Scullys dilemma

[Scully]

Dawn i wrote this because of your question, Perhaps this may help , as you have the choice. Its been on my mind for a while, so i would like to know what others may think too

Dawn as you have the choice i will write this, and perhaps it will help.

I have two very bonded Kaks, as most here know, and know where they have come from. Spice has this bobbing thing, and im not sure if he is suited to cage life. Slowly its getting less and less, and he is now taking food from me. Yesterday he came on my arm for the first time.Both have lots of time out the cage. Sugar although small for a female is very settled. She will come on my fingers, and shoulder. Both are really starting to get alot more tamer, and i enjoy thier antics indoors immensly. But is Spice constantly is on Sugar, and she gets really tatty on her back. Right now she looks great, and considering she is feeding 5 babies she looks the best shes ever been. When the babies go, i will be cutting his nails again.I actually wonder if he would be happier in an avairy doing his 'thing' as and when he wants. Im sure Sugar, day after day needs a break. Her back is so much better at the moment since the chicks, and he is busy being a dad. They are great parents for first timers.
I think about Sugar and her day to day life with Spice like this and feel its not fair to her at times. I am considering a female baby to take the pressure off of her. I am also thinking of letting Spice go, or having an avairy outside so i can give that break to my little female. I dont really want to let him go, but i wonder for both of them if its the best thing. Out of the cage Spice follows Sugar around, so he does love his little mate. Shes quite independant when shes out.
If i decided to have a female of course, would Sugar be jelous of her daughter, do you think? I thought if the new one was tame, it would help the other two as well. It would be lovely to bring up my own chick.

I have a great place for an Aviary, with a concreate flower bed, i could turn into a great rummaging place for Kaks. Infact it would be a double one, so the budgies could enjoy a little time out in the summer. If i put Spice outside i would loose all the trust and he would become a normal Kak once again, but i cannot see him ever being that tame anyway. Not that im bothered, as i like having him do what he wants to do.
So im in a bit of a dilemma, what would you do? Ive been looking into what type birds are happy living with what, and ideas for an avairy. I just want to do whats best for the rest of thier lives really.

[lin]

Scully, that is really something that only you can decide. Have you tried reducing the daylight they get, that should reduce his randiness somewhat.
Karen has hers in an aviary, so she would be best to tell you about whether they lose their tameness, but I am sure they treat her just like a moving perch when she is in the aviary

[Admin]

I agree with lin, that is something only you can decide Donna as you are the one that knows them best. The only thing i would say is that Kak's normally mate for life and that if you split them up be prepared that you may have to put them back together again. When we rescued them from the pet shop we had them in seperate cages for a while to try and get them healthy again but neither of them would eat until we put them back together. This may be different now as they both know which side their bread is buttered but it might be worth bearing in mind.

Now they have had one clutch of babies Spice may calm down a little where Sugar is concerened. The daylight thing might be worth a go aswell.

Keeping a daughter probably wouldn't be a good idea, we have tried a couple of times and each time Mum sees her as a threat, we were originally going to keep Puku but Kiki just wasnt having it so we had to let her go.

Sorry i havent been much help have I? I wish i could say more but at the end of the day they are your birds and you will know whats best for them.

[Scully]

I almost Pm'ed you about it Sal, but as Dawn asked her question i thought i would post instead.
Actually that helped alot, they are a close pair, and saying what you did makes me think again. Which i need.

Heck we can't imagine what they want...Sugar might think shes a lucky hen lol! and maybe it would be worse to separate them, than keep them together.

I dont want to give him up, only if it was the best thing to do for them. Me and Spice are really doing quite well.

Maybe i've answered my own question, and just leave be.

[Admin]

you could always try changing the material you use in the bottom of the cage too? using the shredded paper and hay will encourage them to try and breed whereas something less appealing might help calm them down a bit? Im only guessing?

Please dont think that i wont approve of any decision you make i was just trying to help with what i know of them, i know that anything you decide will be in their best interest and because of that, everything YOU decide will be the right decision (if that makes any sense lol)

[Scully]

As for the light idea. I have had a bulb between the cages for a while now. It is off while i am at work, so the time its on, is morning before i go, and when i come home for about 4 hours.

[lin]

So, they are getting a lot of darkness then? Definately change their bedding, so they can't nest. Don't forget Scully, if the female doesn't want to 'do it' she won't allow it to happen! So, maybe, having lived with Jon and Sal, they have picked up some naughty habits? #shocked#

[orange]

So....are you thinking that maybe I shouldn't get a male Scully?
Puku spends so long outside of her cage that I am sure she could get away if she was being pestered. She is out from 7am till 12 noon and then from 4pm till about 7 when she goes to bed...she spends this time flying around, getting into stuff and she also spends quite a bit of this time in her cage...I just leave it open and she flies in and out as she pleases....do you think this might help?
Hmmm...now I don't know what to do!!! I wanted a male so that she had a mate, seeing as they bond so closely I thought she would be happier with a male, also I wanted to have one of each just for the difference I guess. So you think I should get a female? Isn't there a higher chance of them not getting on at all if I get another hen?

[Julie]

Scully-as ypu know I know nothing about kaks but this thought has just come into my head. Why not put both Sugar and Spice into a larger aviary where she could have space to get away from him maybe and the larger space might just keep him a bit more stimulated in other ways(!) Then you could keep your choice of the babies as an inside pet?

[Scully]

perhaps I'm getting nerotic about this. Truth is when they are out, she does not get away from him, so why am i so worried.


I watch him doing his job as a dad, and hes so good. Noramlly they are quite quiet birds, but if shes in the box for some time, perhaps asleep with her babies, hes starts making a racket. Like hes saying, come keep me company. When they are out, and shes got into somewhere and dissapeared for a nit, he sits nearby waiting for her to come out. No way can i split this pair up, it would be a sad and cruel thing to do. I just feel so sorry for her somedays when she looks so tatty on her back, you have no idea how its been bugging me. You like to see your animals look fit and well.

As for putting them outside, that i have not decided yet, i do enjoy them indoors, they are like Bonnie and Clyde, getting up to allsorts. I know they would love it though, especially with the idea i have for it.

I'm glad you said what you did, its made me feel better about my tatty little Sugar, and randy Spice. I guess I'll put it down to that Essex air they have come from...after all we have proof now

The funny thing is, since i have put little Darcy Hen in with the boys, they are getting on like a house on fire. Graham and Harvey spend most of the day chirping to each other these days.
Darcy spends the day eating, and trying everything i put in.

[judy]

I have that similar problem with Jack, my male lori, He was bought wild as a male breeder his partner jill died a while back, I got to the point where he would sit on my shoulder and that is all he would do, now he is in the outside aviary and we are hoping to find anothe female for him as he turned wild again, but as lin said it is something that should be decided by you. You could put spice in the outside aviary and lose all the hard work you have done to tame him and make him a good breeder with a stronger female. Or you could put him back with spice once she is stronger and weened from her babies and see how they go then, As I said this is only an idea, it may or maynot help. but this is what we did with Jack and when we find a female lori for him he will make a great dad and hopefully not be two overwhelming for the female as he is a really large bird.

[Scully]

After all what ive told you..they were at it again..and shes just as bad as he is!

but the great thing today..i had a real major breakthrough with them this morning. They were out, and i went to fill a bath for them. I dont give them a bath in the cage, they have one most mornings on the floor by the cage. Anyway..sugar flew to my shoulder, and Spice perched on the rim while i was putting it down. Then they both jumped in, and got me soaked as they both let me flick the water over them in the bath. Spice walked up my arm a couple of times, never done that before.

They gave me my answer today. :DI'm still thinking about getting an avairy, maybe not the project i had in mind this year, but something i can adapt later. It would be nice to put the boys outside , while i give the babies the two cages together. The doors are close enough to put a small tunnel between them. Im sure knowing Kaks they would work it out very quickly.

Silly Scully eh

[lin]

No, not Silly Scully, Softy Scully, you just care for your birds, that's all. Can we help it if Jon and Sally corrupted those poor birds? #cheesy#

[orange]

Well, that makes me feel better about the whole thing!!! hehehe
Think I am going to stick to my original plan of getting a male if you are happy with that Scully?
They sound like they love each other so much and I want that for Puku too!!!

[Scully]

yeah... Im sorry if i confused things

of course its okay!..Im just glad of a great home