My kakariki is being mean!

[Britlybby]

I have no idea if it's male/female, we call it a he. He's about a year old now.
We got him from a local pet store that is really particular about who they give their pets to.
They make sure you have all the right things for the pets and even want you to bring the cages in before you take them home.

Lately he's been really mean and wanting to bite every time you come near his cage.
He doesn't like for you to stick your hand in his cage to pick him up. He'll jump down to the bottom and try to bite you...

I need help. I don't know what is wrong with him.

 

[suncon97]

Welcome to the forum!

How long have you had him?And if it was recently,has anything changed in your home because changes can cause behavioral issues.

 

[roxynoodle]

I don't know much about Kakarikis. At what age do they become hormonal? Is it their breeding season? If so he/she might be feeling hormonal urges right now.

You might also want to consider a trip to the vet to make sure the bird isn't ill or injured.

Otherwise if the bird hasn't been frightened or stressed I can't think of any reason for the behavior change.

 

[Britlybby]

I don't know what's wrong with him. As far as I know nothing has changed. He might be hormonal haha who knows. But he is just being so aggressive. I've had him since he was 4 months old. We got him last year around June/July.

I can't think of anything that might have affected him, other than taking him with me on my trip to Georgia, but I had taken him before and we didn't have any problems.

I don't think he's ill or injured... he doesn't leave the house.

 

[roxynoodle]

Did you look up their breeding season and at what age they hit puberty?

Birds can get sick or injured at home. Any bird can get injured while playing, or from hazards in our home. Sometimes people even step on their birds or shut them in doors (I'm not saying you did any such thing, but they can get injured at any time). My Nanday got sick once, too, and not for any reason that I could see. I keep her cage and bowls clean, wash my hands before I handle her, etc. Yet, somehow she did get a bacterial infection. Maybe a visitor brought it in, or she had too close of an interaction to the cat? I don't know how it happened, but it happened.

Does the bird have access to full spectrum lighting or gets outdoors often? Years ago before I knew of the benefits of the lighting, my Blue Crown conure was having issues from not having it. She was biting herself and screaming out in pain. I took her to the vet and that turned out to be the problem.

 

[Britlybby]

I don't think he's in puberty. He's a little over a year now and he's still being mean and biting. I don't know what to do with him. He's just plain mean/

 

[RescueMe]

Spring brings many things including hormonal issues and behavioral problems. Diet can also be a consideration. Make sure that body language is being observed. Several books like Biting Matters by Jenny Drummey, and books by Barbara heindrick. (spelling) may give you some insight. I hope that this is helpful.

 

[Sulphiria]

From what ive read, they seem to be extremely hyper birds who need lots of time to run and explore and hate being in cages. The sites i read said they dont make good pets because of their energy level and they dont seem to enjoy human companionship. They get very nippy, especially during breeding season, which is early spring.

 

[evesta]

My breeder had karkarikis and they were very sweet but they were hand raised and never in a pet shop. I know she had them in huge double flight cages because they do love to fly and have lots of out of cage time. Very beautiful birds. She had a tiny baby she was currently handfeeding and I was so charmed by her others, I almost wanted to get one!