hatching rheas?

[yetihunter]

I found some rhea eggs for sale on eBay... Are there good fertility rates this time of year?

Are rheas dangerous?

Can they free range?

Will they protect themselves from predators?

Do they need heat in the winter in cold weather and what is considered cold?

Thanks

 

[BirdBoySurpreme]

Probably?

They're cantankerous five-foot-tall birds, what do you think?

Wouldn't recommend full free-range unless the area is fenced-in. I'd recommend about 1/2 acre plot of land with some shade, fenced in at around 4-6ft/1-2 meter-tall fencing with a small indoor shed.

Unless you've got bears and wolves, I wouldn't worry about predators.

Heat in the shed would be nice, but they're really cold-hardy. Really, heat wouldn't be necessary unless you're in sub-zero temps.


I don't keep these birds, I got this info from the internet and a local zoo, so this is all second+ hand info. Honestly, if you're going for Ratites, Emus make better pets, as Rheas are known to be more aggressive on occasion. Best of luck!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I had a Rhea as a young teenager! One of our neighbors got one from a gentleman who had raised it in his apartment in San Francisco! Apparently he hatched it and then it became too big so he gave it to the local pet bird store, which my neighbor owned. We had a small property at the time with various animals so they asked if we could keep the Rhea on our property. It was quirky and fun, it ate dry dog food. It was a male and when it became sexually mature, it became quite aggressive. This is over 40 years ago but I remember it well!