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Cannibal King Parrots

Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:10 pm
by Jade
I know this is an IRN site but maybe this problem has been experienced by an IRN owner too....

My King Parrots have been together for 3 years and are a mature pair. I have been waiting forever for them to lay eggs and have done everything i possibly can to help the process. It has been very expensive and exhausting but i have done it regardless. Anyway, there were no eggs but Mrs Kingy was in teh box all the time. Yesterday i went into the aviary to change food and water and i noticed Mr Kingy eating an egg. IT WAS HIS OWN BABY!! Upon investigation, i found another half an egg stuffed in a tree trunk (part of the aviary).

I have heard that King Parrots are bad parents and break their own eggs through clumsiness but I didn't know they would eat them. I don't really want to take him out of the aviary because i have nowhere to put him because my new aviaries are still not ready.

Have any of you suffered this problem? Not many people breed King Parrots and so there is absolutely NO information (apart from tourist crap) on the net to help me. So I turn to you guys. Thank you

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 11:58 pm
by Melika
I have no personal info on King Parrots but came across these two webpages.

http://www.parrot-haven-aviary.com.au/king.htm

http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_008.htm

I hope this can help. ^^;

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:52 pm
by jaykelvik
king parrots dnt breed till there at least 3 years settled in there new housing or evern 4 -5 years so it takes a long time and they allso need a very long flight

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 7:07 pm
by Jade
My kingy's have a 5 metre long x 2.5 metre wide aviary. They have shown all the signs of mating (chewing all the bark and wood and displaying and catching and eating rats and mice) and they are laying eggs - just not hatching them.

They have been in the same aviary for 4 years - 3 of those years at my new house.

It has been the first time they have laid eggs so I'm hoping it was just inexperience.

jade

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:07 pm
by goro
my aunt breed birds and i asked her about what you asked and her response was as follows.
is this first clutch , then it can be inexperience
if it is not, then it could be stress factor, or mother senses something wrong with the eggs.
if that is not it then it could be medical problems with the parents.
hope it helps you. I don't know any of these personally.


hope it works out for you best of luck.

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:26 am
by Ed Loschi
Did I read that correctly, your King Parrot's are catching and eating rats and mice?!?!?!
Get out of town. How do they do that', swoop down like an owl or something, stomp on them like a hawk? Do they regurge hair and bone pellets? Do you feed them small rodents?
I always knew Parrots were oportunistic feeders but Dang' I never thought they were predators too. WOW!
To think a parrot as a mouser...HAHAHEHE. Thank God they're not as big a people or we'd be extinct.

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:37 pm
by Jade
What happens is that because i live in a rural area, all the mice and rats come and burrow into my aviaries to steal the parrots food. I find it really hard to keep them out - they even chew through big thick plastic containers and rubbish bins if i have food in them. I have solved the problem storing my seed - i put it in steel 44 gallon drums because its the only thing they can't chew through.

Anyway, i digress, yes, the rats and mice tunnel into the aviaries and feed on the seed for the parrots. My ringnecks just get fresh seed every day because of the rat and mouse pee in their seed, but the king parrots will swoop on the rodents and peck them. They are a combined team when it comes to the kill. Usually they go for the eyes first. I haven't seem them actually kill yet, but i see the evidence in the morning when i go in to give them fresh food and water. They eat the stomach and leave pretty much the rest of the rodent alone. Its disgusting.