Nina - 2013-04-23 Hi, I bought our Derbyan yesterday, he is 9 month old now. Is he still can be friendly, beacuse he is always want to bite very hard everything is going closed to him, he is like he want to attach and i don`t know why, maybe he is afraid too much?Is he will be friendly and playfull if we give a lot of attension to him? How is the best way to make him very friendly and hand trained? From how old they can speak?
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Clarice Brough - 2013-04-23 If it was a handfed bird, he may become more friendly with lots of patience and love. Make offerings of friendship by speaking to it softly and often, and offer it treats. However as you can see from the 'Social Behaviors' section above, these birds tend to naturally be a bit aloof with humans. They are very social with other birds and so do make excellent aviary birds. Good luck..
Tasha - 2007-12-13 I came across a homeless Derbyan parakeet several months ago. I've never had a bird so I was only going to keep him temporarily until I found a home for him. Needless to say, we fell in love with him! Their personalities must differ just like humans because I severly disagree with some of the comments I've read. My Derbyan, Sunny, is the sweetest most affectionate pet. He begs for attention and wants to be on my shoulder constantly! He even loves my 6 year old son. He talks to me and whistles and never makes a peep once I put him in his cage for the night. He doesn't startle easily and doesn't care if his cage is moved. He is so loving and adaptable. I would recommend a Derbyan as a pet to anyone that loves animals.
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Melissa - 2010-05-31 I would like to feel that Tasha found my homeless Derbyan that had lived in St. Petersburg area of Florida. His original name was Wally and we still have his sister Matilda that is about to be a mother. He has been gone a few years ago shortly nearing the end of hurricane season when he was brought it from the outside with his sister. He managed to fly out the sliding door after my not realizing he was out of his cage. I was heart broken as we advertised him being lost on Avian Biotech at the time and also advertised here in Florida.
spencer Miller - 2013-03-16 I am curious as to which state you reside in we lost our male derby an a few months ago. He is extremely loving, has a large vocabulary and says some very specific sentences you are not likely to hear from another bird. He's 18 1/2 years old and we got him when he was three months. It's been devastating. He is banded and we have the paperwork with the numbers
bruce - 2013-04-21 hi anybody that has a male derbyan parakeets please let me i lost my 2 male fr eml or call 650 400 9175 thank you om a stryed cat killed them please call 650 400 9175 thank you
bruce - 2013-04-21 hi anybody that has a male derbyan parakeets please let me i lost my 2 male fr eml or call 650 400 9175 thank you om a stryed cat killed them please call 650 400 9175 thank you
Jayashree Manoharan - 2013-02-17 My 10 weeks old Alexandria always likes to sit on my shoulder and whenever he is hungry he sit on my shoulder and ask 4 food that too from my mouth. He likes mouth feeding. If I offer him that he dislikes he flew away from me and again come back to me. Only for past two days he started to fly. Is it a bad habit? If i put him inside the cage also he struggle to open it and he also sits on top of the cage (outside). Is it bad? If so how to change his behavior? Then how to give a bath and how many days once we have to give a bath. Jasmine Mam if possible give me Ur mail id. So,that I can sent u his video clips for the perfect guidance.
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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2013-02-17 Flying is not a 'bad' habit. Birds fly naturally. However, if you are worried about losing your bird out a window or open door, then I highly suggest having his wings clipped so that you do not lose him permanently! Clipping his wings will not allow him to fly very far or get lost. To give him a bath just provide him with a large bowl of water on the bottom of his cage. If he wants to bathe, he will love the water and give himself a bath! Change the water daily.
chris - 2006-12-10 I have a mixed opinion about Derbyans. Speaking abilities in birds were never a high requirement of mine so I will omit that part of vocal capabilities. I have two Derbyans. Both came from the same bird store. One which I handfed out and the other I bought later on from the same store. Both have standoffish personalities and dislike being touched. They will however tolerate being perched on a hand and seem content to extend that much of their comfort with human contact. As a veteran bird keeper I find derbyans to be rather unresponsive and quite frankly a useless pet bird if compared to conures or lories (though that is subject to opinion and individual bird personalities). They would however make gregarious aviary birds and probably enjoy that sort of setting moreso than a home environment.
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Renee Devera - 2011-07-23 Chris, You don't sound at all as though you enjoy these birds. Do you still have them? I would be interested in purchasing a female from you, if you have one. If you don't, I would love some advice on where to get a female. Thank you, Renee
linda - 2013-02-16 chris, i agree with you about the aviary part, but why then did you go and buy another one?
chris - 2007-01-19 This is an update of my previous entry.
My derbyan that I handfed out is becoming a downright horrible pet. Having been handfed for almost 2 months and much handling it should be as sweet a hand fed baby could be.
Its behavior resembles what I refer to as "production babies;" babies that are simply fed and returned to their clutchmates where the only interaction with a human is being picked up, shot full of food and set back into their enclosures. This bird also bites whenever any move it made upon it. My other Derbyan does not do this. It also cowers in its cage whenever any movement is made in its direction. Veteran bird keepers may think this bird was never even handfed to begin with.
I feel this Derbyan is the most useless pet bird Ive had. Im most disappointed in that all the attention and socialization it has received in a home environment has resulted in this fearful, limitly handlable bird. The only thing this bird is good for is color (when it matures). Other than that, it may as well just be free flighted in an aviary. Then again it may possibly be just the personality of this particular bird.
My second derbyan (this one was weaned already and was handled minimally while living at the store) has been a much better behaved pet. However this one is cage territorial and bites when its to be taken out. When perched on my shoulder, it quietly sits and does not mess with my ears or glass's arm (the other Derbyan cannot be kept on my shoulder). It also doesnt try to fly away when I take it out unlike the other Derby. It readily enjoys human company however still does not appreciate being stroked. Despite the shortcomings this Derbyan has, it is a much more handlable and I enjoy it. How ironic that a bird with a fraction of the attention given to it has become a much better bird.
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Siobhan OLaoghaire Sannes - 2011-04-05 I have now seen you refer to that poor Derbyan as a "useless pet bird" a "downright horrible pet" and then say "then only thing this bird is good for is color". As your post is years old, you probably aren't around anymore but shame on you! Every animal deserves love, a word I have yet to see you use regarding any of your birds.
Charlie Roche - 2011-04-06 Not all birds are alike and some can be quirky. I bred many birds for many years. One, a military macaw I finally named Sergeant cus he reminded me of a drill Sergeant in the Army. I did everything I could think of and his sister was just a sweetheart. Sergeant was just very difficult and I decided to hold him back for breeding as no way he could be a pet. 7 or so years went by and I get a call and this fella wants a male breeder and I tell him about Sergeant. Sergeant has been in a flight with toys and a blue/gold macaw for the 7 years but definitely not handled. Fella says perfect and I ship Sergeant across the country. Sergent looks at the fella and says "I love you" and walks up to him and steps up on his hand. Go figure. Anyway, Sergeant got married and had babies ut I couldn't believe this fella could pick Sergeant up and he did. A good breeder will hold back stock at times cuz for some reason they just realize that this one particular bird is not pet quality. It doesn't mean your derbyan won't be a pet, or won't come around as obviously Sergeant did but maybe it needs a different approach, or start over or beats me after that.
Cobalt - 2011-12-17 I agree with these others. This is probably a comment that is years too late, but that's a horrible mentality for anyone who handles the birds. If that's really how you feel, then you probably should find the birds a new home and look for something else...
Maria Conceicao Tereza - 2012-01-14 tony yearsley 14-1-2012 I HAVE A DERBYAN CALLED FRED HE IS 2 YEARS OLD HE IS THE BEST BUDY THAT ANY ONE COULD AS FOR. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT SITE
linda - 2013-02-16 i too am in agreement about the nasty comments about the derbyan as a 'horrible useless pet' how sad that someone like this is breeding them! there are so many birds that are out there to be adopted. we are fostering a derbyan now that is similar to her bird. but she likes my husband now, and granted she is VERY loud, but we are giving her as much love as she wants, and good care anyway...i think she probably was a purchase without knowledge of the breed, which is usually only kept as an aviary bird due to the fact they really do not like to be with humans which is their nature. all we can do is try to educate people about pet birds as much as possible...
Wendy Scott - 2011-08-11 I'm getting my 1st Derby baby tomorrow. He's about 3 months old and I'm so excited!
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Charlie Roche - 2011-08-12 Congratulations
Lisa Reiser - 2011-11-05 I just got my son his Derbyan for his 21st birthday. What a beautiful bird and so docile. He is 7 months old.
william, - 2012-11-25 Hello, I bought a Derbyan baby parrot and supposedly it is a female dna. But someone told me that if the beak is red it is a male. Do you know when they are born if females beaks are black and the male is red, any suggestions? thanks William
Clarice Brough - 2012-11-25 Nice... you've got a wonderful bird!. On your questions about beak color, as you can see above in the description section, the juveniles all have a beak that is an orangish-red. So unless the beak stays red, you've got a girl:)
Melissa - 2010-06-02 Both my male and female derbyan have very good vocabularies. They are now incubating three possibly going on four eggs. One of the derbyans actually asked if I were alright when I tripped in the yard. I had to look to see who was saying it as it was so clear. I had also the misfortune of losing my beloved Wally as a result of a hurricane threat around October/December 2007 here in Florida. He was in the house and had escaped the cage he had been placed in temporarily and flew over my head and out the back door when someone went to go outside.
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william - 2012-10-05 Hi I am looking to purchase a male moustache weanned and tame baby can you help me? Thanks William,
Beverly - 2010-01-18 I bought a pair of Derbyans in 1992, who have had many babies. I have never tried to "tame" the pair, but they have become very calm with me over the years. I kept some of their babies and they all are wonderfully tame. They have the most beautiful voices you will ever hear! They love to sing and laugh, play with each other, chase each other around - good exercise,and have fun. They like sitting on my shoulder or head. They are very calm and very gentle birds, but can startle easily. Most say/sing "beautiful Derbyan Parakeet birdie", and "Way up in the sky little birds fly", "pipe down", "it's okay, you're okay", "owie, owie" and many other words and phrases and each other's names. They are my very favorite species of parrot!
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Renee Devera - 2011-07-22 Beverly, I have an absolutely gorgeous male Derbyan. He is almost 6 years old. He has the most terrific vocabulary, very comparable to a Congo African Grey. Honestly, his vocabulary is better than many CAG's. He can be a real sweetheart, but he is actually kind of sneaky or unpredictable from day to day or hour to hour. I've been debating on what to do. He has actually lived as a cage mate with a male spectacled amazon. They are for sure "The Odd Couple". Recently, the Derbyan has become very aggressive with the little amazon, very similar to the way a pair of breeders will often become. I wonder what would happen if I separate them? I also wonder if I were to purchase a female, would he possibly bond to her and become a breeding pair? Thirdly, do you think he would calm down and be more predictable and handleable if he were separated from his buddy? Do you know where I might be able to acquire a female and what would be a good price? I live in the Midwest, if that help in answering the price question. Though Ricky has been one of my prized possessions, due to the fact that they are fairly rare (at least around here) and one of the most colorful and beautiful birds I've ever seen, especially for being as large as he is. There are lots of colorful small bird and of course many beautifully colored macaws, but he's kind of mid size at about 23 inches long. I hope you get this and you are able to email me at Renee_in_WI@yahoo.com or even call me at 815-980-8222. Sorry, I hope it isn't too many questions, but I don't know who else to turn to. If I were to sell him, what should I ask for a price and if I find a female, what should I expect to pay? Thank you in advance.
Fred nikolic - 2010-02-25 Beverly, or anyone else who has this type of bird how much do they cost or go for if I would like to buy one, I seem to not be able to find one... thanks for your help.. Fred
Sheryl coffman - 2011-02-14 Hi Beverly,
I am looking for a pair of Derbyans or babies do you currently have or expect any?
Lucy - 2011-02-28 Beverly,
I have been looking for a female Derbyan. Do you have one or do you know anyone? Lucy
Arwen - 2011-09-23 I have had Asia since the was a five week old little bald baby. She is now 8 and one of the most calm, loving and sociable birds that I have met. She doesn't talk (although she can) however I prefer my birds to be more bird-like than human like and does affection on her own terms only. She is strong and very willful but never nasty. She is my first Derbyan and I was nervous before I got her however I could never have imagined what wonderful birds they are.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-09-23 It is so wonderful to get a baby bird and grow with it. You know them and a familiar friend with all aspects of their personlity. Besides they always train their himan - we just have to learn.
lily - 2012-01-27 I want a Derbyan parrot and I wan wondering how much they cost plz tell me so I can get one thank you
The mature Derbyan Parakeet is a striking bird with beautiful shades of violet blue on the head and breast!
Hi, I bought our Derbyan yesterday, he is 9 month old now. Is he still can be friendly, beacuse he is always want to bite very hard everything is going closed to him, he is like he want to attach and i don`t know why, maybe he is afraid too much?Is he will be friendly and playfull if we give a lot of attension to him? How is the best way to make him very friendly and hand trained? From how old they can speak?
If it was a handfed bird, he may become more friendly with lots of patience and love. Make offerings of friendship by speaking to it softly and often, and offer it treats. However as you can see from the 'Social Behaviors' section above, these birds tend to naturally be a bit aloof with humans. They are very social with other birds and so do make excellent aviary birds. Good luck..
I came across a homeless Derbyan parakeet several months ago. I've never had a bird so I was only going to keep him temporarily until I found a home for him. Needless to say, we fell in love with him! Their personalities must differ just like humans because I severly disagree with some of the comments I've read. My Derbyan, Sunny, is the sweetest most affectionate pet. He begs for attention and wants to be on my shoulder constantly! He even loves my 6 year old son. He talks to me and whistles and never makes a peep once I put him in his cage for the night. He doesn't startle easily and doesn't care if his cage is moved. He is so loving and adaptable. I would recommend a Derbyan as a pet to anyone that loves animals.
I would like to feel that Tasha found my homeless Derbyan that had lived in St. Petersburg area of Florida. His original name was Wally and we still have his sister Matilda that is about to be a mother. He has been gone a few years ago shortly nearing the end of hurricane season when he was brought it from the outside with his sister. He managed to fly out the sliding door after my not realizing he was out of his cage. I was heart broken as we advertised him being lost on Avian Biotech at the time and also advertised here in Florida.
I am curious as to which state you reside in we lost our male derby an a few months ago. He is extremely loving, has a large vocabulary and says some very specific sentences you are not likely to hear from another bird. He's 18 1/2 years old and we got him when he was three months. It's been devastating. He is banded and we have the paperwork with the numbers
hi anybody that has a male derbyan parakeets please let me i lost my 2 male fr eml or call 650 400 9175 thank you om a stryed cat killed them please call 650 400 9175 thank you
hi anybody that has a male derbyan parakeets please let me i lost my 2 male fr eml or call 650 400 9175 thank you om a stryed cat killed them please call 650 400 9175 thank you
My 10 weeks old Alexandria always likes to sit on my shoulder and whenever he is hungry he sit on my shoulder and ask 4 food that too from my mouth. He likes mouth feeding. If I offer him that he dislikes he flew away from me and again come back to me. Only for past two days he started to fly. Is it a bad habit? If i put him inside the cage also he struggle to open it and he also sits on top of the cage (outside). Is it bad? If so how to change his behavior? Then how to give a bath and how many days once we have to give a bath. Jasmine Mam if possible give me Ur mail id. So,that I can sent u his video clips for the perfect guidance.
Flying is not a 'bad' habit. Birds fly naturally. However, if you are worried about losing your bird out a window or open door, then I highly suggest having his wings clipped so that you do not lose him permanently! Clipping his wings will not allow him to fly very far or get lost. To give him a bath just provide him with a large bowl of water on the bottom of his cage. If he wants to bathe, he will love the water and give himself a bath! Change the water daily.
I have a mixed opinion about Derbyans. Speaking abilities in birds were never a high requirement of mine so I will omit that part of vocal capabilities. I have two Derbyans. Both came from the same bird store. One which I handfed out and the other I bought later on from the same store. Both have standoffish personalities and dislike being touched. They will however tolerate being perched on a hand and seem content to extend that much of their comfort with human contact. As a veteran bird keeper I find derbyans to be rather unresponsive and quite frankly a useless pet bird if compared to conures or lories (though that is subject to opinion and individual bird personalities). They would however make gregarious aviary birds and probably enjoy that sort of setting moreso than a home environment.
Chris,
You don't sound at all as though you enjoy these birds. Do you still have them? I would be interested in purchasing a female from you, if you have one. If you don't, I would love some advice on where to get a female.
Thank you,
Renee
chris, i agree with you about the aviary part, but why then did you go and buy another one?
This is an update of my previous entry.
My derbyan that I handfed out is becoming a downright horrible pet. Having been handfed for almost 2 months and much handling it should be as sweet a hand fed baby could be.
Its behavior resembles what I refer to as "production babies;" babies that are simply fed and returned to their clutchmates where the only interaction with a human is being picked up, shot full of food and set back into their enclosures. This bird also bites whenever any move it made upon it. My other Derbyan does not do this. It also cowers in its cage whenever any movement is made in its direction. Veteran bird keepers may think this bird was never even handfed to begin with.
I feel this Derbyan is the most useless pet bird Ive had. Im most disappointed in that all the attention and socialization it has received in a home environment has resulted in this fearful, limitly handlable bird. The only thing this bird is good for is color (when it matures). Other than that, it may as well just be free flighted in an aviary. Then again it may possibly be just the personality of this particular bird.
My second derbyan (this one was weaned already and was handled minimally while living at the store) has been a much better behaved pet. However this one is cage territorial and bites when its to be taken out. When perched on my shoulder, it quietly sits and does not mess with my ears or glass's arm (the other Derbyan cannot be kept on my shoulder). It also doesnt try to fly away when I take it out unlike the other Derby. It readily enjoys human company however still does not appreciate being stroked. Despite the shortcomings this Derbyan has, it is a much more handlable and I enjoy it. How ironic that a bird with a fraction of the attention given to it has become a much better bird.
I have now seen you refer to that poor Derbyan as a "useless pet bird" a "downright horrible pet" and then say "then only thing this bird is good for is color". As your post is years old, you probably aren't around anymore but shame on you! Every animal deserves love, a word I have yet to see you use regarding any of your birds.
Not all birds are alike and some can be quirky. I bred many birds for many years. One, a military macaw I finally named Sergeant cus he reminded me of a drill Sergeant in the Army. I did everything I could think of and his sister was just a sweetheart. Sergeant was just very difficult and I decided to hold him back for breeding as no way he could be a pet. 7 or so years went by and I get a call and this fella wants a male breeder and I tell him about Sergeant. Sergeant has been in a flight with toys and a blue/gold macaw for the 7 years but definitely not handled. Fella says perfect and I ship Sergeant across the country. Sergent looks at the fella and says "I love you" and walks up to him and steps up on his hand. Go figure. Anyway, Sergeant got married and had babies ut I couldn't believe this fella could pick Sergeant up and he did. A good breeder will hold back stock at times cuz for some reason they just realize that this one particular bird is not pet quality. It doesn't mean your derbyan won't be a pet, or won't come around as obviously Sergeant did but maybe it needs a different approach, or start over or beats me after that.
I agree with these others. This is probably a comment that is years too late, but that's a horrible mentality for anyone who handles the birds. If that's really how you feel, then you probably should find the birds a new home and look for something else...
tony yearsley 14-1-2012 I HAVE A DERBYAN CALLED FRED HE IS 2 YEARS OLD HE IS THE BEST BUDY THAT ANY ONE COULD AS FOR. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT SITE
i too am in agreement about the nasty comments about the derbyan as a 'horrible useless pet' how sad that someone like this is breeding them! there are so many birds that are out there to be adopted. we are fostering a derbyan now that is similar to her bird. but she likes my husband now, and granted she is VERY loud, but we are giving her as much love as she wants, and good care anyway...i think she probably was a purchase without knowledge of the breed, which is usually only kept as an aviary bird due to the fact they really do not like to be with humans which is their nature. all we can do is try to educate people about pet birds as much as possible...
I have a 16 year old female looking for a good home for her.
Hello, where are you located?
hello does have a female derbarn for sale to go with my 3 year old male please
I'm getting my 1st Derby baby tomorrow. He's about 3 months old and I'm so excited!
Congratulations
I just got my son his Derbyan for his 21st birthday. What a beautiful bird and so docile. He is 7 months old.
Hello, I bought a Derbyan baby parrot and supposedly it is a female dna. But someone told me that if the beak is red it is a male. Do you know when they are born if females beaks are black and the male is red, any suggestions? thanks William
Nice... you've got a wonderful bird!. On your questions about beak color, as you can see above in the description section, the juveniles all have a beak that is an orangish-red. So unless the beak stays red, you've got a girl:)
Both my male and female derbyan have very good vocabularies. They are now incubating three possibly going on four eggs. One of the derbyans actually asked if I were alright when I tripped in the yard. I had to look to see who was saying it as it was so clear. I had also the misfortune of losing my beloved Wally as a result of a hurricane threat around October/December 2007 here in Florida. He was in the house and had escaped the cage he had been placed in temporarily and flew over my head and out the back door when someone went to go outside.
Hi I am looking to purchase a male moustache weanned and tame baby can you help me? Thanks William,
I bought a pair of Derbyans in 1992, who have had many babies. I have never tried to "tame" the pair, but they have become very calm with me over the years. I kept some of their babies and they all are wonderfully tame. They have the most beautiful voices you will ever hear! They love to sing and laugh, play with each other, chase each other around - good exercise,and have fun. They like sitting on my shoulder or head. They are very calm and very gentle birds, but can startle easily. Most say/sing "beautiful Derbyan Parakeet birdie", and "Way up in the sky little birds fly", "pipe down", "it's okay, you're okay", "owie, owie" and many other words and phrases and each other's names. They are my very favorite species of parrot!
Beverly,
I have an absolutely gorgeous male Derbyan. He is almost 6 years old. He has the most terrific vocabulary, very comparable to a Congo African Grey. Honestly, his vocabulary is better than many CAG's. He can be a real sweetheart, but he is actually kind of sneaky or unpredictable from day to day or hour to hour. I've been debating on what to do. He has actually lived as a cage mate with a male spectacled amazon. They are for sure "The Odd Couple". Recently, the Derbyan has become very aggressive with the little amazon, very similar to the way a pair of breeders will often become. I wonder what would happen if I separate them? I also wonder if I were to purchase a female, would he possibly bond to her and become a breeding pair? Thirdly, do you think he would calm down and be more predictable and handleable if he were separated from his buddy? Do you know where I might be able to acquire a female and what would be a good price? I live in the Midwest, if that help in answering the price question. Though Ricky has been one of my prized possessions, due to the fact that they are fairly rare (at least around here) and one of the most colorful and beautiful birds I've ever seen, especially for being as large as he is. There are lots of colorful small bird and of course many beautifully colored macaws, but he's kind of mid size at about 23 inches long. I hope you get this and you are able to email me at Renee_in_WI@yahoo.com or even call me at 815-980-8222. Sorry, I hope it isn't too many questions, but I don't know who else to turn to. If I were to sell him, what should I ask for a price and if I find a female, what should I expect to pay? Thank you in advance.
Beverly, or anyone else who has this type of bird how much do they cost or go for if I would like to buy one, I seem to not be able to find one... thanks for your help.. Fred
Hi Beverly,
I am looking for a pair of Derbyans or babies do you currently have or expect any?
Beverly,
I have been looking for a female Derbyan. Do you have one or do you know anyone? Lucy
I have had Asia since the was a five week old little bald baby. She is now 8 and one of the most calm, loving and sociable birds that I have met. She doesn't talk (although she can) however I prefer my birds to be more bird-like than human like and does affection on her own terms only. She is strong and very willful but never nasty. She is my first Derbyan and I was nervous before I got her however I could never have imagined what wonderful birds they are.
It is so wonderful to get a baby bird and grow with it. You know them and a familiar friend with all aspects of their personlity. Besides they always train their himan - we just have to learn.
I want a Derbyan parrot and I wan wondering how much they cost plz tell me so I can get one thank you