Would a caique be a good companion for me?

[Luddie]

Hello avians!

I'll start off with saying that I'm a minor and got my first parrot (a linnie, who was my one and everything) when I was 12. I had to rehome him last year as I went off to boarding school (many tears were spilled on our ride home from the bird shelter, but it's a great place with decades of experience with all kinds of parrots. They even aquired another linnie, just to keep him company!), and now that I'm home again, it feels so empty without a bird buddy around ...

I went on the world wide web and researched a lot of species, and the more I read about the caique, the more I fell in love with it. Since I have ADHD and mood swings among other similarities, I could instantly relate to them, but I'm not quite sure if an extra ADHD'er in the form of a bird in the house would be alright with my dad and brother; they're not exactly bird persons
I had an internship at a pet store that had 4 caique babies during my stay. They were amazing little bundles of energy - I always had at least one on my shoulder during breaks! But yeah, they were just babies, and I assume adults aren't quite like that?

My dream parrot would be a bird that keeps me active during the day and gets calm and cozy in the evening (would be called "hygge" in Danish), that I could have in close proximity during nearly all of my activities, that I could put a harness on and take outside for my sometimes hour long walks without it becoming distressed; a "partner in crime", if you will

I'd like to hear all your stories and experience with your caiques. I've heard they get quuuiiiiite hormonal when it's, uh, fun season (which is around december, I've heard?), but that it doesn't last long, like two weeks or so? Which one's the "worst" with hormones; males or females? And what's your caique like throughout the day; what's your "mood routines", if any?

Whichever bird I decide to get, I'll wait until at the very least late spring next year with buying one. I do not want to impulse buy a parrot and I want to be absolutely sure about which parrot I'd fit best (because, let's be honest, you don't own the parrot nearly as much as it owns you!).

Thanks for reading this far, I hope you more experienced parrot owners can help me out deciding whether a caique could be my next best friend!

 

[saroj12]

When do you away to college?

 

[WendyN]

Welcome!

 

[Distaff]

At this point in your life, how long can you realistically keep it? Most dorms are not going to allow a parrot. Finding pet friendly apt.s can be tough too. Are you sure you won't want to travel extensively in your twenties, or move to another country altogether? Plenty of time for a parrot once you are more settled.

If you have something more like a couple of years at your current home, maybe consider a fancy rat, or a reptile. For a reptile, one GOOD home is as good as another (the snake won't care), and rats are smart, clean, personable, and short lived. Very few rats live past three years. I own all three types of pets (plus goldfish), and would recommend another parrot LAST for your situation at the present time.

If it HAS to be a bird, poultry might be feasible.

 

[finchly]

It is good that you have some experience with birds already, and tht you are doing your research.

I have a baby caique and I looooooove him! If somebody had told me a long time time ago how fun they are, I would have gotten one then! He is smart, funny, and talks. He is not afraid to try new things. I recently got him a harness so we can walk outdoors.

Others can tell you the negative side of caique ownership. I just hvaen't experienced it yet. Did you read "the good the bad & the ugly" about them?

 

[janicedyh]

"My dream parrot would be a bird that keeps me active during the day and gets calm and cozy in the evening (would be called "hygge" in Danish), that I could have in close proximity during nearly all of my activities, that I could put a harness on and take outside for my sometimes hour long walks without it becoming distressed; a "partner in crime", if you will "
That list may be a dream. I am not trying to talk you out of getting a bird, just that from everything I have heard, read, seen and experienced you may end up disappointed. Birdies are individuals and even though species share a general trait there is not hard and fast rule that says your birdie will be cuddly, sweet, energetic when you want it to share all those activities and mellow out with you at night. Be careful when you are searching for your dream birdie, the birdie might have other dreams : )

 

[Harleyandme]

Welcome!

 

[Mizzely]

@Irishj9 has a bundle of caiques, as does @Laurie

 

[janicedyh]

I do think they are really unique and from what I have read here...kind of temperamental. They were on the top of my list when I was debating whether to get another bird.

 

[Harleyandme]

You say some people in your family aren't exactly bird people? That can cause a big problem. As you probably know, birds are LOUD, birds are NOISY, birds are MESSY! What if your parents don't like that? What if they end up with the bird? But, I love Caiques and once you have a little experience and LOTS and LOTS of knowledge on them, then I think you may be ready for your own companion.

 

[Irishj9]

Glad you're doing your research.
I echo what others have said about being more settled in life before you take on a caique.

As babies they are great fun and easy to manage. Two years later you have a VERY opinionated active independent bird.

Also Hormone season lasts months not weeks. Read some of the posts on this site about caique flying attacks on humans.

Good luck

 

[Luddie]

(I'm not quite sure how this quoting system works, please bear with me if I mess it up, heh

When do you away to college?

I don't think there is exactly a college equivalent here in Denmark. We do have 'universitetet', but you don't live there. Basically, after boarding school (if you decide to do that), you always come home after school, so dorm rules won't be a problem!

At this point in your life, how long can you realistically keep it? Most dorms are not going to allow a parrot. Finding pet friendly apt.s can be tough too. Are you sure you won't want to travel extensively in your twenties, or move to another country altogether? Plenty of time for a parrot once you are more settled.

If you have something more like a couple of years at your current home, maybe consider a fancy rat, or a reptile. For a reptile, one GOOD home is as good as another (the snake won't care), and rats are smart, clean, personable, and short lived. Very few rats live past three years. I own all three types of pets (plus goldfish), and would recommend another parrot LAST for your situation at the present time.

If it HAS to be a bird, poultry might be feasible.

There's no pressure to move out as soon as I hit 18. My brother's 23 and still around, and probably will be for a few more years until he decides to move out himself. So I have plenty of time to finish my education, get a job and then find a good home where I'm allowed to keep a bird (caique or not). Regarding traveling, I am very happy with the country I live in, and the only countries I could imagine me traveling/moving to are close neighbors.

I have been looking at reptiles and rats, but they just don't feel remotely the same as a bird. I might have to visit a rat or two to see if I can change my mind about them, but strangely, since having a bird, I've grown kind of indifferent to mammals. Our avian overlords have me in the palm of their iron talons, haha!

I don't think poultry is a good idea, since our garden is like 4x3 meters, but I have tried convincing my dad that I could borrow some of my friend's chicken eggs, hatch them and, when they're old enough, let them loose on the grass (which is not really grass yet, but it's getting there!) and then return them when they're older, but so far, no luck

It is good that you have some experience with birds already, and tht you are doing your research.

I have a baby caique and I looooooove him! If somebody had told me a long time time ago how fun they are, I would have gotten one then! He is smart, funny, and talks. He is not afraid to try new things. I recently got him a harness so we can walk outdoors.

Others can tell you the negative side of caique ownership. I just hvaen't experienced it yet. Did you read "the good the bad & the ugly" about them?

I did, and when looking at the bads and uglies of bird species, I always tell myself: "Murphy's law says the bird you get will be like that every day for the rest of its long life!"
I wish you all the joy in the world with your lil' cake

"My dream parrot would be a bird that keeps me active during the day and gets calm and cozy in the evening (would be called "hygge" in Danish), that I could have in close proximity during nearly all of my activities, that I could put a harness on and take outside for my sometimes hour long walks without it becoming distressed; a "partner in crime", if you will "
That list may be a dream. I am not trying to talk you out of getting a bird, just that from everything I have heard, read, seen and experienced you may end up disappointed. Birdies are individuals and even though species share a general trait there is not hard and fast rule that says your birdie will be cuddly, sweet, energetic when you want it to share all those activities and mellow out with you at night. Be careful when you are searching for your dream birdie, the birdie might have other dreams : )

Indeed! My linnie definitely had a mind of his own at times and wouldn't budge. As I said to Finchly, I always assume the bird I'm getting will be a stubborn lil' thing with other ideas.

You say some people in your family aren't exactly bird people? That can cause a big problem. As you probably know, birds are LOUD, birds are NOISY, birds are MESSY! What if your parents don't like that? What if they end up with the bird? But, I love Caiques and once you have a little experience and LOTS and LOTS of knowledge on them, then I think you may be ready for your own companion.

I have no idea where I got this love of all feathered things from, since none of my family members have such a relationship to them. Both my mom and my dad (actually, more like my dad's family) have owned budgies when they were young. My dad's was more for display, while my mom's was a gift that turned out to be a good pal, but she hasn't had a bird or shown interest in having one since.
When I had my linnie, my family loved him. Even when he hit puberty and hated everyone but me and screamed from time to time, he was a beloved family member. He was messy (especially when he got a grape; he would eat the flesh, but not the skin, so there would be mummified grapes around the house with the sugary fluid everywhere, haha!), so I am prepared for there to be a lot more mess with a caique that's five times his size, if not more! My dad isn't exactly the tidy type (our house is an organized mess), so mess won't really be a problem.
I will keep reading about caiques up until I've decided if it's a bird for me or not to be as prepared as possible.

Glad you're doing your research.
I echo what others have said about being more settled in life before you take on a caique.

As babies they are great fun and easy to manage. Two years later you have a VERY opinionated active independent bird.

Also Hormone season lasts months not weeks. Read some of the posts on this site about caique flying attacks on humans.

Good luck

I will, and thanks for clearing it up for me!



Thanks a lot for all your input, I will definitely take everything into consideration! If there's any more info you'd like to give, please keep it coming!

 

[finchly]

Is there a way you can meet one in person?

 

[Luddie]

Is there a way you can meet one in person?

I've been thinking about that, and it might be a possibility. I'll check if there's anyone nearby who can help

 

[Begone]

Hej på dig och välkommen!

Regarding traveling, I am very happy with the country I live in, and the only countries I could imagine me traveling/moving to are close neighbors.

Yes Sweden is also great!

I was thinking about your ADHD and what happens if your bird comes in the puberty and is screaming and biting all the time. Would that be a problem?
I think that a Green Check Conure will suit you better.
Caique are very demanding parrots, and if I ever consider them I would get two so they have each other to interact and play with when your not their or at home. A Caique is a 100% super active bird that needs interaction all day long.

 

[finchly]

.
Caique are very demanding parrots, and if I ever consider them I would get two so they have each other to interact and play with when your not their or at home. A Caique is a 100% super active bird that needs interaction all day long.

It will demand interaction all day long!

 

[Luddie]

Hej på dig och välkommen!

Yes Sweden is also great!

I was thinking about your ADHD and what happens if your bird comes in the puberty and is screaming and biting all the time. Would that be a problem?
I think that a Green Check Conure will suit you better.
Caique are very demanding parrots, and if I ever consider them I would get two so they have each other to interact and play with when your not their or at home. A Caique is a 100% super active bird that needs interaction all day long.

My linnie used to scream and bite when it was that time of the year, and I could handle it, no problem. Just need to multiply it by 1.000 to get a caique, I suppose
Green cheeks are hard to come by in Denmark (unless they're hiding them from me, heh), so I don't think they're really an option ... But you never know, maybe someone starts breeding them!
I don't have space for two parrots, and I highly doubt my dad would want three ADHD'ers in the house! I've read that they can entertain themselves, which is one of the reasons I looked more into them, since I'll be gone most of the day on weekdays due to school. As soon as I'd get home, it'd be let out of the cage until I'd go to bed.

Also, I see you have Pis, Eloy! They're a big candidate as well, despite them being almost the opposite of caiques (at least on paper ). I'll probably make a thread like this on Pionus Pointe to see what they have to say about having a Pi.

 

[Tim]

I love my caiques, but I really feel as though they are birds for people with a lot of life experience. They will require hours of daily interaction for decades. Every day. They are loud. they are messy. They could hate your girlfriend-or boyfriend-or future spouse. They will limit the amount of time you can spend with your friends/family. Vacations--double the cost for bird boarding or home-sitting. This is all from someone who couldn't imagine having any other species! I think they're the best parrots in the world! But I waited to take the plunge for a second time until my spouse was retired, and we had the appropriate amount of time and money to dedicate to caiques.

 

[Familyof12]

I love my caiques, but I really feel as though they are birds for people with a lot of life experience. They will require hours of daily interaction for decades. Every day. They are loud. they are messy. They could hate your girlfriend-or boyfriend-or future spouse. They will limit the amount of time you can spend with your friends/family. Vacations--double the cost for bird boarding or home-sitting. This is all from someone who couldn't imagine having any other species! I think they're the best parrots in the world! But I waited to take the plunge for a second time until my spouse was retired, and we had the appropriate amount of time and money to dedicate to caiques.

Tim, thanks for your post on this. I've been researching caiques for a long time now (2 years consistently-seriously). I'm older and settled with a comfortable income but still waiting for my daughter to move out with her birds before getting one. I don't want to stress out the existing family dynamics we have before introducing a new member, who may be super demanding and bossy! Best for family and my future caique. I will for sure try to rescue or re-home. If the universe sees fit and one happens to "fall" into my lap...I wouldn't turn him/her away, no matter what. Love them so much!

 

[finchly]

@Familyof12 My caique is pretty hard on the other birds, even as young as he is. He chases some and seems to hate the parrotlet --- who finally retaliated by zooming from across the room to attack him.

There are many stations with food but if he sees someone eating his favorite, he's apt to run them off. Doesn't eat it - just doesn't want them to.

It's really, REALLY changed the bird room dynamic.