Please help !

[DebsyDoo]

We have just lost our female Kakariki to a respitory infection. Although we are grieving, the male bird is distraught, they had been together almost 3 years.What is the best thing to do for him now, get a new female straight away, or wait ? Or even get a male bird, as he had got really funny with her & was being selfish - not letting her in the nest box, or trying to keep her away from various treats we put out for them. What about the age difference too, as any new bird is likely to be a young one & he's around 4 years old (this is the second female we've lost, although the first one was, I believe Ill when we got her, because we only had her 3 weeks).

[GingerBird]

I think it is important to leave your bird mourn for a while. He needs to process the loss, and it takes a while before he figures out that his partner won't come back. I believe that there is no "best solution" but if he feels lonely after a while, some company might make him happier.

I do not have too much experience in this situation, but it might also help to create a new environment for the male bird. So he will not be living in the same environment as he did with his partner.

[Harpmaker]

Sorry for your loss DebsyDoo. I think we have some Kiwis who have some Kakariki experience. I'm not sure they read the introductions though, so try posting on the Health, Nutrition and Diet thread.

Welcome to the forum!

[DebsyDoo]

Thank you all for your responses, we have been crying all night whilst trying to figure out what's to do for the best for him ! He is making really sad high pitched squeaking noises, he knows she's gone. So very very sad. But what to do for the best ???

[DebsyDoo]

As an aside, I know that they do not feel emotions as we know them, but he quite obviously knows something's happened, it's so sad to see !

[DebsyDoo]

Ginger bird, how do I post the whole of the content of my posting there, without having to re-type it all? (I'm a "rookie" at this !!)

[GingerBird]

Ginger bird, how do I post the whole of the content of my posting there, without having to re-type it all? (I'm a "rookie" at this !!)

The best option is to select the text you like to move to another thread, right mouse button - click on the selected area and press "copy" then browse to the other thread, start a new topic and press right mouse button -click and press "paste". If you are confused I can start the new topic in the suggested thread as well, but I will be the author of your topic then.

[Wolf]

I think that if you want to have a pair of these birds that I would start looking for a new mate for your male. I would suggest that when you locate a potential mate that you take the male for a visit to see how they get along.
When you say that " As an aside, I know that they do not feel emotions as we know them, but he quite obviously knows something's happened, it's so sad to see !" , I could argue that you do not feel emotions as I know them. It is a thing that no human can truly say with any certainty, it is merely one of those things that we have been told as a means to separate us from the fact that we too are animals, and to impress upon us some sense of superiority over other animals. It reminds me of a book " Animal Farm " I think where the pigs wrote several statements of which one of them was " All animals were created equal, it is just that some of us are more equal than others".
The thing is that your bird feels the loss of its mate and feels it very deeply regardless of whether you think it has to be different than the way that you would or not. Therefore, he is grieving deeply, but he also knows that he is not meant to be alone, so help him find a mate.
I always find it amusing and frustrating that animals are expected to learn at least a certain amount of human speech at least the meaning even if they are incapable of speaking it. While we, who presume to be so intelligent can not learn even one or two words or phrases of any animals language. Amazing isn't it.

[Pajarita]

They definitely DO feel emotions like we do... maybe even a higher level of love than humans, they are certainly nobler, more forgiving, less aggressive, more loving and get along much better than us.

I would get him another female BUT the first thing you need to do is take him to an avian vet to rule out contagion from the female. Were either of the dead birds necropsied? If they were, were tissue samples sent out to test for psittacosis? Because it does present as just a respiratory, sometimes, and it can most definitely kill a bird in less than three weeks or wait three years for it. Have the male tested because he could be the asymptomatic carrier that is getting the hens sick but, even if he tests negative, have EVERYTHING disinfected (and that includes everything in the room where they were kept: walls, floors, curtains, windows, all furniture surfaces, carpets, etc as well as the cage and everything in it). The second thing you need to do is carefully and objectively re-evaluate your husbandry because birds don't die of respiratory infections or even psittacosis as long as they are treated so you obviously missed the symptoms. They could also be deficient in vit A which would create a fertile medium for respiratory infections (without vit A there is no phlegm to clean out the respiratory system).

As you can see, there are more urgent matters to take care of than finding him a new companion.

[DebsyDoo]

Thank you for that information - when the first female died & he took I'll, he was tested for that disease. This was over three years ago now & he has been fine & healthy since. The female bird that we have just lost was being fed by him several times a day & he shows no signs whatsoever of any health problems. I personally think that the infection was possibly introduced into her system by him (he attacked her one time, I think he dug his claws in her R/H side & bearing in mind they, even with the best of husbandry - tread in their own faeces) Thinking back, I do believe this is what started the infection, as it was from this time she started showing signs of being "not quite right" but was something that showed no definate signs of an illness, otherwise we would have taken her to the (avian) vet that we have them registered with. Also, in all reality, how is it possible to completely disinfect every place in a large living room where we let them out ? Especially with the way she was, I have never known a bird so inquisitive, she could get in the smallest of gaps ! (And he would call me, if I was not in the room) & stand there looking at the place she was in to tell me where she was at !!!