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I am thinking about getting a caique. Do the white bellies and black headed caiques have different personalities? Is it better to have one or two caiques? What are their personalities? This is a first bird so I'm looking for real stories from bird owners, bot some textbook info. It's hard to compare books with real owner's experiences, although reading is important! And how nippy are they.

We have some good, experienced caique owners now who will be happy to contribute their stories too.

I have always been of the opinion that most any species does better with a 'friend'. That does not mean they share the same cage or even interact, but they do keep each other company when you're gone. Two caiques can often sleep together, but should be kept in separate cages during the day. They can even 'visit' each other's cages, but they should not be housed together on a daily basis. You need the largest cage you can afford, at least a 34, but a 38 or 40 isn't too big for them. They should have a MINIMUM of 5-6 toys of all types in their cages and those need to be rotated regularly. I change toys out twice a week at least. Caiques will always 'test' you, and firm, consistent discipline is a must with these birds! Caiques have 'beaky' personalities and my strongest suggestion to you is to purchase Sally Blanchard's Companion Parrot Handbook. She has a caique and while the book is written for all bird owners to better the lives of their birds, it's also designed more with caiques in mind. My next strongest suggestion would be to look at MANY other species and do your research first. Of course there are many of us who have acquired a caique as a first bird, but I don't recommend it even if you've had previous parrot experience.

They eat a variety of fresh vegetables and some fruit, fresh sprouts and a good organic dry seed mix. Some people feed pellets but I would go lightly on them. It's good for them to learn to accept them as they may need to have them if the bird is boarded or otherwise is unable to have his regular veggie/fruit diet, but I would suggest TOPS or other organic name. I started with Harrisons and while it's a good pellet, it has more sodium and other things in it I don't care for my birds to have. They'll get much more out of fresh food, with pellets only occasionally. These are my personal thoughts as I've had Beaker for 7 years and this is what works for him. Others endorse feeding more pellets and less fresh.

Get your bird from a reputable, MAP certified breeder who has a complete program for purchase. i.e., fully weaned and fledged, already eating a good diet, make sure there is 'service after the sale', and they have an education system for you to make sure you KNOW as much as possible about the bird before you take it home! Not all breeders care about that.

I've heard white bellied males are a bit more docile than the bh, but a bird, like any animal we domesticate, is what YOU make it. Any parrot is a 24/7, 365 day companion, unlike most other 'pets'. While there is no history or documentation about a caique'l life span, it is estimated that to be around 30-40 years.
Sally Blanchard's caique, Spike, will be 20 years old this year.

Caiques will bond with more than one person, but can become very assertive as they age. They are very protective and generally do not care to have 'additional' pet guests in the home, especially new birds, acquired perhaps, later in life.

There are many great caique owners here who can offer their thoughts and experiences as well.
Andrea

I have no wisdom of my own to offer, but I asked the same question a while back; you can read the answers I got here (and by subscribing to the thread, I get to see the answers you get; more profit for all concerned!).

Thanks Petter! did u end up getting one? I guess not right? what birdie did you get?

Oh, I have no birds yet -- at this point in time I couldn't afford one; on top of that I'm an apartment dweller and can't have noisy pets. I hope to get avian in a few years maybe, when I make a little more money, have a more noise tolerant house, and so on. (A lot more money, come to think of it: Living in Vancouver isn't cheap...)

At the moment, I'm leaning towards either the caique or the noble macaw, with more weight on the former; if I still feel the same way (and the same enthusiasm) in a year or three, it's probably something I'll go with.

first of all, i would suggest read,read, read!all you can about caiques.
google and you'll find loads of information and forums. that's what i did.
i had my choices down to a red-bellied parrot, meyers, hawkhead and caique. i went with the caique and so far it's been great. some of the reasons i went with a caique was because they're known to be pretty good at entertaining themselves for awhile if you're not around. and since i work all day that was important to me. i also wanted a bird that didn't bond with one person.

his name is bailey. he's a wbc male. i have read there are no major differences in bh and wbc as far as behavior. he is as cute as a button! he's now 7 mos. old. he loves, loves, loves to play! he wrestles with my hand, loves belly rubs, loves to rub his head all over me (they're known for this..surfing they call it...i read that in the jungle they love to do this on leaves. the only time he's kinda noisy is in the morning when he first wakes up, he'll give out some calls..otherwise he just mostly jibber jabbers through the day.

he loves water and taking baths.

now they can be "beaky" but so far he has never "bitten" me altho that can be expected with any parrot sooner or later. he only clamps too hard when he gets too excited. at this point i either remove his beak from my finger and say "no bite" or "easy" and he usually listens. but you have to reinforce this. if he's still wound up i just put him in his cage until he settles down a bit. but these are rare occurrences as i've learned to read his moods and know when he's getting this way.

all i can say is he's a blast..and he cracks me up!

good luck in your endeavors!

First, I'd say take a look through old post here if you haven't already. My husband and I own two WBCs: an almost 4yr old male, Sparky and an almost 2yr old female, Mika. Sparky was my first bird although my husband had birds a long time ago. Sparky is also one of the most laid back birds I've ever seen. He was a great intro to having parrots but I don't think I would have done nearly so well without a more experienced hand around and without some of the guidance from sites like this one.

When he got to be about 2yrs old, Sparky started getting very lonely. He would stare at his reflection and try to preen a ceramic bird we have or even pictures of himself. That was about the time we decided he'd be better off if he had a birdy friend (and so would we!) So Mika came home. She is HYPER and nervous and much more independant than Sparky. They spend all day together, but they are not locked up. They have free run of most of the house and can both fly. Yes this is messy, but they are happier and we don't have to worry about them hurting each other. They can always get some personal space by just flying away.

As for biting, or being nippy. As was mentioned in another reply they are very beaky. They like to nibble and preen us and can sometimes get a bit carried away. They like to wrestle with us and each other and often grab with their beak but rarely hurt, but they can get carried away. So if you don't mind a firm nibble now and again it is not really a problem, just let them know when they start getting too rough. That said the 2 to 3 year old stage is a different matter. This is when they start to reach sexual maturity and they tend to have hormonal fits. Both have, once or twice bitten us and drawn blood while in one of these fits. They don't last long, one to 10 minutes, and can often be avoided or at least predicted by watching their behavior but it is something you need to be prepared for nearing age 2.

As you will see from other posts, these guys are great fun! they love to play and they're wonderful companions. Knowing what to expect and how to react makes all the difference though.

If possible, find a breeder or store nearby and go play with them before you bring one home. Good luck!

Thanx so much everyone. i'm also looking into a meyers. caiques are fun though.

Very active. True clown. Smart. Bonds tight with me. Insists on playing every day. Good companion. Funny and silly. Talks all the time. Beautiful bird. Fun bird.

Bites, nibbles, shreds all the time. Loves to nip at my fingers. I wear several bird shirts he can rub up on and nibble.

Love the bird. What a friend. He's my buddy.

He likes his veggies and bean mix most of all. But I do give him pellets because the vet insists.

He got really sick awhile back, and with the help of folks here, and antibiotics, he's a lot better.

Good luck. I'd recommend a BHC anyday, anytime, to anyone.