Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:22 am Post subject: WEll another kakariki question , this time about tails
Well as you guys know i lost my precious Kira last monday, that doesnt mean i will just abadon the other bird.
Ill still have him and ill still love him none the less.
But my question is that about his tail.
His tail is rather ugly so to say , erm it doesnt seem to be fully developed and he personally seems to have some problems to groom it.
When he has to he has to turn around until the tail gets stuck somehow and then bend forward to stretch it.
But for me its the first time i see a tail like this, some feathers arent at their full lenght and it looks like some of his tail feathers have been cut.
Those this mean this bird is still considered young and his feathers on his tail will grow larger and bloom or is it due to something else?
Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:01 pm Post subject: tail feathers
tail feathers often get very broken and rough when the bird is with other birds and in a small cage where they drag their feathers against something.
If you mean the bird grabs the feathers in his beak and pulls them forward with his beak, this is a normal preening (cleaning) behaviour. They are taking oil from a gland at the top of the back of their tails and putting it on their feathers. This is a good thing.
Kakariki's- at least the ones I have observed are very active and they may be on the bottoms of their cages enough to wear out their feathers- easily.
In my opinion- just keep him with plenty of room to perch off the floor and keep the bottom of the cage clean and dry. You do not have to keep it bare- Kak's love to scratch around trying to find goodies to eat. Just keep the food and branches you give him clean. He will grow new feathers.
I dont think this is anything any of us have seen before
kakariki are not prone to plucking unless mites...and just the tail is strange.
It wouldnt hurt to treat for mites
http://www.kakariki.net/ftopict-992-mites.html _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
well i cant grab him like i said, im afraid i might injure him. Is there any other way around (aside from the vet) or must i take matters with my own hands?
well i cant grab him like i said, im afraid i might injure him.
If you are goimng to keep birds you must learn how to handle them.
Im assuming u have a cage rather than a flight/avaiary
Drop a tea towel over him in the cage, then fold his wings and slide a hand under his feet so he has something to hold onto as you pick him up.
If the have something to hold onto and cant see they remain calmer..not always calm but calmer.
Then with the feet facing you place on your chest.,, head facing up. unfold the tea towel till the head is exposed and a finger either side of the head, just under the chin line.
This takes a little practice to get just right so they cant bite...on the 1st few times you will get bitten, as you are expecting this, just ignore the bite..sure it can hurt, but dont worry about it.
From here have someone else part the feathers and place 1 or 2 drops on the neck.
Mites: these are little insects that borrow into the skin and feathers causing major irritation to the bird...depending on the type they can be seen with a strong magnifing glass.
Run a site search for mites. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:47 pm Post subject: mites
yep listen to steps,ive just been round a friends place her 2 birds were doing the same thing,i had a suspision it was mites so i took about a cup full of saw dust out of the bax they sleep in to another friends who has a microscope (my eyes arnt the best)plus mites are hard to see any way,and that was the problem,now even though she does not like handling the birds the problem has to be fixed or the birds suffer. so i showed her another way to fix it as she was scared i was going to hurt the bird also. i made a small box out of normal bird wire ,bout half the size of a tissue box and cut a small square big enough for a kaka to fit through (i did it like this so if im not around she can do all this her self) i placed a strawberry in side ,put the little box on the table waited for the kak to go in side ,put my hand over the hole so he couldnt get out and dusted the bird with a mite dust.then let him out ,he is fine and now has a tail with no stress to the bird.
i dont use a net if i can help it as i think the less handling the better, i trap them in a small cage.
deb
This is what is recommended by highly experianced breeders on this site.
Ivermectin used as a sysmatic on the skin behind the neck.
http://www.kakariki.net/ftopicp-5183.html#5183 _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
i asked around the zoo stores including the vet store....they dont have it
A vet in NZ is like a local docotors here...
They have a small store. like a chemist store, and sell non prescription drugs.
If in sweden it is on the prescription drug list it cannot be sold across the counter...
A vet (or Doctor) has to write out a prescription form, to release from the phamacy...yes Vets are like Doctors..
So you will have to consult the vet and ask.
Also check, out a sheep farmer and see what he uses for lice/worming...
he may use Ivermectin...
Quote:
maybe i can buy some of you next time steptoe? =)
Noi...I think it is a resricted drug in NZ
And you are in Sweden...thats a long way from here. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
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