Increasingly, kakariki began to appear in our pet stores. Parrots have long and firmly taken their place in the hearts and homes of people, but not every poultry lover is familiar with this species.
Appearance
The body length of these parrots is not more than 35-40 cm. The physique is dense, the birds are extremely mobile. Most of the day, parrots spend on the ground looking for food. Basically, they move by jumping on the ground, from this their name went - jumping. Kakariki is a word from the language of the New Zealand Aboriginal people who call these birds “kakari-ki”.
The natural color of the red-faced kakariks is dark green. In this case, the undertail has a dark blue color, and the strip along the eyes and the frontal part are red. When kept in captivity, a mutation occurred, so the plumage may not be green, but bright yellow.
Content
For home keeping kakarikov they need to provide a large cage. Moreover, not only the height of the cell is important. Since birds spend a lot of time on the ground, the floor area in the cage should also be large. In addition, parrots love to run along the bars of the side walls, fly from perch to perch.
An ideal option for keeping captive kakariks is an aviary in the room. When constructing an aviary, it must be borne in mind that birds must be given the opportunity to fly freely for several hours in a row. Some believe that in captivity, parrots can cut their wings, but for kakariks this decision can be fatal - deprived of the ability to fly, parrots get severe psychological stress, become depressed and may die.
Often kakariki instead of flying just start running around the aviary, making it virtually silent. Many parrots are characterized by activity at the same time, but kakariki are able to behave actively throughout the day.
It is very important to ensure that kakariki have the ability to sleep at least 12 hours a day. In the summer, this time can be reduced, but no more than by 1 hour. In winter, on the contrary, increase by an hour. To adjust the duration of daylight hours for kakariks, it is necessary to use special lamps to increase the length of the day and a cover of opaque fabric for the "onset" of the night. If the kakariki have not slept enough, they will be irritable the next day. In addition to night sleep, birds doze twice a day for 20-30 minutes. In these minutes, there is no need to cover the birds with a plaid or create peace for them.
Hyperactivity kakarikov obliges owners to ensure that birds are constantly busy. Their paws and beak should work all the time. At the same time, interest in one subject lasts a very short time, after which the birds seek new entertainment for themselves.
Since tracking a bird is unrealistic, it is necessary to remove all unsafe or valuable items that kakariki can play from the rooms where it happens. Keeping parrots requires a wide variety of toys that will attract birds. Unfortunately, toys from pet stores, for the most part, will not work, as they are too small. Therefore, you can make toys for kakarikov yourself. The basic requirement is safety for birds.
The simplest toy is branches. The parrot will like branches with bark, he will be happy with swings, pigtails and similar things. Putting on a branch a piece of fruit or a ball, you will make a good gift for kakarikam. Even a bump or blank paper can entertain them. A paper towel sleeve is a great parrot toy. But he can do this only under supervision.
Kakariki are extremely curious parrots who do not have the instinct of self-preservation. Therefore, almost everything is dangerous for them in the apartment - a toilet, a sink, a bag of garbage, a boot, even a pillow. There are frequent cases when parrots are carried out with garbage, crushed by a pillow or foot, when putting on a boot in which the kakarik fell asleep.
Drafts and temperature extremes are dangerous for bird health. Therefore, the cells should be far from both the batteries and the open window. It is preferable to maintain a temperature of about 17 degrees heat.
New Zealand kakarik is very fond of water procedures, so a large flat bowl with water should always be in the cage.
Breeding
Getting offspring from kakariks is not too difficult. The main thing is a correctly composed pair. The best option is self-pairing. This means that from a group of several birds, the pets themselves pick up a mate. In a cage of 1.2 x 0.5 x 0.6 m, the parrots will be quite comfortable. Nesting houses are placed at least in horizontal, even in vertical position.
Clutch consists of 6-8 eggs. The male feeds the female the entire period of hatching. On the 24th day, blind chicks appear. After hatching, it is necessary to increase the dose of flour worms, soaked grain and egg feed, so that parents feed the chicks. By the 35-40th day, the kids are ready to leave the nest. After this, adult birds feed them for about another two weeks, but the chicks themselves gradually begin to feed.
In a year, kakariki are able to plant 2 clutches of eggs. If the hatching time has fallen in the fall, it is necessary to provide the birds with additional food.
Chicks
With each day spent by the chick outside the nest, parents take care of them less and less. It is necessary to carefully monitor the relationship of generations, as adults can suddenly become aggressive. Then the chicks should be planted, continuing to feed the food that they have already learned to eat. After three months of growing up babies, you can either give them to another family, or plant them in the general group of kakariks. To accustom to a new forage along with other birds.
Feeding
Food kakarikov requires a very diverse. At the same time, it is easy to train new types of parrot food. It is worth putting a new vegetable in their way - they will certainly try it, at least out of simple curiosity. You can introduce a new food in the form of a toy - a parrot will certainly be interested in a “decoration” of fruit on a branch that he has just personally cleared of bark. Interest in the new fun will not last long, therefore, in order to accustom to a new type of feed, it is better to arrange such toys in different places.
With a poor diet of vitamins and minerals, parrots can begin to bald.
Taming
In order for a pet to get used to you, you do not need to force it to sit on your hands or grab it to stroke. It is best to sit on the floor to be on par with the bird. It is necessary to offer her something tasty or interesting, while the arik will not be able to struggle with curiosity for a long time and will certainly come to you.
Taming a kakarika is easy enough. The easiest way to do this is if you have one parrot. But since kakariki are gregarious parrots, he will demand your constant presence nearby. Therefore, it is still better to keep more than one bird at a time.
Kakariki parrots talk, but not very clearly and clearly. Although it will not be difficult to teach a bird a few words, it makes no sense to wait for such diction and variety, such as from a cockatoo.
Yellow-faced kakariki in captivity live for about 20 years. There is no exact information about the red-faced, since they were recently discovered. Some argue that the average life span of these birds is 6–8 years, but others are convinced that the red-faced kakarik lives as much as the yellow-faced.
The choice
When buying chicks, they primarily pay attention to their behavior. Since kakariki are very active parrots, you should not choose the bird that will quietly sit in a corner or on a branch (if it does not sleep). You need to choose active, noisy, fun. The plumage should be bright, brilliant. Feathers are even, not broken, not sticking out. A parrot whose price is significantly lower than the usual cost of such birds can be sick or have genetic problems.
Reviews
More and more people decide to buy parrots such as kakariki for their home. Reviews are the most favorable. Most buyers are happy that these wonderful pets have appeared in their families. In order to remain satisfied with the acquisition, you need to take into account the temperament of the bird. If silence and calm contemplation of nature are important to you, then these parrots will not suit you. If you like funny birds that enjoy every little thing, kakarik is your parrot. The price of an adult bird is about 3.5 thousand rubles.