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Welp. Now I have a Kakariki.

Xoetix

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**Yes, he is being quarantined. He’s in a separate room away from everyone/everything to decompress. He has a vet appointment set for tomorrow.**

A few days ago I was contacted by an acquaintance of a friend. They had a Kakariki and no longer had the time/money (and dare I say interest, given my impression of the situation) and needed someone to take him in ASAP. My friend had told them I was familiar with exotics, and worked in vet med, so they were hoping I’d go ahead and take him.

He came to me in a Guinea pig cage. I’m not being facetious at all - this is the cage that comes in a “New Guinea Pig” kit from Petsmart. He’s got nothing in the floor of the cage, just a lot of poop and old food. Only two toys. Everything smells very strongly of smoke. So far, and it’s only been a couple of hours, he seems calm, quiet, and just trying to get his bearings. As soon as I put in fresh water, he leapt right in for a bath. He’s got fresh food, some non-smokey toys, paper towel on the floor of the cage (helps to see poop better, and let’s me monitor anything weird that might show up), and a quiet corner. A new, large, actually-for-a-bird cage arrives Friday.

My questions for the time being:

1) Can I rename him? He’s a year old (with no vet history… argh). His current name is… something I’d rather not post. Let’s say it’s another term for “butthole”. I have a toddler, I would REALLY prefer this term not be something that gets said at daycare lmao. I have said it to him (the bird, not the child) to see if he reacts, but nothing so far. But, that could be because new home/new person/new stressors.

2) Aside from the obvious, what can I do to help him relax and bond with him? I know to offer treats, talk to him, move slowly, etc. So far he seems reasonably friendly, he chats to me through the cage, isn’t showing much aggression. When I was giving him water, he got as far from my hands as he possibly could get (I didn’t try to reach for him, don’t worry), so I’m unsure if it’s a fear of hands from lack of interaction, or fear of new hands specifically - If I had to guess, I’d say probably both. What else can I do to make him as comfortable as possible?

3) Aside from what is already online (I’ve been doing some major research cramming and know the basics), is there anything one should know about kakarikis? Or anything to keep in mind regarding taking in a bird from a questionable situation? I’ve taken in cats, dogs, rodents, reptiles, etc from bad situations. I’m pretty familiar with rehabbing and working through the emotional/fearful/distrust of humans, but is there anything *specific* to birds one should know?

I appreciate the help. Once he’s relaxed some, I’ll post some photos, but for right now I’m giving him quiet time to just unwind from today’s trauma.
 

Mizzely

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Yes you can rename him. :) My bird has bad 3 or 4 names over his lifetime and learned a new name with me.

You just need to give him time more than anything. You can try covering part of the cage to give him a safety corner to hide in.

Not sure about anything kakariki specific.
 

Sparkles99

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Pistachio & Marzipan we’re renamed. I know their old names, but they don’t like them, so we never speak them.
 
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