Question about adopting a caique

[Lovebirdslave]

Hello everyone,
So I have really taken to caiques lately. I want one quite badly, and since I was adopted into fluffypoptarts' swarm and have a dog of my own (who is kept completely separate from the birds), it'll be some time before I get one. But I was at a bird store and asked about adopting a caique in the future, and I was told that the vast majority of caiques that go up for adoption were rehomed for serious behavior issues, and most are too aggressive to rehome. Now from the research I've done so far, it's talked about how they can turn very moody between 4-7, but I was wondering what you guys think and feel. I mean, I understand that all birds have potential to be problem children, regardless of when you get them. I am a big believer in adopting my animals. I just really got curious about this subject and if anyone has experience with adopting a caique, please share! Thank you all!

 

[finchly]

Wow you are really going to jump in with both feet, Slavie!

Wait until I post my video of my fire alarm guy and see how your ears take it.

He was probably rehomed for behavior issues but we appear to be communicating quite well. He just has to undergo some behavior modification. And voice removal. (OK just kidding on that one).

Having re-trained TONS of dogs that were 'not adoptable' due to behavior problems, I'd say that aggression would be difficult but not impossible to overcome. That is my inexperience talking, and others might come to this thread and override what I say. Haha. Also you might have to handle the bird differently from your current flock...or not handle him at all for awhile, a year, or two or three.

It's all going to depend on your level of dedication and commitment. Which I believe you have. It is one thing, though, to say I'll take the bird. It's another thing to get the agonizing bites over and over.... ow.... and the fire alarm scream.

 

[Lovebirdslave]

Lol well the love birds are adjusting me to the bites! I'm still trying to make friends with the ones who are not so thrilled with my presence and I'm determined to make friends at some point in their lifetime... But I have handled one caique at the bird store who is well socialized and I know he could put a lot more of a hurting on me than these guys. But I agree with you about dogs, I've worked in a shelter and found most of the dogs to be adjustable. Birds seem to be a bit more difficult with the socializing thing. Especially female lovebirds lol! I just was reading your post about your new baby and I feel major sympathy for you! I'm also convinced that any new feathered child I get will choose fluffypoptarts over me...and then I will become it's enemy! But I have 4 of the birds that will at the very least accept my presence, and 4 that would kill me slowly with their evil little beaks. So I figure I have a 50/50 chance with the caique...the one at the store left me for fluffypoptarts because I wasn't busty enough for him...sooo yeah. Definitely trying to research as much as I can to be sure that I would be a suitable slave to the caique. I do appreciate the help though! How long have you had your other little guy, Rio?

 

[finchly]

Got Rio in June. She’s the sweetest bird ever, and loves everybody. She’s also quiet compared to Paco.

 

[WendyN]

 

[Laurie]

Hi guys. I just wanted to stop in a make a small comment on the bites.

To put it bluntly, and I don't mean to offend, just to speak the truth If you are getting bit all the time you are doing it wrong.

It has become cliche to say that if you have birds you will get bit. It is true birds do bite but why don't we have the same expression when it comes to dogs? Because people don't accept dogs biting as normal behavior, if a dog growls or bears his teeth we don't push him, instead, we back off.

Sadly, if a bird exhibits aggressive or fearful body language we often don't recognize, or worse ignore those signals and we get bit.

If we continue to act this way we will create fearful and aggressive birds.

Caiques are very assertive and often fearless. Pushing past their signals that tell us to go away, step back and leave me alone leads to biting. Pushing past the biting leads more often than not to a caique who goes on the offensive and starts issuing preemptive attacks.

Unfortunately, people are creating birds who bite and attack. I know it is not being done on purpose but it is, without question, happening. This makes me sad.

Birds get abandoned and rehomed and caiques get a bad rep.

I think it is a people problem. I think the solution is education.

Take a step back, then take two more steps back. Interact in ways that create positive responses and when you get a negative response don't do that again. Over time, when you build a record of many positive interactions and few negatives you will gain their trust and that will lead to the type of relationship you want.

If your caique already has established a pattern of aggression you will have a long road ahead. It will take longer to build enough positive interactions to out weigh the negative interactions that you bird has had.

You will have to untrain the undesirable behaviors by equipping your bird to present more desirable ones instead. So before you can start you will need to figure out what you want instead.

There are lots of resources out there. Some are better than others. I love everything from Barbara Heindenreich at Parrot Training | Barbara's Force Free Animal Training

I say this to let you know that there is hope and you can have a great relationship with your caique. If you are following the Super Bird thread you can see all the interaction s I've had with Turbo and all the things he does. I got him as a baby, he is now.five. he has a mate and is also a breeder and very protective of his mate and still no bites. Not that he never bites or wouldn't, I just know how to.interact with him and not trigger bites.

Do I grab him in my hand, corner him, force him to step up? NEVER. Why? Because I know he would bite me.

Don't be discouraged but do work with your lovies, see how much you can do with them and make it your goal not to get used to the bites but rather to never do anything that will make your bird feel the need to bite.

 

[Irishj9]

.....What Laurie said!

You Go Girl!

 

[Laurie]

.....What Laurie said!

You Go Girl!

Thanks JP! I need to save this snippet somewhere fo future reference, I find I keep needing to repeat myself.

 

[WendyN]

My first introduction to a Caique was through watching the cute cake videos on YouTube. I had to have one.

I was not part of this forum at that time. So I am glad and respect you very much for getting some honest feedback from experienced caique caretakers.

My Joey was purchased from an exotic bird store. He was about 7 months .... I think. Love him so much and I am glad He is with me. Joey will be 7 next month.

I soon realized that many of the cute dancing and adorable oddball things caiques did in the videos were precursors to either an aggressive/attack/sexual behaviors.
(Learned first hand, fortunately still have all of my fingers and eyeballs.)

Joey has taught me a lot. He does goofy things and makes me laugh. And I have learned to respect his boundaries and read his cues/warnings.

Anyway, if you still want to adopt, do so because you want to give the caique a wonderfully fun and unconditionally loving home. Your focus would be to have a good relationship with him or her. The dancing, hopping around, fun tricks and goofy antics are just icing on the cake.

The awesome thing we get - is a respect and trust that your caique has gifted to you...as is true of all bird to people relationships.

 

[Lovebirdslave]

Thank you so much, you are absolutely right. I don't want the birds to be stressed or upset, and I want to be able to build good trust and relationships with all the birds. I really try to respect them, and do what I can to not intimidate or scare them. I will definitely be going through the info on that website. I absolutely loved seeing all the posts of you with turbo! Just a year and a half ago, I was terrified to even hold a bird... I had zero experience...now I have my fish who seems to be more trusting of me, enough to lick my face and sleep leaning on my face. (Of course I'm careful to make sure that he doesn't get anywhere near my saliva to be clear) but I should have started with learning more in depth about the body language. I really appreciate the website. Thank you again! I will definitely try and figure out how to earn proper trust of the love birds!

 

[finchly]

@Lovebirdslave I got some advice from @Laurie when I got Paco. She was dead on. Also simply watching for signs of excitement has helped SO much. If he’s excited I look away from him and wait 30 seconds before picking him up. It has made a huge difference.

And when he puts his beak on me I say NO very quietly but firmly and he doesn’t bite down. He’s in a testing phase right now but I am being consistent.

So only 10 days in and a remarkable improvement. It should be this easy with all the birbs! ​

 

[finchly]

Ok I take it back. Got one of those bites where he hangs on till I scream “get him off!”

Hubby opened the cage, Paco climbs onto the door, leans over like he wants to step up and bites the crap out of my hand.

Pics never do a bite justice lol

 

[WendyN]

@finchly
Joey started to be hormonal this week. I have been using his t-stick and a treat to get him to step up.
Take care of that bite wound, it looks painful.

 

[Laurie]

Ok I take it back. Got one of those bites where he hangs on till I scream “get him off!”

Hubby opened the cage, Paco climbs onto the door, leans over like he wants to step up and bites the crap out of my hand.

Pics never do a bite justice lol

View attachment 270645

Awwww, I hope you and Paco both feel better soon.

 

[Familyof12]

I have two caiques both WB. One was purchased as a baby and the other is adopted. Charlie is a male is now almost seven months and Magic my adopted caique is 10 and female. Charlie never bites. We just made sure he knew as soon as he bit hard he would tell him "ouch too hard Charlie" and take away our hands which he loves!!!

Magic was passed around from home to home (I just found out) due to biting issues. While we were at the foster's home, we watched the foster mother pull Magic by her tail. If I were Magic I would have bitten her fingers off. She is a biter but they didn't tell me until they dropped her off and the way they said it was "oh by the way she can bite." LOL. I wouldn't have taken her if they told me she was a prolific biter, which she was. It has taken me since she got here three weeks ago of training all day every day. Most of it is re-assuring them you accept them, you find them beautiful when they trust you completely and your heart feels so good.

Lots and lots of patience, understanding, knowing a little of the history of the bird or maybe not (in my case it was good) but I'm also not afraid to swim with sharks literally (did it on a scuba dive), and worked with lawyers for 30 years. What could scare me now?

 

[Matto]

I have a young (under a year old) caique. At the store, she was shy and cuddly. Not playful at all, but definitely not aggressive. Now she is VERY playful but still not aggressive. She only really bites when she's too excited or tired, at which point we put her on a stand or in her cage to sleep. All in all she's a very good, happy bird, but she does have a scream that's like nails on a chalkboard.

 

[finchly]

Most of it is re-assuring them you accept them

I feel this is a gross oversimplification. I looked back and see where she bit your husband, your daughter, and you. I'd hate for newbies to think it was that easy!