If a breeding pair is moved, it can take two years (sometimes even longer) before they feel at ease again and want to breed. One breeding pair that I had moved to a (in my opinion) more comfortable aviary never wanted to breed anymore thereafter. Although they like to peel the bark of
willow, placing branches in their aviary gives initial stress, any change in the aviary is responded to nervously. Therefore, nest boxes I never remove although nest boxes are not used by the birds outside the breeding season. Sleeping is done on a branch and not in the nest box. My Lesser Vasas bathe frequently. So some
large water bowls are used in my aviaries. Lesser Vasas are also fond of sunbathing. Because I have housed most birds inside, not all birds have this opportunity. But the birds that may come in the outside aviary, even at high temperatures I see them hanging with spread wings against the mesh (behind glass!), and sometimes even lying on the floor in the most unflattering poses the birds panting from the heat, otherwise one might think they lie dead. Lesser Vasas are curious and biting all
over, but they are not chewing as cockatoos and other larger parrots. I also keep them in old-fashioned wooden aviaries. The square corners of the wood are gnawed round, but only recently my first 8 year old wooden in-between-door had to be replaced. The doors in more recent built aviaries I actually have made of aluminium containing a little feed platter.
22 BIRD SCENE
I recommend it to apply firm wire netting, because thin wire will be bitten through. That experience I have gained now too already.
Housing Lesser Vasa Parrots make few demands on housing and diet. Although they can get used to our climate, I recommend a frost- free stay. In Madagascar, the temperature never drops below freezing in their habitat and the birds (at least mine) hate cold. The toes are susceptible to frostbite. I keep all my birds indoors. Even the one and only outdoor aviary is covered by a roof and is surrounded by (insulated) glass. The front can be opened by a sliding door. The advantage is that the birds are always sheltered from our climate and the glass is reducing the noise of the birds. Third advantage is that the birds have no contact with wild animals. Faeces of wild birds flying over cannot be dropped in the aviary. So I never had any illness amongst my birds. They love to fly, so in an aviary of a few
meters in length, they feel like home. But during the breeding season, they can be perfectly housed in a smaller space. One of my breeding pairs breed in a fenced L-shaped area of approximately 1.2 x 1.2 meters almost every year. In my oldest aviary, about 5 meters long including the indoor part, I housed two pairs. In the breeding season I close a door in between the inner enclosure, allowing
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