Might be getting a caique.....

[Stizby]

I have become quite smitten with a little female black-headed caique that is for sale in a local shop. She is 13 months old. I went and played with her today some (my second visit) and I and the shop are about $50 apart in an agreed upon price. I know there are folks on this board with caiques, and I would sure love to hear how you find them to be as pets. I have read up as much as I could find on the 'net but now would like to hear some personal stories from those who actually share their lives with the bird that has been coined as the "biggest clown" in the parrot world.

[CALVINS MOM]

THEY ARE WONDERFUL!!!!!!!! (Check out mine in my signature. He lives with my GCC and they love each other). But, they still love me too! I say go for it!

[Irish]

Deb is REALLY sick with pneumonia (I'm tempted to drag her off to an emergency room if Jerry can't convince her to go) or I'm sure she'd chime in. She's got two of the little caiques (not the black-headed ones--the other ones), and they are SO cute, and more fun than a barrel of monkeys! She's taught them all sorts of things like rolling over, and hopping on request (and I think they sing songs, too--but don't quote me on that), and they just love getting up on people to snuggle, snuggle, snuggle! I am totally smitten with her youngest one, and it's all I can do not to slip him in my pocket and take him home :-). You could sure do a lot worse than a caique, imho!

[Tiki]

Kelly, I met several Caiques when I was in the States and just adored every last one of them! Get one at your own risk, because if you do, I will eventually visit you and steal him! LOL!!!

Seriously, when the price comes down in Australia, one of these little charmers will be joining my family!

Lisa B has one who is crazy about long blonde hair, something we all have in common.

[Freedomoflight]

I have 2 BHC's.. I love them to pieces. They sing and dance (literally), hop, whistle tunes... its like having a perpetual 2 year old on a sugar high in your house 24/7! Loads of fun. They love to 'hair surf'- my female will take my ponytail out if I am wearing my hair up so she can play. And after baths, give them each a dry towel and they dry themselves off. Never a dull moment with a caique around. Mine are the constant terror of my cats- they meow, the cats come over, and the birds either throw toys on top of the cats heads, or hop madly after them, laughing like maniacs.
You never need a TV again when you are owned by a caique!

[Stizby]

Boy, it sure looks like everyone loves their caiques!! I keep reading wonderful things about them -- how they are like little energizer bunnies who play, play, play.

When I was in the shop yesterday, the guy working there was shocked that she stepped up for me. He said that she has always tended to not like women at all and goes ga-ga for the guys in the shop. He told me that she was sold to a woman about 4 weeks ago who brought her back the very next day demanding a refund because the bird bit her. I think that lady must have been a novice with birds or else she would never so easily give up on this little gal. I noticed that this caique is kind of beaky but she never came close to biting me. And it is my understanding that caiques are beaky by nature, right?

I don't see many caiques in the shops around here and she is drawing a lot of attention. Whenever I have been in the shop, it seems that someone is always interacting with her. Each time I've been there, the shop has her on a playstand and she seems content to hang out there.

Those of you who have caiques, do they pretty much "hop" around and not use their wings? I am getting that impression from the information I've been reading on this species.

[Stizby]

Originally Posted by Freedomoflight

I have 2 BHC's.. I love them to pieces. They sing and dance (literally), hop, whistle tunes... its like having a perpetual 2 year old on a sugar high in your house 24/7! Loads of fun. They love to 'hair surf'- my female will take my ponytail out if I am wearing my hair up so she can play. And after baths, give them each a dry towel and they dry themselves off. Never a dull moment with a caique around. Mine are the constant terror of my cats- they meow, the cats come over, and the birds either throw toys on top of the cats heads, or hop madly after them, laughing like maniacs.
You never need a TV again when you are owned by a caique!

Your caiques sound delightful. How long have you had them? Do you keep yours caged together or separately? Have you experienced any hormonal behavior with yours? Just wondering how "ornery" they become during their hormonal phases and how long those phases tend to last.

[Stizby]

Originally Posted by CALVINS MOM

THEY ARE WONDERFUL!!!!!!!! (Check out mine in my signature. He lives with my GCC and they love each other). But, they still love me too! I say go for it!

Kathie: I have a hunch that "Chaos" was appropriately named, right? LOL

How long have you had Chaos and how old is he? I am wondering if these birds are as social as I've been reading -- does Chaos go willingly to others or only to you?

[WeLuvBirds]

Thought I'd post some vidoes for you, so you can see how they interact with people and how they play. They're just adorable. Shouldn't have even looked, now I WANT ONE.....LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGt0fCAlClY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0RJ6haCNjo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Tq0VLlYN4

[Freedomoflight]

Mine are 4 and 6, respectively. I have had Higgins going on 2 years, and Rosie going on a year. Both were rehomes, so they came with 'issues'. The initial hormonal period can be trying- but after the first spring its alot better. I equate it to a teenage kid going through the first spurt of hormones- 'OMG what the heck is going on in there?!' LOL. Males (at least from my experience) tend to be a bit more aggressive in the spring then female, but since I have had Higgins, he has mellowed considerably. The springtime jitteries last a couple months- not too horribly long.
They do hop- alot, but they can and will fly. Its more a hop/walk/run/waddle/ strut combination LOL. They have this unique walk they get into when showing off that is a definate strut. There are about 3 distinctive times a caique will hope- when he is really PO'ed (keep your feet up!) when he wants to get somewhere faster, or when he is playing.
I keep my 2 caged seperatly. I got them at two different times, and although they are male and female they could care less about each other. I dont want little fabies, two is enough for me, so the housing arrangments suit just fine. If you want two caiques you can easily house two or three together, the best way to go on that is get clutchmates.
Higgins goes willingly to other people- he is very opinionated and there have been one or two people that he has taken an instant dislike to and lets them know- but otherwise he is great to let people handle. I have taken him to elementary schools and a couple of kids have handled him- adults as well. They are really social birds, but they still do form a strong bond to 'their person'.