Making decisions

[jmfleish]

I don't have Caiques, but I do have pairs. I have a two sibling pairs that each share cages, a Galah pair that weren't raised together and I slowly moved them into sharing a cage after the age of five at my vet's suggestion. They now share a cage together at the age of seven and have been sharing a cage together successfully for a year now. And my male Eclectus pair who are siblings with about a six year age difference (the Galah pair were from the same clutch but did not grow up together) who have been sharing the same cage together for three years now. We also have a female/female Amazon duo who are not caged but spend all their time together. They have chosen that friendship.

Parrots are definitely flock species and I am starting to realize that they do better in pairs if you can manage it. If your birds are domestically reared and handfed to be pets, they will rarely lose that pet quality and will always want to be pets regardless of whether or not they have a parrot friend. Like Saroj mentioned, it's a lot of fun to see them interacting with their buddy too. I think the Caiques take that to a whole new level but I think it's probably true of any parrot-parrot bond.

 

[Atomiklan]

I know we already talked a little bit about this in a previous thread, but what if I considered getting a pair of finches first and hold off on the Caiques. I know several disagree with the idea of "starter" birds, but least that would give me the opportunity to get introduced to ownership in what I suspect is a MUCH gentler way. I know this is probably no comparison to Caiques at all, but still trying to look at all my options and determine what would best for not just myself, but also the birds.

 

[Hankmacaw]

@Atomiklan - I've read almost all of your posts and the responses to them. My brother was an engineer too (Head of the Missile System Development Group at Hughes Aircraft, for forty years) a brilliant man. He would tend to over analyze-over analyze-over analyze. I'm a retired CPA, 77 years old, and even I could barely tolerate his analysis paralysis. He missed a lot in life, because it took him so long to decide.

You have gotten a lot of really good information and some BS on this site.

You are ready -no more analysis. Go get yourself a parrot (finches are not parrots) and promise it and yourself that you are in it for the long haul. We are here all the time to help you with any questions or problems you come up with. Caiques are darling and little bundles of atomic energy - love them, but one would drive me nuts at my age, but you are the perfect Caique Daddy.

 

[Atomiklan]

Ha yeah you are right. It's the engineers curse. We over think everything . Its both a really good and really bad thing! I think I have the perfect names for them. Oppy for Oppenheimer, and Marie for Marie Curie

 

[tka]

I suspect that finches are so very different from parrots that getting a pair wouldn't prepare you for a parrot at all. As I understand (from the perspective of someone who has never kept finches), they don't really appreciate handling, don't require hours of human interaction/companionship and require very different husbandry. Plus it wouldn't be fair on the finches - if you adore finches, find them fascinating and would genuinely adore them for what they are then by all means get a pair. But they are not parrots, and wouldn't prepare you for sharing your life with a parrot.

I'm not an engineer but I am an academic, and I too immersed myself in everything I could research about parrots. Books, blogs, forums, talked to experienced keepers, met as many parrots as I could. You get a point where you've absorbed as much as you can; I read so much about parrot behaviour and training that I was kind of going in circles about the ideal way to interact with a parrot companion. As it happens, Leia has her own ideas about things, and our relationship definitely involves listening to her and what she wants from me.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Good names, if a boy and girl. When are you going to go get a bird? Can't help it - you really don't need any more advice - but how about getting one and becoming familiar with it and it with you, then go get the second one?

Little story. My first bird was an 18 yo, wild caught, badly abused, male Greenwing Macaw (Hank). Other than the same thing in an Umbrella Cockatoo, that's about as tough as it can get. It took about six years, lots of errors and lots of joy, but we finally became best buddies. He died of cancer in 2012 at 34 years old and I still miss him. After I had had Hank for three years, I was given Jasper a 6/1/2 year old female Greenwing Macaw. She had been hand raised and was/is ridiculously gentle and people oriented. Hank fell head over heels in love with her immediately and her coming to live with us was a big turning point for him. They lived together in the same cage (actually an indoor aviary) for 12 years. Jasper grieved as much as I did when he died. Now it's just Jasper and me - I don't know what I would do without her.

 

[schnitzle]

As I already mentioned in a previous thread, some days I am really excited about it and ready to go. The next day I am a little discouraged and apprehensive.

I had these same feelings when considering a Caique. My partner and I had adopted 2 rescue dogs 15 years ago, and although we did all our analysis and asked all the right questions we still ended up in kind of a bad situation with them. The more difficult of the two passed away last November and we are left with the easiest, yet not perfect one. And now that she's so old we also have huge vet bills.

So with that entire back story in mind, when I read or heard warnings from people about Caiques I thought I had better not ignore them. I'd have no one to blame but myself if I put myself and my partner into another long relationship with a difficult pet. The idea of getting 2 dissuaded me even further because in my experience, which is only with dogs, I felt like having two was so much harder and more expensive than I ever realized.

Thanks schnitzle for the reply

You say you were in this same spot just a couple of weeks ago? So where do things stand now. What did you ultimately decide on or are you still in the same boat?

Well, we had a talk and it came to light that even though my partner enjoyed the pet parrots she had met at the bird shops, she was very nervous about the whole idea. We had seen an adorable older Senegal, who let us scratch her head through the bars of the cage, but even that bird had snapped at someone and that scared her.
So we met a friend's hand raised budgie and while I've always loved budgies, she found she also really liked it and felt comfortable taking one on as a pet. So yes, we are starting small. If once we gain more knowledge about pet parrots we decide to add a larger bird to the mix, we will certainly remain dedicated to this budgie and we do not consider it a "stepping stone" or starter bird.

My case is different than yours though because I have to consider another person's feelings. And while I could do what I'd like, I'd really like us both to enjoy the experience. Also I'm trying very hard to not repeat mistakes I've made in the past.

Sorry that this is so long, and probably not that helpful. I was just so glad to see that someone else was having the same questions that I was about the exact same species! Oh and I'm a data person (SQL DBA) so I loooove to over-analyse!

 

[Atomiklan]

I suspect that finches are so very different from parrots that getting a pair wouldn't prepare you for a parrot at all.

Yeah, I guess the idea behind keeping the finches would be to just gently introduce me to bird ownership in general. I definitely recognize that finches are not caiques haha. I'm thinking more so from the standpoint of cleaning cages, preparing food, etc. just to see if its right for me.

Plus it wouldn't be fair on the finches - if you adore finches, find them fascinating and would genuinely adore them for what they are then by all means get a pair.

Ok so I partially lied earlier when I said I was ONLY interested in caiques. I think finches are incredibly cute too. Way more than budgies. Sorry budgie owners. budgie = pudgie haha. I would love to keep a pair of finches first.

When are you going to go get a bird?

Haha, I am building up to it. I recognize the threshold now and will make that step over when the time is right. I still don't think I am quite there yet. I still think I can learn a little more first. This is not a decision I want to rush into at all. I need to at least go visit some birds first haha. Ultimately this is still a very new thing for me and a big step into pet ownership. I've been thinking about dogs for years and have looked after dogs for years and thus would feel comfortable with a dog (if I wanted one). The idea of getting a parrot is comparatively still very new. As for getting one and then a second one later. Seems that is a potential recipe for disaster, or just very troublesome. If I'm gonna commit to two, I'm just going to get them at same time so they can grow up together. Either way I will be jumping in head first.

By the way, it sounds like your birds lived long happy lives

The idea of getting 2 dissuaded me even further because in my experience, which is only with dogs, I felt like having two was so much harder and more expensive than I ever realized.

Sigh, yes I am still building up to this too. Pretty much everyone seems to agree... get two. All or nothing type situation here it seems. I can see the positives though. At least they will have each other to burn off all that energy .

My case is different than yours though because I have to consider another person's feelings.

I still worry about this too though. If for example I need to travel and someone needs to take care of them while I am gone. I worry about friends or family getting frustrated, or the birds not liking them, making care very difficult and ultimately getting into situations where friends and family refuse to visit or help when requested. Not that I intend to constantly be handing off the birds to others so I can go travel the world, but its still something that comes to mind. I worry about traveling at say holidays and family not being able to put up with the birds like I am prepared to do.

 

[saroj12]

You can board them with a trusted vet. It's a good thing to develop a good relationship with your avian vet so you can count on her for bird related needs. No one in my family wants the birds if I'm incapacitated or pop off or something. My vet will arrange to find homes for them along with an informal trust fund which I've discussed withy family. So far I am seeing that the techs are adopting birds in need at the clinic. I also had a vet tech coming to clean twice a week with her bf so we did nails and stuff. She recently moved to Texas but came back to visit on Sunday and clean. Her bf didn't relocate and still comes over for the Sunday Wednesday cleaning but he's not a tech though the caiques love him!
Anyway, I just got back from work and I'm getting errors in a library which means I've done something stupid in my Qt code. So I haven't caught up with the thread yet about finches and whatnot....

 

[Just-passn-thru]

I know we already talked a little bit about this in a previous thread, but what if I considered getting a pair of finches first and hold off on the Caiques. I know several disagree with the idea of "starter" birds, but least that would give me the opportunity to get introduced to ownership in what I suspect is a MUCH gentler way. I know this is probably no comparison to Caiques at all, but still trying to look at all my options and determine what would best for not just myself, but also the birds.

Budgies or cockatiels, fun littles. I have a pair of red rumped Australian parakeets their wonderful , they are usually sold in pairs .

 

[saroj12]

Did you see the pbs (?) movie Oppenheimer?

 

[Just-passn-thru]

I also am having my vet take over the care of my birds if necessary, I prefer to board them with vet. I know their needs would be taken care of.

 

[schnitzle]

Sigh, yes I am still building up to this too. Pretty much everyone seems to agree... get two. All or nothing type situation here it seems. I can see the positives though. At least they will have each other to burn off all that energy .

Yes I'm sure that people are right about that, it makes sense. I wonder if there is anyone on the forum who has a single caique and if they feel that it is happy.

I still worry about this too though. If for example I need to travel and someone needs to take care of them while I am gone. I worry about friends or family getting frustrated, or the birds not liking them, making care very difficult and ultimately getting into situations where friends and family refuse to visit or help when requested. Not that I intend to constantly be handing off the birds to others so I can go travel the world, but its still something that comes to mind. I worry about traveling at say holidays and family not being able to put up with the birds like I am prepared to do.

Ah true! Thinking about family and friend's reactions is important too. My sister would be able to "bird sit" but she is terrified of birds, so I've found 2 bird shops in my area that will do boarding. I'm kind of used to that whole idea since we always had to board our dogs. Basically their "hotel" was as expensive as ours!

Oh and the people not coming over because you live with cujo. I lived that for 15 years

 

[Just-passn-thru]

Just get it...you can always add another, if your gone most of the time consider the bird sitting all by itself day in and day out. you could get budgie for company , in a separate cage. it helps even a single dog gets separation anxiety, social creatures need socialization, a cat would do well by itself. a turtle maybe. unless your home 99.9%of the time or you can take bird along to work . I think it is unfair to the both of you mostly the bird, they have no choice. good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[jmfleish]

I also rely very heavily on our vet team at the university. As a matter of fact, our birds are earning their keep a little bit and go to the UW to be "models" two to three times a year for their training sessions with students and new residents and such. We get free physicals on three to four birds of our choosing and we also get a credit on our account each time which definitely comes in handy. We don't travel but if we did, I would ask someone at the UW first and I know some of the vets have been known to look after birds for people.

As for the littles, don't knock them. I had no idea how awesome they could be until I met my first Linnie and it was love at first sight. I would consider a Budgie in a heart beat!

 

[MNR]

I think it is good that you are taking your time to research. When I got my first caique, Loki in 2003, there weren't much information available on them. I and my ex were not planning to have another caique, but decided to welcome Puck (despite their names, they are girls) in 2006. Caiques are very social and no matter how many toys you give, they really crave interactions. Having two helps, though they still want to play with their humans. They are very demanding ---- indeed, they are in my shirt snuggling as I type this.

I have an Amazon parrot, but I never felt I needed to get another Amazon. He is much better with entertaining himself (LOVE his toys!). He needs his snuggle time, but not as much as caiques.

 

[Pipsqueak]

I research everything and then I am making a heart decision in the spur of the moment. I often ask myself what was I thinking, lol I first got a parrot (cockatiel) for my then 4 year old sun because I thought it would be easier than a caique, I had done my research and I still would love one but thought it would not be right with two small kids. Now the conures came to me from a rescue where I hope to volunteer now. I love their parrot seminars, I learn a lot and like to meet people in my area that have birds too and we might be able to bird sit for each other. Both of our families are over seas and we never had help with the animals or kids and yes, boarding can get expensive too and spontaneous trips have become almost impossible.

 

[aooratrix]

@Atomiklan : you are certainly doing your due diligence and thinking this through. I and others respect you for that. You cannot plan for every eventuality. Nobody's situation is always perfect, either. If you try to achieve perfection, you'll never have any long term relationship, IMO. Ask yourself this: years from now, will you kick yourself if you don't move forward when the time is right? Would the presence of a caique or 2 enrich your life? I know mine have enriched mine immeasurably. I definitely feel that mine are happier as they find their ways and roles into one flock.

There bad days, like any day I'm cleaning and on cage #5, but the good ones, the smiles, and the laughs outweigh them easily. Don't let anyone dissuade you. There are plenty of us here who can offer tips and insights to help you through the rough patches or bumps in the road.

 

[aooratrix]

I'm a HS teacher and was a varsity volleyball coach until 2015 and have my hands comfortably full with my spoiled gang. I have worked with my birds to enjoy the busy times and those that afford more time, as have many others here.

I do presentations at my school and bring a macaw to my creative writing class as a source of inspiration. The kids love that! But I am VERY honest about living with birds and discourage adults and kids that probably couldn't make the commitment. You are not one I'd discourage.

 

[SpecialistElbru]

Did you see the pbs (?) movie Oppenheimer?

You mean the movie that was produced in the 80s or 90s.
Yes!!

That was sort of weird, I was just thinking about Richard Feynman Hans Bethe and Werner Heisenberg about an hour before going on-line.