parakeets ever since I got Squirt, and I found a websight that gives really good discriptions of all the different subspecies. Here is the link if anyone is interested.

http://home.wanadoo.nl/psittaculaworld/Species/P-alexandri.htm

Now that Squirt has started getting some of his adult coloring, I am almost positive that he is an Indian Moustached Parakeet. He has the green tinge around his forehead area that is pretty obvious now that most of the gray has come in. I am also feeling more confidant that he is a male, because his beak has not gone completly dark, and the males upper mandable returnes to a bright orange/red at about 14 months. Now that I have a good idea about when he will reach his adult coloring, I think I will just 'wait and see' instead of having him dna tested. (kind of like waiting for a baby...lol)

One other interesting thing I've learned is that the Moustached Parakeet is also known as a Red-Breasted Parakeet. I found a site that has pictures of them taken in the wild, mostly in India and Indonesia. Here is the link for that site.

http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?action=searchresult&Bird_ID=517

Aren't they beautiful??

Krazy4birds - If you see this, let me know what you think. ;)

Yvonne

[Gems]

I'll jump in-
I had Buddy that I gotten from Krazy, but could not find a mate for her. I searched for quite a while, and found an ad for a pair of them in Iowa. I went and looked at them, bought them and immediately seperated them. Lakia was the hen in the pair. She was plucked naked, skinny as a rail, neurotic and on a "nutritious" diet of sunflower seeds. I didn't really expect her to make it, but I didn't want to leave her that way.
We nursed her back to being in better health and discovered that she was pretty tame along the way. We got her to the point where she was about halfway feathered, of good weight(we flew her around the house alot to rebuild her muscle tone) and calm- but couldn't get her all the way. I figured that she was needing a quieter place with less commotion, and since she had been so mistreated, I wanted her to have it. I called on Krazy, and they have been working on that feather problem together ever since.
Fast forward- Krazy sent me a pic of her last week and I can't believe it is the same bird that looked close to death not so long ago. She looked like she didn't have a single feather out of place.(makes me want to send her my goffin:) )
Lakia is a pretty lucky bird. If she had stayed where she started, she'd be dead by now, I have no doubt. I did what I could for her, but apparently Krazy filled in the missing link that she needed to be totally content.

[Von L]

OMG Gems...thats awful!!! :eek: How is the other bird in the pair? Do he and Buddy get along? What kind of shape was he in? Those people should be ashamed of themselves!!! :mad:

Thank you for telling me about Lakia. I am so glad you were able to rescue her and get her to Krazy!!!

Yvonne

[krazy4birds]

http://image.mypicgallery.com/krazy4birds-2/beautifulll-lakia-full-feathered-10-17-05_large.jpg[url]

I had some trouble trying to post this and I hope you can open it. It is way past my bedtime....:) .....

All of the Moustached Keets are born with red beaks, and as they grow older they all lose the red. The males will aquire a red upper mandable for good after they go through their first molt. The females will stay black. So the best rule of thumb for any bird really is....they will aquire their full and natural colors after they molt for the first time. Sometimes it is a big change...sometimes not. But with these Keets the sex is very easy to see at a glance once they molt, I can't remember when they do molt but your links you have been reading should tell you and by the way...I highly commend you on making such an effort to learn all you can about this breed and the passion you have for Squirt. They are wonderfull majestic birds and Gems will never know how much I love Lakia.

[Von L]

Ohhh....she's so beautiful!!! And she looks sweet too! ;)

Krazy4birds - the link didn't work, but I was able to cut and past it into the address line, then it worked fine. :) Thanks for posting Lakia's picture. I'm so glad she made it to you!!!

Did you see the pics of the wild Moustashed's?

I totally agree about them being such wonderful birds! (And even though he's still so young, Squirt does manage 'majestic' every once in a while...lol) I feel so lucky that I found him. I haven't seen another around here before or since. They are so beautiful that I am kind of suprised that they haven't become more popular. I haven't found any real negative info about them (though, addmittidly, info on them is pretty limited), and my experience with Squirt has been so positive that I am definitly a fan!!! (As if you couldn't tell...lol) Did you see Squirt's updated photos? I think it's the grey head that helps him manage the occasional 'majestic'...lol.

It's great to see you back on the boards these past couple of days. {{{{{hugs}}}}}

Yvonne

[morevicky]

Hey von 8)

I just got a mustached as well, altho mine is a rescue and is so scared at the moment.
If u like go read my thread its called my mustached parraket rescue.
I dont know anything about these birds at all, i just randomly desided i was gonna keep her as she was badly abused and my heart couldnt leave her where she was.
Im sorry i cant help you with advice on anything but id love to know how you get on with yours perhaps we can trade info over time would be so nice.

vicky

[Macawpower58]

Vicky, This post is over 3 years old. I've never seen Von L post, and imagine they've left this board.

[dlaura]

Von L moved and returned to post a bit more and then disappeared. I tried PMing her and all - but never heard any further form her. It is a shame, she is missed.

[morevicky]

aww what a shame 8) but thanks for telling me