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Family: Psittacidae Origin: South America Size: 9 - 11" Cage Size: Disposition: Considered by many to be the class clown of the parrot world, Caiques are playful and always on the go. They love exploring new objects, which can include a newly purchased curio box or the hair of a new guest they have not met before. They can also react with unexpected fear or anger to new situations, objects, or even habitual practices such as being put down or back into their cage. Likened to the scarlet macaw, Caiques are extremely intelligent, posing a challenge for their owners to keep them entertained and stimulated mentally. They do best when handled frequently by many different people and taken on a variety of regular "outings." Caiques may display territorial behavior, even toward people. Do not be intimidated. Removing the Caique prior to cleaning the cage will result in fewer confrontations Vocalization: Both varieties exhibit a variety of screeches, shrieks, and squawks. Peculiar to the Black-headed Caique is a sort of "toot," believed to be used as a way to contact other Caiques. In captivity, known for rather limited speech (similar to conures and pionus) and a relatively quiet voice (but a loud screech). Will mimic environmental sounds better than human speech. Playfulness: Life Span: 20+ years Age at Maturity: 2-3 years Nesting Sites in the Wild: Tree hollows Breeding Season: Little is known for certain regarding either species; however, breeding behavior has been observed from October to April, depending on location.
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DESCRIPTION - They are intelligent, curious, stubborn, affectionate, fearless and devoted. They are sometimes referred to as "clowns" because of their amusing antics. A Caique, however, may not be the best parrot for you if you absolutely have to have a bird that talks in a language you understand. Most learn, and several of my birds talk, but not all. They all learn to whistle. In fact, mine positively love to whistle along with me even though they cannot carry a tune very well. Birds kept as single pets usually learn to talk better than birds kept in groups. This is probably because they get individual attention. When they do talk, their voices are usually low and you need to listen carefully to decipher what they are saying. They can use words in context. They will greet you with “Hello” and ask “What ‘cha doing.” Still, do not expect the talents of an African Gray. If you own a Caique, the first thing you should learn is the proper pronunciation of Caique. If you look the word ‘Caique’ up in a dictionary you will find it means a small sailing boat that plies the Bosporus. This is clearly not what we would call a Caique, but is pronounced the same. The accepted pronunciation is a variation of "kigh-eek" or "kah-eek." You will hear many other pronunciations ranging from "cake" to "kike"--ignore them. It is important to know the correct pronunciation, otherwise, someone will either think you are talking about a sweet confection or making a slur when all you are trying to do is to tell them what kind of bird you have. Caiques are considered difficult to breed, but more people are attempting and succeeding. As a result, their breeding requirements are becoming better understood and domestically bred stock more available. The chief difficulty in breeding them is setting up compatible pairs. They are can be fussy about choosing mates. CAGES - There is no cage that meets all the needs of the Caique. Try to find a cage with greater horizontal than vertical space. Cages made for cockatiels, although of lighter construction than parrot cages, are acceptable. Caiques do not have beaks large enough to bend the bars or break the welds of these cages and they cost less. While the roomier the cage the better, pet caiques do not require a spacious cage if they are allowed out daily. Caiques prefer climbing to flying, so you do not have to supply them with a large flight cage. It is because they love to climb that I cannot recommend any of the clear acrylic or Plexiglas cages. If you build your own cage, make it from high quality galvanized wire such as 2" x 1/2" or 2" x 1" or similar mesh. LIGHTING - A full-spectrum light above the cage provides Vitamin D which is filtered out by window glass. Birds enjoy a window area but make sure it won’t overheat and there's no draft; check by holding a candle steady to see if the flame flickers. Birds must be able to self-regulate temperatures by moving away from the sun. Birds need 10-12 hours of rest daily. Consider a cage cover.
BATHS - By all means give your bird a bath. Most caiques love to bathe. In the wild they are subject to frequent showers in the rainforest. They also leaf or sap bathe. For this they rub the sides of their heads and bodies along a wet limb or leaves. If they have a fresh limb available, they will sometimes strip off the bark and bathe in the sap. Indoors, they usually do not have tree limbs available, but this does not discourage them. This may explain why Caiques seem to have a shoe fetish. Most Caiques like to get on your shoe and rub back and forth over it. In the wild they probably do this with tree limbs. When they use water for bathing, each individual Caique has its own bathing technique. Some like to jump around in a bowl in the bottom of their cage. Others wait for you to turn on the faucet of your kitchen sink and then romp around under the water as it streams out. Others like to be spritzed with a spray bottle. Others like you to lay a damp cloth on a counter or other flat surface so that they rub themselves all over. Still others want to take a shower with you. Just be sure the water is not too hot and it can dry off fairly quickly afterwards. If you keep your home cooler than 65°F during the winter, you ought to buy a heat lamp, preferably one of the red or ceramic types, to help your bird dry.
FOOD - Formulated diets (Pellets). I currently recommend that a commercial formulated diet form the nutritional basis of the Caique’s diet. Any one of the commercial diets will provide adequate nutrition. Color and taste play an important role in Caique food selection. They seem to like the brightly colored pellets more than the non-colored ones and offering the multicolored pellets provides some environmental enrichment. For the most part, they succeed and these diets contain nearly all the protein, vitamins, and other nutrients your bird needs. Seed-Caiques, like most parrots prefer certain seeds to others. This is a particular problem with mixes containing sunflower seeds. They eat all the sunflower seeds before eating any of the other seeds. Since sunflower seeds contain a disproportionate amount of fat, parrots on this diet often become obese. If you must feed a seed based diet, purchase one that is safflower based and be sure it is fortified. A fortified seed mix contains added vitamins and minerals. In addition, it is imperative that you provide plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. With seed diets, you need to be much more concerned about potential nutritional gaps than with the pellet diets. If you provide your bird with both seed and pellets, be sure to place the seed on the floor of the cage and the pellets close to an upper perch. Nectar - A small cup of “nectar” can be provided in the morning and the bird allowed to take its fill. Any of the nectar-like liquids may be served except honey. While honey has the same composition as nectar, it may be contaminated with the spores of Clostridium botulinum that are not killed by pasteurization. HEALTH & WELL BEING -1. Physical exam. This is an examination of the general appearance of the bird. It will be weighed, its general appearance noted, and its muscle mass felt, etc. 2. Culture test. 3. Chlamydia test. 4. Psittacine beak and feather syndrome test. 5. Polyomavirus test. 6. Avian screen. This is a screen similar to the routine blood screen done for humans. It is done to check for diabetes, malnutrition, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, etc. It often includes a complete blood cell count that provides information regarding possible bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections. 7. Fecal exam. |
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Living with a Caique |
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Caiques Information |
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Mango— White Bellied Caique
Owned by Andrea and Rick of the Berks County Bird Club |
Caique Quick Facts |
