Female hand raised kakariki

[KyleighBluett]

Hi is there anyone here who is experienced in kakarikis? I need some help and guidance with my baby

 

[HeatherG]

Hi, I’ve never owned a kakariki, but I’ve had many small to medium parrots. What info are you looking for? Maybe I or someone else can advise.

(Jumping in because you’ve waited a week with no answers.)

 

[KyleighBluett]

Hi. So when I brought her I was told she was hand raised. Now she 2as hand raised in terms of how she was fed, but from what I can see she wasn't handled, therefore is quite afraid of hands. I've come a long way with her in terms of getting her used to me and working with her only outside her cage, I never out my hands in her cage. But she is still very much biting quite hard at my hands and she makes a whimpering puppy type noise when I say no (I don't say it in a mean way, just a gentle no). She let me pat her on her back tonight for the first time and the whole time she was watching me, falling asleep but also making a noise cross between a whimpering puppy and a duck. I don't know if this was her way of saying ok I'm scared Ur gonna hurt me or ok any second now I'm gonna bite U. She moved away and I didn't follow her with my hand, I let her be. I worry about the noise she makes and whether it's normal. She does it when she's on her cage fluffed up as well. I've only ever had budgies so this is all new to me. I just want to know of any tips maybe on how to show her I'm not going to hurt her and she doesn't need to bite like she does. She does it to my ears as well. I expect her to have a nibble to explore but she sometimes really goes for it, not in an attack way but a oh this looks good I'm gonna chew on it even harder.

 

[KyleighBluett]

I should add she is 4 months old and I've had her for about a month now. She's just starting to pick food up in her claws to eat it and she's extremely vocal when I either leave or enter the room. She has grown attached to me now and I only offer her my arm to get onto to and only when she comes to the open door of her cage.

 

[KyleighBluett]

This is a very short video of the whimpering noise she makes. It's right at the start. She makes this noise quite often when she's fluffed up in her cage and when I tell her no.

 

[HeatherG]

I think she’s learning to trust you. I watched your video and it’s short so hard to know what’s going on (especially since I don’t have this type of parrot). It sounds like a normal cooing or talking noise. If I’m correct, at the end she stretched her wings out like she was happy.

My birds would not like it if I patted them on the back. They like having their head or neck scratched and their beak rubbed. They like being fed treats from my fingertips or cupped in my hand. That is a good way to start training and taming: show your bird that you are a nice person and mean them well by feeding them little treats and telling them what a good bird they are.

Your bird is really quite a baby still! If it was a wild bird it might be still with its immediate family or kin group. She is noisy when you come in and leave because you are her flock, her new mom, and she’s happy to see you even if she’s not quite sure she wants to be pet and cuddled.

I think the bites on your ear might be some confusion because she doesn’t know she’s hurting you? Or else she’s excited and nibbles too hard. My Quaker will nibble or lick my ear, nose, face but sometimes he gets excited and does it too hard. Then I tell him “no bite!” Or “be gentle, be nice” and if he keeps nibbling too hard then he comes off my neck or away from my face. Either I hold him away on my hand or put him back on his cage to settle down.

 

[KyleighBluett]

I was told it was normal and then someone else I know who breeds them says hers didn't do it hence why I wasn't sure.

I am aiming to be be able to pay her on the head but I don't want to just go straight up and over her so I'm kinda doing it from the back and slowly moving my way up.

She will eat treats from my fingertips no worries. If I put it in my hand she will eat them but also likes to eat my hands too. I think U might be right that she's simply not aware of how hard she's doing it so I'll keep telling her no and hopefully she'll soon figure out it hurts.

When she does it to my ears I'll tell her no and if she does it again I'll move her away so I think im doing everything right, just gotta keep doing it.

Thank U for getting back to me.

 

[HeatherG]

When I go to scratch my birds head I do it from the from so the bird sees me coming. An unexpected hand landing on one’s head sounds scary.