|
|
|||||
|
|
|
Scientific Name: Poicephalus meyeriSix Sub Species - Scientific Names and brief description as follows: Note: This species so far has been the most difficult to identify and separate the sub-species. Poicephalus meyeri meyeri (yellow on the head with a turquoise/bluish belly)Poicephalus meyeri saturatus (yellow on the head with a green belly)Poicephalus meyeri trasvaalensis (yellow on the head with a greenish belly )Poicephalus meyeri matschiei (yellow on the head, bright blue belly)Poicephalus meyeri damarensis
(no yellow on the head turquoise belly) Poicephalus meyeri reichenowi (no yellow on the head turquoise belly)Description: Approx 8 1/2 inches long, stocky body, they have red iris like the red bellied. They are a brownish grey bird with yellow patches on the bend of the wings and thighs and also on the head. Our female has a much larger patch on the head than our male. They have a blue wash to their belly.
Natural Habitat: They come from Central and Eastern
Africa, an extremely large land mass. The meyers inhabit the moist
woodland areas and the edges of the savannah as do the senegals Suitability as pets: As with most poicephalus, these are ideal apartment pets due to the extreme low noise levels. They are very affectionate birds and I don't find them to be as "busy" as the red bellied or the senegals. We can't speak of our babies just yet as our pair are just coming into breeding age. We did raise our breeders from the age of two months, hence we can safety tell you ours are very affectionate birds, the male moreso than the females. We will update this page as soon as we have babies. As with the other poicephalus, they are definately not a demanding bird and have no problem keeping themselves busy and happy with their toys. As with the other poicephalus, it is best to familiarize and socialize them with the entire family, or they could tend to become a one person bird. They adore being the centre of attention. Talking Ability: Not noted to be greater talkers, but will say the odd words. We know our male is saying something, which sure sounds like cricket. Means that is a word Jo never says, it does not make sense to her, so we are still trying to figure this one out! Care & Feeding: Enjoy a varied diet, including a good quality seed mix, the more fresh fruits and vegetables the better, bean mixes, grains, nuts, pellets, birdie breads, we serve soaked seed as well. We stock all dry foods, mashes and some birdie breads we feed and these can all be viewed at www.healthybird.net. Fresh water dish, bath dish, 10-12 hours of sleep a night for your bird and your all set! The supplements and calciboost we use can also be found on Healthy Bi
Housing
Housing:
Difficult question to answer as we believe the larger the better!
The minimum I would recommend would be 20 x 24 with bar spacing of 5/8"
to 3/4". Horizontal bars on at least two sides of the cage for
easy climbing. Varying perches should be provided, examples
would be a booda comfy perch, a manu perch, a sandy perch, natural
wood perch (we use a lot of natural apple branches). We have found
all our members of the poicephalus family love swings and all are
provided with swings in their cages. Boings are another great
hit.
|
|
||
