Lots of bhc Questions

[friendcaique]

great caique care information link!!

hi everyone i just foun this site and thought it would be good for newbies with caiques to read! Caique Diet and Care
hope this helps!

 

[friendcaique]

im just looked up a green cheek conure looking to see if it would be my kind of bird i just don't know. i already have looked at a sun conure.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

I have 3 blk headed caiques a greencheek and a sun [plus more] . You want the "Caique" Greta was my first bird . Their GREAT !!! So much personality they dont touch my other small birds . Post more later

 

[friendcaique]

hi and thanks for the replies. i want to get as many opinions as a can, i have asked before, for this question, what kinds of toys do you use? also what time do you put your birds to bed?when do they wake up because i need to figure that out so i know when to put a caique to sleep because i read birds are supposed to get 12 hours of sleep a day. i still go to school so that may effect it

 

[smartiecoco]

I agree with all of the above posts.

DO your research. We can tell you all we want that they are "headstrong", "hyperactive", "ADHD birds" etc etc but knowing is different than experiencing.

I've had my two BHC for 6 month now. Just imaging a 2 y.o child running around the house screaming for attention 12-14hr of the day. Imaging 30-40+ years of this non stop. They are not the type of parrots that will "take a break" and sit with you and preen while you work or watch TV (of course there are the lucky exceptions). Majority of the time they demand attention, interaction, things to do, things to chew and destroy.

I have two of them simply because this way I get a break as well, at least if I'm not paying attention to them, they will entertain and keep each other busy.

 

[Leah_Jones]

it really depends on how you are as a person. I have never had a bird before, but i have been studying ornithology and avian culture for a few months now. I went to a rescue and talked to one of the employees at the rescue and the very first thing they brought out to me was a caique. I spent the entire day with numerous birds (3 corellas, 3 sun conures, 2 hawns macaws, 5 B&G, 1 Scarlet, 1 ruby macaw, 1 green winged, 4 frican greys, cockatiels, amazons, lories, budgies, a hacinth macaw, and a toucan) and the caique was for me the best suited, Yes they can be nippy but they werent anything more than dont touch my head warnings. In fact the only bird that even bit me hard enough that it drew blood was a corella. And too the person with 11 caiques how did you end up with so many? Why do you have them if they are "Biting birds?"

 

[Leah_Jones]

I highly DONT recommend a sun conure to any one.

 

[ceegull]

What is wrong with suns? My one is like a robot and he screeches these wierd tunes BUT is a beautiful birdand wouldnt swap it. He is well behaved which is what I like too.

 

[Irishj9]

And too the person with 11 caiques how did you end up with so many? Why do you have them if they are "Biting birds?"

I have so many cos I love them.
I have space for them in a big avairy
I dont have cats to torment them
I dont have little humans to make their lives a living hell, with erratic waving arms and juvenile emotional outbursts beside the birds


I have a rare breed you dont get in the states. And no mine dont bite, because I dont wind them up and ignore warnings.

Not many people are willing to put in the effort to understand their body language

They are highly opinionated and very physical birds.

You wont SLIDE ON BY with a half assed effort at bird ownership if you buy a caique. They require a LOT of effort

 

[lplummer52]

Hey Irish! Love your posts! I am sitting here chuckling to myself. I wanted a caique in the worst way, but couldn't find any within driving distance. I finally found a breeder about 3 hours away, but she had a long waiting list and no chicks on the ground yet. Long story short, I ended up with a Sun Conure. I met a girl who has both and said although she loves them both, the Conure is way easier. My vet said the same thing. He said the Caique requires lots of attention and should never be an only bird. Every individual is different, of course. But I'm with you....not for a first time parrot owner.

 

[lplummer52]

Love, love, love your photos!

 

[onthehunt]

Or should i just learn more and get more expierience handeling them?

This is strictly coming from -my- experiences as a person who has worked with parrots (of all sizes) for about 5 years.

If you are educated with parrots, have experience handling parrots, and have a large support system (parrot clubs, breeder support, etc), I don't see why you cannot have a Caique.

Yes they are headstrong

Yes, they are beaky

Yes, they become overstimulated and can have "black outs" where they get aggressive and nippy.

Everything with a mouth bites.

If you educate yourself, indulge in every forum, book, and website and take in every ounce of research, you are setting yourself to be able to handle situations such as overstimulation. In my opinion, Caiques are lovely birds. They may bond with one specific person, but I have yet to meet a Caique (that is properly socialized) that isn't accepting of strangers, and I have yet to meet a Caique that has bitten my face (though my hands have been shredded before because I hadn't learned body language yet).

For a lot of people who adopt Caiques, they adopt them because of their accepting and loving nature to current, and new members of the family.

Parrots are parrots. You need to be educated before getting any species. In my experience, I would never recommend an Amazon because to me, they have shown tendencies to be exceptionally aggressive at time of sexual maturity (and when they are aggressive, they literally aim to shred), however I know people who have had different experiences with Amazons will look at me, shake their head, and say "my experiences with Amazons have been perfect" (and I will envy them because I love Amazons, but I have just had bad experiences).

Caiques have nasty bites. So do Conures. So do Parrotlets. So do Macaws. So do Amazons.

My worst bite, where my skin was peeled, was from a GCC.

If you are willing to do your homework, and set yourself up for success, then I don't see why you couldn't have a Caique as a first bird. Please read that sentence carefully: you must do your homework. If you have pet stores around, or parrot clubs, anywhere where you can have access to handling a Caique, do it. Handle any parrot you can, actually. Go to pet stores, get bit, realize what you're getting into. Call breeders, CALL CALL CALL. Ask questions, take notes, save valuable information. Expose yourself. Creep these forums. Creep facebook parrot groups (for example, here in Canada we have a Canadian Parrot Association), educate yourself.

You can be a fourth time bird owner, and completely mess up your Caique's home life because you didn't educate yourself.

You can be a first time bird owner with a happy, healthy, well socialized, and well mannered Caique because you realized exactly what you were getting into, and learned how to work through road blocks.

Maybe I am biased because I personally have only worked with parrots, never owned one, and I plan on getting a Caique or a B&G Macaw, but I know a lot of breeders who have told me it isn't about how many birds you have owned, it's about how knowledgeable you are when it comes to parrots in general.

Know that every species has a quirk that you need to decide if you want to work through it. Like people, every individual parrot has a flaw.

Good luck in whatever species you plan on researching Just please take one thing away from my response: EDUCATE AND EXPERIENCE.