[size=24]We feed our green and yellow pied red crowned kaks and fresh salad everynight which they love, we also have a grey speckled cockatiels who eats a tiny bit of fruit and veg but not as much as our kaks we feed them a cockatiels and kakariki mix altogether shared out into 3 bowls which has seed, dried raisons, dried chillies, sunflower seeds and other stuff. They love to eat anything they can get hold of we only started keeping birds since november but we have realy took to them and they are a part of our family now.
roadrunner
____________________________________
my spelling is not wrong it is wacky & wiled
I feed my kike,
sweet pepper seeds (he loves them he leaves the flesh on the whole)
kiwi fuit (just eats the seeds)
celery (all parts)
brocolli stems
carrot
plenty of sprouted seeds
peas
sweetcorn
greenbeans
rocket
watercress
lettuce, few different types
beetroot (gives him red poo though)
tomatoe
melon
apple
He gets various fruits too just depends whats in the supermarket at the time! I try to give him a variety of fruits and veggies and change it about a bit to stop him getting bored.
He has a seed mix too but he only has a little pot of seed and a big pot of veggies and another medium sized pot of sprouts.
When i got him he was a bit straggly he had a few feathers out of place and had a bald eye ring, now after some ivermectin drops and a great diet he looks really healthy,
His feathers are getting really smooth and shiney and he has put a little weight on as he was a bit thin when i got him.
The shop where I bought him had only been giving him seeds it took me a while to get him to eat veggies, he used to just chuck them on the floor!
Its sad that a place that sells animals can't be bothered to read up and find out what they should be feeding their stock! and he was in a tiny cage!
I never buy any creature without reading a great deal about their care needs and behaviour.
He gets a good bath everyday too, he looks really funny how he steps into his bath he gets in really carefully one leg then the other then squats down, when he gets out his legs look really long and twiggy cos he's drenched.
My Kaks eat almost anything ( including me out of house and home )
Their fav's include sprouts, lettaces, carrot, beans ( many diff kinds ) , peas, corn ( on and off cob ), broccholli, small bits of radish the occasional cherry tomato, mashed potatoes, and strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, orange, melons of all kinds, apple . Nothing funnier than a Lutino Kak with a face full of strawberry or raspberry. I have cut down on the fresh spinach, which they like, but I have heard tell it blocks calcium absorbtion, so after recently losing my beloved Lucy to egg binding, I have cut them back until I can confirm this with a vet. I make up my own seed mix which includes sunflower, safflower, wheat, rye, small amounts of millet, ground corn. They also like their proteins so they occasionally get some well cooked ground beef and/or mealworms. They also find room for the Zupreem Fruity pellets we serve. Misc on the menu include cooked rices, pastas, cereals.
As far as people food they get the odd plain potato or corn chip, multi grain breads and fruit juices ( mixed 50% with water, no added sugars)
I seriously restrict her quantity, but my 'Too loves coffee. If I leave my Tim Horton's anywhere she can get it, she will snitch some, quite often knocking over the cup trying to open it if it has a travel lid on it. Coffee was a word she learned extremely quickly. My Kaks like Timmies also, but they just want to play with and hide in the cup......
My 'Tiels, parrotlets and 'too get the same basic diet, but consume considerably less quantity
This is an awsome thread. Very informative. I am in the US. I do small time rescue. I just received a Kakariki. He is young (4 or 5 months) Finding information on them is hard.
He has been on a cockatiel seed diet. I found out he loves chicken soup noodles.
I am getting ready to sprout for him. I am also starting to try green vegetables and other vegetables and fruits for him. I have been told he is a great eater.
I'm still trying to find a good way to make sure that my kikes is eating a balanced diet.
One thing that I've found being a huge problem is that my bird quickly grow bored with the food that is served - I tried to give them diversity over time, serving them 3 - 4 different types of fruits/veggies two times a day and change mix after a few days. That way, I would be certain that they would eat what I indented them to, right?
Well. No. It worked for a small while but frankly it isn't much enough of a diversity and they grew bored and mostly played with their food, waiting for their favourites to come along or simply resorting to sprouted seeds.
When summer came, there was an endless supply of food I could offer them, things that had grown ripe in the garden - flowers, buds, herbs such as lemon balm and rosemary, berries, leaves and so on. Even insects that had found it's way to the cage was eaten quickly.
Now, I gave them everything and yes - even tho they found many favourites they still ate everything over the week! At the time, I thought that it was because everything was delicious but now I'm beginning to look at it in a different way.
Winter came, every veggie and fruit is bought and I tried to give diversity over time - they grew bored. Then I couldn't help to think about Steps first post in this thread where he shows a great diversity in every feeding and started to think about this past summer. I've more or less copied steps way of serving food and also checked out what's in season atm - most of the stuff we have is imported and haven't got the chance to ripe properly, I honestly think that it isn't as nutritious and tasty as what's in season.
Guess what? It's working very well! They are MUCH more interested in the food now, and they will at some time eat everything in the mix, but the proportions will change everyday since I just pick a handful and serve.
I'm curious if anyone else has been through a similar situation, where your kikes were motivated to eat simply by serving them a broader selection of veggies/fruits? It would be most interesting if it was like this in general, especially if you keep this research in mind; http://www.kakariki.net/files/nzjecol22_2_161.pdf
Quote:
Red-crowned parakeets were recorded eating parts
of 57 different food species (n=1745 observations)
throughout the study period. Only 17 species of this
total accounted for more than 5% of the diet in any
one month and were therefore considered 'important'
dietary components
That's quite some diversity.
SO! To the part of what I feed them, this is my current mix;
Carrots, lettuce, beetroot, parsnip, orange, apple, white cabbage, broccoli, dried sting nettle, sprouted seeds and dry seeds. Hm, I've missed some things...oh well, that some of it anyway.
So far so good, I will extend this mix with all kinds of berries, root veggies, fruits, nuts, herbs and...ah, "regular" veggies :P
Hopefully, I will have a much bigger mix in a few weeks which they will enjoy. One thing is that bothers me is that I've only got three birds atm and they won't finish a larger mix before it gets bad. So I have to keep everything in the freezer (unless I want to throw stuff, which I dosn't) making the mix watery everytime I defrost it...
I'm thinking of investing in a food steamer, any experience or ideas on how that works out/would work out?
My mix lasts for about 2 2/2 to 3 days in the fridge
I only make up enough for that period
The container in my 1st post is about 2 1/2 to 3 days supply for
4 kings
2 crimsons, 4 burkes. 2 turqs
1/2 doz button quail
30 kakariki
and a son who likes to sneak a handfull to make a salad sandwich when we are not around.
I tried steam, blanching, freezing,,,by the time one mucks around its not worth the time and effort...and it does turn mushy very quick.
I do chopp far finer than the orginal pic now, less wastage and clean up.
Tend to under feed a little, capitive birds dont need the extra due to less long distant flighing, and it makes them appreciate their food more and not so fussy. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
you should try dried chillies as a treat for them they love em
Hm, I've heard that some chillies can be dangerous, or am I mistaken? Mind telling me what kind of chillies you serve, I would be happy to give my birdies some treats :)
Yes, now I've tried to defrost the mix in the same way that you melt chocolate - it sure does get a bit messy yes.
I guess I'll just have to mix around a bit more and try to get some balance
My Kaki looooves grapes and nectarines...i gave chiki cherrys once and it gave my kaki red poo... I dont know why but i can serve chiki anything but he would not change his grapes for seeds..except Sunflower seeds, I've noticed that kakis love large seeds... although the guy at the pet shop said that too much Sunflower seeds were bad for birds as they are very oily...
Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 6:01 pm Post subject: Fresh Fish
I read somewhere..not here...kakariki being observed feeding on washed up fish bodies on the sea shore
Thne Son in law went out fishing and dropped off a couple good fish.
I filletted them, chopped up with clever the bones and meat left on the skeleton, and threw it into the kakariki, kings, crimsons.
They loved it....nothing left. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
One thing ive noticed after 6 years of looking after them is..
If some new food appears in the cage, it always ends up in the water pot, either getting a quick dunk in there and then eaten, or left in there floating.
The stuff that gets left in the water usually are pine nut shells, probably to soften up, so I give them back to the Kak's and they open them easier.
If I feed them something, and it doesnt seem to get eaten, they dont get that again, or I try a week later, just to make sure they werent in a mood.
it always ends up in the water pot, either getting a quick dunk in there and then eaten, or left in there floating.
yes and if you have water deep enough for them to jump in a tippy toe to have a bath, it drops to the bottom, and even with auto watering each day the water gets diry...
Another reason why most of the veggies are chopped up fine into mouth full sizes, and the meat bones etc chopped up fine with a big sharpe cleaver....
Stuff all ends up in the water....Im sure they think its not worth the effort to take down and drop in
Also when one feeds each day one gets to know what pair eat what the most or least....no 2 pair eat the same combo...feeding from a 4kg batch ione choose different parts of the mix for each...eg one cnr handful may have more cellery than carrot. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Well, Ive had my kaks for a whole fortnight now. :) The advice I was given was: Occasionally give them a piece me apple or carrot. Bullsh....:-S
So, since they came to me they have tried: sprouing seeds, cucumber, tomato, turnip, garlic, raspberries and blackcurrants on the branch, thyme and rosemary (of which they rub into their feathers too) apple, orange, goji, grapes, radiSh, brussel spouts, peas, corn on the cob, kiwi, nectarine, honeysuckle, teeny piece of cheese, teeny piece of boiled egg, fig, cauli, and broccoli. They dont like mealworms, chicken, fish,
Or banana? And They tend to only pick at the seed mix. They like a 'cheerio' as a treat on friday night. I hang the fruit off perches, but cut up the veg small and feed on a tray. The foods vary from day to day. This diet will change as other foods are introduced. They get very excited when I give them their meals! Quick question: Am I missing anything vital out of the diet, and will they eventually eat the 'meats/fish?
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum