tell me about YOUR caiques!

hi, im a GCC owner and suddenly really interested in caiques, tell me about yours, their personalities, favorite toys, volume level, show a picture if you can, etc etc. and question, if i was to get a caique, would that be a good choice for someone who has only had a GCC?

Hello, I have one Caique named Pixie which you can see in my picture thread today. She is 13 weeks old and our first parrot so I can only tell you our experience from that perspective. Pixie is a daredevil acrobat even at this young age. She bonded very quickly with both my husband and I and is a joy to be around. She squalks when she is hungry or lonely or otherwise uncomfortable just like a human baby. Although fairly weaned when we got her she still gets a morning and evening feeding of a mush we call birdy pablum. She eats everything we give her so the only reason we still supplement her diet is due to her age and the fact she is smaller than most caiques. She has been basically potty trained since the first day we got her. I noticed she liked pooping on paper towels so I used that to our advantage and now she will readily poop on command onto any paper towel. Her quirks are that she NEEDS her sleep so whether we are a few minutes late for her bedtime feeding or not, after she goes into her settle down mode or enters her tent we leave her alone. This has been the only time she has postured as if to bite us. Pixie is remarkably good at imitating noises and whistles and will mimic the cadence of speech which we didn't expect because Caiques are not known for their speaking ability.
The part we were not prepared for was her lack of coordination and clumsiness. Although I researched parrots for at least 6 months before settling on our choice of species I am embarassed to say I just assumed she would be able to perch and get around her cage with ease. The first day in her large cage she fell several times and even with towels on the bottom of it she ended up bruising her beak. We ended up getting a short but long Chinchilla cage and she has really gained enough strength that we tried her in the old cage today to see how she is and she did very well. So with some adaptation we have coped fairly well. Interestingly she chooses to use the shelf in her cage as a litter box so our daily cleanup consists of a simple wipe every morning and LOTS of paper towels! Even though she is more work than our 3 adult dogs together I guess she is somewhere between the work required for a new puppy and a new human baby. Despite all of these factors we both feel we made the right choice and we love her so very much!
Good luck in your decision,
Shauna

Oh believe me, you don't want a caique. Here are several reasons:

1) They are prone to drinking problems:






2) Your utility bills will skyrocket due to their extremely specific bathing requirements:



3) They can be noisy:



4) Their perspective on the world is radically different than most animals (except bats, I guess):



5) The biggest reason to avoid them: Health issues. They are prone to sudden, unexplained heart attacks:



But hey...if you still want to get one, that's your choice. Good luck!


Derek

dskidd said:

Oh believe me, you don't want a caique. Here are several reasons:

1) They are prone to drinking problems:

2) Your utility bills will skyrocket due to their extremely specific bathing requirements:

3) They can be noisy:

4) Their perspective on the world is radically different than most animals (except bats, I guess):

5) The biggest reason to avoid them: Health issues. They are prone to sudden, unexplained heart attacks:

But hey...if you still want to get one, that's your choice. Good luck!


Derek

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that was really funny,thank you!

Omg Derek how adorable!!! Love your pics!!

dskidd!!!! so funny [ love your budding musicians ]

koopaling said:

hi, im a GCC owner and suddenly really interested in caiques, tell me about yours, their personalities, favorite toys, volume level, show a picture if you can, etc etc. and question, if i was to get a caique, would that be a good choice for someone who has only had a GCC?

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Hi!

My initial response to this could be seen as a bit frivolous, so I wanted to give you some serious (or at least slightly serious) observations:

First off, I can't help you regarding your question of choice as it relates to having a GCC; I just have Eliza and Henry. (As I think of it, I suspect a lot of what I'm going to write could very well apply to lots of different parrot species.)

In terms of personalities, um...yes, they have personalities. Gigantic, in fact. If Eliza's and Henry's personalities manifested themselves in physical size, I'd have to buy two airplane hangars to keep them in. And that--for me--is the number one charm of caiques: they have multi-faceted personalities that are a constant delight to me. Playful, loving, inquisitive, cuddly and any other adjectives you can think of. And yes--they are smart. I've long since resigned myself to the fact that I am the third most intelligent being in this house!

Their inquisitiveness and determination to get into EVERYTHING is not without its drawbacks. It's rather like having a puppy (or--in my brother and sister-in-law's case--a rabbit). You know they're going to want to get into everything, so you take the steps to make sure what they're allowed to get into is completely safe for them, and cut off access to any possible dangers. It's also part of the training: I've worked with them to encourage things that are okay for them to get into, and guided them away from things that might be dangerous. (As a side note, it means I have no problem putting them in their cages: since the garage is off-limits to them, the moment they hear me open the door in the utility room they're right there, demanding to be picked up. It will be a dark day when they catch onto this, of course, but it works like a charm now.)

Their favorite toys--besides each other, and me--are, believe or not, toothbrushes. My house is littered with them, and it always amuses me to watch the reactions of friends, family and guests when they visit: every sofa, chair, etc. has at least a couple of toothbrushes on it (as well as the floor being littered with them). Before anyone sits down, the toothbrushes have to be moved to one side! E&H will play with them by themselves, with each other, and with me, and it's great fun.

(Eliza has also realized that a toothbrush is quite handy for self-administered head skritches. I wish I could get a photo of it, but every time I get near her with the phone/camera, she'll think I just want to play with her. She holds the handle with one foot and scratches her head. She's no idiot!)

I don't find their volume excessive at all. They make happy squawks when I come home, but it's not as though my ears are ringing. I'm writing this in my office--Henry's on the windowsill making little chattering noises, and Eliza's in the great room making a series of what I am sure are terribly important announcements. However, all the windows in the house are open, and I guarantee nobody outside can hear them. Plus, I actually enjoy the chattering and I just chatter right back at them.

In closing, what I've found they need more than anything else is interaction. And I don't mean directly interacting with them--much of the time they just want to be near me, but not necessarily ON me, if that makes any sense. They're both in the office now, playing with each other, and running over my feet. I talk to them occasionally; they're completely happy. It's utterly entertaining.

They take a lot of work (as all birds do, I suppose); but if you're willing to put the time in, the payoff is that I have the most wonderful companion birds, and (as I've written before) I cannot even imagine what my house was like before Eliza and Henry took it over.

Best of luck with your decision; please keep us posted!

Derek

PS One other note: They do have one huge fear that affects them and myself very deeply. The fear that I might possibly be having more fun than they are. Even when I'm doing something that I've tried to put off for months (like filing), as far as they're concerned, the possibility exists that I might actually be enjoying myself. Thus, their primal fear of missing out on something is far too powerful for them to overcome. It explains why my filing system is a lot more random than it used to be...

Derek , Im waiting for the movie !!

I feel kinda bad--it sounds like caiques are just all fun and games, and don't contribute anything around the house. They're actually quite useful little birds. For example, Henry makes a fine auxiliary doorstop:

Pinkbirdy said:

Derek , Im waiting for the movie !!

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Well, no movies of Eliza using the toothbrush to skritch herself as of yet.

On other hand, for those of you who enjoy top-level professional wrestling matches, there's this. After all, how many pro wrestling matches are stopped for a preening break?


http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AZs2Lhq5ZNGSJ

Ha Ha,! Its almost easier to video tape them They just wont hold still for a picture! Yours wrestle so much nicer than mine. Are's is like an episode of "Smackdown" Like Henrys little "preen" break Eliza"s full of it isn't she !! I want to be a Caique at your house LOL

Pinkbirdy said:

Like Henrys little "preen" break Eliza"s full of it isn't she !! I want to be a Caique at your house LOL

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That's what cracks me up; they roll and tumble all over the place...then suddenly stop for a preen break. They preen themselves, and each other; then, without any warning, it's back to the mat for the next round!

Eliza and Henry say you'd be very welcome as another caique here. They're in the laundry room now and will be awaiting you by the garage door. But they say you have to bring your own old, beaten up toothbrushes to play with...they claim all the other ones lying around here.

Actually, while I was checking Shutterfly to make sure I still had that video there, Henry flew up and totally enjoyed watching the video. I had to keep playing it over and over while he basically attacked himself wrestling Eliza. Sheesh...how existentialist can you get?

Ha ha Look at him [he must think] "Now that looks familiar "