# Magpie; anyone has one?



## rosequoll (Aug 9, 2008)

Wondering if anyone here has a magpie as a 'pet'? I have a girl (I think) that is a wildlife rescue that I've had to keep permanently. As a youngster she never grew in her tail and primary feathers correctly, and as an adult she doesn't preen very much and rips the feathers that DO manage to grow in. I think she's ripping them out herself, as she FINALLY grew in a full tail and now half of it is shredded and ripped to about half length. Anyways, she can't be released, and doesn't have a CLUE how to fly.

Anyways, my issue is that she' 'free range' at my house, but happily stays in the yard. She's never wandered, eats and finds enough food in the backyard and right now, wintertime, I suppliment her with a big meal of crickets or roo mince twice a week.

My issue right now is that with the cool weather, she doesn't want to bathe at ALL, and she isn't preening, so she looks greasy all over. It's not a good look. We have a good enough relationship that I can give her a bath, but once she's wet, she wont dry herself! UGH! I'm starting to wonder if I should mix up some REALLY dilute baby soap and give her a bath, and then throw her in the bathroom with the space heater to dry off, and see if I can get her looking nice and fluffy again.

Also, training, etc? She'll do just about ANYTHING for a mealworm, so have any of you trained magpies or crows to target, wear a flight harness, etc? I'm thinking of rigging up some basic jesses for her legs so that she can go out with me, and start socializing her so that I can work on target training and some basic work with her. She's a beauty, and needs more mental stimulation.

Also, before anyone asks or gives me crap about it, YES, she is on my license, and yes, I do have a permit in the works to keep her permanently as an unreleasable wildlife rescue.


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## scorps (Aug 9, 2008)

nice poses 

no idea about the maggy though lol


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## carinacat (Aug 9, 2008)

i would love a pet magpie! they are so smart. a friend of mine has one and it speaks! dont really have an answer to any of ur questions thou


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## notechistiger (Aug 9, 2008)

I don't have much experience with magpies, but I do know that they need lots of stimulation. I think socialising would be a good idea. Sorry I couldn't be of more help...


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## Rocky (Aug 9, 2008)

Wow, that would be an awesome pet. Hmm.. time to rescue myself one... where is my sling shot?

I joke. But thats awesome that he will sit on your shoulder like that.


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## Ramsayi (Aug 9, 2008)

Had one years ago.Great pet,extremely funny,extremely clever.
You might try drying her with a hairdryer.

Mine used to go with me everywhere and could fly but was quite happy to stay close.Even closer when other maggies were around lol.Not sure about the use of any kind of restraint though.


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## dodgie (Aug 9, 2008)

Friendly word of warning magpies like to peck you wright in the EYE.


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## Ramsayi (Aug 9, 2008)

dodgie said:


> Friendly word of warning magpies like to peck you wright in the EYE.



Don't know about that but I have another word of caution.

They often like to try and feed you garden skinks,especially when you aren't looking. :shock:


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## Nagraj (Aug 9, 2008)

Have you questioned other qualified wildlife carers about diet and caging issues as either of those could be behind the feather issue and tail feathers breaking halfway is a classic sign of too small a cage.

Roo mince is probably lacking in enough calcium and other minerals for adequate feather growth. I'd be surprised if a magpie could find adequate nutrition in a single suburban backyard.

There is also a horse product called Biotin which is anecdotally reported to help feather regrowth in birds.

Have a look at the wild Magpies in your area and see if they are in the same state as your bird. It could be that they are all due for a spring moult and will soon produce shiny new feathers all over.


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## hornet (Aug 9, 2008)

thats 1 hot bird


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## nuthn2do (Aug 9, 2008)

I'd be using beef mince with insectivore mix, roo mince alone is is very lean and lacking a lot of nutrition. Broken tail feathers are par for the course when a bird won't fly and unless she has bald patches elsewhere i wouldn't worry about her plucking. Apart from that she looks ok in those pics but it's not unusual for them to get scraggly looking this time of year.

I'll just add that if you see her picking things up and poking them under her feathers (anting) it could be a sign of lice, that i would treat her for but i would not wash her with soap


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## 1234webb (Aug 9, 2008)

Thats a lovely bird. Sorry I dont know the exact answer to your questions. I have a permit to legally keep the magpie but haven't been able to find out anywhere to get one. 

Does anyone know where I may be able to get one or a pair ?


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## dodgie (Aug 9, 2008)

Ramsayi said:


> Don't know about that but I have another word of caution.



My aunty works for wires and it's happend to her.


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## nuthn2do (Aug 9, 2008)

dodgie said:


> My aunty works for wires and it's happend to her.


Many birds will go an eye as a defence, herons and egrets are renown for it. Magpies just do it for the reflection or fun


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## RedEyeGirl (Aug 9, 2008)

aw that is one beautiful bird there!
Tara


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## koubee (Aug 9, 2008)

i love magies, great birds, very very smart.
Not sure of answers but ssssnakeman might, he has Tookie, a young raven.


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## rosequoll (Aug 9, 2008)

She's not caged at all.

She's fed additional food and the roo mince has added calcium and insectivor mix, as well as the crickets being dusted occasionally. Believe me, she's well looked after. =/ She's been vet checked multiple times as well, and has serious health problems as a little baby with being so starved that her liver was actually shutting down. She's perfectly healthy now, minus the damaged primary feather follicles and her hatred of her own tail, it seems. The reason now for her feathers not growing in on the wings is a combination of follicle damage and her using her wings to climb and jump around...when she only has one primary in, it snaps because she's rough with it, rinse and repeat. Short of caging her, I can't do much to force her to let them grow in. :|

Local magpies are looking ratty, but she's particularly greasy looking at the moment. She's playing in the water I give her for baths, but wont preen afterwards so she tends to dry all gross and spiikey.

I'll assume you were trying to be helpful, and not really insinuating that I don't take care of her well. I promise you, she gets the best food and care that I could possible provide, and her vet is one of the top certified avian vets in the area.

I'll do some research into the Biotin though, thanks!



Nagraj said:


> Have you questioned other qualified wildlife carers about diet and caging issues as either of those could be behind the feather issue and tail feathers breaking halfway is a classic sign of too small a cage.
> 
> Roo mince is probably lacking in enough calcium and other minerals for adequate feather growth. I'd be surprised if a magpie could find adequate nutrition in a single suburban backyard.
> 
> ...



I started out on beef mince, and she didn't like it as a baby, so I just got stuck into roo mince. I might do a mix, or see what she thinks of beef now that she's quite a bit older. I use the insectivore mix as well, and calcium powder mixed in. She likes to catch little balls of it that I throw to her.

She's very well feathered all over minus the tail. I've gotten used to scraggly tail and wings with her, she flaps and flops when trying to climb up things and jump up onto branches I have setup in the backyard, and is always bashing her tail and wings around on stuff.

I treat her regularly for mites and lice, just as a precaution since she spends 100% of her time on the ground, plus I setup water for her to play and bathe in at least once a week. I guess she's just being a scraggly teenager. Her beak has FINALLY gone grey and black, rather than that purpley grey of babies, so I'm thinking this next moult might give her the ádult' plumage. I can't wait!. 



nuthn2do said:


> I'd be using beef mince with insectivore mix, roo mince alone is is very lean and lacking a lot of nutrition. Broken tail feathers are par for the course when a bird won't fly and unless she has bald patches elsewhere i wouldn't worry about her plucking. Apart from that she looks ok in those pics but it's not unusual for them to get scraggly looking this time of year.
> 
> I'll just add that if you see her picking things up and poking them under her feathers (anting) it could be a sign of lice, that i would treat her for but i would not wash her with soap



I actually just had the jewelry out that morning, I don't wear the jewelry all the time. I think the tattoos suit me just fine, thank you though. 

To each their own though, I don't mind.



Danny.Boy said:


> hmm the tats.. i don't know if they suit you, and by the looks of it you had stretchers in, nice move getting them removed .. however they didn't leave your ears too justified.


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## $NaKe PiMp (Aug 9, 2008)

maggies are noble birds


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## xander (Aug 9, 2008)

What a cutie. What you could try is lightly squeeing the preen gland and then rubbng onto the feathers .what that does is also stimulates the preen gland to oil the feathers.


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