Let's talk about caiques and conures a bit!

[dskidd]

(everything!)

Wow, thank you for writing this up. Very helpful! And the neck-cuddling sounds absurdly cute. I agree that it seems like how you handle them affects how they want to be handled pretty strongly.

You're very welcome. As others around here will tell you, being succinct and to the point isn't one of my attributes, so I appreciate your patience in reading all of that.

And I'm sure the last thing you need is yet ANOTHER recommendation as to which type of parrot you should get. It must be confusing enough already. Still, I would be remiss if I didn't urge you to consider the boneless caique. I've posted this before; nevertheless, here's a photo of one in its natural habitat:

 

[Kisota]

HAHA!! Now THERE's a new suggestion!

I do prefer my animals to be amorphous solids! I will have to add that one to the top of my list! (Blackheadeds are my favorite of the two.... <333)

As far as being succinct goes... well, you've seen the first post here. My intro thread was even WORSE. Even I was blown away by the wall of text I typed out. Since I'm a windbag, I think I owe it to everyone else to read whatever they write, especially when they're being so nice as to try to help me out!

The breeder in town updated their web page today. Some absurdly cute little greencheeks are there now. UGH. I hope I at least get to look at them tomorrow. Look at these little tykes. It shouldn't be legal to be that cute.

 

[jbail1026]

Sugarcreek! Yay! I haven't been there myself, but have read nothing but good things about them, and if/when I get a new feathered friend, they are on the top of my list. Best of luck to you!

 

[Kisota]

Sugarcreek! Yay! I haven't been there myself, but have read nothing but good things about them, and if/when I get a new feathered friend, they are on the top of my list. Best of luck to you!

Oh, that is SO good to hear you like them. I definitely got a good impression from them. Their store is BIG and airy and so clean!! Not even a hint of smell, despite all the big birdies and their food.

And they've got everything from good cages to toys, food (Roudybush in bulk? YES PLEASE), Aviator harnesses, Poop-Off, perches... everything you could ever want. And all their birds looked so happy and healthy! They have an adorable Hyacinth macaw and a hawkhead.

They've also been great about answering questions promptly by email and being willing to discuss things. They said they'd accommodate me if I didn't want my baby's wings to be clipped at all (and right now I'm learning toward no clip).

Their bird prices are really fair and they don't keep much behind closed doors. And they do all kinds of services like blood tests and nail and beak trims. They'll even board your bird while you're on vacation. The reviews I've seen of them have all been really positive. But it's more meaningful to hear it directly from another owner. And I haven't had a whole lot to compare them with. I was a teenager when I got my tiel and didn't realize until much later that the breeder I got her from was really breeding a TON of birds and it was kind of more like a mill...

So it's great to hear that others think they seem like a particularly good place to get a bird! It looks now like we might go in on Monday instead of Saturday, so it'll be less busy and we'll be more likely to find someone who has the time to talk to us.

The little green cheeks are SO CUTE. But I still can't resist caiques either. I'm hoping I'll eventually find something that will tip the scales for me, help me decide with greater certainty.

The green cheeks and caiques are duking it out on the top of my list right now. Fight for your team, ParrotForums owners!! Convince me which squadron of owners to join!

Still open to "dark horse" candidates as well, of course. ;P

 

[dskidd]

The little green cheeks are SO CUTE. But I still can't resist caiques either. I'm hoping I'll eventually find something that will tip the scales for me, help me decide with greater certainty.

The green cheeks and caiques are duking it out on the top of my list right now. Fight for your team, ParrotForums owners!! Convince me which squadron of owners to join!

Still open to "dark horse" candidates as well, of course. ;P

LOL! While I would love to "fight for my team," I'll resist doing so for two reasons:

1) I've discovered long ago that Eliza and Henry can fight for themselves without my help. Let's just say I don't rank very highly on the pecking order...

2) Slightly more seriously, if I did write "Oh my gosh, don't even think about it--get a caique!" I would run the risk of sounding like I'm putting down green-cheeks, Senegals, and the others, and I would never want to do that. I suspect that--no matter what bird I ended up getting--I would love it to pieces.

To put it another way: I know this sounds like I'm kidding around, but I'm absolutely sincere when I say I didn't choose Eliza. She chose me. That's pretty much exactly how it happened.

In short, you'll know which bird is right for you, because the bird will figure it out before you do! I'm looking forward to hearing about what transpires tomorrow!

Derek

 

[Nakiska]

Did you see the thread where a member measured the decibel level of different birds?

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/33087-parrot-noise-levels.html

In case you need a comparison (they always help me),

Near total silence - 0 dB
A whisper - 15 dB
Normal conversation - 60 dB
A lawnmower - 90 dB
A car horn - 110 dB
A rock concert or a jet engine - 120 dB
A gunshot or firecracker - 140 dB

We love our 2 Caiques. Our current apartment setup has ridiculously thick walls, so the noise isn't a problem. The only thing I caution you against is the cuddly statement. Bunsen & Beaker are very hands on. They love to wrestle, and they want to be involved in everything you're doing. They aren't cuddlebugs, though. There are some cuddly Caiques on this forum, I don't think it's a given with this species, though.

Ours are very adventurous. Over the summer, my wife takes them to her junior high dance camps, and they play well with all the kids. They definitely have the energy level you're looking for. It's basically all the joy and trouble of raising an ADHD child.

Let us know what you decide!
-Joel

ROFLOLOLOL!!! I'm not the only one!! YEAAAA! I've always described our little conure as ADHD with a splash of Bi-Polar...Hahahaha!

Toni

 

[Kisota]

Visited the breeder again tonight! They didn't seem to have their caiques at the store where most of the birds are. Shucks! But we did hold a little green cheek about 9 months old, I think? She was a little shy but was okay with stepping up and nervously tolerated a bit of touching. She nibbled our skin but not hard enough to hurt, though she did grab my thumbnail a little harder. Cute little thing. Too bad she wasn't more friendly.

The breeder's pet Senegal and Jardine's were VERY friendly, and the rose-breasted cockatoos talked a lot at us. The big Moluccan 'too was eager for lots of petting, as well. What a big (loud) sweetie!!

The people at the store, like many online, said the green cheeks tend to be decent apartment birds, but seemed a little unsure about the caiques. However, when I said "caique" they both eagerly started talking about how fun and pleasant of personalities the caiques have.

The other bit of information they gave me was that most of the people who buy birds from them do work full time and it is alright, even though they're bringing home pretty young babies. I've been on the fence about which would be better: waiting until summer so the bird has a better chance of being trained and socialized more thoroughly, or get one sooner so it can immediately get used to our usual full-time schedule. (As a grad student, I'd have a little more freedom in the summer).

They seemed to think getting the bird used to the typical schedule immediately, even if it's a little more stressful, is best. I sort of figured that. I could still get one during the summer, but I would definitely have to be careful not to "spoil" the baby and get it used to constant attention.

I think I will try to be more openminded about getting one sooner and just finding ways to make it work.

Shucks, though... I was hoping to meet some more friendly birds so we could directly compare a nice young greencheek to a nice young caique. We'll have to see what's at the bird fair next weekend. In the meantime, I might get on the waitlist for black-headed caiques so if we decide to go that route I'll have a fair shot at getting one. That is, if they have any this year. Apparently they didn't have any last year. But there's no waitlist on black-headeds at the moment!

I know it's hard to compare babies, since they're so much compliant than adults, but I think it's important that we get a feel for both types of birds. Sigh!! I hope we can meet some more next weekend!

 

[punkindave]

While there are species traits that are generally true, each bird is an individual and baby's reactions to new things can change day to day when they're this young.

Best advise is to invest the time visiting and you'll find a little bird that takes to you, you'll know it when it happens. The breed doesn't really matter as long as it meets the basic "living" needs (noise, size, attention requirements etc.) It's a long term relationship.
I was not really a bird fan until ScooterPie (who didn't care for most folks) jumped on my hand, ran up my arm and cheered from my shoulder for over an hour while surfing my shirt! I had been "chosen". Caiques seem to take to me for some reason (no accounting for taste)

 

[Kisota]

Thank you very much for saying that.

I realized recently that part of what I'm dealing with right now are these horrible twin anxieties: 1) Making the wrong decision and 2) Getting in over my head/being a poor caretaker as a result.

I've tried to remind myself that even when I got my cockatiel, I was in a little over my head, but every moment was worth it. I made do and figured it out as I went along, dealing with crazy things like an impacted preen gland (yes, seriously, and I had to medicate it daily after it was drained) and serious egg-laying that required hormone treatments.

I think part of my concern is that I live with my partner and so there's always the fear that although I can probably tolerate whatever we're up against, it could be a strain for him.

Yeesh! This should be something happy and exciting, but my underlying fears of incompetence and making wrong choices has even given me bad dreams as of late.

But hearing from you guys helps. I think ultimately, I need to stop worrying so much. Hopefully what you say is right, and we'll just find one that feels right and go with it.

 

[Feu]

I will always recommend a caique, as I love mine to death. I live in a one bedroom apartment, and though he yells from time to time, Huginn's never gotten any complaints. He doesn't yell when we're not home, and he loves to cuddle. My favourite is taking him for walks because, as you can see in the picture, he loves sitting inside my sweater and playing with the zipper:

I wouldn't say he holds still and lets you cuddle him - he's very active in his cuddling. He costed me about $750, but he's going to be with me for a long time and I wouldn't have gotten anything else.

 

[JadeC]

I have had a Quaker before and lived with a green cheek and a jenday conure and I would take my caique any time. I'd have to say my caique isn't loud and I live in an apartment. He's very outgoing and friendly, but he is still a bird. He gets scared sometimes and isn't ALWAYS friendly, and he's still a baby (11 months old). The main thing I'd mention about any bird is socialization and handling it. I firmly believe taking your bird on outings and letting it fly and get exercise is the key to any bird happiness. I bought my caique a huge cage because I'm a student and work full time and he does fine as long as he gets out of cage time and I take him to the pet stores or grocery shopping out any kind of outing with me. He's a very well rounded bird. He cuddles but usually only at night when he's sleepy. He likes playing and wrestling but not sitting and cuddling. He's a very sweet bird overall. You sound like me, and I would definitely recommend a caique!! They are sweet to multiple people you if you socialize them regularly. I paid $780 for my white bellied caique. I hope you get a caique!!!!!

 

[Kisota]

Oooh, wow, JadeC, that's good feedback. Thank you very much. Very useful post. I'm starting to think I'm really caught on the fence between the green cheeks and caiques. At this point, I think either one could be a really good fit, so probably I'm going to choose a bird based on the individual. If I find a baby GCC or caique that just really, really likes me, I'll probably go with that, whichever species it is.

The main thing I'd mention about any bird is socialization and handling it. I firmly believe taking your bird on outings and letting it fly and get exercise is the key to any bird happiness.

Yes! I agree very much. I definitely am going to do my best to work on heavy socialization, because I really want a pet that is happy to see new people. One of the reasons I like caiques is they seem to have a tendency toward being better with new people already, so socialization might work better.

It's great to know that they can work as apartment birds (at least in some cases), and that they can do alright even if their owners work during the day.

I admit, I do really like birds that enjoy cuddling a lot as well as being playful. But I'm sure I can find a pretty good balance with caiques.

 

[JadeC]

Well, no offense to anyone on here, but a lot of the issues, in my opinion, are due to clipping of the bird's wings. If a bird gets scared and can't fly away, it tends to be frightful of everything and everyone because it doesn't have a way to escape. Flying gets their energy out and they tend to scream less, bite less, and be more sweet, calm and mellow. You will rarely if ever see a flighted bird who plucks too. A lot of the issues we see in pet birds are due to not letting the bird do what it naturally does. People say conures are screamers, but I bet more than half of them are clipped or don't get enough exercise. The same with Labradors. If they don't get enough exercise and mental simulation, they tend to have a lot of issues. Conures are very much like labs in my opinion, because in the wild they fly a lot and chew up a lot of trees and shrubs. If a conure can get a lot of flight time and things to destroy, they can be very good birds, especially for apartments. I think my caique's calls and screams are more tolerable than that of a conure, but that's a matter of your preferences.

 

[Gizmomania]

:09erhaps this caique youtube video will help you make up your mind!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DIMJ2eENow"]Caique being silly. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JadeC]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XveUOsuqhb0&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Caique cuddles - YouTube[/ame]

I made you a video of how Meiko and I cuddle. Lol It's sort of a wrestle/cuddle. He holds onto my finger with his beak and rubs his head on my hands. I give him lots of kisses and scritches. Hehe

 

[Kisota]

Well, no offense to anyone on here, but a lot of the issues, in my opinion, are due to clipping of the bird's wings. Flying gets their energy out and they tend to scream less, bite less, and be more sweet, calm and mellow.

Totally. While I'm not strictly anti-clipping, I don't plan on doing it; the benefits of not doing it outweigh the benefits of having a clipped bird, especially if you're careful with the training.

And I haven't really heard caique screams in real life, but overall, from playing videos of their sounds, I find the conure noises more difficult to listen to because they're so squawky and hoarse. That fire-alarm yell caiques do is painfully high pitched, but it's not such a raspy, chaotic noise.

Thank you for sharing the cuddle video!! SO SO cute. I love how nudgy Meiko is with his beak. Very dog-like. I wonder if older caiques are that snuggly, though? They almost seem too energetic to want to calm down and be petted... at least until it's almost bedtime, haha.

And Gizmomania, YES, that is probably my favorite caique video. The way he just flops over is so precious.

My boyfriend is definitely preferring the greencheeks, mostly because they're smaller. He hasn't gotten to meet a caique yet, but I think the "bigger= more mess, more noise" thought is making him feel unsure about them.

 

[Gizmomania]

Walter is 6 years old and is extremely cuddly!

 

[JadeC]

Caiques really aren't that much bigger than a sun conure. They're heavier but not much bigger in size. Might need a bigger cage though. Hehe

 

[Kisota]

Walter is 6 years old and is extremely cuddly!

Great!! Does he have the Jekyll/Hyde personality I have heard about with caiques? I'm not terribly intimidated by that if it's not something that happens real frequently.

How about if you're just chilling out watching a movie or something? Will they hang out with you or are they just too go-go for that unless they're tired?

The size doesn't bother me. Frankly, I like parrots that are caique-sized, and I think their heaviness and chunky shape is totally adorable. Harness training also tends to be easier with birds that aren't teeny tiny, and that's something I was planning on attempting.

I was definitely planning on a big cage for a caique. They need all the space they can get!! Our apartment isn't very large, but I've measured out some spaces and we can definitely fit a great cage in here.

 

[JadeC]

They will definitely NOT hang out with you while watching a movie. Haha Unless you have one of the strange caiques. I don't know for sure since my caique isn't fully matured yet, but I think the flip personalities that you hear about in caiques is just because they're stubborn when it comes to something they want. Meiko can get mean if I'm taking something away that he wants, but I try to have something ready to give him as soon as he lets go. He's usually not too upset because he gets a treat or a more fun toy. I'm not sure though because every bird is different but I don't see Meiko turning on me or being mean just to be mean. There's usually a reason behind any time a bird bites or attacks. If Meiko seems really anxious and "bad" on a certain day, I take him outside or just let him play by himself or give him some fruit. Sometimes birds just want something but they can't tell us. Haha I try to read his signs instead of stacking it up to him just being mean for no reason.