Rehomed Caique - Beak question

[Grinder]

Hello Everyone,

I just took in a two year old Caique. The owner rehomed her because they couldnt offer her the time she needed with the parents having fulltime jobs and two children. I took her in without actually meeting her. I felt bad because she has a 'bum' leg and they weren't having any luck finding someone to take her. I think it was the high $400 rehoming fee. She came with a such a small cage - 17x18x36 (high). The cage size and bars were meant for a much smaller bird.

Her name is Pretty and she is a sweet girl without a doubt. She is actually at work with me right now (where they delivered her). Their children actually held her in their hands during the car ride here. You can see in the picture that she doesnt have much use of her right leg. It's almost as if the bones were fused from the ankle on up. The reason I took the picture is to show her beak. Has her beak gotten too long? When they brought her cage it had pretty much nothing in it as far as toys so I dont think she gets to chew and wear down her beak on anything. If it is too long is this something that can be corrected? I have lots of great toys for her at home. I'm hoping that will do the trick.

 

[aliray]

If it is too long which I suspect although I have never had a caique. A bird groomer or avian vet can trim it up safely for you and it is not a big deal. He is very cute. glad you got him . they are little clowns, congrats

 

[Grinder]

I am not sure of her activity or personality yet because of the bad leg. It will be interesting to see what her activity level is.

 

[aliray]

From what I understand handicapped birds do quite well She still has one good leg and her beak. Once you get her home with a few toys and she gets used to you and is comfortable with I think you will be surprised.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Poor thing is on wooden dows do they give her anything at all other can then the cage?

Her beak does look a little long to me, but it's more likely to be from lack of beak conditioning toys. Take her for a check up, they might have some physical therapy tips to get her leg a little better.

 

[MonicaMc]

She's a hybrid white bellied x black headed caique (do you have a flickr account?) and the right leg appears splayed. (may have additional issues?) It's possible it could be corrected with surgery, but it's hard to say how much.

As for the beak, yes, it's a bit too long. Nothing major, but still.



Find a local avian vet and get her in for a check up (blood work, fecal, etc - overgrown beaks are usually a sign of health problems) and beak trim. Then try and make sure she has plenty of things to chew on.

 

[Grinder]

Their is a reason she is on the wooden dowls. They delivered her to me at work today. When speaking to the wife she told me Pretty had a travel cage. Well when the husband got here, he had no idea what was going on. I went to PetSmart just to buy a simple cage until I get her home. Her current cage which isnt too big has a swing and two perches in it. She had NO TOYS. So when I get her home I will introduce her to some nice toys (we always have lots of toys on hand for our other birds.)

She was already checked out by the same Avian vet we use so that I wasn't bringing home a sick bird to my other birds. The vet trimmed her nails which was nice, but also trimmed her wings which I wish she didnt do.

Pretty has already been pretty active here at work. She climbs around a lot and hangs upside down quite a bit as well. She has been eating and drinking well too.

 

[Grinder]

Quick update - she has made short work of the dowl. Thank goodness the cage came with two of them.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

She's a hybrid white bellied x black headed caique (do you have a flickr account?) and the right leg appears splayed. (may have additional issues?) It's possible it could be corrected with surgery, but it's hard to say how much.

As for the beak, yes, it's a bit too long. Nothing major, but still.



Find a local avian vet and get her in for a check up (blood work, fecal, etc - overgrown beaks are usually a sign of health problems) and beak trim. Then try and make sure she has plenty of things to chew on.

Are you sure? Almost all black headed caique I've known have slowly lost the cap over time, to me it just looked like an older bird.

 

[Grinder]

I believe MonicaMc is correct. I was told she is a hybrid.

 

[MonicaMc]

The beak is the wrong color. It is neither the black of a black headed caique, nor the horn color of a white bellied caique, but both.

Black headed caiques do not lose the black cap, they keep it for life. That said, some white bellied caiques have been known to feather out (as chicks) with black on their heads. Some with a little, some with a lot. As they mature and molt, the black disappears.

Here are some photos of both species together
All sizes | A nice sunny day in October. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
All sizes | We tried to really do this. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
All sizes | IMG_0345 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!



Grinder, I have an online gallery of hybrids that I'm always looking to ad photos to. If you would like to include photos of Pretty, I'd be honored! Here's the link to it!
Flickr: The Hybrid Parrots Pool

From what you say, it sounds like Pretty will do just fine in your home! And now we have two "Pretty's" on the forum!!!!

 

[Irishj9]

Congratulations on your very pretty bird - Well Named. You are going to need more than two dowels though. That beak needs lots of chewing exercise to stay trimmed, and you dont want it working out on your chairs, buttons, and electrical cabling instead.

JP

 

[Grinder]

The two dowels are just in her travel cage. Her regular cage is outfitted with all sorts of toys which she doesnt touch AT ALL. I found out from the original owners that she just doesnt play with toys. Thus the long beak...

The situation has been awful for Pretty. The first day was great, but now she won't let anyone come near her, violently flops around the cage and SCREAMS when cleaning it and giving fresh water or fresh food. When not in the room she chats up a storm, but as soon as someone walks into the room even 20 feet away she lets out high pitch screams. Thank goodness she still eats like a champ, but other than that she is very unhappy

 

[MonicaMc]

I'm sorry to hear that! It may help to play soothing music, any time you walk by the cage, drop a favored treat into a dish or treat cup, maybe even see if she'll calm down some if she has free (supervised) range of her cage, inside and out?

 

[Grinder]

We do leave the cage door open for her, but she won't come out. It also seems to make her even more nervous. And if the door is open and someone moves she will start the violent flopping around in the cage. She will actually go into the 'last act' of defense and lay on her back screaming with talons at the ready even if we aren't near her.

 

[mtdoramike]

awwwwww what a baby. I can't believe that no one wanted to adopt this beautiful baby. the beak looks fine, but you may want to get a cuttle bone, not a soft one but a harder one which will help her beak. Also if you take her in for a vet visit, which is important, they should be able to file the beak down if needed.

 

[mtdoramike]

Oh and for goodness sake, get this girl a new and bigger cage. She deserves it

 

[Grinder]

No one reads my answers about her cage!

That was simply a travel cage when they delivered her to my work. She has a nice big cage now that is big enough for an African Grey and the like.

 

[MonicaMc]

Does she do better in the cage with it covered? Partially covered? Not covered at all? What about being in the middle of the room vs in the corner? A quiet room vs a busy one? Even a different cage, if you have one...


Sounds like you may need to do some experimenting to figure out what she's most comfortable with.

 

[Remy]

Poor baby is freaked out by the move! It took Puck a little while to adjust. The first week or so, he didn't want to be handled much. The first day he was excited, but he was freaked out for a while after he realized he wasn't going to his old home.

You can try soothing music, and talking nicely to her from a distance. Also, give her something to hide in, maybe a cardboard box or something. It should help her to feel safer.