New to the forum... and kaks!

ButterflyLordette · Member Joined: Jun 04, 2014 Posts: 7

Hi everyone!
I'm Katie, English, and have a dog, rabbit, guinea pig, fish, a frog, a cornsnake, four budgies, a barred parakeet and a kakariki!
The barred and kak I fell into ownership a few days ago; they had lived in an outdoor aviary in my college and the college were looking to rehome them for a pair of marmoset monkeys (In my opinion, you're more likely to work with birds than monkeys so having no birds at all is a bit silly). I'd bonded with the barred ever since I first saw him! To hear he was leaving was terrible, having a large indoor aviary I offered to take him in and my tutor said he'd love me to have him. I had been working with the aviary birds for the past few months as a chosen assignment. The tutor then asked if I wanted the kakariki aswell, the two were very close to one another and regurgitate to each other etc. Brought them both home after researching and have two new GORGEOUS birds.
Honey the kakariki, only has one eye as one side of her face was burnt in her previous home, and Splash the linnie, tiny with a huge personality!

Hope to see you all around!
Thanks for reading ^_^

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Cool....
Get rid of those dowel perches, 1/2 to 1" diam branches.
Any general questions please use the "quick search " block on the left.. if cant find the info ask.

Birds blind in one eye can tend to get glaucoma in the other over the yrs... dont know why. so keep an eye on him.
And let him have a lot of time getting to know his surroundings inside ... u may find that when he gets out of eye sight of the cage/ flight could tend to panic... even after many months.

ButterflyLordette · Member Joined: Jun 04, 2014 Posts: 7

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Regardless of the type of bird, dowel perches should be banned...
I strongly suggest replace them all with something that varies from something of a large diameter they can rest on with feet open to something no smaller than 1/2"

Also a flight has pecking order, there fore the birds do not often get a choice of where or what the perch on, espec when roosting at night.

ButterflyLordette · Member Joined: Jun 04, 2014 Posts: 7

The dowels are an inch wide each? And I know about pecking orders, they all sleep side by side on the highest perch. But have others nearby if the lower rankers feel safer there, it's a rather large aviary so they can all roost on the same perch..

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Branches not machined kiln dried dowels

mohum · Regular Member Joined: Oct 30, 2012 Posts: 28

My perches are plastic. I suppose that is even worse. What type of branches are recommended as i would like to try some? I have used plum tree in the past but that just gets eaten to shreds.

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Plum fruit dry pines, beech....maybe best to see what is available and check.. but most fruit trees are fine.

And getting shredded....thats a plus...thats what birds do....and for a kakariki to shred a 1" or even a 1/2" perch to the point it breaks doesnt take place over night.

We often use old partly rotted branches so they can shred

Plastic, thats out, no question.