Platycercus eximius splendidus

In this context, I will be talking about the Golden-mantled Rosella which is subspecies of Eastern Rosella.

The Eastern Rosella is a very beautiful bird with a variety

Sexing Rosella

Rosellas are monomorphic, i.e. the males and female have their own distinctive shades of colors.

The males are much brighter then the females and have a little big flat kind of head which is typical of almost all male parrots.

The females are less brighter then the males but sometimes the females have also very bright color. In this case check for the manly look  of its head

Golden Mantled Rosella Mutations

Recessive Mutations

Lutino have only red and yellow colors instead of blue, green and black markings and have red eyes.

Dilute or Pastel have only shades of grey, light blue and yellowish green.

Black Rosella gives an overall effect of black body with red head.

Dominant Mutations

Pieds are present in very small numbers in Australia and very little is known about the origin.

Sex-Linked Mutations

SL-Lutino have only red and yellow color in them and have red eyes.

Red or Opaline have more of red color on them replacing all the yellow color.

Cinnamon have brown instead of black and lighter shades of blue and green.

Breeding Rosella

Rosella is not a very difficult bird to breed. If given proper cage and atmosphere, even the new pair will start mating and hen will lay eggs without any delay. But I believe that a pair that is raised together and

Don't ever try to make a colony of Rosellas as they are very aggressive to each other. They show their aggression even to the new neighbors which is a very clear sign of "No Colony Breeding".

Hens lay 5 to 7 eggs in a clutch and incubates for about 21 days.

The eggs and the babies should be checked frequently as rosellas are often not very good parents. But do not forget to knock on the door before checking through the window because if you open the window without giving an intimation to the hen, she may get frightened and the eggs may break or the babies may die by getting bruised from her nails.

for more on Nest Boxes and Breeding info

Baby Rosella

As I have pointed out earlier, The Rosella is not a difficult bird to breed. The only and the biggest problem with them is that they are not very good parents., The babies may die from hunger often as the Rosella is a very sensitive bird and gets disturbed easily even by slightest changes in weather or the neighbors or anything else.

Some pairs are so good parents that they take care of their babies like any good parent would, but mostly this problem persists and if it is so, the most effective way of keeping these babies alive is to hand feed them. 

Rosella Diet

I usually give seed mix as daily usual diet but to keep Rosella happy, one should provide it with variety of fruits and vegetables.

I usually give all my birds soaked chick peas which they really love to eat. Apart from that, diced sugar cane, watermelon, apples, oranges, green chillies, cucumbers, peaches and anything I find suitable foe them.

Spinach and lettuce are very good green vegetables for your bird.

I occasionally provide my Rosella with Eucalyptus tree buds and nuts too.

for more on Diet

Rosella Health

Rosella is very sensitive to its surroundings and the weather factors have a great deal of effect on it.

There should be no stress around the Rosella and too much noise can also depress the hen. Rosella needs constant supply of calcium, vitamins and electrolytes and diet should be kept very balanced.

Cleanliness and spraying disinfectants is a must for keeping rosellas healthy. 

Rosellas love to take bath so make sure they have enough water for that and providing fresh water everyday is a very good practice to follow.

 Do not forget to treat them for worms.