How long do Corella live?

Any pet needs care. But in the conditions of city apartments and when being employed at work, modern people do not always have the opportunity to properly care for animals. Therefore, the choice often falls on the birds, namely parrots, which do not require increased attention. Corellas (a species of the genus Nymphicus of the Kakadu family) are very popular, they are not very large and have an attractive appearance.

When acquiring a pet, it is important to understand how young he is, since the old bird will most likely live short. And the peculiarities of the content of parrots of different ages are somewhat different. To make the right choice, you need to pay attention to a few signs.

• It is logical to assume that the smaller the Corella, the younger in age. Of course, a parrot grows significantly during life (up to 30–33 cm), and this should be taken into account. But sometimes the small size of the bird is, unfortunately, a consequence of underfeeding and improper development, therefore, it is not worth relying only on this criterion when determining age.
• Objective indicator - the color of the eyes of a parrot. In young Corellas, the iris is very dark, almost black. Their eyes, like those of people in their youth, literally sparkle. With age, the luster is somewhat lost, the eyes become unclear, the iris brightens. A Corell with a mutational plumage (lutino, sheki, and others) may have a red tint to the eyes, which is why such parrots have a dark magenta at young age and become pink in old age.
• It is necessary to carefully examine the crest on the head. In adult Corell feathers in it are long and curved. In young, the tuft is short and rare. If you gently feel the bird's head with your fingers, in this place you can find the beginnings of feathers in the form of small dense growths.
• The appearance of the beak, especially the ceres, is also different in parrots of different ages. The beak of a young Corella is light pink with a tinge, and the crown is also pinkish. She and her nostrils on her seem disproportionately large. In the process of growth of a parrot, this ratio changes. In an adult Coral, the beak has a dark color, it is significantly larger, the ceres becomes light gray and no longer catches the eye.
• Paws also need to be examined. The skin on them in young birds is quite smooth, scales almost imperceptible. The older the parrot, the more on the paws of detachments and cracks. It should be noted that this may also indicate the presence of fungal diseases. You should not get a bird with such symptoms, especially if there are several pets, as the infection spreads very quickly.
• Claws on the legs, too, can serve as an indicator of age. In old parrots, they are dark in color and rather long, as birds do not often have the opportunity to walk on hard surfaces during their life, grinding them off.
• When buying young Corell future owners often repels the untidy appearance of a parrot. But this, as a rule, more precisely than other signs shows that there is a young bird in front of you, who may have not yet completed the first molt, and he does not know how to care for himself.

In nature, Corella is by no means long-lived. Their average lifespan is 10 years. Stress factors influence here: predators, adverse weather conditions. In captivity, but at the home of a caring owner the birds are spared of it, so they can live much longer. The average figure is 20 years, but there are cases when Corellians lived to be 25 or even 30 years old.

You can not discount genetics. The offspring of weak parents is unlikely to be healthy and live long. And also an important factor is the sex of the pet. The average life expectancy figures for males are higher than for females, and there are objective reasons for this.

• If parrots are kept in pairs, they have the opportunity to realize the breeding instinct and produce offspring. Such a variant of existence for birds is certainly more harmonious, but laying eggs takes a lot of energy from the female and cannot but affect its life expectancy. Sometimes this process is so long and exhausting that it literally falls ill.
• If the female lives alone, it still does not save her from hormonal surges. Moreover, even without a male, Corellas lay eggs, only they are empty.

Of course, at home, the key to longevity of the pet will be proper care, more on that later. But there are other factors that sometimes can not be influenced.

For any pet to be healthy and live longer, it is important to create a microclimate close to its natural habitat. Corella in this sense are no exception.

• Free space. For birds, the possibility of free movement is important. They need a rather large cage, for one parrot - at least 60x60x80 cm. There must be crossbars at different heights in order for Corella to fly from one to another. It is also desirable to ensure the possibility of free flight around the room, curtains while windows in order to avoid injury to the bird.
• Temperature mode. Corella is thermophilic, but at normal room temperature (+ 21– + 23 ° C) they feel comfortable. If the room is colder, you need to take care of cell heating. Parrots need fresh air, so the room needs to be aired regularly. But here it is important not to overdo it, do not leave the cage with your pet for a long draft.
• Humidity. It should be borne in mind that in nature, Corellas live in the near-water zones of Australia, so they are very sensitive to moisture. The optimal indicator for them is about 60%. And if the room has to use heaters that dry the air, you should purchase special humidifiers.

In addition to these factors, nutrition plays an important role. Immediately it should be said that food “from one’s own table” to parrots is absolutely not suitable. The basis of their diet should be grain mixture, which is better to buy in pet stores.

Hygiene is very important for the health and long life of parrots. To make it easier for you to clean the cage, you need to take care that it is equipped with a retractable tray. As a litter, you can use special fillers for birds or ordinary paper napkins.

Toys and other objects in the cage must be periodically washed. It is also important to be attentive to the pet, as often the parrots are killed by the owners oversight: from hitting the glass, from electric current, when the cable is beaten with a beak, or from poisoning.It is necessary to exclude stress factors, for example, loud noise. And also the Corell need communication, at least minimal, especially as they are fairly easy to tame and are even able to respond to the appeal with a few learned words.

You can learn more about Corella from the video below.