Please help- Caique sudden aggression

[papagaj]

Hi guys, I really need your help. I got a Hanh's Macaw and Caique two months ago and the macaw has been really nasty with me.. biting/drawing blood almost every day, but not all the time. When she is not biting she is the most swetest thing ever. But, since I got them I have never had a problem with the Caique until yesterday. I went on vacation for three days and when I came back it feels like someone switched birds. The caique's behavior is so different and he bit me twice and draw blood. He has a crazy look and has been doing and hanging weirdly in his cage. He was always VERY lazy to fly and would not do it, but yesterday he flew toward my face.. I don't know what to do with either of them. I love them and I don't want to give them back. Please, please help! Thanks! -Maya

[Beaks]

Nobody can help you if you dont tell the whole story, you are leaving out allot of information.

[rockybird]

Hi papagaj,

I dont know much about macaws but I do have a caique (who is laying on his back playing with a toy next to me while I type this). Like yours, my caique (Zeek) will turn from being a sweet comical playful and affectionate animal to a crazed angry bird very quickly. I have learned that these switches in behavior are not random, but are usually in response to something I have done to upset him. Believe it or not, these birds are very sensitive to you and your actions.

You have to learn to read the caique's (and probably the macaw also) behavior and actions to predict how they will react. For instance, I had a rotten day yesterday. I yelled at Zeek to quit screaming (something I never do). Well that, in combination with not taking him out of the cage until I came home from work several hours later, was enough to set him off. His eyes were pinpoint, and I could tell by his movements in the cage that he was going to bite. I left him alone and talked to him for awhile. Eventually I got him out and cuddled him against my chest. I know that if I had taken him out earlier and put him on my shoulder, I was risking a bite to my face. I still did not allow him on my shoulder for quite awhile.

He has also attacked me for talking on the cell phone (and ignoring him), accidentally bumping him with my hand, ignoring him and playing with my conure. When he is mad, he is CRAZY and there is no reasoning with him. He will also stay mad for MANY hours. I dont dare touch him when he is like this.

Caiques are very smart, very high energy birds. You will be amazed (if you are not already) at the amount of activity and destruction that these birds are capable of (he chewed up my visor in my Toyota in a matter of seconds yesterday and put holes in my new shirt - sigh).It seems the older this bird gets, the more bossy, demanding and busy he gets. Until about 3 yrs. of age, he was an angel and I really thought he was the perfect pet. He minded, played, cuddled, was quiet, and never nipped or bit. He is still a great pet, but I realize I have a lot to learn about him. To be honest, I have toyed with the idea of rehoming him, but he is so bonded to me that I hate the idea of him suffering.

Caiques are complicated birds, in my opinion. I am sure your bird was angry with you for leaving. When he shows signs of anger, do not let near your face. The macaw, on the other hand, may be happy you are back. My conure is usually overjoyed and my caique upset and confused when I return from a trip. Good luck with your birds. It sounds like a handful!

[papagaj]

Hi rockybird... thanks so much for your reply.. yes, I need to learn a lot about them both, I haven't had them for long, but i have hard time finding good books on the behavior problems.. Your reply definatelly helped and made me feel better. Thanks again.

[papagaj]

sorry, i am new to all this...

[Freedomoflight]

Rockybird was really helpful. Perhaps we can have more information to help you out a bit more? Also, I would like to direct you to our species specific forums- macawforum.com and caiqueforum.com so if you have direct questions that aren't getting answered, you can post there :)

[penly]

I have a 4 yr old female Hahn's and a 2 year old female Caique. They both get along fine with other birds but do not like each other. They both can get very jealous when I give attention to the other. Maybe that is what your Caique is reacting to. He may not want to share. I find most birds will be mean to the person they love the most if they are unhappy about something. Caiques are very smart sensitive birds. So is the Macaw.
How old are they? If either or both are @ 2 years old they are reaching sexual maturity and can be moody and bitey. My Hahn's is very cage protective and will bite if you mess around inside her cage. Once she is out she is always sweet. My caique can be snappy and possessive regarding certain toys.
Have the birds had health checks? Sometimes health problems cause bad behavior.
You have to watch them and observe what sets him off and makes the Caique bite.
It is not an easy question to answer without more information.
One thing I can say for sure is, they are two birds with totally different personalities. They couldn't be more opposite.

[Loco Buddy]

Hey everyone, I'm new here!

I did a search on google about my caiques "mood swings" and was directed here.

My wife and I have an 11year old male white bellied named Buddy. He's a great bird, but his nickname is, "Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde"

The last two months have been pretty brutal between Buddy and I. He would do whatever it took to attack me....and kill me if he could! Everytime I would approach or walk past his cage, his eyes would get all dialated, and he would start moving all weird. I'd try and love him by talking to him all sweet and start to open his cage like nothings wrong, but he would just atack and bite HARD!
Now for the last two weeks, he has once again become my bestest friend in the whole world, BUT it's obsessive!! Like before, when I pass his cage, he desperately wants to get out and be with me. He flaps his wings, paces back and forth, and does this new "sqweek" like he's so sad and dying! When I open the door, he even flys toward me, which he has never done before(always had been lazy to fly). When he gets on my hand, he scurries up and down my arm with his wings slightly opened, and the rest of his bodily feathers kinda fluffed. He also rubs his beak all over my fingers and arm, while biting kinda hard but not aggressively.
I'm starting to slowly put the puzzle together on his moods, but it's very hard to figure out. I really think it has something to do with mating seasons? not sure at all though. He was very aggresive the same time last year, but I don't remember him like this any time before that. The new sweet obsessive thing is new. He normally LOVES my wife(cause she lets him do whatever he wants) He's only known my wife for 3 yrs. Overall, he's a great bird, and we love him to death, but he can be very unpredictable sometimes.

To papagaj above^^ not trying to take over your thread, just thought I'd give you one of my caique stories so maybe you could see some similarities

[rockybird]

I wish I could give you some good advice about Buddy. My Zeek was similar to Buddy. He went from the sweetest angel to about 3-4 yrs. of age to an unpredictable rotten little bird. Like Buddy, he bit HORRIBLY. This is what I did to manage/change the behavior, but I am not sure it has worked yet or if the change is a temporary response to breeding season being over:

I started interacting with him more. Instead of letting him just hang out with me, I started actively playing with him more and taking him out for walks outside. When he nipped or squealed in anger, I would say NO very sternly, hold his beak with my fingers. I would do this when he was rational and not crazed. I dont dare put my finger near his beak when he is REALLY upset. I am hoping he is sane and rational enough to reason that nipping (and biting) are not allowed. When I would say NO, he would stop immediately, almost in fear. This is what I was also afraid of...that in the past when he was truly mad and bit me, the bites were so horrible that I would scream and try to get him off of me. I would walk away, bleeding, or get him in the cage and leave him. All the commotion scared him and made him more confused and angry. So, when he nips now, after saying NO, I will grab him and cuddle him against my chest so that he knows that I am not going to yell and scare him. He immediately will chirp or purr happily and I give him kisses. I have since felt the beak scrape across my cheek when he is in a mood and I put him on my shoulder without thinking of it. Both times he held back from biting. I dont know if this is working, or if it is that breeding season is over.

I have also added foraging toys, and hidden food in the cage for him. I decided that he must be incredibly bored in the cage while I am at work, and so have tried to liven things up for him.

I am taking care of a rescue bird right now, and Zeek wants nothing more than to get to the bird. The funny thing is that both he and my conure have become EXTREMELY affectionate with me since this bird has entered the house. They snuggle, give me kisses and are on their best behavior. Very odd. The caique would still like to have it out with the pionus, however.

I know how unpredictable caiques can be. I am convinced that they are VERY intelligent and pick up subtleties in our behavior and actions. Oh, one more thing...I discovered that wearing sunglasses around my caique was one thing that was setting him off. Also wearing the beeper. And talking on the cell phone. I trained my little conure not to bite, and I am certain I can train the caique, but they are much more complicated and sensitive. And their bites are much worse!

[Loco Buddy]

Rockybird^^^ great points! We have a typical wood/rope toy hanging from the top of buddys cage, and he loves to hang from it, and give himself body rubs. He's weird, he really seems to not like ANY new toys! He usually gets freaked out, and tends to ignore it...We'll throw in some corn on the cob sometimes, and he loves to eat and then destroy it. Every time I clean his cage though, I switch his food and water bowls to the opposite sides of the cage, and I also move around his manzita perches, even if it is awkward for him to use them to get to his food and water. It helps him stay out of a cage routine, and also forces his feet to readjust to new footing.