Abstract
My introduction to the Edward's Fig Parrot came about when I purchased them from a quarantine station in September 1987. There is no need to surgically sex these birds as they are sexually dimorphic.
The birds were placed in single pairs in individual flight cages that measured 14" wide x 48" long x 48" high. The 14'' area at the end of the aviary was used for viewing. The flights were built on a stilt-like framework that was three feet above the ground.
The cages were built of 3" x 1/2", 12 gauge welded wire purchased from Erect Easy Wire. A 1 '' x 2'' wood frame was used for an access door on the 14" end. It was also used to support the nest box.
About one-half of the cage is covered with a quarter inch thick piece of slanted plexiglass. This allows rain to run off the portion of the cage that contains the nest box and feeding areas.
Initially, plants were used within the flight cages but the birds destroyed all planted material. At present, there is a heavy concentration of plants above, below and completely around the flights which provides the birds with a great deal of privacy.
The plants used are Chinese
Lantern, Scheffleria, Rubber Tree, Split-leaf Philodendron, and Deffenbachia (both of which are kept out of eating range), Fatsia japonica, fuchsias, various ferns, bromeliads and ivy ground cover.
The nest is a wooden box 12" wide x 12" long x 14" high with a 2-1/2" entrance hole. Inside, a piece of 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth is placed over a 1 '' x 1 '' frame to be used by the birds as an ascent/descent ladder. There is a pull out tray with a raised landing area directly below the descent ladder. This arrangement keeps the adult birds from accidentally landing on the eggs or chicks and keeps the payload area off to one side. Pine wood shavings are used as nesting material and the shavings are changed frequently. I use no chemicals for worming or parasite dusting. Now and then, I will use Eucalyptus buds in the nest boxes as an insect preventative, but I use nothing else. I make it a point to replace nest boxes two or three times a year, as needed. Pull trays are removed and replaced about once a week. Replacement trays are either new or thoroughly cleaned ones. I usually let the trays bake in the sun for a week or so before using them in the nest boxes.
I use four perches of different diameters per cage. The perches are placed as far apart as possible. Fig Parrots tend to lean toward corpulence, so they need a lot of exercise. Perches are made of Manzanita, Brazilian Pepper and Eucalyptus wood. I also use one or two hanging toys made from the same sort of materials.
These parrots are quite playful.
They hang from the toys, make war on them and chew off the bark. It must be remembered that these birds are highly intelligent, and they need added stimuli as their minds must be occupied. The toys provide the birds with something that is not stationary, from which they can hang, much like being on the swaying limb of a tree. These toys and perches are often replaced, for the birds tend to destroy them in short order.
Two 6" x 15" x 2" deep water dishes are used per cage. These dishes are positioned away from the perches and other overhangs to discourage them from being fouled. I hope, by using two dishes, that if fouling is done, it will result in but one dish being polluted, leaving a clean dish for the birds to use. These bathing/ drinking dishes are cleaned at least once a day. The entire flight is washed out each morning and sometimes in the afternoon.
Since the cages are off the ground, fecal matter and uneaten food is washed through the wire bottom and onto the ground below. Uneaten food is used by wild sparrows and doves. Anything left is worked and turned into the soil.