Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:44 am Post subject: New Behaviour
Hello!
A few weeks ago I found myself with a new friend, whom I was told was agressive and bitey. In actuality my new Kakariki is affectionate and gentle, and calls to me every few days or so, but is otherwise silent.
I keep him in a birdcage (my aviary will be done by saturday!) near my cockatiel and two budgies and he (Cricket) gets about three hours a day to romp around and be curious as much as he likes.
Last week I noticed a strange behaviour from him (I think it's a him!) where he sort of squats down on his perch with his head and tail down but his rump raised up, and he makes very soft calling sounds.
For a while it was once every two days, then every day and now two or three times a day (that I see!).
I have never owned a Kakariki before, and I would love to know what this behaviour is!
Thankyou in advance!
Are u sure yout He is A he and not a she....
Classic I want to mate with u behavour
Quote:
and calls to me every few days or so, but is otherwise silent.
Was this birs with others? males? If so it is the male that is most vocal in a pair /flock.....give her time, once she releses she is the 'alpha male' of her cage she should become vocal again.
Are the budgie and cocteil in cages or an avairy /flight?
These 3 species mix rather well once they sort pecking order out...If the budgie is a blue be a little caucious as they can tend to have rogue tendices.
Dont try to breed kakariki in a community flight.
And if this is going to be a display type flight of several species....A turquosine and or burke add interest without a lot of noise
In order of noise loadest 1st
Cocteil, Budgie close 2nd, kakariki, with turqs and burkes and their lovely tweets well below the others
Makes an interesting , colourful, varied, active and attractive community combination......and a good balance for using , no waste of seed, low maintance and a couple button quail on the floor as vaccuum cleaners.
They will all fit nice into a 2.4m x 1.2m x 1.2mH avairy...And can be made out of 2" x 2" timber framing 17mm square welded meah roof , sides and rear std size 7 or 9mm sheets of construction grade ply screwed together.
Sit the whole thing on level bricks or similar or even 3"x2" treated timbers laying on the ground....
Pour about 30 to 40Ls of mortar on the floor once built, float off....sloping to a 20L bucket with 1/2" holes in the bottom sunk in the ground that the water tray sits over.
Paint the mesh with water based verydark brown or black paint easy to see thru, and the outside with some letover fence stain.
You have a very cheap presentable avairy/flight that will last up around 12 to 18 yrs.....and easy dismantled /reassembled if needed or just picked up and moved by 4 or 6 guys.
And if the longest side is the front, makes a very presntable flight to veiw, instead of looking down into a long 'dark' flight at tiny birds hiding up in thr cnrs type of thing.
This advice is given on personal hands on experiance.
Cheers
Steps. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Thankyou for your incredibly helpful post!
I am not sure that it's a male, and I was thinking that Cricket could be a female after seeing this behaviour.
I'm a hobby bird owner and the budgies are in a seperate cage, as is the cockatiel. It's good to hear that they will mix well in an aviary, as we are just putting the finishing touches on mine! It's an indoor aviary and is just suppose to give the birds more room to fly, they're still hand tame and considered pets.
I won't be breeding in this aviary.
My budgies (male and female) are both blue. The male has tried to mate with the Kakariki before, however I gently discouraged this behaviour.
You don't really need to disencourage this behavior. If any of the 2 parts is uncomfortable with the situation they will make it clear to each other.
Some of my kakariki hens are not uncomfortable if a cockatiel cock pay them some attention. They beg for food when the cockatiel cock is singing, but the cockatiel male doesn't quite understand what is going on.
And budgie males are very flirty too. I have seen budgie males mating with cockatiel hens.
I would not disencourage that behavior, in fact I don't. I only intervene when I see 2 birds fighting, I usually try to alpha over the dominant bird, so he somehow settles down and fighting is not repeated.
The has been reports, I have seen pic of a cross between a eastern rosella, and not 100% sure on that, the person never got back to me...
There is a very distant genetic relationship with the rosella, so there is credence to the possablity.
Eastern roses ar colourful, but a very agresive bird....they are in the wild in huge numbers in NZ...Althu kakariki are rare, endangered, they are in the same areas...yet no reported cross.
So if they are happy mating up, let them be happy, a happy avairy is a pleasant one.
And yes, u will get scabbles, all flocks squabble even in the wild, humans do, oxen do and hens....they sort out pecking orders, espec in the evening when perching....they settle down...BUT evert so often someone thinks they would like the perch above them and gives it a go
Observation of the community, learning from them...this is the real pleasure of keeping birds, not just the sounds and pretty birds.
Perches very important....use good sized branches ....1/2" to 3" I even have a couple old fence posts hug horozonaly
'Tree " type are a pain in thr butt....several horozonal, at different height... and one across the front so thay can sit on and feed them by hand.
And hang/place water and food trays so they dont get craped in.
Toys throw a big leafy green branch in ...like as big as possible, even if they are cramped...they love it and keeps them occupid fot days _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
I did end up putting my 2 budgies, 'tiel and Kakariki in the same cage, and they love it. I've never seen them so darn chipper. My Cricket is starting to vocalize, but only when he sees me and gets excited will he chirp once or twice, otherwise he's silent.
Thankyou for all your advice.
Hi there, i think you have a female. I aquired a so called male, and then he started the same thing your seems to be doing, im assuming its a mating call because since then iv'e aquired a male, and she does this and then he mounts her. If its a girl she might lay an egg. Hope this helps.
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