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Hi there. I am looking for some help.
I have 2 wb's. Louie and Izzy. Brought Louie home last October as a baby. Then Brought Izzy home a month later as a baby too. It was love at first sight and we have all been living very happily together. They have both been incredibly loving toward my husband, daughter and me.
When we have company it is a different story. They will attack strangers so I basically put them in their cage to protect the innocent!
Three days ago we had company come from out of town and spend a few days. The birds were OK until my friend walked past the tree the male was sitting in on our deck and he flew into her face and bite her ear! Back in the cage. Then he attacked Izzy and I tried to separate them and he tore my hand open! Izzy was bleeding and so was I! My male has gone off the deep end. I now have them in 2 separate cages because the male wants to kill the female.
My husband and I are so upset and trying to find answers. We love them and it is obvious they are hurting.
Any suggestions?
Thanks so much,
Renee

My guess is that their cages/stands were too close to where the strangers are walking/sitting and he felt threatened. I would move their cages further from the action until your visitors leave. Use sheets to give them more privacy.

I don't know caiques, so this is general information offered because you sound distressed. Someone who knows caiques may be along soon to give you better advice.

PS At what age do wb caiques mature sexually?

I appreciate that info and that is what I have done as far as their cages are concerned.
I am more worried about the male attacking my female in the past few days. Has anyone out there experienced this and what was the ultimate out come? Did they break up indefinatly or did they get back together? Is this just a teenage squabble or will Louie the male hate Izzy forever?
Thanks again for any input!
Renee

Answers to those questions are all unknowns because your two birds' personalities and preferences have so much to do with the outcome. A caique breeder could probably tell you much more than we pet owners about how caiques OFTEN react in such situations. You might copy a link to this thread into a new post on the Breeder Chat forum. Sometimes breeders read here in the pet forum, but you're likely to get more and quicker attention in the breeder forum.

Many birds raised in captivity and pulled for handfeeding at just 2-3 weeks old don't learn enough from their parents to know how to form strong pair bonds with other birds. They prefer humans, and we know the problems that can cause once the bird becomes sexually mature. Have your birds already reached maturity? As I said, I don't know caiques but I do have a pair of 200-gram pionus -- about the same size as caiques -- and they don't mature until about age 3. Smaller birds, such as cockatiels (avg 95 grams), mature at about one year, and quakers (avg 105 grams) mature about 18 months. I'm doubting yours are mature but if wb caiques are one of the smallest caiques, your male may be reacting to the testosterone that's flowing through his body, even though he might still be too young to fertilize eggs. That's what it sounds like to me.

If that's the case, remember what it was like for you at puberty, how your mood swings were wildly unpredictable and unfathomable Fine one minute and then angry or in tears the next. Laughing 5 minutes later. Driving your parents mad Your male has no idea why he's acting the way he is, so no amount of training is going to stop his behavior. He just has to live through it, with you keeping everyone safe while he's a wild boy. Things will calm down in time, but whether your two will like each other enough to form a pair bond is up for grabs until it happens. Some arranged marriages work better than others, and your priority is to keep your female safe.

I did some Googling and found this discussion that might help you: http://www.birdboard.com/forum/caiques/ ... ssion.html

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties, but what you're describing is fairly typical behavior. As a member and volunteer with The Gabriel Foundation for the past 7 years, we hear this story too often. A lot of the general reaction is surprise and shock as most parronts haven't seen their birds behave this way previously and can't believe what they're observing. We always strongly suggest keeping caiques, seemingly friends or not, in separate cages. I've seen many, many pairs that are fine one day, then suddenly seem to be possessed. I hate to tell you, but this is most typical. Yes, of course there are some who are sweet and loveable forever, but that is unfortunately not the norm. Caiques have their own agendas and having them in separate cages unless they are being supervised, is not as cruel as it may seem. They can see each other all day and probably still be 'buds' while they're out and supervised. They may even be able to be civil enough to each other to sleep together, but we try to educate caique owners on the variances in their personalities as they mature. That can be anywhere from about a year (not very often) to about 2 years, which is more the constant. Caiques are easily wound up and can go from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds. Whoever and whatever gets in their paths during that time is fair game for damage. It's likely your birds were fearful your guests might be 'dangerous' to you and we're only being protective, it's hard to say. I was shocked when, at 2 years old, my Beaker flew off my hand and tried to attack a friend. Birds decide who they like and don't like in a moment's notice and if they thought your guests might cause you harm, they could have reacted the way you describe. I always tell people to buy Sally Blanchard's "Companion Parrot Handbook". As the owner of "Spike le Bec", Sally is well versed on the ways of caiques and the book is literally a 'bible' for all species.

Sally is the first person who will say 'birds are comfortable with people who are comfortable with them'. Take a dedicated, long look at anything that may have changed in their routine. It only takes a small change to sometimes throw them off. Once you become frightened and hesitant around your birds, they are going to sense that and take advantage. A caique will test you for as long as it lives and loving, consistent discipline must be a daily routine for these birds.

You can always send a question to Sally at her web site, companionparrot.com. I wish I had the kind of news and quick action I know you'd like to hear, but I'm just saying that your bird's actions and reactions are not terribly unusual. While they are under a year still, I'd slowly start transitioning them to their own cages so they can get used to the arrangement. They can still be together, just not in the same cage.
Andrea

Thanks, Andrea! Great info, as always. Renee's not logged onto UAS since Sept 10, so I doubt she's still around to read your advice, but others surely will.

Thanks Blues,

You're probably right, but hopefully things will work out for the birds. I always just hope one little thing I suggest can help in some way. Sometimes it truly takes one small adjustment or change to make the difference.
Andrea

Sparky, our male, was 2 when we brought Mika, our female, home. Sparky loved her and comforted her the first night she was here. They started off in separate cages but in a few months were in one much larger cage together, but out all the time. Then the hormones struck. We spent a few months locking Sparky up to keep him from attacking Mika. Or catching him mid attack in a towel and telling him to knock it off. Eventually he calmed down and everything is going well. They fight sometimes but generally they can get away from each other if they want, as they have the run of the house and are fully flighted. It is also a pretty even match since he's heavier but she is faster and a better flier. She's now getting very hormonal but hasn't shown the aggression he did. She started picking herself bald this spring, but thanks to hormone shots she's fully feathered again. I will say it would be easier to put them both in separate cages and only let them out to interact when it was convenient, but I think they are happier with more space even if I have to referee a 3-d toddler battle pretty regularly. You can do it with lots of attention and room. I would say if they must be caged for long periods, separate is probably best. Best of luck!