# keeping Rhea?



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

hi ihaveseen rhea for sale before and love them , but iwaswondering how do you keepthem ? i haveseen them in the loal zoo with a pen only aout 15'x10' and i was thinking we have a garden about 3 times that big lol, so how do you keep them ? 
thanks
ismail


----------



## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

Depends, are we talking the Chris Rhea or Dyer Rhea species? Both have slightly different needs due to the fact that Chris Rhea can be quite noisy and annoy the neighbours if they can hear your Chris Rhea all the time. Dyer Rhea can be very messy to have and can cause odour problems but has an unusual call "ohhhhgoddwhydididrinksomuchandhavethatcurrylastnight?".

:whistling2:


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

Fixx said:


> Depends, are we talking the Chris Rhea or Dyer Rhea species? Both have slightly different needs due to the fact that Chris Rhea can be quite noisy and annoy the neighbours if they can hear your Chris Rhea all the time. Dyer Rhea can be very messy to have and can cause odour problems but has an unusual call "ohhhhgoddwhydididrinksomuchandhavethatcurrylastnight?".
> 
> :whistling2:


 
ok lol,but whats the most common ?i have no idea how to keep them but would love some caresheets to read.


----------



## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

I used to look after a pair of Rhea in an old job. They were easy enough to care for - they were fed a diet of layers pellets, corn, fruit, veg & grasses. They had a large paddock which could haveeasily housed many more than 2 Rhea. One day, a loose dog chased one of the Rhea, which managed to escape & went on a spree in the neighbouring village. Myself & a collegue had to go to wrangle it, with the police watching worryingly. :lol2:


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

that sounds fun lol. any one have any are sheets,
ismail


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

:roll: any one


----------



## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Maybe you should email a zoo that keeps the species.


----------



## rock-steady (Oct 30, 2007)

I am getting some eggs from a breeder in a month. The best way to find out care is to ask the breeder direct or as said before ask a zoo. They are relativly easy to care for as long as they have the correct diet I have been told: victory:


----------



## katiec (Mar 3, 2008)

They are very strong and can give a powerful kick, why would you want to keep them in your back garden just out of interest?


----------



## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

Im planning on keeping these one day after falling in love with the ones at work :flrt:
They're better kept in flocks of five or more, its better to have more than one male, but be aware that where more than one male is involved youll have to have at least an acre of land available to them so that they dont fight 

Feeding rhea is very cheap, they eat clover, alfalfa, browse, the tops of root vegetables, heather, layers pellets, turkey compound, cabages, insects, whatever else they can forage...

You can either provide them with a large shelter to be locked away in at night or provide several three sided lean to's for them to kip in. Despite their size and somewhat "flighty" nature their fencing doesnt have to be elaborate, ordinary sheep fencing will do.

In terms or temprement, they can get panicked by loud noises and sudden movements so you have to walk slowly around them so that they don't get frightened and bolt. Once they learn to trust you they're quite friendly and inquisitive, especially if you raise them from chicks.

They taste really nice,kinda like steak and very low in fat, but if you were planning on rearing them for their meat you'd have to look around for an abbotoir that'll take them becase there arent a great deal of them that are licensed to slaughter rhea


----------



## ophidianman (Sep 5, 2008)

katiec said:


> They are very strong and can give a powerful kick, why would you want to keep them in your back garden just out of interest?


I used to have a group of 2.3 Rheas. Easy enough to care for and they aren't on the DWAA list unlike Ostriches. As Katie said they do have a wicked kick on them. This was sustained whilst attempting to capture them to move them to a different field.











The males get really lairy during the breeding season. Here is a pic of a young Jerry Cole from BJ Herp Supplies trying to keep one of my males at arms reach!!


----------



## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

I'd be proud of a kick like that:flrt: Bet it bloody hurt though :lol2: I cant wait till I can save up some money and get some land, I think theyre beautiful and fascinating :flrt:


----------



## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

they are lovly birds we have some eggs in the bator just now


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

how much land would one need? wouldit be better tobuy a bator and a egg ? can they be tamed if hand reared ?


----------



## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

Youll need quite a few eggs as they should be kept in flocks  

They can become quite tame when hand reared, but being flighty is in their nature and its always a good idea to be careful around them especially breeding males...

You'd need at least an acre, but it all depends on how many you want to get


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

lolli think i could only keep one.


----------



## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

reptismail said:


> hi ihaveseen rhea for sale before and love them , but iwaswondering how do you keepthem ? i haveseen them in the loal zoo with a pen only aout 15'x10' and i was thinking we have a garden about 3 times that big lol, so how do you keep them ?
> thanks
> ismail


 you need a chuffing massive chicken coop :mf_dribble::lol2:


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

:whistling2::whistling2::whistling2:


----------



## redgeorge (Jun 20, 2009)

I keep rheas I have 3 females and 2 males and an incubator full of eggs which will hopefully start hatching in the next few days. I have had my rheas for almost 3 yrs now. There are 2 types; grey and white, mine are the less common pure white. I will dig out some photos and post them up.


----------



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

cool, thanks ,ehat tyoe of pets do they make ? are you selling ? can youkeep just 1 individual?


----------



## redgeorge (Jun 20, 2009)

Rheas are best kept in groups as they like the company of their own sort, I don't think a single rhea would be happy on its own, I recommend keeping at least a couple but preferably a trio. Depending on how my hatchings go this season and ratios of male/female I will more than likely have some chicks available for sale.


----------



## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

I take it you've checked with your parents and they are happy to have a trio of large flightless birds in their garden Ismail?


----------

