🦜 Alexandrine Parrot Care Guide

Alexandrine Parrots are large, intelligent and striking parakeets known for their beautiful appearance, long tails and confident personalities.

They can become affectionate, entertaining companions and many learn to mimic words and household sounds. However, they are powerful, intelligent birds that require plenty of space, attention, training and enrichment.

With the correct care, Alexandrine Parrots can live for around 25–30 years or longer, so bringing one home is a major long-term commitment.

This guide covers the basics you need to keep your Alexandrine happy and healthy.

♂️♀️ How to Tell the Sex

Sexing Alexandrine Parrots becomes much easier once they reach maturity, as adult males develop distinctive markings that females don't normally have.

However, young males and females can look extremely similar, so young Alexandrines cannot reliably be sexed by appearance alone.

🦜 Males

Mature males generally develop:

• A distinctive black ring around the neck
• A pink or rose-coloured band around the back of the neck
• More obvious adult male neck markings as they mature
• The same general green body colour seen in females

The male's neck ring develops gradually as the bird matures and may take several years to become fully visible.

🦜 Females

Mature females generally:

• Don't develop the prominent black and pink neck ring seen in adult males
• Retain a more uniform appearance around the neck
• Can otherwise look very similar to males, particularly when young

🔍 The Neck Ring

The neck ring is the most obvious visual difference in mature Alexandrine Parrots.

A fully mature male normally develops a prominent black and pink neck ring.

However, the absence of a neck ring in a young Alexandrine doesn't mean the bird is female. Young males look similar to females until their adult male markings begin to develop.

🧬 DNA Sexing

For young Alexandrine Parrots, DNA sexing is the most reliable practical way of determining sex.

This is particularly useful when purchasing a young bird, as waiting for adult plumage to develop can take several years.

🐣 Young Alexandrines

Young males and females can look extremely similar.

Head size, beak size, body size, personality or behaviour shouldn't be relied upon as a guaranteed way of determining sex.

⚠️ Sexing Disclaimer

Please note that Roxy’s Pet Shop is unable to guarantee the sex of any livestock.

Where we provide a suggested sex, this is based on the bird’s visible characteristics, age, any available information and our experience at the time.

Where greater certainty is required, we recommend DNA sexing.

Any sex stated should therefore be treated as our best assessment and not a guarantee.

🏠 Housing & Cage

Alexandrines are large, active parrots with long tails and need considerably more space than smaller birds such as Budgies or Cockatiels.

We recommend a substantial parrot cage of at least around 90cm wide × 70cm deep × 120cm high for a single Alexandrine, with larger always being preferable.

The bird must be able to fully stretch and flap its wings without touching the sides of the cage, and its long tail should not constantly rub against the bars.

Cage setup should include:

• Strong natural wooden perches of different thicknesses

• Sturdy food and water bowls

• Chewing toys

• Shredding toys

• Climbing toys

• Swings where suitable

• Foraging toys

• Puzzle-style enrichment

• A calcium/mineral source where appropriate

• A suitable cage liner that can be changed regularly

Alexandrines have powerful beaks, so toys and cage fittings need to be suitable for a larger parrot.

Check clips, toys and perches regularly for damage.

Don't overcrowd the cage. Your bird needs plenty of room to move, climb and stretch.

Position the cage in a bright, comfortable part of the home where your Alexandrine can be involved in family life, but away from draughts, radiators, kitchens and intense direct sunlight.

🦜 One Alexandrine or Two?

Alexandrines are social birds.

A single Alexandrine can thrive when it receives plenty of daily interaction, companionship and enrichment from its owner.

A compatible pair can also provide each other with companionship.

However, never assume that putting two unfamiliar parrots together will automatically result in a successful pair.

Introductions should be carried out gradually and carefully, and the birds should be monitored for aggression.

Two birds still require plenty of space, enrichment and daily care.

❤️ Behaviour & Personality

Alexandrines are intelligent birds with plenty of personality.

They can be:

• Confident

• Curious

• Playful

• Intelligent

• Independent

• Affectionate

• Strong-willed

• Vocal

• Destructive if bored

Many Alexandrines enjoy being involved in whatever their owners are doing.

They can form very strong relationships with people, but they shouldn't be expected to behave like cuddly toys.

Some individuals enjoy lots of physical interaction while others prefer sitting nearby, training, playing and interacting on their own terms.

Learning your individual bird's body language is extremely important.

🐣 Young Alexandrines

Young Alexandrines are often curious and receptive to training, but moving to a new home is still a major change.

Even a hand-reared Alexandrine may initially become quieter, nervous or reluctant to step onto a hand after moving home.

This does not mean the bird has suddenly become untame.

Allow your new bird time to become comfortable and build trust with you.

🦷 The Bluffing Stage

Some young Alexandrines may go through a period commonly referred to as bluffing.

During this stage, a previously friendly young bird may suddenly:

• Lunge

• Test boundaries

• Use its beak more

• Appear more independent

• Become less willing to step up

• Act more confident or challenging

This doesn't mean your bird has become aggressive permanently.

Remain calm and consistent. Continue positive training and avoid reacting dramatically to bluffing behaviour.

Never punish, shout at or hit a bird.

Patience and consistent positive reinforcement are much more effective.

🌾 Feeding Your Alexandrine

A balanced and varied diet is extremely important.

A suitable diet should be based around a quality formulated parrot diet/pellets, alongside plenty of suitable fresh vegetables and other fresh foods.

Seed and nuts can be included in moderation rather than forming the entire diet.

A balanced diet can include:

• Quality parrot pellets/formulated food

• Fresh vegetables

• Suitable leafy greens

• Small amounts of suitable fruit

• Limited seed

• Limited unsalted nuts

• Fresh drinking water every day

Suitable vegetables can include broccoli, carrot, peppers, peas, sweetcorn and suitable leafy greens.

Suitable fruits include berries, melon and apple with the seeds removed.

Fruit is naturally high in sugar, so vegetables should generally make up a larger proportion of the fresh foods offered.

Introduce unfamiliar foods gradually.

Parrots sometimes need to see a new food many times before deciding to try it.

❌ Foods to Avoid

Never give your Alexandrine:

• Avocado

• Chocolate

• Alcohol

• Caffeine

• Foods containing xylitol

• Apple seeds

• Fruit stones/pits

• Very salty foods

• Very sugary foods

• Highly processed human foods

Fresh foods should be removed after a few hours so they don't spoil.

💧 Water

Fresh, clean drinking water must be available at all times.

Water should be checked and refreshed every day, and drinking containers should be cleaned regularly.

Alexandrines may put food into their water bowls, so check the water more than once throughout the day where possible.

🧸 Toys & Enrichment

Alexandrines are highly intelligent and require lots of mental stimulation.

Bored parrots can develop unwanted behaviours, including excessive screaming, destructive chewing and feather problems.

Provide a selection of:

• Strong chewing toys

• Shredding toys

• Foraging toys

• Puzzle toys

• Climbing toys

• Natural branches

• Bird-safe bells

• Food-based enrichment

Foraging is particularly useful.

Instead of always placing every treat directly into a bowl, encourage your Alexandrine to search and work for some of its food using safe foraging activities.

Rotate toys regularly to maintain interest.

🪵 Chewing

Chewing is completely natural for an Alexandrine.

Their powerful beaks are designed to bite, strip and investigate objects.

Providing appropriate bird-safe items to destroy is essential.

Without suitable outlets, your Alexandrine may decide that furniture, doors, skirting boards and other household items make excellent toys!

Supervision outside the cage is therefore extremely important.

🪽 Exercise & Flying

Alexandrines require daily exercise.

A cage should be considered your bird's safe home, not somewhere it spends its entire life.

Where safe and practical, tame Alexandrines should have regular supervised time outside their cage in a secure room.

Before letting your bird out:

• Close all windows and external doors

• Turn off ceiling fans

• Make large windows and mirrors obvious

• Keep other pets safely away

• Remove access to open water

• Remove hot objects

• Secure electrical cables

• Remove toxic plants

• Check for dangerous gaps and spaces

Never allow an Alexandrine to fly freely outdoors unless it is safely contained within a properly secured aviary.

🛁 Bathing

Many Alexandrines enjoy bathing or being gently misted.

Offer a suitable shallow bath or gently mist your bird with clean lukewarm water if it enjoys it.

Bathing helps maintain healthy feathers and can be particularly appreciated during moulting.

Never force your bird to bathe.

🧹 Cleaning

Good hygiene is essential.

Every day:

• Change drinking water

• Remove spoiled fresh food

• Check food bowls

• Remove obvious mess

• Check the cage floor

Regularly:

• Change the cage liner

• Wash food and water bowls

• Clean perches

• Clean toys

• Thoroughly clean the cage

Alexandrines can be messy eaters, so expect some food, feathers and toy debris around the cage.

Always use a bird-safe cleaning product and rinse appropriately.

😴 Sleep

Alexandrines need approximately 10–12 hours of quiet, uninterrupted sleep each night.

Provide a calm and dark environment at bedtime.

A cage cover can be used where appropriate, provided good ventilation is maintained and your bird is comfortable with it.

Consistent sleep is important for both health and behaviour.

🪶 Moulting

Alexandrines naturally replace their feathers through moulting.

During a normal moult you may notice:

• More feathers around the cage

• New pin feathers

• Increased preening

• Temporary changes in appearance

• Your bird becoming slightly quieter or more irritable

Provide a balanced diet, bathing opportunities and plenty of rest.

A normal moult should not cause large bald patches.

Significant feather loss, damaged skin or feather-plucking should be investigated.

🤝 Taming & Training

Training should be part of everyday life with an Alexandrine.

Useful behaviours to teach include:

• Step up

• Step down

• Returning to the cage

• Going onto a perch

• Target training

• Comfortable handling for health checks

Keep training sessions short and positive.

Small favourite treats can be used as rewards.

Never chase your Alexandrine around its cage or repeatedly grab it to make it interact with you.

Trust takes time to build and can be quickly damaged by forced handling.

🦷 Understanding the Beak

Alexandrines have large, powerful beaks.

However, a bird touching you with its beak doesn't automatically mean it is trying to bite.

Parrots use their beaks for:

• Climbing

• Exploring

• Testing objects

• Holding things

• Playing

• Communicating

Learn your bird's body language rather than becoming frightened every time it uses its beak.

A genuine bite from a large parrot can still cause injury, so children should always be appropriately supervised around the bird.

🗣️ Talking & Noise

Alexandrines can be excellent mimics.

Some individuals learn:

• Words

• Short phrases

• Whistles

• Household sounds

• Phone noises

• Other familiar sounds

However, talking is never guaranteed.

A parrot should not be purchased purely because you want it to talk.

Alexandrines can also be loud.

They naturally call to communicate and may be particularly vocal in the morning and evening.

Potential owners should consider neighbours and their living situation before purchasing any larger parrot.

🪺 Hormones & Nesting

If you don't intend to breed your Alexandrine, there is generally no need to provide a nest box.

Dark enclosed spaces and nest-like areas can encourage hormonal and territorial behaviour.

Avoid repeatedly stroking your bird down its back, underneath its wings or around its lower body.

For normal social interaction, scratches around the head and neck are generally more appropriate.

♂️ Male & Female Alexandrines

Adult male Alexandrines normally develop their characteristic neck ring as they mature.

Young males can look very similar to females before the ring develops.

The absence of a neck ring in a young bird therefore does not prove that the bird is female.

Where certainty is required before maturity, DNA sexing is the most reliable option.

🩺 Health

Parrots are very good at hiding signs of illness.

A healthy Alexandrine should generally be:

• Bright and alert

• Active

• Curious

• Eating and drinking normally

• Well feathered

• Clean around the eyes and nostrils

• Interested in its surroundings

⚠️ Signs to Watch For

Contact an avian or bird-experienced vet if you notice:

• Sitting fluffed up for prolonged periods

• Unusual sleepiness or weakness

• Staying on the cage floor

• Reduced appetite

• Significant changes in drinking

• Changes in droppings

• Breathing difficulties

• Tail bobbing while breathing

• Discharge around the eyes or nostrils

• Vomiting

• Loss of balance

• Sudden weight loss

• Significant feather loss

• A major change in normal behaviour

Birds can deteriorate quickly, so don't delay seeking veterinary advice if your Alexandrine appears genuinely unwell.

⚖️ Monitoring Weight

Regular weighing is one of the best ways of monitoring your Alexandrine's health at home.

Use accurate gram scales and try to weigh your bird under similar conditions each time.

Keep a simple record.

A sudden or continuing change in weight should be investigated.

🌡️ Keeping Your Alexandrine Comfortable

Keep your Alexandrine in a stable indoor environment without sudden temperature changes.

Avoid positioning the cage next to:

• Open windows

• Frequently opened exterior doors

• Air-conditioning units

• Radiators

• Fires

• Areas of intense direct sunlight

Good ventilation is important, but avoid constant cold draughts.

⚠️ Household Dangers

Alexandrines are extremely curious and have powerful beaks, so making the home bird-safe is essential.

Watch for:

• Electrical cables

• Open windows and doors

• Open toilets

• Sinks and baths

• Hot drinks

• Open flames

• Unsafe houseplants

• Small objects that could be swallowed

• Other household pets

• Lead, zinc and unsafe metals

• Furniture or household items the bird may chew

Birds also have extremely sensitive respiratory systems.

Keep your Alexandrine away from:

• Cigarette and vape smoke

• Aerosol sprays

• Air fresheners

• Strong cleaning fumes

• Paint and solvent fumes

• Scented candles

• Heavy fragrances

🍳 Important – Kitchens & Non-Stick Cookware

We strongly recommend not keeping your Alexandrine in the kitchen.

Cooking presents numerous hazards including hot pans, boiling water, steam, smoke and food hazards.

Of particular concern are fumes produced when certain PTFE/non-stick coated products are overheated. These fumes can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal to birds.

🐦 Bringing Your New Alexandrine Home

Moving to a new home is a major change.

Even a hand-reared, friendly Alexandrine may behave differently initially.

For the first few days:

• Keep the environment calm

• Allow your bird to explore its new cage

• Make sure food and water are easy to find

• Avoid overwhelming it with visitors

• Talk calmly around the cage

• Give it plenty of sleep

• Introduce handling gradually

• Allow the bird to approach you at its own pace

Don't expect an instant relationship.

Some birds settle within days, while others need considerably longer.

Building trust properly at the beginning can help create a much stronger relationship in the future.

👨👩👧 Is an Alexandrine Right for You?

Before buying an Alexandrine, remember that you're potentially taking on a companion for 25–30 years or longer.

They require:

• A large cage

• Daily interaction

• Regular exercise

• Training

• Mental stimulation

• A varied diet

• Regular cleaning

• Specialist veterinary care when required

They can also:

• Be loud

• Make considerable mess

• Destroy toys quickly

• Chew furniture

• Occasionally bite

• Become hormonal

• Demand attention

• Require suitable care whenever you're away

An Alexandrine is not a low-maintenance pet.

For the right owner, however, they can be incredibly intelligent, entertaining and rewarding companions.

❤️ The Most Important Things to Remember

A happy Alexandrine needs a large cage, a balanced diet, fresh water, daily exercise, companionship, training, strong toys, foraging opportunities and plenty of mental stimulation.

Most importantly, they need an owner prepared for the commitment involved in caring for an intelligent, long-lived parrot.

Give them the right environment, patience and attention and an Alexandrine can become an amazing companion for many years.

🦜 Roxy's Pet Shop

Need help with your Alexandrine?

Whether you're choosing a cage, food, toys, perches or simply have a question about your bird, please ask us. No question is too small or silly – we'd much rather you ask.

Roxy's Pet Shop
Bloxwich High Street, WS3 3LA
☎️ 01922 492521
🌐 roxyspetshop.co.uk

This care guide provides general husbandry information and does not replace veterinary advice. If you are concerned about your bird's health, contact a qualified avian or bird-experienced veterinary professional.