Matthys - 2023-02-27 I handreared 2 Derbyans. One I bred from the Adult pair I have and I bought 1 from a breeder nearby. hey are about 6 months old now and are like naughty children trying to get the most attention. And yes, they become naughty, noisy and agitated when you do not give them enough attention. I my experience over the last couple of years, handrearing from plumbheads, lovebirds, ringneck, conure's etc. it only take a month or two not handling those birds and they will become wild again, obviously if you want to breed with them that is ok, but to have a pet like that is like having a child, need constant attention. But the reward is awesome. I love my birds and dogs, but it is like the bird is a companion that can actually communicate on a higher level.
susan jones - 2018-09-20 Can anyone tell me why my 4 month old Derbyan has a black beak? I am confused as it has the black beak of a female but I am thinking perhaps too young to tell? I thought all youngsters had pink beaks until maturity ?
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Anonymous - 2019-08-12 Both make and female start off with pinkish beaks, then both change to black then the males at about 2 years old change to reddy orange but the females beak stays black.
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...
Anonymous - 2013-08-17 My Derbyan is the best bird I could ever have. We have four other parrots and he is the sweetest, most well behaved bird I could ever hope for. He is now three and one-half months old. He is starting to talk, he stays on top of his play gym on his cage and does not fly off, he does not bite, he loves to be pet and will sit on my lap for hours. He is very friendly to my other family members, I feel they make wonderful pets and they are also very smart.
Laura - 2014-03-29 I was told my Derbyan was a male, he is now almost a year old. I would like to know at what age does his top beak turn orange? My bird is the friendliest, smartest bird we have and we have 6 different parrots. So if he is actally a girl, I am ok with that but I would like to know if anyone purchased a young Derbyan male and what age his beak turned orange - I was told it changes by 18 months.
Julia - 2014-11-18 'chris' a downright horrible human. Also the most useless human any parents ever had. Plumage is probably not so nice either...
Lynn - 2014-12-03 For everyone that answered Chris.... What he probably means is that the keet is not nice and friendly anymore & is aggressive towards people... Now I've seen that happen before. Don't judge. I know this post is old but I just stumbled on this site.
anna dickerson - 2017-05-13 I live in Ashburnham, Massachusetts...I really want to get aDerbyan Parakeet..Can someone help me find a place where they sell them or parakeets like them near where I live????? Even Adjoining states??? Thank you for a repsonse!!
dave england - 2016-10-23 ive had my derbyan 1 month,i never close the cage.in that time she has bonded with me,she comes on my hand,feeds out of my mouth,spends hours on my head.she is only 4 month old and when I got her would not let me near her.i have not trained her she has done this naturely,we are best friends now a parrot is inquisitive,and will come to you if you ignore it
Sandy - 2015-02-01 About 7 years ago, one cold May morning, a Derbyan flew to our bird feeder. It was a young bird...very tame...seemed to be speaking Spanish a little. We tried to locate owner with no luck. He is the sweetest bird. Bonded with our cockatiels. Loves both my husband and I, but only learns words from my husband...great talker...does not imitate sounds...seldom screams. Loves attention but does not get mean if we go on vacation and he's stuck in cage for a few days. Eats mostly fruit and seeds selectively. Not too destructive....just lamp shades!! Only bad habit is the couple months of mating frenzy where he wants to court and feed me. That gets tiresome.
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linda - 2015-10-14 Hi, I'm thinking of purchasing a derbyan 3 months old. I perform with my parrots &would like to know if u think he will perchvon strangers shoulders. please let me know what u think
WendyLee - 2014-05-12 My daughter has had her parakeets (Budgies) for about 5 yrs. now. She turned 16 and is busy with other things and has lost interest in them, so I brought them into our living room, I didn't realize they don't seem to like each other very much, they are male and female. I bought them a huge flight cage, thinking maybe if they were able to fly around better, they would get along better. They do the kissing thing sometimes and sleep next to each other. I got them some new toys. They seem to love the cage, but they still fuss at each other a lot. I got them a pineapple little house thing, and the female (Juliet) is very possessive with it. She will chase him (Romeo) if he gets near it. I don't want to get rid of one or separate them cuz they've been together 5yrs. Any suggestions? My husband told me to put another parakeet in there with them, I don't want to make things worse?
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Julia - 2014-11-18 Get them a cage with a divider in it. We have one for our green cheek conures, one male and one female. Sometimes they get along and like to be together, mutual preening and such, but other times they bicker. It's easy to separate them with the divider cage. Ha! They're still next to each other, can see each other and touch each other through the divider bars, but they can't bully each other!
Kay Langer - 2014-05-14 Howdy, 15 1/2 years ago on Thanksgiving, a small bird flew into our house from the back sliding door. She stopped at the counter, where we had refreshments. She landed on a plate of cheese and crackers. She started talking, but it sounded like she was talking some asian language. We put up ads at pet stores and veterinary offices with no response. She has been identified from a bird pet store as a female and as a Meyer's Parrot. She talks English now and tells us at 9:00 pm every night 'go nite nite'. She also says 'hello' whenever the phone rings. We have a small chihuahua also, named Jenny. Our parrot, Paulie, says 'Jennie' over and over all day long. I have seen photos of Meyer's parrots and they all have some yellow on them. Paulie is gray with a very pretty green on her underneath. She won't let me near her but she loves my husband, Any suggestions on how we can get her to like me or at least not want to tear my hand off when I get close to her cage?
Linda - 2013-07-11 I have a parakeet (I believe female) who hasn't had a cage mate for several years. My husband taught out of state and originally had 2 parakeets as his apartment mates (probably since about 2004), but one died a couple years later and the remaining bird, Sarah, has been alone since then. I have her at home now, she has always been very nervous when people get close to her, and I believe she has seizures now and then. Anyway, a couple of months ago, I put a mirror in her cage, and she absolutely loves it, sits close and stares into it all day, chirping. I'm sure she thinks its a friend. However, I feel badly because sometimes she gets very excited, chirping and poking at the mirror, like she's trying to get into the mirror to get to her 'friend.' This seems so frustrating I hate to watch her go through it. She finally just gives up and sits quietly away from the mirror for awhile. Anyway, at her age and history of begin alone, would it be a mistake to get her a cage mate for real, or should I just let things be? It's hard to know how she'll react to anything. I don't want to send her into a frenzy. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2013-07-12 You could get another parakeet and keep it in a cage right next to yours. It is likely your parakeet would enjoy having a companion bird to talk to! Eventually, if you feel comfortable and the birds seem to be getting along, you could introduce them to each other in the same cage.
Laura - 2013-07-05 I purchased a male, two and 1/2 month Derbyan that was hand fed. He is a delight, I have had him for 8 days now. He will stay on top of his play gym for hours and not fly off. He lets me hold him for hours and is very sweet and loving. I spend a lot of time with him and let the other members of my family hold him so that he remains tame and socialized. He is a wonderful bird.
The mature Derbyan Parakeet is a striking bird with beautiful shades of violet blue on the head and breast!
I handreared 2 Derbyans. One I bred from the Adult pair I have and I bought 1 from a breeder nearby. hey are about 6 months old now and are like naughty children trying to get the most attention. And yes, they become naughty, noisy and agitated when you do not give them enough attention. I my experience over the last couple of years, handrearing from plumbheads, lovebirds, ringneck, conure's etc. it only take a month or two not handling those birds and they will become wild again, obviously if you want to breed with them that is ok, but to have a pet like that is like having a child, need constant attention. But the reward is awesome. I love my birds and dogs, but it is like the bird is a companion that can actually communicate on a higher level.
Can anyone tell me why my 4 month old Derbyan has a black beak? I am confused as it has the black beak of a female but I am thinking perhaps too young to tell? I thought all youngsters had pink beaks until maturity ?
Both make and female start off with pinkish beaks, then both change to black then the males at about 2 years old change to reddy orange but the females beak stays black.
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...
My Derbyan is the best bird I could ever have. We have four other parrots and he is the sweetest, most well behaved bird I could ever hope for. He is now three and one-half months old. He is starting to talk, he stays on top of his play gym on his cage and does not fly off, he does not bite, he loves to be pet and will sit on my lap for hours. He is very friendly to my other family members, I feel they make wonderful pets and they are also very smart.
I was told my Derbyan was a male, he is now almost a year old. I would like to know at what age does his top beak turn orange? My bird is the friendliest, smartest bird we have and we have 6 different parrots. So if he is actally a girl, I am ok with that but I would like to know if anyone purchased a young Derbyan male and what age his beak turned orange - I was told it changes by 18 months.
'chris' a downright horrible human. Also the most useless human any parents ever had. Plumage is probably not so nice either...
For everyone that answered Chris.... What he probably means is that the keet is not nice and friendly anymore & is aggressive towards people... Now I've seen that happen before. Don't judge. I know this post is old but I just stumbled on this site.
I live in Ashburnham, Massachusetts...I really want to get aDerbyan Parakeet..Can someone help me find a place where they sell them or parakeets like them near where I live????? Even Adjoining states???
Thank you for a repsonse!!
ive had my derbyan 1 month,i never close the cage.in that time she has bonded with me,she comes on my hand,feeds out of my mouth,spends hours on my head.she is only 4 month old and when I got her would not let me near her.i have not trained her she has done this naturely,we are best friends now a parrot is inquisitive,and will come to you if you ignore it
About 7 years ago, one cold May morning, a Derbyan flew to our bird feeder. It was a young bird...very tame...seemed to be speaking Spanish a little. We tried to locate owner with no luck. He is the sweetest bird. Bonded with our cockatiels. Loves both my husband and I, but only learns words from my husband...great talker...does not imitate sounds...seldom screams. Loves attention but does not get mean if we go on vacation and he's stuck in cage for a few days. Eats mostly fruit and seeds selectively. Not too destructive....just lamp shades!! Only bad habit is the couple months of mating frenzy where he wants to court and feed me. That gets tiresome.
Hi,
I'm thinking of purchasing a derbyan 3 months old. I perform with my parrots &would like to know if u think he will perchvon strangers shoulders.
please let me know what u think
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
Did you find her a home ? And how much are you selling her for? Where is she located?
My daughter has had her parakeets (Budgies) for about 5 yrs. now. She turned 16 and is busy with other things and has lost interest in them, so I brought them into our living room, I didn't realize they don't seem to like each other very much, they are male and female. I bought them a huge flight cage, thinking maybe if they were able to fly around better, they would get along better. They do the kissing thing sometimes and sleep next to each other. I got them some new toys. They seem to love the cage, but they still fuss at each other a lot. I got them a pineapple little house thing, and the female (Juliet) is very possessive with it. She will chase him (Romeo) if he gets near it. I don't want to get rid of one or separate them cuz they've been together 5yrs. Any suggestions? My husband told me to put another parakeet in there with them, I don't want to make things worse?
Get them a cage with a divider in it. We have one for our green cheek conures, one male and one female. Sometimes they get along and like to be together, mutual preening and such, but other times they bicker. It's easy to separate them with the divider cage. Ha! They're still next to each other, can see each other and touch each other through the divider bars, but they can't bully each other!
Howdy, 15 1/2 years ago on Thanksgiving, a small bird flew into our house from the back sliding door. She stopped at the counter, where we had refreshments. She landed on a plate of cheese and crackers. She started talking, but it sounded like she was talking some asian language. We put up ads at pet stores and veterinary offices with no response. She has been identified from a bird pet store as a female and as a Meyer's Parrot. She talks English now and tells us at 9:00 pm every night 'go nite nite'. She also says 'hello' whenever the phone rings. We have a small chihuahua also, named Jenny. Our parrot, Paulie, says 'Jennie' over and over all day long. I have seen photos of Meyer's parrots and they all have some yellow on them. Paulie is gray with a very pretty green on her underneath. She won't let me near her but she loves my husband, Any suggestions on how we can get her to like me or at least not want to tear my hand off when I get close to her cage?
I have a parakeet (I believe female) who hasn't had a cage mate for several years. My husband taught out of state and originally had 2 parakeets as his apartment mates (probably since about 2004), but one died a couple years later and the remaining bird, Sarah, has been alone since then. I have her at home now, she has always been very nervous when people get close to her, and I believe she has seizures now and then. Anyway, a couple of months ago, I put a mirror in her cage, and she absolutely loves it, sits close and stares into it all day, chirping. I'm sure she thinks its a friend. However, I feel badly because sometimes she gets very excited, chirping and poking at the mirror, like she's trying to get into the mirror to get to her 'friend.' This seems so frustrating I hate to watch her go through it. She finally just gives up and sits quietly away from the mirror for awhile. Anyway, at her age and history of begin alone, would it be a mistake to get her a cage mate for real, or should I just let things be? It's hard to know how she'll react to anything. I don't want to send her into a frenzy. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
You could get another parakeet and keep it in a cage right next to yours. It is likely your parakeet would enjoy having a companion bird to talk to! Eventually, if you feel comfortable and the birds seem to be getting along, you could introduce them to each other in the same cage.
I purchased a male, two and 1/2 month Derbyan that was hand fed. He is a delight, I have had him for 8 days now. He will stay on top of his play gym for hours and not fly off. He lets me hold him for hours and is very sweet and loving. I spend a lot of time with him and let the other members of my family hold him so that he remains tame and socialized. He is a wonderful bird.