Hi - I'm ANX, and I am nervous.

anx

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Hello. You can call me ANX, and I'm a recent first-time owner of a baby Caique. I'm also very nervous about taking care of the thing. I'm a young guy, and this is probably the biggest responsibility I've had, so I want to make sure I don't make too many mistakes. I've been wanting a Caique for years now for a large number of reasons, and I've finally realized that.

There's a saying with human babies that says that they don't come with a manual. To some extent I feel that parrots are on another level. While people have built in reactions to what a baby wants, we have no such thing for a baby parrot. Baby humans are a lot more work, no question, I do however think that Baby parrots are harder to do right. That said, what's 'right' is interpretive.

Anyway, you'll probably see me asking for a lot of advice. I've seen these forums pop up a lot in my reading, so I thought it time to create an account. Thanks for the read!
- ANX
 

wrench13

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Welcome and be welcomed. I have a saying with my staff at work. Asking questions will get you the answers. Asking the same questions over and over will get you fired. Having said that, the members on here are very knowledgeable AND very patient. BTW please don't refer to your parrot as a thing. That will not endear you to anyone.

Caiques have to be one of the funnest parrots, with an almost endless supply of energy. A caique's day typically goes like this: eat, drink , play, play, play, eat, play, play, play, eat, drink and maybe some sleep. Gotta love them.
 

noodles123

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you are right- parrots are a huge responsibility and caring for a human is easier because it's more intuitive. Welcome!
 

Scott

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Welcome aboard ANX, respect for recognizing your limits and seeking help!

Absolutely preferable your baby Caique be fully weaned by a competent breeder before coming home. Anything less places great stress on you and your bird. If the breeder tries to talk you into an unweaned Caique, please do yourself and the bird a huge favor by reading this: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

No owner's manual indeed! Many of our sub-forums have "sticky" threads with basics. Don't be shy, ask questions!!
 
OP
anx

anx

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Welcome aboard ANX, respect for recognizing your limits and seeking help!

Absolutely preferable your baby Caique be fully weaned by a competent breeder before coming home. Anything less places great stress on you and your bird. If the breeder tries to talk you into an unweaned Caique, please do yourself and the bird a huge favor by reading this: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

No owner's manual indeed! Many of our sub-forums have "sticky" threads with basics. Don't be shy, ask questions!!

I take it this must be rather common...


Welcome to you! Just how young is your little one?

He's 10 weeks, so he's still on the bottle..
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Overconfidence quite common, many think they can wing it (pun intended!) and easily overcome the challenges of a young bird. Better to know your limitations and work to overcome.

Ehhh, not familiar enough with Caiques to know when they are fully weaned. Hopefully our members can give you better guidance!
 
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anx

anx

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Overconfidence quite common, many think they can wing it (pun intended!) and easily overcome the challenges of a young bird. Better to know your limitations and work to overcome.

Ehhh, not familiar enough with Caiques to know when they are fully weaned. Hopefully our members can give you better guidance!


I'm confused- Is there a difference between being unweaned and being hand-fed? He's still currently hand-fed. Taking the advice of that thread I bought an IR Thermometer yesterday. no more using a candy thermometer!
 
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Scott

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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Overconfidence quite common, many think they can wing it (pun intended!) and easily overcome the challenges of a young bird. Better to know your limitations and work to overcome.

Ehhh, not familiar enough with Caiques to know when they are fully weaned. Hopefully our members can give you better guidance!


I'm confused- Is there a difference between being unweaned and being hand-fed? He's still currently hand-fed. Taking the advice of that thread I bought an IR Thermometer yesterday. no more using a candy thermometer!

Ideally hand-feeding is done to completion, ie completely nutritionally self-sufficient, no begging for food. That's the classic definition of weaning. Many birds are sold partially weaned, primarily to reduce costs. Some controversially believe having new owner complete the process is beneficial. Many dispute that notion; if not done properly the bird will suffer psychological and/or nutritional stress. Best outcome, a properly prepared person can safely complete weaning without hazard.

I've only assisted with hand feeding ages ago, so you'll want to rely on members with recent experience and the "unweaned baby" linked thread.

Not trying to be preachy or alarmist, but we see many uncomfortable or worse threads relative to home weaning.
 
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anx

anx

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Ideally hand-feeding is done to completion, ie completely nutritionally self-sufficient, no begging for food. That's the classic definition of weaning. Many birds are sold partially weaned, primarily to reduce costs. Some controversially believe having new owner complete the process is beneficial. Many dispute that notion; if not done properly the bird will suffer psychological and/or nutritional stress. Best outcome, a properly prepared person can safely complete weaning without hazard.

I've only assisted with hand feeding ages ago, so you'll want to rely on members with recent experience and the "unweaned baby" linked thread.

Not trying to be preachy or alarmist, but we see many uncomfortable or worse threads relative to home weaning.

So I've read. Luckily the little guy seems happy enough right now, he *LOVES* his dropper, and seems to be clearing his crop regularly. I've read that weaning takes place from 10-16 weeks, whatever that means. he has a lot of different foods in his bowl, from fruits, to a couple nuts, to greens. I'm going to try this 'chop' stuff later, but I'm not sure how much of a success it's going to be if he still much prefers his formula over everything else.
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
So he's 10 weeks now, over the hurdle of continuous hand feeding and in the discovery phase of whole foods. This is the crucial transition to what is known as "abundance weaning." Quoting from the aforementioned thread: "The proper and humane method of weaning a baby parrot is Abundance Weaning. This method is simple: You keep offering the formula until the baby decides HE doesn’t want it anymore for at least 5 days in a row. Guess what? Knowing that the formula is coming actually gives the baby is very firm foundation from which he can venture forth and explore. Just because the baby has started trying solid foods does not at all mean he is ready to lose the formula. Keep offering it until the baby decides he doesn’t want it."

You've got the right idea of precisely monitoring formula temperature! As long as the crop continues to empty and he gets his fill of formula, leading to experimentation with whole foods, all is well. If he ignores the chop and begs for formula, that means he's not ready to enter final stage. I'm guessing you have him now?
 
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anx

anx

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So he's 10 weeks now, over the hurdle of continuous hand feeding and in the discovery phase of whole foods. This is the crucial transition to what is known as "abundance weaning." Quoting from the aforementioned thread: "The proper and humane method of weaning a baby parrot is Abundance Weaning. This method is simple: You keep offering the formula until the baby decides HE doesn’t want it anymore for at least 5 days in a row. Guess what? Knowing that the formula is coming actually gives the baby is very firm foundation from which he can venture forth and explore. Just because the baby has started trying solid foods does not at all mean he is ready to lose the formula. Keep offering it until the baby decides he doesn’t want it."

You've got the right idea of precisely monitoring formula temperature! As long as the crop continues to empty and he gets his fill of formula, leading to experimentation with whole foods, all is well. If he ignores the chop and begs for formula, that means he's not ready to enter final stage. I'm guessing you have him now?

Yup, he's asleep in my room. He still prefers the heating pad to a perch, so I suppose that's just another sign that he's more baby than adult.
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Hopefully all goes well and he weans without issue. A good breeder will give you guidance and be ready to assist if needed. Keep us updated if able and we'll try to advise if you have problems or questions!!
 
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anx

anx

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How are things going, any updates to share?

Scott!

Things are better than I thought they could be. Because of how young he was when I got him, I was worried about him being so.. inactive. Recently though he's warmed up to his surroundings and is doing the classic parrot actions (chew on stuff, scream, poop everywhere), so that is a relief.

He's starting to eat vegetables! I am happy to see this, as for the first 4 days, the vegetables that were in his silicone bowl went untouched, but then he discovered how great corn is, and it was game over from there. carrots, corn, string beans, and bell peppers. all things he eats now.

He's gotten a taste for berries. Being a caique, fruit is a higher part of their diet than the average parrot. He especially loves black berries. I give him some of those every other day, and because of their lower sugar content, I always make sure he has access to strawberries. I want to get him to eat those regularly, as when we start training, they'll be reserved for rewards.

I still have to come up with a way to get him on pellet... He doesn't seem to appreciate it right now (can I really blame him though when the alternative is a strawberry?).

He's learned not to bite! It was quicker than I Imagined, I think it took 3 days for him to learn that anything beyond a clothespin pinch is not acceptable. I'm very satisfied with that.

He's pretty quiet, caiques are known to be quieter parrots, which is one of the reasons that I preferred one.

I'm rather worried about socialization. In about 2 months time, I'm traveling home, and he's going to come with me. While I'm home, my little brother will be taking care of him for three days. I'm going to have to come up with a plan to get them started on the right foot. I'll have 3 days before then when I'm back home, and he can get used to both me and him, and some new surroundings.

Those are my updates. Having a bird is much more rewarding than I thought it was going to be.
 

Scott

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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
That's an awesome update! Seems your bird was nicely socialized by the breeder and well into the weaning process. Your excellent skills and natural rapport smoothed transition. Great job with diet, is he still offered/begging forumla?

Pellets pose a challenge, I'd advise purchasing the smallest quantity possible until finding success. Adage of "the best pellet is one your bird will eat" is accurate! We generally agree pellets better than all-seed diet, though certain species need higher fat diets. (IDK about caiques) Not pushing Harrison's but their conversion protocol worked well for my flock and ought apply to any brand: https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/ Prime consideration is never starve a bird into submission.

Perhaps you can build on your bird's initial acceptance of you by socializing him with friends on casual basis. Conditioning will help with return home short term dependence on your brother. You'll want to ensure safe environment during your absence, including usual admonitions about cooking hazards, other animals, etc.

Glad you find him rewarding, life with a parrot becomes a lifestyle!!
 

wrench13

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