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I have only had Yankee for about 3 weeks and he has been wonderful. No biting or loud screaming. The only thing that he does that I don't enjoy is wanting to sit on my head.

I have heard that caiques need a strong parent to train them to behave in a positive way but I am wondering what kinds of negative behavior to expect. What do your caiques do that you have to monitor? How do you work with their negative traits?

Hi Cathy,

I will not be much help on this subject. After dealing with my Senegal, I can tell you that Jamie really does not have any negative traits when dealing with people she knows.

Having said that, I established with her that I am the flock leader and that she has to do things (or NOT to do things) if I don't want her to. Just be consistent in your behaviour. If you give in sometimes, the bird will just be confused. Pet birds really need a person to look up to and follow.

Caiques generally like to surf in people's hair! Jamie doesn't but sometimes she lands on my head or sits there when I brush my teeth. Birds on shoulders (or higher) should be generally discouraged because they think that they are on the same level (with your shoulder being the perch). Another reason is that they could give you a serious facial bite.

But you just have to get to know your bird. My Senegal is never allowed on my shoulder. He is happy to sit on my knee and does not even try to climb up my shoulder anymore. This is because I was consistent. He does try it with new people - birds always try to push our limits. You are the one who has to establish the rules and boundaries.

Jamie is totally different. I can have her on my shoulder or my head anytime and she does not bite. Now this may change at some point (for example due to raging hormones) but she has been great in the past 2.5 years. She really enjoys riding on my shoulder because she can be with me a lot (even when I have both hands full or I'm doing someting).

But back to your question. I would say that biting, excessive screaming and plucking are the most common things to watch out for - like with any bird. Every situation is different and there is usually no quick answer. If a particular behaviou starts, it's best to start dealing with it right away before it becomes a pattern.

Good luck and don't worry too much - just have fun with your baby


Kate

Hi Cathy
Does Yankee fly up to your head? Is he fully flighted? If so, you'll just have to reach your hand up there, tell him to step up and bring him down. You'll have to do it every single time he does it or he won't understand you don't want him up there. When you put him back down, just say a quick 'no' and move away to do something else, or begin playing with him or anything distracting. The key here is consistency - firm, loving discipline is essential with caique as they will 'test' you constantly, even when they get older.
Beaker will only get on my head now if he's feeling insecure for some reason. Maybe my eclectus looks like he's moving too close, or any other thing. It doesn't matter, but I'll try to find the reason and take care of it. I will, however, let him stay there until the 'insecurity reason' is gone. He knows he's not supposed to be there, but I also know I've been lax somewhere in him feeling insecure, so I will let him stay until I take care of the 'problem'. The point is, you must be diligent with discipline. They are very smart and while they'll try to get away with everything they can, you have to let them know you are the flock leader. Discipline does not mean abuse, it means training them to understand how much nicer positive behavior is and that they are always rewarded for it.

I always suggest people buy Sally Blanchard's "Companion Parrot Handbook". She has a caique and the book, while general in nature, is somewhat geared for the caique owner. There are times when I read through it just to make sure I'm doing what I should as a good parront.

Keep asking questions Cathy! You'll learn as you go, and as Yankee grows!
Andrea

For the most part my 2 WBC are very good, especially around new people. That said, we constantly work with them as we play or do normal things. Our caiques are very curious, they try to get into everything. Sparky can open drawers and cabinets. When he does, he crawls right in. Mika is still a bit more timid and will let him go first, but she'll follow him almost anywhere, including behind the stove. It took me 15 minutes to get them out from back there. They also love to chew. Window sills must be just the right texture to provide a really satifying chewing experence, drywall is fun too. but the best are power cords! Books are our latest discovery. Screaming can be a bit of a problem and biting, too. As for training to avoid these things, think of teaching a toddler. You have to be consistent and remember that they will repeatedly test you. They won't stop the first time or maybe even the 20th but you will find that you make slow progress. It gets to be longer in between undesirable behaviors. It also helps to try to understand why the birds are doing what they are doing. If they chew give them something they can chew instead of your woodwork or books. If they are screaming for attension, set up a routine so they know when to expect your full attension and when they have to entertain themselves. Also providing some signals they recognize helps. We use certain phrases all the time : "Be right back", "Be back tonight, BYE", "Good", "No", "Down" and of course "step up". We also use one towel to catch them when they are being very bad, only that towel no others. We call it the "Bad Towel" and they know it by site and usually start behaving with out even having to use it. They have no problem with other towels. Also, I've found that we had to teach them how gentle or rough is OK for playing with us. It took a couple months with Sparky. Mika is most of the way there but still bites hard when she gets excited. We just say "ow" and visibly nurse whatever they bit, while glaring at them. it seems to work because they don't really want to hurt us. If it is deliberate however, we tell them "NO" and they get a time out, by themselves in another room.

Ohh, I've written a novel again, sorry. Good luck with your little one.

Thank you for the suggestions. Yankee is such a terrific little guy that I don't want to make many mistakes. So far, he verbalizes very little, just a few calls in the morning and then some chirping in the evening. I don't think that he wants me to cover him up at night but since he sleeps in my bedroom, I don't want the TV or the lights keeping him awake. He has been very gentle so far. He has not bitten me even once. He has nibbled on my fingers and arm but I think that is in the nature of exploring.

I really appreciate all the advice. I have a parrotlet and 2 lovebirds, but Yankee is my first large parrot and he is quite wonderfully different. So far, the experience has been wonderful.