Am I crazy to give him up?

[rockybird]

My little male wb caique requires constant attn. when I am home. I had planned to buy him a female at some stage. It is so obvious that he needs a friend. He constantly wants to play with me, and when I dont PLAY with him every hour that I am home, he becomes upset (pinning). He is very spoiled - he has an avian adventures large cage, a million toys, he sleeps in a night cage in the bedroom, he is out of the cage 3+ hours a day. I switch cages with the conure sometimes in the evening to give them both a different environment. I even take him for "walks" around the neighborhood and car rides (they love that).

Today I saw an ad on craigslist looking for a wb caique as a friend fr another 1 yr. old wb caique. I talked with the woman, who has three teenage kids and it sounds like a wonderful home. It sounds like she has come to the same conclusion as me ... that these birds may be better off with playmates. Her bird is constantly trying to wrestle with their pionus. I sometimes feel that Zeek needs a friend. He will cuddle against his reflection in the bathroom mirror. As a baby, he would somehow get himself up the stairs and I would find him snuggled against his reflection in the full length mirror.

THe issue right now is that I am studying for my medical boards. The conure will snuggle quietly and let me work for hours. The caique, as you can imagine, is a different story. I made a committment to never give him up unless to a better home. In this case, I would give him up with the cage free of charge. Of course, if they dont get along, this would be a mute issue. The other problem is he does bite horribly on occasion when mad. This happens very rarely, but this is partly because I can read his body language. I would feel bad if one of her kids were bitten. Now that I think about it, maybe I should hold off and plan to buy a friend in the future.

[Deb76]

It's of course your decision in the end, however I would probably just plan on getting him a friend in the future and in the meantime spending as much time with him as you can. While you are busy put the tv or radio on to keep him occupied a bit, give him tons of toys to play with. My husband and I both work full time, over 50 hours each week and while our birds miss us while we are away or busy they still are happy to be with us and love to snuggle when we have time. What if the caique doesn't like her children? what if he doesn't like her home or other bird? These are all possibilities. If he's always trying to interact with you it means he loves you and being away from you would be painful for him. I understand you want to do what's right for him but please remember he does love you and while the other person has a friend for him he most likely views you as his mate and it would be painful for him to be apart from you. I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

[sweetpeaches]

i wouldn't say you're crazy at all. as i've been where you're at. but in my situation it was my lovebird. i re-homed her about a month ago...and it was not easy! i still miss her. but unfortunately due to situations beyond my control it was the best thing for her.
i was very blessed to give her to another bird owner who has many other parrots...my lovie fit right in and is doing very well. the nice thing is i can even visit her if i want...but right now it's still painful for me to see her. (she was a 1 1/2 years old) i had her for a year and received her as a birthday present. she was about as sweet and tame as a lovebird can get.

i still do have my wb male caique tho. and there are times i wish he had another caique to keep him company. he is 9 mos. old and a sweetie. but i know for me and my home situation one bird is all i can have right now. i also know they love attention, but have also found out that if you get them to used to "routine" they expect it. so i try to keep his schedule varied everyday. like some days all take him out first thing in the morning, other days i won't. sometimes i'll keep him in his cage a little longer other days a little less. i am at work all day, but my husband will let him out once in awhile through the day.

he really is a great bird. but he does like it better when he can see me. but he has learned to play in his cage with his toys or on his playstand as i can't hold him or play with him all the time. but we do interact everyday! he also will go to anybody and enjoys their company.

i really don't know the answer for you. i know many people who have 2 caiques and wouldn't have it anyother way, but i know many who have one and feel the same.
how old is zeek?

i wish you the very best in your decision and if you want to find him a good home i will pm you and let you know some very dedicated caique owners who would be very interested.

[Parrotpeople]

Sometimes we have to do things for the good of others, be it our children with or without feathers or whomever, you will know what's right in the long run.
My next bird though is going to be a wb caique, so I'm personally jealous and am thinking you are crazy! jk, best of luck with your decision.

[rockybird]

thanks guys. I still dont know what to do. He is a 5 yr. old male. Yes, Deb76, he is very bonded to me. this was especially apparent when I took him to the vet the other day, and he snuggled under my chin and clung to me. He tucks his little beak in my shirt, and grasps my pinky with his foot. It really is cute. The vet was amused.

I bought him during residency and so he has only known me. He does not get along well with other people. In fact, he is usually scared of strangers. When I have had boyfriends, he has tried to attack them and has turned into a screaming maniac during the relationships. I forsee this as a future problem. Right now I am purposely single as I am too busy to deal with a relationship. I had hoped to one day buy a friend for him, and maybe a new house with an area dedicated solely to him and his friend. I would still have him out of the cage everyday, but I was hoping his friend would give him someone else to focus on. It seems that the older he gets, the louder and more demanding he gets.
Deb76, you are right in that they seem to do fine when I work 50+ hours a week. They seem quite happy to play alone. It is when I am home that things change. Maybe he has seemed more demanding because I was off last week.
Swtpeaches, I am sorry about your love bird, but I am sure you did what is right.

At some stage over the next few weeks, the woman and I plan to meet. If it appears to be a nice home and if he obviously bonds to the new bird, than I think it is an easy choice. I want what is best for him. However, if in no way it seems that he is/would be happy there, then I will not give him up.

[BareFootAviary]

Rockybird,
What state are you in? I'm just curious.

Caiques are very active, gregarious birds and I understand your dilemma. I have 2 BH Caiques and they revel in hands on attention. Even with two, they still scream for me to hold them and play with them. Not that I got the second to help the first one, but you know what I mean. So now there are 2 active Caiques wanting attention! But I love it, and the more the merrier! I actually was looking at adopting another from the same rescue I got my second from, but the little guy found a home with a girl I now know. What I am getting at is if you feel that you cannot meet his playful needs, maybe finding a home that can is better. Rehoming is not really a bad thing if the bird benefits.

[rockybird]

Well, thank everyone. She never called back after we spoke for awhile. So, perhaps she changed her mind. Well, anyway, tonight he snuggled and fell asleep laying on his back in my hand. He is so sweet when he is like that. This, after furiously fighting with the toys in Rocky's cage. Sometimes it seems he does better when I am not home all day. Maybe he prefers I stay on a workday routine. I thought this woman's house might be a good place for him ultimately, but after snuggling with him tonight, I wonder how traumatizing the change would be. It is easier for me to give him up, however, knowing the environment firsthand, and seeing him interact with the other caique. For now, I guess we will stay a little family.

BarefootAviary, I am in AZ. How much louder are two caiques? How much extra time do they take? Do they BOTH want to constantly be with you?

[sweetpeaches]

jenny..i'm glad to hear you're giving zeek some more time. after having him for so long it must be a very hard decision...the fact that you were considering "giving" him a way is a testament to how much you love him and want him to be happy above your own desires! it's funny you mentioned the thing about changing his routine up a bit. i'm on vacation this week and my husband has noticed that bailey is much more vocal and demanding since i'm around all day because i take him out of his cage alot more. he said while i'm at work he's quite content in his cage. so maybe there is something to them getting "used" to a certain schedule?

another thing i just want to mention is that i noticed that if you should decide to re-home zeek you are looking for another caique home. when i re-homed my lovie (peaches) she went into a home with a caique, sun conure and 2 parrotlets...and she's doing fabuously with them. i felt the same way you did, i gave my cage, bird, toys, food and everything of peaches' to the new owner. because i felt so grateful to know she was going into such a wonderful home. like i mentioned in my pm just take your time in placing zeek. there are many people out there who would love to have a caique. and there were many who would've loved to have a lovebird...but with that said doesn't mean that they would've been good owners for them. i kind of "got a feel" for owners that frequent these forums to know what kind of bird people they are. and i have to say i would recommend someone who you may have come to "know" from one of these forums first before trying else where. just my opinion and experience.

still wishing you success and the best in your decision.

[BareFootAviary]

Originally Posted by rockybird

BarefootAviary, I am in AZ. How much louder are two caiques? How much extra time do they take? Do they BOTH want to constantly be with you?

Haha, yes, they are louder and they both crave attention! I don't think they take anymore time because since they are caged together and get along, I can take them out at the same time and give them both lovin's. They do spend some time with each other and I do feel better if i can't take them out as much because they have each other, but they still want to be with me all the time. When they scream, it is like surround sound ;) Especially when there is one on each shoulder ;)

[Freedomoflight]

Mine aren't caged together, and they are louder and do take more time cause each one wants 'momma time'. But, they also play fairly nice with each other, and wear each other out instead of me!

I agree, just give it a little more time. Get over this hurdle with college and then rethink. You don't want to regret it later on.