Is it legal to keep a magpie as a pet in NZ?

yep

We had one when i was little, so long as you have a large enough enclosure initially (and are patient and have tough skin for the taming of the damn thing, they are pointy pirds).

ours ate mostly dogroll and meat scraps

My pet magpie Harley was my best friend though my teenage years.

They are brilliant companions. Bare in mind even as pets they are highly territorial and noisy.

Got harley when he was very young. There had been a big wind storm and i found him on a roadside hopping around because he was too young to fly. I walked up to him and he just flopped over on his back and waggled his legs at me. It was love at 1st sight i think.

Harley was a full house bird. He had a large dog cage thing for nights and when guests came round but roamed (or flew) the house during the day. He would perch on doors, curtain rails and chairs and warble away like mad at the wildlife out the windows. Loved hooning down the hallway and flying round like a demon. He was toilet trianed to the extent that he would only poop on dads chairs. :roll:

We always had to be careful of guests especially males. Harley would go beserk and try to defend our "territory".

I have tons of photos of him doin alsorts of bizzare stuff. Best pic had to be when he fell asleep lyin on his back in the middle of the lounge floor. :lol:

Olly, do you already have a magpie, or is your next step to go and catch one?

I have had 3 maggies over the years. They are very clever and take some sorting out. I clipped both wings on one and it would climb a tree and then get enough steam up to go from fence to fence for about 10 sections specially to annoy an alsation that it had terrified. Put the dog next door over the edge as well. the owner used to tie it to an outside table so the bird would land on the table because it knew the dog couldn't get to it. Dog would go crazy--owner would come out and as soon as he held the dog bird would attack and peck its nose. In the end I had to get rid of it. Gave it to a lady on a farm whose maggie had been run over. She let it grow its feathers back and the next year it was nesting in the nearby trees. Great pets if you can handle them. You can keep them they are introduced.

Mystic said she had some as pet, they make good pets. Dont lock it up though as thats not fair. Best to be raised on a Farm where its close to nature and as close to the wild as possible. (only fair for the bird)

Do you get one from Trademe, as we saw one on there.

My mother said she had one when she was young that talked :-? :lol:

Is it legal to keep a magpie as a pet in NZ?

well if you do get a magpie (i used to have 5 crows in india when i was a wee lille lad) come over and let it play with rusty!

Mystic said she had some as pet, they make good pets. Dont lock it up though as thats not fair. Best to be raised on a Farm where its close to nature and as close to the wild as possible. (only fair for the bird)

Do you get one from Trademe, as we saw one on there.

is it unfair to the fish that we dont keep them with access to a river?

just putting it out there

my 15yr old sister found one blown out of a nest on my parents farm but my mum wont let her keep it cos they eat native bird eggs and chicks, and the cat wants to kill it. I'm thinking about having it as an inside bird that would live in a cage over night, but could fly around the house most of the day.

it cant fly yet and is very friendly and rides on her shoulder/head everywhere

get it!

they are really good pets man.... seriously get it!

really really intelligent too...

just putting it out there

Put it somewhere else, lol.

We are talking wild bird here, not tank raised or already captive raised here, so dont even go there mate.

Mine had an aviary at night and the run of the house, yard and neighbourhood during the day. I had 3 and I found them all out in the country having fallen out of the nest. Clever little beasties -- will teach you a thing or two. Don't feed mince if you have a sneaky butcher that puts SO2 in it. Instant throwup. Some tricky butchers who put mutton in their minced meat add metabisulphite to stop it going grey. Birdie don't like.

Mine had an aviary at night and the run of the house, yard and neighbourhood during the day. I had 3 and I found them all out in the country having fallen out of the nest. Clever little beasties -- will teach you a thing or two. Don't feed mince if you have a sneaky butcher that puts SO2 in it. Instant throwup. Some tricky butchers who put mutton in their minced meat add metabisulphite to stop it going grey. Birdie don't like.

Excellent advice!

The only good magpie is a .......

I wont go there, eh ballistic

LOL puttputt, dont go upsetting Mystic now dude! Ha!

Lucid

LOL puttputt, dont go upsetting Mystic now dude! Ha!

Lucid

Or me! :evil:

Puttputt - Run dude RUN! lol!

do they make much mess? I live in a flat and if it made too much mess I cant have it

Mystic said yes, and they steal things, and fly into everything, and knock over stuff, and poop EVERYWHERE! Ha!

But still awesome things to have!

that sux

I had an RC dogfight with one a few months ago, camera on the nose facing backward...

ours spent nights in an enclosure i think (a big one though, my dad could walk about in it, so plenty big) and pottered about the place otherwise. They are natural pains in the butt really (more politely- mischef makers), stealing, noisey, messy, destroying stuff, pointy bits

but thats what some people look for in a pet

Do get it and care for it, Mystic would hate to think its left out on its own.

they make mess - BUT you can potty train them.

takes time and patience but it can be done.

so you should definitely get him / her.