Kookaburra as a pet

[Silly Myna]

Are kookaburras better as house pets or ornamental aviary birds,whats caring for one like ,whats are they like behaviour whise, can they be trained

 

[Finchbreed]

It is illegal to keep a Kookaburra as a pet. Special exemptions can be obtained by carers for birds that have been injured and are unable to be returned to the wild. But these are only available to Wildlife carers.

 

[Shezbug]

Not kept as pets in my country as it’s illegal but they are very smart birds.

 

[Shezbug]

It is illegal to keep a Kookaburra as a pet. Special exemptions can be obtained by carers for birds that have been injured and are unable to be returned to the wild. But these are only available to Wildlife carers.

What’s illegal here may not be in other countries, I believe the OP is not in Aus.
This question has made me wonder if they are kept as aviary or pet birds overseas though.

 

[Silly Myna]

It is illegal to keep a Kookaburra as a pet. Special exemptions can be obtained by carers for birds that have been injured and are unable to be returned to the wild. But these are only available to Wildlife carers.

Im not Aussie so I can legaly own them ,theres a person în Romania with aviaries and he has kookaburras

 

[Sparkles99]

Woah. That seems extreme. I’m not sure how you’d keep one happy even if it’s legal. They’re carnivores & will even hunt other birds. Your other birds won’t appreciate being eyed up.

IMO, some species adapt better to being pets than others, while others are better left in the wild. This is part of why I have budgies. But then I’ve never been afflicted by a thirst for rarity.

 

[Mizzely]

I've only ever seen them in zoos, but here's a US website selling them Exotic Animals For Sale

Seems like they need a large aviary and a prey diet.

 

[JAavian]

Oh wow cheaper than expected honestly in the US. Kookaburras from what I can find online are commonly kept as aviary birds and will not do well indoors since they need a lot of space. You would have to be comfortable feeding a mixed prey diet commonly insects, young chicks, small lizards, or mice. I also find stuff saying they're monogamous and since they're aviary birds they would probably thrive with a partner instead of being kept on their own. It also seems like they can be trained a bit since they are used as ambassador animals but probably not the kind of animal if you're looking to do some of the tricks you can get parrots to do.

 

[Silly Myna]

I might try to get my hands on a hand-reared one when im older , I have fed snakes before so Im confortabile with it eating raw meat and frozen thawed/pre-killed rodents,gonna be housed în a custom made indoor aviary

 

[sunnysmom]

They really shouldn't be kept as single birds and require a lot of space. I am really against trying to domesticate more exotic animals. We really cannot provide them with the type of life that they deserve.

 

[AussieBird]

While I adore them, they've never struck me as making a very good "pet".
I've seriously considering becoming trained and licensed in their care though, in a wildlife rehabber/carer perspective, not so that I can have a pet.
I would really recommend reaching out to people who seriously keep these birds, not people breeding them for the sake of selling exotics, preferably those who keep them as ambassador animals.
I feel like they're some of the birds that seriously require you going into owning them with their well being at the forefront of everything, these birds didn't ask to forced into captivity and you're making that decision so you really need to do the best you can for the sake of the bird. People with ambassador animals generally use that mindset, or they should be.

 

[Sparkles99]

Im confortabile with it eating raw meat and frozen thawed/pre-killed rodents

They might need live prey; some wild carnivores do.

 

[Shezbug]

I might try to get my hands on a hand-reared one when im older , I have fed snakes before so Im confortabile with it eating raw meat and frozen thawed/pre-killed rodents,gonna be housed în a custom made indoor aviary

Even though I adore them, I’d not want them housed inside my home- they love to bash their prey/food into an animal skin bag filled with mush. Can’t imagine how one would keep an enclosure clean and hygienic with the way they eat lol.

 

[Finchbreed]

As has been said above. They eat rodents, snakes and lizards, and bash their prey to death.
Have seen them living in the wild in the grounds of UWA (University of Western Aust.) many years back. They nest in hollow logs high up in the gum trees. They would come and sit on the 2nd floor windowsills of the student accomodation. Similar size to a Corrella, but with a much more dangerous beak.

 

[Silly Myna]

Oh wow cheaper than expected honestly in the US. Kookaburras from what I can find online are commonly kept as aviary birds and will not do well indoors since they need a lot of space. You would have to be comfortable feeding a mixed prey diet commonly insects, young chicks, small lizards, or mice. I also find stuff saying they're monogamous and since they're aviary birds they would probably thrive with a partner instead of being kept on their own. It also seems like they can be trained a bit since they are used as ambassador animals but probably not the kind of animal if you're looking to do some of the tricks you can get parrots to do.

How much for a hand recreared one

 

[JAavian]

How much for a hand recreared one

I don't know what price any bird would be outside the US and I wouldn't look at prices of the bird until you start building the aviary

 

[alshgs]

As said above, the aviary needs to be built for TWO. It also needs to be predator proofed.

I used to follow a YouTube channel that had one as an ambassador and she recommended that they never be kept as pets.