Caique Trouble

[BirdDad]

Hey there.
My sister has a ten month old caique. I told her not to get him because I thought we wouldn't be able to handle him. She got him anyway.
I was right.
He's loud and screams when attention is not on him. He can be heard from outside of the house. He's aggressive and draws blood when he bites. He had bit my mom's arm so hard that he left a scar. He can be very sweet but he won't hesitate to use that beak without warning. I don't know what to do with him.
My sister has been thinking of selling him. He's already been rehomed and I don't want him to lose another family. I'd like to take him if she no longer wants him but I have no idea how to give him the proper care he needs. I know the basics but I don't know how I can make him truly happy.
I've heard baby caiques are supposed to be very sweet and that aggression can arise when they're older, but he's already mean as a baby. I'm afraid to see what he'll be like when he's mature.
Can anyone please help me? I really don't want to get rid of him. I'm really attached to him and I don't want him going in the wrong hands or him ending up being rehomed again and again and again. I just want to be able to give him the care he needs.

 

[aooratrix]

Bump. I'm sure a caique aficionado will be along to offer advice soon. And I think it's GREAT that you're willing to work with him. Good for you.

 

[WendyN]

A few questions....
how long have you had him?
Are you sure he is only 10 months old?
Have you noticed eye pinning, stalking, or "angle wings" with a rocking side to side behavior? These are warning signs that an attack will happen and you should just give him his space until it passes.

He is "maturing" which means his hormones are starting to come in to play.
So this a good time for you to be aware of how your actions towrds him affects his behavior, and change your actions to bring out the sweet caique in him.

I am sorry, I am not very good at explaining things but there are others who will respond to help. And in the meantime, you can search this site for a lot of great information on parrot hormones and target training.

Hope you can work things out. Caiques are great parrots.

 

[WendyN]

btw
He is a cutie pie!

 

[Birdbabe]

@saroj12 @Irishj9

 

[Tim]

A few things
Screaming. He has obviously been trained to know that screaming gets him what he wants, and he's done that in a very short time. The only way to solve this is to be 100% consistent about NOT reacting to the screaming behavior. When he calls out, whistle back. EVERY TIME. When he finally responds with a whistle and not a scream, or if he has been quiet for a few minutes, only then should you reenter the room and tell him what a good boy he is, and give him his favorite treat. The idea is to train him to use a NEW contact call.

Biting. A caique NEVER bites without warning. He will lunge first, pin his eyes, crouch down--you have to be aware of the signals, and you will have to take the time to learn them. Always praise good behavior, and always ignore bad behavior. Even bites--it's very difficult to ignore a bite, but parrots thrive on drama, and caiques especially. Every reaction is positive to the bird--if you scream, yell, put him back in his cage--all of those are rewarding to the caique. If my birds test me, I gently grab the beak, say "gentle" and set them down. Walk away and ignore them.

Caiques will nip to tell you that you're taking them someplace they don't want to go. The best solution to this is to allow them to be flighted. That way you don't have to carry them anywhere, and they won't feel like they have to correct you.

Look into target (clicker) training. This is a very young bird, and is very trainable. It will take a lot of patience on your part, because it seems like this little guy got off to a rough start. Be sure he sees a certified avian vet soon, if he has not recently. His beak looks a little overgrown and sharp.

Finally, LOTS of toys! Toys of all kinds. Balsa wood to shred. A basket full of foot toys. Get on the floor and play with toys with him. They really, really, really want you to play with them all the time.

I hope this works out for you--once you get the hang of it, I don't think there's any better species of parrot!

 

[Akoni]

This is very sad. He has some common enough vices, which will most likely lead to him ending up in the rehome cycle unless he goes to someone committed and willing to work with him- hopefully that's you!

He's loud and screams when attention is not on him. He can be heard from outside of the house.

I can hear my caique from a block and a half away while outside.

Tim has already given some great advice. I taught my caique to say "step up" when she wants attention rather than whistling. Remember to teach everyone in your household to respond to screaming the same way, as consistency is key!

He's aggressive and draws blood when he bites. He had bit my mom's arm so hard that he left a scar. He can be very sweet but he won't hesitate to use that beak without warning. I don't know what to do with him.

Wendy and Tim have given you some good advice about using his body language to predict when he is overstimulated or aggressive. There will be a warning, you may just have to get better at reading him.

I'd suggest doing some clicker training with him to build a bond between the two of you and use up some of his energy. Training him to fly to you on cue and go into his cage on his own can be very useful. The training court has so much information: The Training Court | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Irishj9]

1) Thats not a ten month old baby. Colours too strong. head too orange, Chest too white. Its much older
2) Beak needs trimming. its been neglected. he needs a trip to the vet or loads of chewing toys and branches
3) Tim is right about the screaming. Instead of avoiding it, train another more acceptable noise, like a wolf whistle, if you can.
4) being an adult, not a baby, he wont tolerate what he sees as fools, people who ignore his body language
5) Its still caique breeding season, hes probably hormonal also

 

[saroj12]

My 11 yo female caique has a beak that long, and when we did bloodwork last month we discovered she has liver issues(one sign is overgrown beak). We also did xrays and her liver is slightly enlarged.
She is on milk thistle from the vet twice a day. We will repeat the tests in 6 months after she loses 20% of her body weight (she is too heavy).

 

[WendyN]

BirdDad,
You have some really good advice above.
I can offer some suggestions:
1. Spend time talking to him and also have him where he can be part of the gang.
2. Observe and learn his body language. Eye pinning, swaying body, popping his head...you can try to redirect or distract him with a toy or treat.
3. Take him to an avian vet for a check up and some beak grooming.
4. To my eyes he looks to be older than 10 months, so his hormones are revving up. Read up on parrot hormones.
5. Right now, Avoid having him near your head or face. Also don't let him "surf" in your hair. They get excited when they surf and can bite your face and ear (i learned from experience).
6. Caiques love to play. Lots of toys to destroy, and climb. My Joey likes it when I talk or whistle to him.
7. Patience, patience, patience.
8. I vary his environment. Take him into different rooms to explore, and when weather is nice outside (in his travel cage). He gets to look out the window from his cage. I notice that he is happier when I do this daily.

Hope you get to know him better before deciding on rehoming. Wish you luck!

 

[rockybird]

I agree with Irish9 and saroj - the first thing is to see a vet. His beak is too long. Do not let anyone trim his beak, but the vet, as they are very sensitive. He needs a medical workup, also, to make sure there are no medical issues.

I am glad you are willing to step in to help the caique, but it will require a significant effort on your part. The ONLY reason my caique has bitten or screamed is because he wants attn. To combat this, I keep him in a very large cage (4 ft. wide). He is out as much as possible - he has coffee with me in the AM, hangs out in the bathroom area while I shower and get ready for work, eats dinner with me, etc. He also has a stroller I have started taking him for walks in. Your bird is much too intelligent to be confined to a cage, so you will need to have him out as much as possible and provide a variety of toys, food and environment. I also recommend a night cage. It breaks up the monotony of the day cage and gives him a place to sleep and let you have some peace as well. I keep my parrot night cages near the bedroom. They sleep for about 8-9 hours. Be sure to always provide fresh water.

 

[Debbie]

You have gotten great advice...Once you know the signs they are easy to ready...Is this bird stick trained? That can be a finger saver when they are hormonal. We brought our Caique home at 6 months old...those first few summers...very hormonal...dna male...he got a bit better as the years went by...he had a big cage...lots of toys...lots of attention..but when his eyes were pinning I did not handle him.
First thing I did was stick train him. They can get on overload very quickly. My son spent a lot of time by his cage just talking to him softly...bird would just lay on his back listening....I really thing this helped...Always remember birds can read us....if you are all upset...they will be also...always try to calm yourself before you handle them...good luck!

 

[BirdDad]

1) Thats not a ten month old baby. Colours too strong. head too orange, Chest too white. Its much older
2) Beak needs trimming. its been neglected. he needs a trip to the vet or loads of chewing toys and branches
3) Tim is right about the screaming. Instead of avoiding it, train another more acceptable noise, like a wolf whistle, if you can.
4) being an adult, not a baby, he wont tolerate what he sees as fools, people who ignore his body language
5) Its still caique breeding season, hes probably hormonal also

Actually, I was wrong. Apparently he is supposed to be 11 months.
How old does he appear? I believe he looked more like a baby when we first got him...we've had him since November.
He doesn't seem to be hormonal. He doesn't try to court anything or anyone or mate with anything. He's just grouchy at times.

 

[WendyN]

My Joey can be nippy when he has new pin feathers coming in.

 

[BirdDad]

A few questions....
how long have you had him?
Are you sure he is only 10 months old?
Have you noticed eye pinning, stalking, or "angle wings" with a rocking side to side behavior? These are warning signs that an attack will happen and you should just give him his space until it passes.

He is "maturing" which means his hormones are starting to come in to play.
So this a good time for you to be aware of how your actions towrds him affects his behavior, and change your actions to bring out the sweet caique in him.

I am sorry, I am not very good at explaining things but there are others who will respond to help. And in the meantime, you can search this site for a lot of great information on parrot hormones and target training.

Hope you can work things out. Caiques are great parrots.

We've had him since November.

He only shows signs of aggression towards our mother. No idea why, but he really seems to hate her. He left a scar on her arm after biting her while she tried to change his water. He's never bit anyone that hard before. Every time she enters the room his eyes pin and he seems like he tries to make himself bigger, as if threatening her.
He also seems like he wants to get her attention though. For example, he whistles and laughs at her and tries to walk over to her. He makes a crying sound if she leaves. Any idea why he does that if he dislikes her?
He doesn't really show any signs before he bites me, at least to my knowledge. I don't notice any eye pinning or anything though I think I have a bit of an idea why he bites me sometimes. I guess I just need to avoid setting him off when possible.

 

[BirdDad]

My Joey can be nippy when he has new pin feathers coming in.

Yeah, the aggressive behaviour started to begin when he began moulting. He's no longer moulting though and he's still grumpy.

 

[BirdDad]

You have gotten great advice...Once you know the signs they are easy to ready...Is this bird stick trained? That can be a finger saver when they are hormonal. We brought our Caique home at 6 months old...those first few summers...very hormonal...dna male...he got a bit better as the years went by...he had a big cage...lots of toys...lots of attention..but when his eyes were pinning I did not handle him.
First thing I did was stick train him. They can get on overload very quickly. My son spent a lot of time by his cage just talking to him softly...bird would just lay on his back listening....I really thing this helped...Always remember birds can read us....if you are all upset...they will be also...always try to calm yourself before you handle them...good luck!

He's not trained at all yet though I've been looking into training him.
I've been wanting to get him one of those training perches. I think that'd be good to have when he's in a bitey mood.

I'd like to get him a bigger cage when possible. It's not small exactly and it's far bigger than the cage we got him in but it could be better, you know?

I wonder if his previous owners could have contributed to his behaviour issues?
He lived in a small cage that was rusty with rusty toys, food with worms in it (just cheap Walmart seeds too.) and at the bottom of the cage they used cat litter.

 

[WendyN]

I am so glad that your sis rescued him. He will have a much better life with you.
Yes, I believe his previous owners could have contributed to the issues.
Once he gets more toys , foraging toys and feels confortable in your home, he will be a happier caique.
Perhaps your mom can be the giver if treats like a piece of fruit or nuts (in moderation).
Right now you have an important job that is to observe and learn about him. You won't ever know his whole story but try to understand and treat him with loving kindness when he is being difficult.

 

[rockybird]

oh my gosh his previous home sound awful! I would definitely get a vet checkup. How often does he come out of the cage? How big is the current cage?

 

[Debbie]

Yeah, sounds like he has had a bad start. He needs at least an Amazon size cage...Do not let size fool you..I'm sure you have figured out these are very active birds! I would work on getting him stick trained as soon as possible. I personally would not have a Caique free flighted that I was having behavior problems with until I got that under control. That said...my Caique had his flight feathers most of his life but rarely took off. I think he must have been clipped to soon.. I have heard some stories of birds becoming more aggressive flighted...I'm sure that depends on the bird...but I would at least get some good bonding time in first. I remember one of my Caique's favorite toys was knotted leather strips...he loved unknotting all of them...and if there were beads on them that could make a noise as they went crashing to the ground so much the better....At this point though you really need to make sure you are up to this challenge, the expense and the time this bird is going to need. Because if you don't think he is hormonal now...he will be come late spring/summer. My Caique was a fantastic bird...but I also had a little bit of bird experience..I also read a lot of Sally Blanchard magazine articles (she had a Caique Spike, so she had first hand experience with these birdies) I do believe she still has her magazine online...years ago it was printed...I would recommend doing some reading...I'm sure other could give you a couple of more names that you can look into if you decide to totally commit yourself to this bird, because they are like kids...they are a commitment!