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Update on Kiwi & Mango


bmatrow

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Today we have had Kiwi and Mango for a week. And they have made some great progress from a pair of birds that wouldn't take a treat from our hands. They now take treats from us and will nibble on our fingers. Kiwi is still a bit rough sometimes but nothing like he was and Mango took a bit more time to come around. Mango still doesn't always come out of the cage when we let them out but is really making good progress in coming up to the bars of the cage when we talk to him and such. They both give kisses and are just the sweetest little things you've ever seen.

 

Although they are still shy of our hands a bit and wont allow scratches or petting of any kind. Tonight I sat next to the cage while Kiwi was out like a do a lot in the evenings after work. He started coming over and while keeping one foot on his cage, putting the other on my shoulder and "tasting" (or whatever he was doing lol) my neck and ears. Pretty soon he was completely on my shoulder and I swear he was trying to preen my mustache!

 

I'm really happy with the progress we've made with them in such a short time and am starting to have more confidence that we will have great success getting them to really settle down with us.

 

I had my wife take pictures I was gonna post but I was in front of a window and it was to much background light and they didn't come out well. I will post some fresh pics when I get some good ones!

Edited by bmatrow
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They're still pretty particular about not touching our hands but have greatly improved. They can be so sweet with each other, but once in a while they will bicker back and forth a bit. Nothing too serious but I have considered separating them. Partially because of the bickering and also because Kiwi is an attention hoarder, If your trying to spend time with Mango kiwi always has to get in the middle. Think he's jealous. I just don't know if separating them would be the best idea. They are only six months old, but they have always been together.

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I can see why they would bicker with each other for suns can be feisty as mine is, she can be sweet as sugar one minute and turn and bite the crap out of me the next but I think if you want to be able to handle them much you will have to separate them and maybe one of those cages that have a divider in the middle so they can be close but not actually together for they look bonded to one another.

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They do seem quite bonded. And while we are making great progress with Kiwi Mango is still pretty shy like. Kiwi was on my wife's shoulder last night and even walked down to her hand! Although that's when he commenced biting the tar out of her too lol I have been thinking about a divided cage so I could separate them but not really separate them. Just haven't found one I liked. I had happened across one when I was looking at cages for my future CAG but can't remember for the life of me where I saw it. Most of them I see are way too big or way too small.

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Yea that's the exact cage I've been looking at. I've seen it several places. If all else fails that's the one I'm looking to get. I had seen one that was very similar but didn't have one side larger then the other. But like I said I don't know where I had seen it.

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Kiwi and Mango have made some great progress. We have them on a pellet diet now instead of the mainly sunflower seed diet they were on. And they have tamed quite a lot toward me and my wife. Although they still wont allow any touching with our hands they will both get on our shoulders and climb up and down our arms. Kiwi has climbed from our shoulder to our hands simply to bite the tar out of us. He seems to really want our attention and climbs on us willingly but he ALWAYS bites fairly hard when he does. Weather its your ears or hands arms, he sees bare skin he "explores" with his beak but does it quite roughly. We usually put a towel on our shoulder and arm because we've found that they tend to fall off our bare arms. And as soon as he gets to bare skin he bites. Wish we could spend time with him without the pain of being bitten every time. I've been hoping with time he would stop but there seems to be little to no change. Any advice?

 

Some new pictures also! Ive gotten to be able to tell them apart easily. Kiwi has more yellow on his back and Mango has more on his wings. May just be me but I think they've lost quite a bit of green since I got them. They are so sweet, me and my wife have become quite fond of them.

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Edited by bmatrow
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Sounds like this unfortunately is the painful part of a learning curve. I think they would like to trust you but they're just not quite there, yet. I also don't know that they mean to be "biting" you, exactly. I think it may be a combination of nervous excitement, exploring you & learning your pain tolerance.

 

I have a heavy, over sized shirt that I cover my clothes w/so my guys don't poop & pick at things. Something like that might help. They'd have something to grip & you could fist your fingers inside the sleeve for protection. For the time being, you can also use your protected hand to gently guide the birds away from your face whenever they head in that direction.

 

I know being bitten gets old pretty quickly. But don't get discouraged. You're actually making pretty good progress & I don't think it's going to take too much longer to get this worked out.

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