I'm on the hunt for a parrot friend. Deciding between a caique or red bellied. I had a caique a few years back so I'm familiar with them but never really experience the issues that some people had with them. And I know nonething about red bellied or poicephalus for that matter. Can I get some pros and cons for both. My caique was a attention screecher but at the time I lived in a bigger house so that wasn't an issue. Now I'm in a smaller house I'm not sure if that will work for me. Let me know everyone's experience with both birds.
Red bellied parrot or caique?
- Thread starter Leo13
- Start date
Lunarsprint
New member
- Aug 10, 2018
- 15
- 0
That's a tough choice, I've had neither but I frequent the local bird shop, so I've handled many birds, I will say I've seen more talking red bellies than caiques, other than that typical personalities are similar with red bellies usually being a bit more calm, at least to my experience.
Pois aren't usually loud and their typical calls range from chirps whistles and clicks, my Myers and Brownhead typically have an upper volume and tone range that sounds like a smoke detector dead battery chirp.
Pois aren't usually loud and their typical calls range from chirps whistles and clicks, my Myers and Brownhead typically have an upper volume and tone range that sounds like a smoke detector dead battery chirp.
Last edited:
MauiWendy
New member
I love Caiques. They are such happy busy birds. For that reason, I couldn't handle the energy of a Caique. They are just busy all-the-time. Also, I live in an apartment, and for that reason I chose a red bellied poi. He a 4 month old busy baby, but no where close to the energy of a Caique. His noise level is about a 2. He is noisy in the morning, because he see's me stir and then wants attention, and he gets noisy in the evening, when the sun is going down. He will also get vocal when I come home from work, because he is happy to see me. But he has the cute baby noises going on. Other than that, he is not noisy. I will also say that he is less noisy then when I had my Senegal. Rio was louder, and more fussy, he is laid back and cool . But they are similar to the type of chatter, its just the volume is different.
EllenD
New member
- Aug 20, 2016
- 3,979
- 68
- Parrots
- Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
This is going to all depend on how much time you have to devote to the bird each and every day...I absolutely hate putting an actual "time" on this at all, but it's the only way to really make people see what is going to be required to keep a parrot happy and healthy, and from developing neurological and feather-destructive/self-mutilation issues...So i usually tell people that if you aren't able to dedicate at the very least 4-5 hours a day to a parrot, then don't get one. They all have the intelligence of a 3-5 year-old human child, even the smallest of the parrot species such as Parrotlets, Budgies, Cockatiels, etc. All of them need to be allowed to be out of their cages for at least 4-5 hours every single day, and when they are inside of their cages they need to always have 6-10 different types of toys at all times, one for chewing, one for foraging,
one for just playing with/throwing around, foot-toys, etc, and then also additional "Foraging Activities" that you can actually make for them, such as Foraging-Boxes, Wooden-Block Puzzles, etc. Again, I hate to put an actual time on that, but if you've already owned a Caique, and as you stated "he was an attention screecher", then you know exactly what I'm talking about...
Aside from that, I don't know why you no-longer own your Caique, but like you already found out, they are very "hands-on" parrots that need a ton of direct-interaction, attention, and love every single day for them to stay happy and both physically and psychologically healthy. I would never say that one species of parrot needs more direct attention than another, simply because they ALL need as much attention as possible and if they start having behavioral issues/aggression, it's usually due to a lack of enough out-of-cage-time and direct interaction every single day probably 90% of the time. That being said, Caiques are extremely intelligent birds that crave being with "their person", the person that they bond the closest with. Again, I don't know why you no longer have your Caique (life happens, I know), but their average lifespan, if fed a healthy, varied, low-fat diet and are given the amount of exercise, love, attention, and mental stimulation that they require, is well into their mid to late 20's...
Shifting gears, let's talk about the Poicephalus parrots....They are all very similar in their personalities and behaviors, and they too are extremely intelligent, have the ability to use logic and reason, and possess the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human child. They too require lots of love, direct attention, direct interaction, and the same amount of your time every single day...The main difference between a Caique and any of the Poicephalus Parrots, such as the Red Bellied Parrot, is their desire to be physically held/snuggled/touched all the time, though this is also all TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON THE INDIVIDUAL BIRD. Caiques are little clowns that typically love to be snuggled, held, etc. (Assuming that the bird you get was hand-raised and not a parent-raised bird that hasn't ever been handled, or a former breeder-bird; keep in-mind that a parent-raised parrot can also be hand-tamed and become just as loving and interactive as any hand-raised bird, if you are willing to put-in the time and effort)...
Poicephalus parrots, in-general are usually not as hands-on, meaning that "snuggling" is not the number one thing on their minds. (I hate having to say this, because again, it all depends on the individual bird, how they were raised, the type of environment, routine, and attention you provide to them, etc.) They are seemingly more "serious" birds, not as clownish as a Caique...However, I'll say it again, this all depends on each, individual bird, how they were raised by their breeder, and most of all, how YOU treat them, raise them, the environment that you provide them, and how you interact with them every day...
***I have a Senegal Parrot, a male named Kane, who just turned 2 years-old in October. I brought Kane home when he was 13-weeks old, and he came from an excellent, very experienced parrot breeder who has been breeding and hand-raising parrots for decades (this is very important if you're thinking of getting a baby and not adopting an adult, I don't know what your plans are as far as this goes). He was pulled from his nest-box at 2 and a half weeks-old and then hand-raised/hand-fed by his breeder from that point on, along with his one brother. His breeder did such an excellent job of socializing him, spending a ton of time with him, letting he and his brother be free-flying in his house all day long, and just providing him with a ton of attention, socialization, etc. So when I showed-up at the breeder to pick him up, his breeder opened-up his cage door and Kane came right out onto the door and then flew right to his breeder's arm. Kane stepped-up for me the very first time that I simply put my hand down for him, and we never looked back...I had driven 9-hours one-way to pick him up, didn't arrive at the breeder's house until around 9:00 p.m. or so, left with baby Kane around 10:00 p.m., and took Kane out of the carrier and he jumped right up onto my shoulder for the 30-minute drive to the hotel...And the very first night of him being with me, he slept the entire night through on my chest while i was laying in bed...I woke-up the next morning to find a chubby little Senegal face staring at me from the very same spot on my chest he was when I fell asleep...So you can see what I'm trying to say here, and the point I'm trying to make about not generalizing the personality of a parrot species, because you just can't go by parrot-stereotypes and be very accurate. At the same time, it is very important to know the history of the bird you are thinking of taking home, where they came from, how many owners have they had, how were they treated by their prior owners, or if getting a baby then were they hand-raised or parent-raised, at what age were they pulled from the nest-box (should be no-earlier than 2-weeks old, and no-later than 3 weeks old), were they well-socialized by their breeder, how experienced is their breeder, and most importantly how the baby interacted with you when you first met them/tried to handle them/get them to step-up...Did they bite (all baby birds are going to be a bit "nippy", and both the species that you're looking at have larger beaks that they use to climb-up onto you, so don't confuse "using their beaks" with biting)...
***You haven't said anything about what you are looking for in a parrot, as far as what personality you are looking for, any specific traits/qualities that you are looking for, if you're thinking of bringing home a young baby bird or adopting an adult bird from a Rescue or from a private-party that is re-homing their bird, etc. So a little more info from you about what you are thinking and what you are looking for might help us to help you...
one for just playing with/throwing around, foot-toys, etc, and then also additional "Foraging Activities" that you can actually make for them, such as Foraging-Boxes, Wooden-Block Puzzles, etc. Again, I hate to put an actual time on that, but if you've already owned a Caique, and as you stated "he was an attention screecher", then you know exactly what I'm talking about...
Aside from that, I don't know why you no-longer own your Caique, but like you already found out, they are very "hands-on" parrots that need a ton of direct-interaction, attention, and love every single day for them to stay happy and both physically and psychologically healthy. I would never say that one species of parrot needs more direct attention than another, simply because they ALL need as much attention as possible and if they start having behavioral issues/aggression, it's usually due to a lack of enough out-of-cage-time and direct interaction every single day probably 90% of the time. That being said, Caiques are extremely intelligent birds that crave being with "their person", the person that they bond the closest with. Again, I don't know why you no longer have your Caique (life happens, I know), but their average lifespan, if fed a healthy, varied, low-fat diet and are given the amount of exercise, love, attention, and mental stimulation that they require, is well into their mid to late 20's...
Shifting gears, let's talk about the Poicephalus parrots....They are all very similar in their personalities and behaviors, and they too are extremely intelligent, have the ability to use logic and reason, and possess the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human child. They too require lots of love, direct attention, direct interaction, and the same amount of your time every single day...The main difference between a Caique and any of the Poicephalus Parrots, such as the Red Bellied Parrot, is their desire to be physically held/snuggled/touched all the time, though this is also all TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON THE INDIVIDUAL BIRD. Caiques are little clowns that typically love to be snuggled, held, etc. (Assuming that the bird you get was hand-raised and not a parent-raised bird that hasn't ever been handled, or a former breeder-bird; keep in-mind that a parent-raised parrot can also be hand-tamed and become just as loving and interactive as any hand-raised bird, if you are willing to put-in the time and effort)...
Poicephalus parrots, in-general are usually not as hands-on, meaning that "snuggling" is not the number one thing on their minds. (I hate having to say this, because again, it all depends on the individual bird, how they were raised, the type of environment, routine, and attention you provide to them, etc.) They are seemingly more "serious" birds, not as clownish as a Caique...However, I'll say it again, this all depends on each, individual bird, how they were raised by their breeder, and most of all, how YOU treat them, raise them, the environment that you provide them, and how you interact with them every day...
***I have a Senegal Parrot, a male named Kane, who just turned 2 years-old in October. I brought Kane home when he was 13-weeks old, and he came from an excellent, very experienced parrot breeder who has been breeding and hand-raising parrots for decades (this is very important if you're thinking of getting a baby and not adopting an adult, I don't know what your plans are as far as this goes). He was pulled from his nest-box at 2 and a half weeks-old and then hand-raised/hand-fed by his breeder from that point on, along with his one brother. His breeder did such an excellent job of socializing him, spending a ton of time with him, letting he and his brother be free-flying in his house all day long, and just providing him with a ton of attention, socialization, etc. So when I showed-up at the breeder to pick him up, his breeder opened-up his cage door and Kane came right out onto the door and then flew right to his breeder's arm. Kane stepped-up for me the very first time that I simply put my hand down for him, and we never looked back...I had driven 9-hours one-way to pick him up, didn't arrive at the breeder's house until around 9:00 p.m. or so, left with baby Kane around 10:00 p.m., and took Kane out of the carrier and he jumped right up onto my shoulder for the 30-minute drive to the hotel...And the very first night of him being with me, he slept the entire night through on my chest while i was laying in bed...I woke-up the next morning to find a chubby little Senegal face staring at me from the very same spot on my chest he was when I fell asleep...So you can see what I'm trying to say here, and the point I'm trying to make about not generalizing the personality of a parrot species, because you just can't go by parrot-stereotypes and be very accurate. At the same time, it is very important to know the history of the bird you are thinking of taking home, where they came from, how many owners have they had, how were they treated by their prior owners, or if getting a baby then were they hand-raised or parent-raised, at what age were they pulled from the nest-box (should be no-earlier than 2-weeks old, and no-later than 3 weeks old), were they well-socialized by their breeder, how experienced is their breeder, and most importantly how the baby interacted with you when you first met them/tried to handle them/get them to step-up...Did they bite (all baby birds are going to be a bit "nippy", and both the species that you're looking at have larger beaks that they use to climb-up onto you, so don't confuse "using their beaks" with biting)...
***You haven't said anything about what you are looking for in a parrot, as far as what personality you are looking for, any specific traits/qualities that you are looking for, if you're thinking of bringing home a young baby bird or adopting an adult bird from a Rescue or from a private-party that is re-homing their bird, etc. So a little more info from you about what you are thinking and what you are looking for might help us to help you...
MauiWendy
New member
Wow Ellen, well written.
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