Rescued kakariki, question?

He is beautiful. I have a yellow kakariki (Noah) and he tolerates my budgie also but they need to be well supervised when out together as kakarikis are extremely independent birds that enjoy a lot of personal space. Budgies on the other hand love the company of other birds so Noah can get snappy if Oisin is persistently in his face trying to kiss him. Kakarikis can have a very sore bite so best not risk allowing the budgie get overly friendly.

Kakarikis are extremely active birds that LOVE to fly and can become depressed if their wings are clipped - this can also bring on unwanted behaviour caused by frustration. They are extremely curious birds that get into everything and always want to see what you're doing however forget cuddle time - they can't sit still for 2 seconds! They are like little tap dancers!

Regarding diet they need a widely varied diet of vegetables, fruit, mixed nuts and pellets. They love sunflower seed but be wary of the fat content and use as treats for positive reinforcement. Noah's favourite foods are sweet corn, chilli peppers, raspberries, grapes, broccoli, peas, walnuts, carrot, cucumber, cauliflower, and his pellets. He's not a fan of raisins and always digs them out and throws them over the side of his pellet mix

They love to forage and dig so I removed the bars at the base of my cage and have a foraging tray filled with cat litter (make sure you use the type that is safe as he will nibble it also) and I sprinkle a small amount of budgie mix in it to keep it interesting along with gum nuts and lots of foot toys. They love to rip up newspaper (that I use to line the base of his cage with) and regularly change his toys or provide cardboard boxes (such as egg boxes) or the inside tube of tissue rolls (I don't use the ones that have glue though). Kakarikis also love to bathe and will get right into it giving everyone and everything around it a bath also.

They are extremely active and need a lot of space as well as a lot of out of cage flying time. They love to walk upside down also so if you can provide a cage with a flat caged roof (rather than hooded if that makes sense) and lots of perches etc to jump on.

I had to cover our fixed wall mirror with static cling along with shiny surfaces such as the fridge from Noah because he became very territorial and aggressive once he reached 6 months old but that has all settled now (because he can't see himself anymore) but that may not be the case with every bird (my budgie is fine with mirrors however I know other budgie owners have had problems).

Best of luck with your new cartoon character he will provide hours of entertainment but remember they are a completely different character to most other parrots so be patient and learn their language

Noah and his house

I did not fall off the face of the earth, life has just kept my busy. Sorry!

The ride to the vet was, to me, quite stressful. I had to strap Houdini's cage into my car and whatnot, all the while making sure I didn't break anything or freak him out. He was pretty calm and curious, hopping to the branches in his cage where most sunlight would hit him. Even at the vet's place he was super relaxed. He took some moments to adjust to the new space around him, but he swiftly began making his funny call that drew chuckles and laughs from the nurses :^) what a charmer!

The vet checked him out. Houdini bit him a few times, but nothing too serious (I would bite too if some giant hand would grab onto me and poke me). The vet agreed on the sex, Houdini is indeed a male. He couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, so he just gave me a worm cure (I don't know if that is the right word) to make sure he didn't catch anything while he was flying outside. The vet guessed Houdini is an adult bird, though it's impossible to tell exactly how old. Also, he was supposedly a little on the skinny side, so I've been given permission to bring out the sunflower seeds!

It's been a few weeks and he's completely settled. He's still quite shy around me, but then again I've had to catch him two times in the past weeks to give him his medicine (which was... quite an achievement). He'll go into his cage on his own when it gets dark out, which is convenient. So far he has warmed up considerably to Pacha, my budgie, allowing her closer each time. He does eat from my hand every so often, though he remains suspicious and will only take one bite before shuffling further away (or he will take whatever I'm holding out for him and fly off).

I've tried providing him with a bath each day, which he really enjoys. He's quite picky when it comes to food (I tried offering him millet, but he fully ignores it in favor of mixed parrot seeds), but he'll kill for a grape or a piece of tangerine. Lately he's started being a little pest by flying straight for your face and whizzing over your hair. I swear I can hear him snickering to himself when he's settled on top of my hanging lamp (and out of reach). He's quite a bird alright!