Losing the Trust of Your Caique

[Dan Ruggiero]

I've read many articles that say that you can easily lose the trust of a caique and its hard to regain it. I'm interested in Caiques but never had one. Does this happen? If yes does it happen a lot? How long will it take to regain ur birds trust?

 

[simon777]

I don't know about Caiques, I have a rainbow lorikeet. When it comes to trust I say never lie. Always do what you say you will do. Be calm. Never frighten. Always say you are sorry when you have done anything to upset. Explain things you are going to do. Simon, my rainbow lorikeet, 100% trusts me.

 

[Laurie]

Hi Dan, Welcome to the forums.

I have six caiques, I got them all as recently weaned babies and they are all six years old. They are all tame and they are also all paired up and allowed to breed if they wish. This is all just to let you know that I have seen and handles a lot of caiques. Counting babies up to weaning age I would say about 30 individual caiques.

I can tell you without a doubt that they are each and every one of them are individuals. Some like to be petted, some like to sit on your shoulder or knee and in all honesty some would prefer to sit across the room and do their own thing while you do your own thing. If you get an adult caique you may be able to know a little more ahead of time. Babies, you can tell somewhat what type of personality they have but it's more subject to change.

You really do have to be in tune with you caique and respond to their actions in a way that they like. The better you can do this the better you will get along with you caique (or for that matter any bird). Birds are not like dogs in that they are trying to please you to gain your favor (if your favor happens to be important to them then yes they will try an gain it, but it is not automatically important to them). You also can not be the boss of your bird, any and all advice to dominate or show them who is boss is totally and utter rubbish.

What I think happens with caiques (and most parrots) is that they grow and change and mature. If you miss the changes and do not adapt your responses and how you treat you bird you will cause all sorts of trouble in you relationship. Every time your bird sends a signal no matter how subtle that they do not like what you are doing and you push them or do not stop what you are doing you damage the trust a little. If your bird has been biting you for weeks then you have been ruining your relationship for weeks. You need to slow down and figure out what is going on, assess the situation objectively and figure out a new approach.

I never use gloves, I never towel or use force in any way during day to day activities. I only towel my birds to trim nails and even then I have worked with them (not as much as I would like) to desensitize them to towels so that they are more comfortable.

Over here, we are all about bribery, it can be praise, a head scratch a toy or food that is offered for cooperation. Check out some resources for force free training and positive reinforcement. You can find lots of info on the forum too. I did and it changed my life (my bird life at least).

Caiques are very active and very stubborn. If you allow them to take the lead and use lots of bribery then you will do better. There are never any guarantees but I feel like there are a lot of people out there who are misinformed as to what it means to live with a wild animal as opposed to a domesticated one. Learn the proper handling and do it right from the start be prepared to make adjustments as you go. This advice will serve you well no matter what type of bird you choose.

May I ask, what attracted you to caiques in the first place?

 

[Dan Ruggiero]

Thank You for the information!

May I ask, what attracted you to caiques in the first place?

I'm allergic to dogs and cats and I've looked into getting a bird before (I barely scratched the surfaced) after doing 2 hours of research I decided not to get a bird to fill the doggy shaped hole in my heart. This year I went to Mexico and saw Pionuses and Macaws and I now wanted a bird! Only this time I wanted a bird because I like birds and not because it would replace a dog. After doing some research I understood that a bird was never going to be a dog but that didn't matter because now if I didn't have any allergies I would pick a bird! (I realized they're way cooler!) (Also sorry for this dramatic backstory) Anyway I was set on getting a conure but I saw that they tend to becoming one person birds and they scream a lot. I found out that caiques were similar in some ways! They are about the same size only that caiques play all the time and are more social (Since I live with my family that would be great). So now I'm trying to pick between a Green Cheek Conure and a Caique (Weghing out Pros and Cons, and this was one of the cons of a Caique. That's why I made this thread!)

 

[Irishj9]

Caiques are way more social *, IN GENERAL, and very playful AS A YOUNG BIRD

They are also HIGHLY SEXED

Keeping one HIGHLY SEXUAL flock animal alone in a cage accounts for 80% of the problem caique threads on this board IMHO

-BTW you will be required to provide the social context 24/7/365 if you keep one bird

 

[Irishj9]

I have a 7 month old juvenile, Num-Nums, and when I open the cage in the morning she speeds round the house like a demon on drugs, knocking over cups and glasses, having huge play fights with the chandelier, agressively chewing and screaming while swinging off one of my cycling medals, which she loves to hate etc

( Is the bathroom window open?. Is there a hot pot on the stove?. Is that a bag of washing powder she is chewing?. Is the front door locked? Could anyone open it when shes ZOOOOMING round the house? Is that my new silken cycling jersey she is punching holes thru?)

I cant imagine how much of a terror she would be for a new caique owner. Even worse if she was permanently caged. Now all that energy turns inwards

awww shes so cute. luckily, or Id have......

 

[Dan Ruggiero]

-BTW you will be required to provide the social context 24/7/365 if you keep one bird

I Plan on leaving my bird in the cage by its self 5 hours everyday (Not Counting Weekends) and spending 8 hours with it everyday.

I cant imagine how much of a terror she would be for a new caique owner.

Did you have a bird before a caique? I read articles and watched videos that say get the parrot you want. If you don't you will be unhappy with your parrot and he will be unhappy with you. Also Don't get a practice bird to learn and then throw it aside when you want the next step. Is this information accurate?

 

[Irishj9]

Yes I had loads lovebirds and a Quaker before the caiques.

Still nothing quite prepares you for the whirlwind. Lol

 

[Laurie]

Thank You for the information!

I'm allergic to dogs and cats and I've looked into getting a bird before (I barely scratched the surfaced) after doing 2 hours of research I decided not to get a bird to fill the doggy shaped hole in my heart. This year I went to Mexico and saw Pionuses and Macaws and I now wanted a bird! Only this time I wanted a bird because I like birds and not because it would replace a dog. After doing some research I understood that a bird was never going to be a dog but that didn't matter because now if I didn't have any allergies I would pick a bird! (I realized they're way cooler!) (Also sorry for this dramatic backstory) Anyway I was set on getting a conure but I saw that they tend to becoming one person birds and they scream a lot. I found out that caiques were similar in some ways! They are about the same size only that caiques play all the time and are more social (Since I live with my family that would be great). So now I'm trying to pick between a Green Cheek Conure and a Caique (Weghing out Pros and Cons, and this was one of the cons of a Caique. That's why I made this thread!)

I was just curious. I just think you should have a good idea why exactly you want a caique rather than other birds just so that you know if it is right for you.

I am pro-caique by the way but I agree with IrishJ when he says two are better than one. I have actually never kept on caique alone but I do agree that many people's problems stem from.

My reasons for getting caique had some to do with breeding but as far as pet qualities. I liked that they were likely to be tame even as pairs, they are feisty and active. An as crazy as it sounds I wanted them because they were known to be a challenge. I went into it looking for a challenge, I went to a bird training seminar, I bought DVD's and I set to TRAIN MYSELF to handle challenging birds properly so that we could all get along. That and keeping them as pairs is what has worked for me. I also feel like I had the right expectations for pet birds as far as level of noise and mess having had birds for years previously.

I guess my message is get a caique if you want one but two at the same time is best and train yourself so you can handle/train them properly.

 

[Dan Ruggiero]

I guess my message is get a caique if you want one but two at the same time is best

If possible I'll get two. Also I've seen some great one on one relationships with caiques! (But I guess that requires you to be with them 24/7)

Are conures good single birds?. Like without another conure around and the relationship is only with a human? (Green Cheek conures specifically) (It's ok if you don't know)

 

[Irishj9]

If possible I'll get two. Also I've seen some great one on one relationships with caiques! (But I guess that requires you to be with them 24/7)

Are conures good single birds?. Like without another conure around and the relationship is only with a human? (Green Cheek conures specifically) (It's ok if you don't know)

In my experience conures are lovely birds. Green cheeks are known for their friendliness, everyone raves about them

However Conures are LOUD

How Loud?. Buy an airhorn. One driven by compressed air. Put it against your ear, Hit the button. That's ONE blast. Repeat often at ten second intervals, morning and night

I also love rainbow parakeets. So beautiful, so smart, so friendly. Wonderful, except for the liquid poop they spray lol

 

[finchly]

JP are your caiques not loud?

I agree that conures are loud. They do something strange to my eardrums. But my caiques scream sometimes. I know you're a bird whisperer but if yours don't scream I want to know why!

 

[Irishj9]

They call to the flock morning and night. No continual screaming

But when they do call, it's quite noisy. No easy conversations. Phone calls are out

 

[Dan Ruggiero]

All the info you guys have been giving me is very helpful! Thank You

In my experience conures are lovely birds.

What would you recommend to someone who is first starting out a conure or a qaique? They both have great positives and negatives and I'm having a hard time picking. What do you recommend?

 

[scott199]

All the info you guys have been giving me is very helpful! Thank You

What would you recommend to someone who is first starting out a conure or a qaique? They both have great positives and negatives and I'm having a hard time picking. What do you recommend?

Same as me, I’m bouncing back and forth daily between these two

 

[Laurie]

All the info you guys have been giving me is very helpful! Thank You

What would you recommend to someone who is first starting out a conure or a qaique? They both have great positives and negatives and I'm having a hard time picking. What do you recommend?

I have never had a conure but I do think that if you like them both and you are unsure then a green cheek, being much smaller would have a less intimidating bite, smaller voice and slightly less of a mess just due to the size alone.

 

[Les charlson]

Caiques are like puppies from what I have seen in my birds and I have only had mine around 6 months. They are into everything and are needy. I have two but they insist on following me everywhere, even the shower. When I enter a room they scream with excitement no matter if I just left for a moment and fly to my shoulder. Think toddlers. They also consume huge quantities of fresh food. Lorikeets on steroids. Irishj9 is right. They do like to flock call and their warnings re anything strange is definitely noisy.

 

[Leanna]

I have had both. My conure lives with my brother now because she was too loud for an apartment. Aratinga conures (jenday, suns, etc) are very sweet, but very loud. Every green cheek I've ever met met was nippy, but that could just be the ones I've met.

What I like most about a caiques is their tenacity. They get into everything and if they want something they go for it. They devour fresh fruit and veggies. They love toys and they aren't picky. They're easy to interact with and play with. They are also stubborn and don't listen when you tell them no.

 

[Tim]

I think if you want caiques, get caiques! Notice the plural—definitely get two. For me, two is much easier than one. They entertain each other, even though they are caged separately. They’re out enough that they get plenty of time together, and they can always see each other.
As to your initial question, no, I don’t think they are more or less likely to “turn” on you, and I think they’re plenty forgiving! They are, however, plenty of work. They will mature, and they will have hormonal changes through the year, but I can’t imaging having anything other than a Caique!

 

[Irishj9]

The really do get into everything, sometimes with disastrous results. The price of caique ownership is the dame as that of democracy. Eternal vigilance.