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Caique attacks

Mico&Limon

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I need some advise from caique owners! I have two 7 year old caiques. I bought Mico (female) at about 4 months, and later adopted Limon (male) when they were both about 2 years. They were a good match and became very good friends.

Limon had been living with unexperienced people and had probably been handeled a little rough as he was a bit on edge when he first came to us, but at the same time very trusting and curious. After around 6 months with us I saw a change in him and he trusted me. Since then he has almost never bit, but rather just given a warning if needed.

There has been periods when he is so eager to stay out of the cage, that he has become very difficult to handle when he understands that he will be put back in the cage. This means holding on very tight on to anything and biting aggressively when I try to get him on my hand to go in the cage. I have usually handled this with a towel. This is not great, but manageable.

The real problem has begun recently. He has become fixed with pulling my glasses off my head. Aggressively. He can be on my shoulder for a few minutes relaxed, and then suddenly he will just pull my glasses off, and sometimes he even dive after them if they are on the floor to 'get them'. This is not easy to handle. He will even get on top of my head and pull them from there. If I leave the glasses off, he can try to pick on my eyes from the top of my head.

I don't understand why he started this behaviour. He has been with us for 5 years and there has been no particular change in the household or environment. He also started picking fights with Mico in the cage this week, so I have put inn the partition. I have never used it before.

I have tried to train him by saying 'no' if I see he wants to try for the glasses, but he will only listen as long as I am watching him.

I don't know what to do! I am now anxious to let him out as he could actually hurt my eyes.
Does anyone have any similar experiences and any advice for me?
 

Destiny

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Best advice I can give you is that if you can't trust your bird to behave when he is on your head or shoulder, then that is not a bird that you should be allowing on your head or shoulder.

The glasses/eyes thing sounds like a fun game for the parrot, so this behavior is probably self-rewarding and could have developed spontaneously without any other trigger. Every time he succeeds at tossing your glasses on the ground, the behavior is reinforced. Lots of parrots LOVE drama and caciques are no exception. It feeds their mischievous souls. The challenge of reaching your glasses is fun. Your reaction is fun. Why would he ever stop?

Your best bet is to be two steps ahead of your bird. Don't even give him the chance to bite your eyes or your glasses. Keep him off your head and shoulders entirely. Parrots can't bite what they can't reach. In the long term, you can work on teaching him to ignore your glasses and behave in a polite way when on your shoulder, but for the short term, the priority should be preventing the problem behavior from being triggered in the first place, so it stops getting repeatedly rewarded and reinforced.

Using verbal commands like "no" with parrots CAN work, but only if you have first taught your bird what the word means and they are willing to obey. Parrots are very smart and can learn many things, including the meaning of a wide variety of commands, but they are nowhere near as obediant as a dog. When you ask a parrot to stop doing something he really wants to do, you will need to offer a suitable reward for his compliance or you can expect him to give you the brush off.

Effective parrot training requires clear communication and mutual respect. Listen to what he is telling you with his body language and behavior. Watch for patterns and environmental triggers for problem behaviors. Try to "think like a bird" and consider the situation from a parrot perspective, rather than a human perspective. Not always easy, but worth the extra effort! Instead of demanding obedience, use training as a way to communicate your needs to him in a way he can understand, using a shared vocabulary. Target training is great for this. Often times, it is far easier to change your approach and how you interact with your bird, rather than trying to change the parrot's instincts and natural behaviors. Birds will be birds, afterall.

....

Regarding sudden unexpected behavior changes, such as aggression, hormones are the usual suspect in most juvenile to adult birds. The second common cause to watchout for is undiagnosed health issues. Chronic pain or an untreated injury can make anybody cranky. Sometimes the bird is doing a good job of masking its illness, so a sudden change in behavior is your first warning that something is wrong.

It is not a bad idea to have a routine vet check done by an avian vet to rule out medical causes, especially if regular behavior interventions don't help and the bird appears to be distressed.
 

CrazyKozmo

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Great, and thorough, advice @Destiny! I can relate to the glasses issue...though, my Kozmo hasn't taken it that far. My girls are 8 years old and bonded. Mickey is much more mellow (for an caique) and Kozmo is high-strung. I wear an old pair of glasses when I have them out...because sometimes Kozmo gets obsessed with them...climbs on them, throws them off my face, chews on ear/nose piece. You don't want your bird to bite your eye or eyelid. That's happened to me, when I was new to caiques and learning (and respecting) their body language. Scratched cornea and black eye for a week....didn't feel good at all!! Now I BELIEVE their body language and if they look like they're going to get crazy, then I make sure they are away from my face/shoulder or each other. Also, I always keep an old, thick bath towel with me when they're out and playing for if/when they get carried away and out-of-control.
This is the really crazy season, so we need to be on high-alert as parronts to this crazy and lovable species we call caiques! Read and respect their body language!!
 
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Mico&Limon

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Thank you both so much for very informative responses!

What has also become a habit of Limon is to be extremely clingy when he's let out. He used to be adventurous and very interested in investigating new things and meet new people, but lately he clings to my shoulder and will almost not even sit on my hand. It seems impossible to have him out of the cage and not allow him to sit on me. I don't know why he acts like that now since he was so different before.

What could be the cause of a hormonal change at the age of 7? I have never seen my birds mate, however Mico has laid blank eggs a few times and I have learned her behaviour change in that time. There is a certain sound that I have only heard in those periods which tells me she is hormonal.

I have seen many examples of how things that are not allowed become fun for the birds. But I believe my birds know the word 'no' because they will most often obey. Also Limon has a habit of bobbing his head when he enjoys something, so I can tell when he thinks it's fun. This is not his body language when he takes my glasses, it looks more like he is angry or anxious or even desperate. It feels terrible to be forced to put him bak in the cage.

He is calm and 'normal' when in the cage, although he's always eager to be let out.

The only thing he achieves by taking the glasses is that he's put back in the cage. Do you think he will learn and remember this so he will stop soon?
Is this perhaps caused by the season?

I really hope that we get past this because I want him to be happy and playful without hurting anyone again!
 

Destiny

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I wonder if he might be catching a glimpse of his own reflection in your glasses and reacting to the "other bird"? Maybe it is a form of misplaced territorial aggression. That would explain the angry body language. Sometimes I don't think our birds realize that our body parts are all part of the same person.

Honestly, I don't know. I wish birds came with instruction manuals sometimes. Or universal translators! :laugh:

As for hormones, they usually crop up for the first time in younger birds when they hit puberty. It is less common to see it happen out of the blue for older birds, without some kind of environmental trigger. That's why I was thinking it might be something else. Hormones are a good first guess, but they aren't the answer for every bird.

Or he is just a late bloomer. Overly clingy behavior can also be a hormonal sign, especially if you are his chosen person. And that could also explain why he is getting more aggressive toward Mico.

My first thought is that you might try adding some distractions - foraging toys, play trees, foot toys, and other fun stuff that encourage independent play and engage his brain. Instead of letting him hang out on you, encourage him to play or chill on a stand or in a play area. If he does view you as his mate, then it would be a good idea to let him down gently. Encouraging the pair bond will only lead to more frustration and misplaced aggression.

...

"The only thing he achieves by taking the glasses is that he's put back in the cage. Do you think he will learn and remember this so he will stop soon?"

Honestly no, I don't. He went after your glasses for a reason and if he achieved his goal by tossing them, then the behavior was successfully rewarded. A time-out probably won't work, because it is already too late. He got what he wanted.

Plus, most animals won't chain together cause and effect to avoid punishments from past actions if the events are too complex or distantly connected. They live in the moment and move on pretty quickly. If it takes you a minute or so to transition him into the cage, what he was doing when you decided to put him in there is long forgotten. In his mind, they are likely considered separate events. Some birds might be able to make that connection, but I would not count on it for training purposes.

If you need to put him in the cage to stop the attacks, by all means do so. But I don't recommend putting a bird back in his cage to punish a bad behavior. Not only is it hard for an animal to connect the triggering event to the result, the cage should NOT be a bad place for your bird. It should be a safe haven, a place to play, and a personal retreat. It is not a prison or a time-out corner. You really don't want your bird to hate their cage. It can cause all sorts of problems for you and your bird.

A better way to deal with bad behavior is distraction, redirection, and distance. If you see body language that is telling you he is about to bite ... give him some distance. If he is about to do something bad, try to redirect him to a different behavior, rather than just telling him to stop or trying to punish him. Try to distract him by giving him something else to do or offering something interesting that piques his interest. For example, if you want him to get off of your shoulder without biting, you can use target training to ask him to transfer to a perch then reward the good behavior.

When you are trying to decrease bad behavior, it helps to take some time to consider what behaviors you want him to adopt and brainstorm ways to reward and encourage those behaviors. This will let you approach the situation from a more positive direction and build up better patterns of behavior over time.

The more time your bird spends doing good things, the less time he has to cause mischief. ;)
 
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Mico&Limon

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I really appreciate your input and advice on this! I will try out the distraction.
I thought they might connect the events though, but I believe that you are right given how short their attention span really is!
He is totally ignoring my husband, so I don't know about the jealousy, although a good theory.
Thanks a lot. I will let you know how it develops!
 

WBCmom

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The struggle is real. My Mango thinks the top of my head and my glasses are HIS and he just lets me use them. The advise that @Destiny and @CrazyKozmo gave you is solid. I dont allow Mango on my head and he knows it. In the meantime of training maybe my tricks might help, maybe maybe not lol. When Mango starts his climb I immediately attempt to stop and redirect. Mostly successful but on those moments when its not (he's pretty quick) I lean over the table, his cage, his perch and shake my head. Mango hates it and immediately jumps off. For the glasses are MINE mentality of Mango the Mighty Caique, I take them off and out of his beak. If insistent, which he almost always gives it a couple of try's, I had a broken pair of rims that are his. He knows he can play with them but the ones on mommy's head are off limits. As far as the aggression I agree with above commenters, as a male maybe Limon is having some hormone issues, swollen gonad's hurt and I would rule all that out with a Vet visit.

Just two cents from the human who used air freshener like an idiot. We all make mistakes, asking here shows you care beyond the norm.
 

Laurie

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One thing I would like to add to the already good advice that you are have already gotten is that contrary to all the people on social media caique forums hormones are not the main cause of misbehaving caiques. I have 5 pairs of caiques. Three of the pairs are laying eggs and producing babies, talk about hormones! Out of six birds, one of them is dangerous just before eggs are laid. Even if hormones at play they mainly magnify existing behavior "problems" and only produce a few specific new ones. While they may be at play there is not a lot you can do to calm them so it is more effective to look at specific behaviors and address the immediate situation in which it happens rather than try and address how your bird "feels". I say "feels" with quote because despite the fact that they are feeling things we often can't be sure what. It is not super effective to guess, if you get it wrong then it can lead you in the wrong direction. Better and easier to address the situation in which the behavior presents.

As for hormones, a few things that hormones cause is cavity seeking (looking for small dark spaces), defending the mate and increased territoriality. This translates to wanting to find and be in small enclosed spaces, vocalizing or biting when someone approaches their perceived territory or resources such as cage and food and finally clinging to and defending their perceived mate (be it a person or toy) which can include biting.

Most other things can not really be attributed to hormones and I think many people label things as hormones and then get frustrated and give up thinking there is nothing that can be done. Most of the time this is incorrect.

Also, another thing about training which I am sure you know is that it is easiest to modify the environment, next it is slightly more difficult to modify your own behavior and finally it is most difficult to modify your birds behavior.

As it applies to the issue with eyes and eye glasses the easiest thing to do is not allow him on your shoulder (change the environment).

Also when addressing behavior it is most effective to teach and reward the behavior you want rather than ignore or punish the behavior you do not want. Birds are constantly behaving and if you don't teach them what you do want them to do then they will make something up on their own :) Something that they find rewarding.

Perhaps, sitting on your shoulder is boring because he is near you but not getting attention, when he goes for the glasses he always gets attention really quickly. Very rewarding. Doesn't matter if he gets put in his cage. He got your attention.

If you can figure out something that you want him to do that would probably help. Sitting on your arm or sitting on your shoulder calmly. To teach that you need to reward him when he is doing good. Often calm behavior gets ignored not reinforced. This is natural for us to do because they are calm we can focus on something else. But look at it from the birds perspective, he wants attention from you and sitting calmly doesn't get him any. You can talk to him, give him a scritch the occasional treat, reward his calm and good behavior.

When trying to come up with a good behavior to replace a less desirable one start with things that your bird is already doing and reward those things. Bonus points if the doing the new behavior makes it impossible to do the old one at the same time. Like for the glasses, sitting calmly on your arm makes it impossible to grab glasses, sitting on the back of you neck rather than your shoulder also makes it impossible, playing with a bird safe necklace that you ware around your neck rather than the glasses, having his own pair of glasses to play with...You will need to see what works for you and yours but hopefully you get the idea.

I know people sometimes feel that having your bird in it's cage is a bad thing but if they are content there for a time then I do not feel like it is a negative thing. It should not be a prison it should be more like a kids bedroom loaded up with fun toys and foods and activities. If you can teach your birds to enjoy time in it's cage it will make your life much easier.
 

dutchlings

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@Laurie

Do you have any tips on teaching a single caique to enjoy their cage when their humans are out of sight? My caique loves his cage and will happily play with his toys and forage for treats (and stuff his little face with veggies) as long as there’s a human in sight. He’ll happily stay in there for hours even if the door is left open and will swing upside down wildly from his toys. But unfortunately, if we leave the room, he instantly turns into a sad little potato. He’ll still eat and drink, but he won’t play with his toys and will just quietly sit there and wait. He does have a human with him the majority of the day (working from home in the same room), but I always feel so bad checking in on the nanny cam and seeing him frozen on a perch if we’ve run out for an hour or two to do some shopping, or put him up a few hours early because we have an event to attend.

And this is a slightly unrelated question, but have any of your caiques ever made a huffing noise when play fighting? Mine will open his wings up a little and do the “you want a piece of this?!” stance and then hop over and “pounce” on his prey (usually my hand or a foot toy) while making this little PFF noise. I was dying laughing when he did that to a little fluffy piece of down feather that was floating next to his head, he was even trying to bite it out of the air. I was curious because the only huffing/wheezing noise I’ve seen people mentioning re: parrots are when a pionus is scared.
 

Irishj9

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Agree with previous posts. Simply remove the cause. Mine hate my sunglasses too. I simply dont wear them indoors. They all love eating my cellphone cover. Guess what, they don't see it anymore, etc
 

Irishj9

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Theres no way to sugar coat the fundamental truth of caiques.

Their highly social playful nature evolved in a flock setting.

Theres no such thing as a single caique in the wild. So if you decide to keep a single bird you become the flock, with all that entails. I mean 24/7/365 attention
 
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Irishj9

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I have several 9 year old birds and they have strong opinions about what they want. I manage them with lots of exercise and a daily routine they've come to love.
They will all go to their sleeping place when it gets dark thats the bottom line
 

Laurie

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@Laurie

Do you have any tips on teaching a single caique to enjoy their cage when their humans are out of sight? My caique loves his cage and will happily play with his toys and forage for treats (and stuff his little face with veggies) as long as there’s a human in sight. He’ll happily stay in there for hours even if the door is left open and will swing upside down wildly from his toys. But unfortunately, if we leave the room, he instantly turns into a sad little potato. He’ll still eat and drink, but he won’t play with his toys and will just quietly sit there and wait. He does have a human with him the majority of the day (working from home in the same room), but I always feel so bad checking in on the nanny cam and seeing him frozen on a perch if we’ve run out for an hour or two to do some shopping, or put him up a few hours early because we have an event to attend.

And this is a slightly unrelated question, but have any of your caiques ever made a huffing noise when play fighting? Mine will open his wings up a little and do the “you want a piece of this?!” stance and then hop over and “pounce” on his prey (usually my hand or a foot toy) while making this little PFF noise. I was dying laughing when he did that to a little fluffy piece of down feather that was floating next to his head, he was even trying to bite it out of the air. I was curious because the only huffing/wheezing noise I’ve seen people mentioning re: parrots are when a pionus is scared.
Hmmm, I am not sure about how to get them to play when you leave the room. Maybe he is just resting since he has no one to entertain. My breeding caiques do not play nearly as much as when they are nesting. Daddy bird looks like he is doing nothing but in his brain I am sure he is busy. He is keeping watch and that is his job. Looks can be deceiving. Maybe yours is watching over the house.

You could add a new toy, some foraging opportunities or something new and interesting for him to check out when you leave. Maybe that will keep him busier.

As for the huffing I am not certain that it is the same but it sounds like something my younger caiques do when they are trying to be big and scary and defensive. Since it is when he is attacking something then it would not surprise me if it was the same thing.
 

dutchlings

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Theres no way to sugar coat the fundamental truth of caiques.

Their highly social playful nature evolved in a flock setting.

Theres no such thing as a single caique in the wild. So if you decide to keep a single bird you become the flock, with all that entails. I mean 24/7/365 attention
I’m probably overthinking it with feeling bad because he’s alone for maybe a maximum of 4-5 hours total per month. Boyfriend works from home in our caique’s room, so he has company all day during the workday aside from the occasional bathroom break. If he’s traveling for work, our caique goes to his “vacation cage” at my family’s house where my grandparents are very happy to spoil him with attention while I’m at work, and I stay at the house too so he gets to spend mornings and evenings with me. My family will also happily keep him if we go on vacation so we don’t have any worries about having to board him somewhere and whether he’ll be taken care of well or not.

We also take him out with us if it’s bird friendly (e.g. outdoor patio at a restaurant, park, etc. as long as the weather and environment is safe for him). And if we’re going somewhere that’s not bird friendly and will be gone for more than half the day, we’ll drop him off with my family first.
 

Laurie

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@dutchlings BTW, that bird in your profile picture is adorable :)
 

dutchlings

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Hmmm, I am not sure about how to get them to play when you leave the room. Maybe he is just resting since he has no one to entertain. My breeding caiques do not play nearly as much as when they are nesting. Daddy bird looks like he is doing nothing but in his brain I am sure he is busy. He is keeping watch and that is his job. Looks can be deceiving. Maybe yours is watching over the house.

You could add a new toy, some foraging opportunities or something new and interesting for him to check out when you leave. Maybe that will keep him busier.

As for the huffing I am not certain that it is the same but it sounds like something my younger caiques do when they are trying to be big and scary and defensive. Since it is when he is attacking something then it would not surprise me if it was the same thing.
oh! Adding some fresh treats to his forage toys may be the way to go. He LOVES foraging. What I’ve found baffling is that I’ve seen his morning routine, which is wake up, biiiiig stretch, eat some pellets, and happily play with his favorite toy for about 30 minutes before he whistles for us. But if he finds himself alone at any other point during the day, he will very rarely play at all. He does seem to try and squeeze in a nap while we’re gone.

I’m guessing some caiques just have more mellow personalities as well - I have an Instagram friend who has a caique a few weeks younger than mine and hers is a Strong Independent Bird who loves nothing more than to be left alone in his playroom so he can tear everything apart. He’s apparently more resistant to training (he was pre-harness trained and then decided to untrain himself lol) and doesn’t like to cuddle at all unless he’s very sleepy.

He’a still a baby (~10.5 months) so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was it! Though the huffing only happens when he’s being playful, not scared.

That’s his good side in my profile picture! Little guy has a mild case of scissor beak and looks very goofy from the other side because his beak doesn’t shut fully haha
 

Laurie

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oh! Adding some fresh treats to his forage toys may be the way to go. He LOVES foraging. What I’ve found baffling is that I’ve seen his morning routine, which is wake up, biiiiig stretch, eat some pellets, and happily play with his favorite toy for about 30 minutes before he whistles for us. But if he finds himself alone at any other point during the day, he will very rarely play at all. He does seem to try and squeeze in a nap while we’re gone.

I’m guessing some caiques just have more mellow personalities as well - I have an Instagram friend who has a caique a few weeks younger than mine and hers is a Strong Independent Bird who loves nothing more than to be left alone in his playroom so he can tear everything apart. He’s apparently more resistant to training (he was pre-harness trained and then decided to untrain himself lol) and doesn’t like to cuddle at all unless he’s very sleepy.

He’a still a baby (~10.5 months) so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was it! Though the huffing only happens when he’s being playful, not scared.

That’s his good side in my profile picture! Little guy has a mild case of scissor beak and looks very goofy from the other side because his beak doesn’t shut fully haha
Well he is a cutie. I don't think he is scared just maybe trying to threaten his toy with some practice fighting techniques. LOL! If you don't have a caique friend you have to take what you can get. If you have two together they play fight all the time. I think it is practice in case they need to do the real deal sometime.
 

dutchlings

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Well he is a cutie. I don't think he is scared just maybe trying to threaten his toy with some practice fighting techniques. LOL! If you don't have a caique friend you have to take what you can get. If you have two together they play fight all the time. I think it is practice in case they need to do the real deal sometime.
Yeah, he’s a little scaredy cat. Does one little SCREM and goes flying/running under the nearest form of cover if he’s actually scared. He’s gone flying after seeing a tiny butterfly flutter past before:laughing7:

I love watching videos of caiques play fighting, they play so roughly!
 

Laurie

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Yeah, he’s a little scaredy cat. Does one little SCREM and goes flying/running under the nearest form of cover if he’s actually scared. He’s gone flying after seeing a tiny butterfly flutter past before:laughing7:

I love watching videos of caiques play fighting, they play so roughly!
lol! So funny.
 

Mico&Limon

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Hi all, and sorry for the late update. Thank you so much for all your advice and thoughts on this aubject. It truly is a challenge to have caiques, bit also such a joy!
So I started to not have my glasses on when the birds were out of the cage, and that solved the issue. But I could not do that forever, because I do not see well without them. So I did this only for about two weeks and then started wearing them again. And Limon was back to normal, totally ignoring them. So I still have no idea what might have triggered this, but it might be he was just a little bored and found a fun new toy which gave him a lot of attention as well!
 
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