Kikiriki Care: Before and After Travel

Let’s talk caring for your Kikiriki after a long trip home. Not many people realize the stress, and fear that these tiny creatures experience when flying to their new destination. So much so that their health may be negatively impacted. The mortality rate is dependent on several factors that most people forget when sending and receiving Kikirkis.

Currently, the USPS is the only commercial shipping provider that accepts live birds and ships them domestically. With knowing this fact, we also must acknowledge and accept their limitations. Adequately preparing for this live bird to be stuck in the preverbal

“black hole” of the Postal Service, can literally make a difference between life or death for your Kikiriki. If they are traveling from Puerto Rico, the acclimation alone, may be stressful enough but there’s also many other things to consider.

-How well was the bird/s packaged?

--Did they have bedding, enough food and source for hydration?

-How was the bird is received?

Once the recipient opens that box, with the exception of a bird arriving already expired, care must be immediately given to aid in recuperation from the stressful trip.

Quarantine, warmth, hydration, food (in that order) supplements if available, will perform miracles. I speak from experience because I have recuperated a number of birds from the brinks of death. It’s not always the case that someone is sending you a sick bird. I hear it a lot and it is always the “go to” excuse in this scenario when people receive Kikirkis that appear sick or even die.

Remember, immediately introducing your new bird to your flock is never a good idea. There are many different reasons to quarantine and for the sake of keeping this article short, I will not delve further into that topic in this article.

There are so many different opinions about how to keep your Kikirikis healthy and there are many “experts”, but experience will teach us all a lot more about this very unique breed we all enjoy and love. Let’s have more conversations and less competition. Let’s learn from each other instead of outdoing each other. Let’s work together to keep and provide healthy and happy Kikirikis.

*I am no expert by ANY means and all I offer is my personal experience and observations. Wish you all happy and healthy Kikirikis!