Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 4:15 am Post subject: General Behavour Questions
Hello again, I have a few questions!
1) Milly, (13 weeks old - red crested) twitches when she's on my finger sometimes - is this normal?
2) Milly swarks like mad in the morning - but NOTHING the rest of the day - is this normal?
3) If she swarks, does that mean she's a boy?
4) We feed her parrott fruit mix..some seeds she throws on the floor some she eats. Would you say she prefers the ones she throws on the floor or the ones she keeps in the pot?
5) Milly likes me more than she likes my husband. Does this mean she's a boy? (YES I do want her to be a boy then we've got more chance of her talking - but we love her so much we dont really care!)
6) should her poo be white on the outside and green in the middle?
I cant answer all your questions, and i'm sure other replies you get will be more experienced, but i have a girl kakariki Harry (thought she was a boy in the begining) so i think i can help a little bit!
I think a lot of birds make a lot of noise in the morning because that is there favourite time day? There is a small aviary up the road from me and their birds make a lot of noise in the morning and again from about 5 in the evening. Harry just calls out wen she feels like it.
Harry can make a lot of noise and she's definately a girl so i dont think yours skwarking means she's a boy.
With the seeds harry kicks a lot of it out the bowl, and then eats from the bowl and also eats of the floor, but i dont think she actually picks out anything to chuck on the floor.
I live with my dad and harry likes me more than dad and i think thats because i was with her more wen we first got her, and i really bonded with her, but i did hear something before that girls could prefer boys, and boys prefer girls but i dont think thats always the case and definately not with harry.
The poo i've wondered about because harry's is sometimes green and sometimes more brown? so i'mnot sure on that one, but i've just cleaned her and i've just noticed like a black line in one of her poo's so thats got me a bit worried because i havnt seen that before?
And the twitching i dnt know about either. Harry sits on my hand and just looks around and wen i'm walking she bobs her head in time with the walking i think to keep her balance.
Thats all I know really. I hpe i was a bit of help, but like i said i'm sure other ppl can give u more experienced answers.
1) Milly, (13 weeks old - red crested) twitches when she's on my finger sometimes - is this normal?
Possibly just excited, kakariki are hypereactive most of the time, so i don't think you need to be concerned about the twitching.
2) Milly swarks like mad in the morning - but NOTHING the rest of the day - is this normal?
Most / all birds make a lot of noise to the new day.
3) If she swarks, does that mean she's a boy?
No, you can't sex a kakariki, from morning noise, they are not like hens and rooster.
4) We feed her parrott fruit mix..some seeds she throws on the floor some she eats. Would you say she prefers the ones she throws on the floor or the ones she keeps in the pot?
Try a deeper bowl, I have found that a flat dish of 10cm across and 4cm deep is just perfect, for a big mess. I find my kakariki waste less in deeper cup shape bowls i.e. about 7cm across and 7cm deep. Difficult to tell what your birds favourite food is, she probably throws half the food out bacause she can and its fun to see what else is in the bowl. Red fronteds naturlly forage on the ground, so it is norml behaviour to eat of the cage floor.
5) Milly likes me more than she likes my husband. Does this mean she's a boy? (YES I do want her to be a boy then we've got more chance of her talking - but we love her so much we dont really care!)
Maybe, certain parrots, like African Greys usually prefer the opposite sex but your kakariki might prefer you because you spend more time with her and/ or feed (bring treats) her. Post a picture and we can try to sex her / him from the picture.
6) should her poo be white on the outside and green in the middle?
Yes, the white is normal, not too runny through, it might go brown or grey in the middle if you change the diet.
Sassy, I don't think you need to worry about a little bit of black. If the black line wiggles and crawls away , be concerned,
Just use a bit of common sense, birds are not machines, there will be subtle changes from day to day but if anything changes drastically (poo suddenly a diffrent colour or consistency), think whether anything in the birds environment has changed that might explain the change. If you can't explain a change in your birds condition, seek help.
Lizzy , it is good to see 'pet owners' rather than us 'aviary keepers' sharing notes....keeping Kikes as pets rather than in aviaries is very different.
I.E as Allen says with feeding bowls, using deep bowls. In aviaries we use large deep feeding bowls that several birds can get in and toss the food around without throwing outside. This also means feeding seed once ever 7 to 10 days.
As a further note, Kikes etc do not poo in their food/water bowls, unless the food bowl is placed under a perch.
I suggest experiment with bowl sizes on the floor of the cages, or maybe let them feed outside in a large bowl?? with just a 'snack bowl inside??
A new thread on what you find best in the pets cnr along the lines of other similar threads for aviary birds would be cool.
The area of "experienced pet owners" is something that is very often not recognised, and we would like to encourage. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
I can help with a few of the questions with what my toby does.... When we first bought him home he made the most noise in the morn and was relativley quiet for the rest of the day now he will still sing in the morn but also when he wants to come out (along with pacing up and down a branch) he also lets go of a full song when I get home which is gorgess (as soon as he hears the door open so I have to come staight down and say hello) but on and of through out the day aswell. When I had the "cage" dishes in there we had alot of spillage but I ended up getting a big plastice tay that i put his seed and veggies in so he can scratch around in and not loose any.......... the mess we have now is from when he takes things to a branch with him and then drops the left overs (if that makes sense) We do get poops in the tray like step toe said but I have no real option I try to possition the tray for minimal poos LOL I just make sure I clean it real well morn and night.####kellie
Milly lives on her own in a cage in the lounge. And I've read some posts on here about how they need company of thier own kind.
Milly is friendly (she sits on our finger if we go to her), but we're out at work all day and I'm worried she's unhappy on her own. We can get another kak - BUT I'm concerned Milly wont be as friendly - is she has a bird friend.
I mean she's not OVER FRIENDLY to begin with, we have to chase her round a bit to get her on our finger - and much of the time she sits on her food pot BEHIND her cage - where we leave her alone - and I must say she doesnt look particularly happy... she just sits there.
The reason all of this has come up is that sometimes I take her into the garden with me - and yesterday she was twerping like mad at a starling that was close by, and it was hearbreaking to see her try to communicate with one of her own kind. Is human company enough for them?
I know its selfish and I should think about HER but I HATE SCARED BIRDS IN CAGES - that never want to come out and be near humans, and Milly comes out for a fly and a sit on our finger several times a day.
Also another pet shop owner told me she would kill another bird that cane to live in her cage. Is that true?
In YOUR experience has having a pal made your kaks less friendly? Any advice would be GREATLY appriciated.
I can only speak from personal experience as I recently have done this. Firstly...... i highly doubt that milly will kill another bird in fact i was told the complete oppisit by the guy i got toby off said they are the best birds to mix with they are really tolorent of most things (this may be diff in a breeding situation but I know NOTHING about that)
From what I understand if you get another kakarikki you will have babies somthing I did not want so I opted for a baby cockateil,When I first bought him home (sep cages) toby was interested .......when they were let out together (cockatiel is clipped) Toby seemed very scared........ when they moved into the cage together toby would just hop around the tiel the tiel seemed to take the dominent position but now as 2 months have passed and toby seems to have taken the dom position and in the last few weeks after closley studying the way the tiel will sit on our hands or shoulders he too will jump on breifly (before he would only jump on us for food we were holding) So its up too you if YOU want another bird get one and be prepared that they may not get along but as I think step toe said on another thread if milly is eating and looks healthy and makes alot of noise shes probly happy as she is.####kellie
The pet shop owner is generalising and playing safe. Putting most parrot type birds into a cage with an existing bird that has established it's territory is looking for trouble and can in some instances lead to serious injuries and death.
I have swopped and moved kakariki around in large aviaries and small supended aviaries and they have never been agressive. My only negative experience was years ago when I stupidly added 4 kakariki to a mixed aviariy where I had a pair of Elegants (small grass parakeets) breeding. The kakariki were probably just nosey but the male Elegant must have defended his territory and unfortunately was pecked in the eye and died from shock when the vet tried to stitch the wound.
If you want a second kakariki, the best thing to do would be to introduce the new bird to your existing bird on neutral ground (new cage) and not just put the new bird straight into your existing bird's cage. If you want to have tame birds, spend time with them, your kakariki won't become wild and agressive towards you just becasuse you have two.
It is true that certain parrots bond with a mate and then defend that mate jeleously against all comers (human and bird) but kakariki are not like that.
Just to give you an update this weekend we bought Hector. Hector is a 7 week old cockateil and he is LOVELY.
We decided if Milly (the kakariki) didnt get on with him we'd give him away... but after a couple of minutes of them both flapping around the new cage (yes I got a bigger one and introduced them into it together) they are getting on fine.
The only problem being Milly enjoying pecking Hector's tail and she even landed on him the other day... he skwarked and she flew off (I really hope Milly isnt a Willy). I think they are getting on so well because Hector is VERY YOUNG.. he still has his baby feathers and is very clumsy.
I am really glad we have got Milly a friend (I caught them snuggled up together asleep this morning) and I think we'll all get something out of it. (We've tamed Hector already - and Milly seems more confident and friendlier since he arrived).
MAy I recommend having a kakariki and a cockateil - as they are both GREAT and you get the best of both worlds. The teil is mor friendly and a better talker... and the kakariki is much more entetertaining with the bathing, kicking seed everywhere, nimble acrobatics, making a nicer sound, being MUCH prettier and eating with her foot! And in my limited experience (erm....2 days) it hasn't made them less friendly towards us.
And many thanks for the updates....It is this sort of feed back that is important to the overall information within these forums for others to read. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Although we did get a bit of a shock yesterday, the idea of Hector was to keep Milly company. When Milly dies we were going to get an African Grey. As I said Hector is company for Milly..Milly will last about 5 years but yesterday I discovered Hector will last UP TO 30 years!!!
I think it would be a bit irrisponsible to get a baby African Grey when I'm in my 60s - so in a way Hector has ruined my life!
I tentitively suggested getting rid of Hector last night before he settled in and was told by my husband and daughter that I would go before Hector! Nice huh?
I had an Uncle (Ray) who always wanted to go to Nepal, climb a few "hills"...He asked what I thought of the idea as his Children where dead against it.
So I told him that I have no idea why they should be, after all If he had a heart attack or something, he can come back as freight...cost less and they would inhert more......
he went
Thu he did fall down a crevass, got his sticked up with needle and thread, they cleaned the wound out with a tooth brush...then hiked for 3 days back to Katnandu. At the 'hospital there the doctor removed the stiches, re cleaned , sticked back, no anesthetic, and he came home.
He reconed he had a great adventure.
Next birthday his children made a big white cake with a little man stuck upside down in the top.
He was 82...
The next yr he did the Milford Track in NZ (google search)
Had a great time on that to..."The younger girls are not as fit as they used to be and tended to lag behind"...he enjoyed the company _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Thanks Steptoe... you know getting rid of the husband and daughter has crossed my mind 'once or twice' before!! haha
I appriciate your sentiments but African Greys live until they are 60 and although I am in good health it is a tadge opptomistic to think I'll live until 122!!!
I wonder if you can keep cockateils and african greys together? I'll not get my way AGAIN !!!
To add insult to injury Hector doesnt seem to like me either. He will be held by hubby and daughter.. but flies off when I go near him .
I hope I dont accidently leave a window open in 5 years
Just kidding, I'm sure we'll get to like each other eventually!
On a more serious note..
Parrots like Sulphur crested/ 'greys are a completely different kettle of fish to kikes 'teils they become devoted to 1 or a couple ppl, they are like a 2 yr old child that needs and demands constant attention and companionship with who ever they attach themselves to...basically they 'marry' the person. Holidays can become a problem,
When u go out they may scream like a dog when their owner goes out.
They make one hell of a racket every morning and evening.
It is often the dream of most to have a big parrot that talks. That dream so often turns into a very long nightmare for many..a very expensive one.
You have had your family, most prob your grandchildren come to visit/stay a few days...and it id nice to have your home back when they are gone....A parrot like a 'grey or 'crested, they are there all the time demanding.needing attention.
These sorts of birds are more for the younger person who can take them to work, be it a bulldozer driver, truck driver, or garden centre manager.
There are social problems, ie the bulldozer driver gets a girl friend, the bird may appear friendly, then next thing it can be very jealous and attack. Normal friends they are OK.
I had a 'crested when I was single in my early 30s..I would drive 500 miles he would sit on the back of the seat. he would sit on the handle bars of the motor bike, I could take him to the pub, parties, cirus, into the bush, camping, tramping, he would even sit neck deep in the spa pool and go, swimming at the beach, (never did get him to stand on the surf board thu ) Now I'm married/family my time has to be devoted to them, not a parrot. (he died from Teflon poisoning ...from then Teflon is a banded item in out household for our own health reasons...google search)
Putting aside your age argument, I would recommend that u stick to kikes.
They keep an independent nature, yet friendly. They can move from one owner to another very well.
Bottom line, one has dreams of somethings in life, a rare few of them can turn into bad ideas in reality for most ppl.
I suggest that you keep your kikes, and use the money for the 'grey to head off to Nepal instead. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Last edited by Steptoe on Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
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the new day.
) Now I'm married/family my time has to be devoted to them, not a parrot. (he died from Teflon poisoning ...from then Teflon is a banded item in out household for our own health reasons...google search)
