New Caique + Biting

I just got an adorable BHC yesterday, and I love him (her?) to death already! I haven't figured out a name yet, and the previous owner didn't have it sexed. He'll be 4 in August. I'm referring to it as a "he" for the sake of simplicity.

He's adorable and silly, and makes great noises. The previous owner said he sleeps on his back, but I got him a fuzzy tent to sleep in, and he slept in there last night, not on his back.

Unfortunately, this birdy, while friendly and affectionate and gently beaky sometimes, at other times is aggressive, and bites HARD! He just bit my finger when I tried to pick him up and made me bleed.

I think he overall likes me, because he is affectionate when he feels like it, and chirps and whistles if I leave the room, and wants to go with me.

We haven't had much time to bond yet, so maybe that has something to do with it. It's also a new, possibly scary, situation, and he's somewhat skittish around new things.

With birds in the past, they responded to my gently blowing on their beaks or under their wings, but he doesn't seem to really care when I do it. This last bite made me bleed, so I put him in a cage and put a blanket over it. I've been very good with birds in the past, although this is the most advanced bird I've had.

Help! What do you do when your birdy bites?

On the plus side, I was able to get him an amazing cage from Craigslist!

LOL. All birds will give a nip or two. I will avoid getting bitten if i can. Normally i just put them back in their cage or on their stand because i figure they just don't want my company for now. I will go back later & see if they want to step up if not i just respect that they want to do their own thing. Learn to read his body language.

The Answers to why Birds Bite

Well he sure can't be unhappy with his home because that cage is fantastic and is making Tiki jealeous. I don't know what it is, but I have been around larger birds that weren't nearly as cranky and beaky as these smaller birds like Cockatiels and yep my Senegal. I call her the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde parrot. Sweet and the dickens one minute and the next, wanting to be nippy and moody.

First of all, keep in mind that this is all new to him also.....I am sure is more then a little scared.....
With having a caique you will need to learn to read his body language right away....when I get up in the morning I always wonder if I will have lucifer or leroy when I get my caique up.
Here are some signs to watch for before you even try to get the bird out of the cage or to step up...
Pinning eyes...the eyes tell the story....if his eyes become very small and pinning then you don't have a happy baby on your hands.
Other signs....ruffled feathers on his back and legs, maybe a bit of shaking, pacing back and forth nervously, and sometimes when Leroy is really worked up he will lift his wings slightly. These are all signs of him telling you to leave him be.
I am so sorry you got a bite....please be careful with him and give him the space he needs to adjust...
What are you feeding him....his diet can play a big roll in his behavior also...
Until you get use to reading him more, I don't think it is a good idea to let him go on your shoulder. That is just my opionion, the choice is totally yours.
Oh and I almost forgot....what an awesome cage by the way.....good job
Also, when you can, he will need way more toys....caiques have A LOT of energy and play hard with all their toys. Foot toys are a must....bottle caps are great, coffee filters...they need lots of toys to keep them stimulated and busy...it will help burn up some energy.....
Please be careful not to spoil him to much in the first days either...that could turn into a nightmare in the future....if there is anything I can do just let me know...I will help in any way I can....Good luck to you hun.

Love it, very cute bird. I've often seen these in pairs. Is it true Kitt, will they wear each other out? Lucifer or Leroy lol

LOL...Lucifer and Leroy are the same bird.....some days he is my sweet loving Leroy and some days he is as mean as the devil...hence I call him Lucifer. LOL But I love him to death.
Yes, I have heard that pairs play very hard together....but on the up side, caiques are one of the few species that can have a mate and still want to be with their humans. They are very interesting little critters.

Thank you so much for all of your replies! I didn't get any emails from this post so I didn't see them until now.

We're getting more used to each other. I'm getting better at reading his body language, and he's getting more used to me. He (she??) really likes my boyfriend a lot (maybe more than me at this point LOL). We've been snuggly a few times this weekend.

I just got his nails trimmed (they were RAZOR SHARP when I got him), and the woman looked at his beak and said it looks like he has a mineral deficiency. I got some good quality fresh frozen parrot foods, and some healthy dry munchies to eat from now on. He was on mostly seeds and "fruit loop" pellets before.

He hasn't bit me super hard since I made this entry, except when I took him to get his nails trimmed (which he was NOT cool with).

LOL, I love that you guys have two names for your birds... That's a good idea.

I sit here now with my caique in his cage (Neo is his name) and he is PISSED. For no reason what so ever. Me and Kitt have the same "problem" with our birds. I say "problem" as it isnt really one, its just the way these birds are. All of a sudden, BAM he wants to attack you. Had a chunk out the top of my hand the other day as i needed to get him upstairs, had to get a towel in the end to get him into his cage lol. He got over it after an hour or so and was back out happy again.

Please make sure to be so careful when he is near your face. These birds have mandable jaws bottom and top (muscles, and able to move independently) beaks. This allows for an extremely powerful bite. If he/she bites your eye your in trouble. I have been bitten on my cheek and was lucky i just wanted to warn you.

It is something you will have to learn to read and get used to unfortunately with this species, but i will add that the cute side of your bird will be around a lot lot more than the angry side. Enjoy him/her and keep us up to date on how your getting on !

EDIT: Oh and a top tip! when you let him out dont let him come out on his own. Always take him out. They get a feeling they are in charge and can lead to angry times.

There are caique owners that don't have any problems with their birds but they are the exception in what I have experienced....most of these little critters have a way of changing their moods very quickly....you have to be on top of it is all.

Kitt my caique has become angry most of the time i am around now! I am not sure if its because he is that age? Hormonal? Did your caique go through this or is he too young? Mine is just over a year old i think.

Leroy started going through it at about a year and a half.....
You have to really have your emotions in check before going to him....are you afraid, anxious, your bird will pick up on any of that...what is his diet? Are his wings clipped?
I seriously had to get over my fear of him in order for it to work.I thought that would never happened but it did, and I couldn't love him anymore then I do.....I will do what I can to help.....you can live with a cranky caique. LOL I am proof of that.

kitt said:

Leroy started going through it at about a year and a half.....
You have to really have your emotions in check before going to him....are you afraid, anxious, your bird will pick up on any of that...what is his diet? Are his wings clipped?
I seriously had to get over my fear of him in order for it to work.I thought that would never happened but it did, and I couldn't love him anymore then I do.....I will do what I can to help.....you can live with a cranky caique. LOL I am proof of that.

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He is on zupreem fruity pellets... i am not scared at all... just am careful that i dont get bitten. He did have one wing clipped but they have all regrown... i dont know if this has anything to do with it though as he doesnt fly.

Why only one wing....does that make them feel off balanced..LOL I have never heard of that...

He may be hormonal and if that is the case then it is best to leave him be...talk to him through the bars of the cage if need be.

You should have him learn to step up on a stick so you can move him from place to place when he is like this...

I am sorry he is giving you such a hard time...has anything about you changed...hair color or cut, nail polish? Any of those can set my Leroy off.

kitt said:

Why only one wing....does that make them feel off balanced..LOL I have never heard of that...

He may be hormonal and if that is the case then it is best to leave him be...talk to him through the bars of the cage if need be.

You should have him learn to step up on a stick so you can move him from place to place when he is like this...

I am sorry he is giving you such a hard time...has anything about you changed...hair color or cut, nail polish? Any of those can set my Leroy off.

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I posted this when I first got him. He's much better now! He is still a caique, but I don't get bit nearly as much now.

Yay im glad your caique is ok now. Mine was fine this morning. Happily step up and play with me. I think he is hormonal. If i get him on a perch he will run up it to get to my hand pretty quickly lol.

Just have to let him do his own thing... he came to me the other night on his own after about 2 hours of being out of his cage.

Puck's been a little standoffish the last couple days. He just wants to be in the same room, but not too close. If I respect this, then he'll eventually want to be picked up again.