Parrot nests
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Note: The details on this page are to be read and used in conjunction with the information on the "Nests" web page.

Topics covered below - in order:
Nest location
Young that leave the nest prematurely
Parrot Nest box
Inspection holes in nest boxes
Lorikeets and lories

Nest location
Nests should be built, or the nestbox placed, under the roofed or sheltered portion of the aviary.  In the wild, birds nest in the open with the nests often subjected to wild variations of temperatures, rain and wind.  Birds in an aviary that are given the chance to nest in an exposed situation may have erratic breeding results.  Heavy rain and a cold wind, or intense summer heat can easily cause the death of small young nestlings.  The loss of some nests in the wild may not have any significant effect on the overall population but in the Australian aviary population we no longer have access to imported stock or birds harvested from the wild populations.  Aviary birds will generally breed more reliably in an aviary that protects them from the majority of the extreme climatic elements.  Having said that, do not assume that means giving them full protection that may result in the future generations becoming "soft".  A happy medium has to be take to maximize the rearing of vigorous birds while maintaining high breeding numbers.
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Young that leave the nest prematurely
Young that leave the nest prematurely should not be replaced back into the nest with the other young.  This will generally disrupt the remaining young birds resulting in them also leaving the nest prematurely.  The young that leave prematurely can be closely monitored to ensure the parents will feed the bird during the day.  Immature birds that may not be able to survive a cool/cold night can be removed from the aviary, kept in a warm place and returned early next morning.  This does not guarantee the survival of the immature bird but may improve its chances of survival.  The birds that have been ejected prematurely or decide to "jump" early should be checked to see if it has any physical defects or acts "normal".  Any birds that show any physical or behavioural abnormalities should be either killed (euthanized) or clearly identified by a leg ring and never bred from.  The bird in the wild would have close to no chance of surviving and never breed.  The early "jump" from the nest may be nature's way of saying "don't breed with these early nest leavers".

Many animals and birds instinctively know if a baby is not as good as the others and the removal of some birds within a colony is designed to maintain the physical and mental health of the overall species.  Any bird not up to standard for good breeding stock may make an excellent indoor cage bird or pet.  They could be kept as a single bird in a mixed species collection, out of sight of its own species and not with any species that it may hybridize with, and still live a happy life.
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Parrot Nest box
Timber nest-boxes generally require a climbing structure attached inside the box below the entrance hole. Both logs and nests need an entrance hole/opening and about 100 - 150 mm (about 4 -6 inches) from the top. The exact size of the entrance hole depends on the size of the species. Many species of parrots like the entrance hole to be just big enough to squeeze through. An appropriate size entrance hole will help to give the birds a feeling of security and confidence to effectively start and raise a clutch of young.

The diameter of the log or the dimensions of the nest can vary according to the local environment. The warmer the local climate the larger the nest can be. If the local temperature in cooler the nest may be slightly smaller. the smaller nests will allow the birds to be close together and help preserve their body temperatures. In warmer areas the young can be a bit further apart and allow them to dissipate some excess body heat.

A range of nest options can be seen on the "parrot nestbox photos" web page.  Click on "parrot nestbox photos" on the navigation bar on the top of this page.
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Inspection holes in nest boxes
My first timber nest boxes had the inspection door or hole about 100 - 150 mm (4 - 6 inches) above the level of the nest material. This caused a lot of problems as soon as the door was opened to inspect the contents of the box. A human hand or face would appear between the sitting bird and its only escape exit near the top of the nest box. Panic would often grip the sitting bird and in its defence mode it would start flapping its wings and generally thrashing around in the nest. A potential deadly action scene for eggs and baby birds.

When the door opening was lowered to slightly above the nest material (about 20 - 25mm or almost 1 inch) the birds reacted differently. If the door was opened and the bird was at the same height as the opening, it was able to leave the nest without going past the human onlooker. The bird has more confidence to quietly leave and not panic. This is not always the case as some birds will refuse to leave no matter how polite and caring the owner is. The bird will just look sideways at you and the small height difference between the top of the nest material and the lowest part of the opening should prevent any eggs or young birds accidentally falling out when the door is opened.
Care should always be exercised whenever the nest box inspection door is opened.
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Lorikeets and lories
The nestbox does not have to have a solid base. A multi layer wire mesh base can be used.  A layer of grass or straw can be placed over the wire then the normal nest material added.  This will allow the loss of excess liquid but retain the nest material.
Photo of an Inverted "L" shaped nestbox being used by parrots is on the "parrot nestbox photos" web page.
Some nestbox designs allow a removable, snug fitting, ice-cream container to be placed in the base of the nest-box to minimize the spread of the liquid faeces.  If the nest material gets too messy, the ice-cream container and its contents can be removed.  When the parent birds are out of the nest, a clean ice-cream container with fresh nest material can be placed into the nest and the young replaced into the container.  Caution must be taken to ensure the parent birds are not too distressed if this procedure is used.  Some birds may resent this type of intervention and desert the young.
If the nest has a solid base, small holes can be drilled into bottom of the nest.  This can help the nest remain a bit drier and the birds cleaner.
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