Caique Loves My Shoulder Too Much

happyfrown

happyfrown

Regular Member
Im new and have post all over the place please bare with all the questions ;-)

so my caique is super friendly and tame, loves being on me. I don't mind but I don't want to create bad habits where he/she refuses to go back in the cage when needed for reasons like cooking or going out etc. he/she already doesn't like being in the cage and yesterday I popped out for 10mins came home to find he/she had trashed the cage-looked like a teenagers bedroom!! had thrown the water bowl veg and seed bowls off and shredded the news papper which got wet from the tipped over water haha what a mess!
also baby bird wont play with any toys and find his/her own fun because baby just wants to sit on me and play with my fingers. tried bringing the toys to my lap but again a habit I don't want to encourage.

I will be making a play / food stand to try and have some where he/she can sit that's not on my shoulder and not locked in the cage. would this help? I do place him/her on top of the cage but baby just flys straight back to me or one of the kids.
 
Thanks Kendra...
I will tag in Caique guys and gals. @pally @Setanta @Heather2131 @Kerin ..there are others sorry memory fade...

I know Caiques like Company so you are the flock...and I know Caiques love to play....so whilst we await the replies of those who know more about them than me...I would say yes it's always a good idea to have a play stand, or tree or area for any sort of parrot, that is there's when they are out...it helps to encourage them to fly from their cage to it, and hopefully will grab their attention with different ropes, toys etc.

Chiko has a Java tree, and a cardboard box on top of the tall bookcase, and a ladder from his box to the top of the tree.... loads of stuff, but of course still thinks that light fittings, curtain poles , tv.....etc are also his playground!
 
I think a stand is a good idea with plenty of toys and things on. Do be careful playing the 'fingers game' as that can also turn into a 'lets bite it' game !!
What does our pally think he's a few Caiques and Roz will be able to advise too @pally @Roz
 
The ony truly satisfactory playmate for a caique is another caique. With the best will in the world, you cannot fill all the baby's birdie needs for a flock.
On the plus side, these birds love structure and habit. I suggest regular playtimes together which are highly predictable. Also place the baby near a window where it can watch the world go by. leaving the TV on wont hurt either.

And please be aware that this cuddlebug baby beheaviour will be dialled RIGHT BACK when this baby reaches puberty in about two years. It will be still great fun, but different, MUCH more independent and opionionated.
 
thanks I'll be drawing up some ideas for the stand and get cracking on it soon. I just worry all this time on my shoulder will make him/her fly over to me and not bother with the stand. can you train them to stay on a stand.
 
setanta I read that caiques are not keen on other birds? or is that other species of bird? if I had money for 2 I would but some saving up is needed :)
 
Hi and welcome to the forum!

Can't give advice on caiques, I have a grey, but the best money I ever spent was on a java tree. Means Ruby has her freedom and she's not over reliant on us. We just leave her to it and on occasion she'll fly over to us for a bit of attention but mostly, she's on her tree keeping herself amused.
 
happyfrown said:
setanta I read that caiques are not keen on other birds? or is that other species of bird? if I had money for 2 I would but some saving up is needed :)
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one step at a time. yes caiques are the wrestlers of the bird world and can harm other species. In the longer term it is better for her to have a young caique playmate
 
happyfrown said:
thanks I'll be drawing up some ideas for the stand and get cracking on it soon. I just worry all this time on my shoulder will make him/her fly over to me and not bother with the stand. can you train them to stay on a stand.
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Probably not. None of mine will stay on a stand when I enter a room. They will later fly over to friends and mates to play, but I'm the first port of call. This is not a bad thing. There are times you will urgently NEED the bird to leave its dangerous spot and come to you. Then you will be glad it comes so easily
 
:welcome: happyfrown!

Just remember your Caique, like every other animal, will choose to do the behaviours that gain most reinforcement. Right now, being with you/on your shoulder/playing with your hands, etc. is more reinforcing than being in a cage or playing on his/her own. The trick is to make the behaviour you want to see more of, highly reinforcing. At the beginning you may have to teach him to play first before he will play with toys on his own. Your presence/attention is ultra reinforcing, so use that to teach him more desired behaviours. Give him loads of attention each time he chooses to do a desired (by you) behaviour. You will have to play with him and the toys at first to show him what fun the toys are.

If you want him to stay on a stand, then make it ultra reinforcing to do so. Add favourite toys, foraging activities (you will have to teach him how to use both first) and at first loads of attention for being there. You can then slowly build duration he's there playing/foraging on his own... 1 second play... go up and make a huge fuss of him. 2 seconds... lavishly praise. 5 seconds... huge praise, etc. Before you know it he will find playing on the stand reinforcing.
 
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great help thanks :)
we had ''beat the ball up'' on my lap time earlier which he really enjoyed. I also need to find toys that he/she likes, so far not a fan of dangly bells and wood toys, or the ropey toys. but we will get there. loves to nick my pencil but not interested in a straw haha :emoji_thinking:
 
Archie has a nice setup in my window, he lovessss all the windows in the house and would sit happily for an hour just looking outside
In my bedroom window I have a boing, horizontal going across the window, two screw hooks either side. He loves bouncing on this, I hang toys from it and toys above the boing from my window.
Just be cautious of what area you live in, I live in a relatively nice area so I don't tend to worry who sees I have a parrot in my home, the neighbours commented the other day they love seeing my birds playing in the window, so I'm lucky I live in a nice road and not a public road. (For parrot thefts)

On the windowsill under the boing there's lots of rubber duckies, baby toys, stacking cups etc.

You'll not be able to keep your Caique on a stand, they love company and love being with you! But you can keep them entertained. Archie also has a trapeze toy in the sitting room window that swings and spins, he loves that and will keep himself busy on top of his cage and on his trapeze, this doesn't stop him going near my mams delicate and sentimental ornaments :emoji_flushed:

I seem to have memory of praising Archie when he played with a toy in his cage, so just sit near him... If he goes over and picks up a part of a toy I'd go "well done, good boy" and praise him each time, now he's very playful.

Your baby Caique may like a tent, I made one for Archie, something along the lines of a cat bed, I hung it from the top of his cage and I pop all his rubber duckies and plastic rings etc in it and when he fancies it he goes in and lies on his back playing and throwing all the duckies out, he spends a lot of time on this and it's one of his favourite things to do.

I hope I've given you some ideas, caiques do love playing with our hands, chewing and fighting, it's similar to how they play with other caiques, I don't discourage this, it's just getting the balance right, if he's played for a couple of hours on his own and comes over for a snuggle or to play with my hands and other toys with my hands then I do allow it as it's a good game for him!

I am trying desperately to get a female Caique as a friend for my Archie as it comes highly recommended to keep two rather than one.
 
sadly im not in a nice area, ive had my sons bike nicked, 2 brooms and a bin stolen from the front.
I don't mind him/her sitting with me I just didn't want to create an obsession or separation anxiety if that even exist in birds lol
when im trying to put the washing out or do something quick it'll be easier to sit bird on a stand for a bit saves going in the cage.

I was thinking of making a tent, baby bird loves to rest with his/her head under my hair (ponytail) or head buried in my top.
 
heather when you made your tent did you have the base lose and just material or did you put something there to make it hard/flat? thanks
 
For the base it was two layers of fleece in a square, in-between those layers was a square of cardboard and a bit of plastic clothes hanger I think... Going diagonally for extra support... I just used what I could find haha

If your caiques cage is big enough I'd recommend a cat tent, I've seen some in b&m quite cheap, I haven't got one yet but I do want one to replace his other one, they're all just so big, I may look for a rat or guinea pig one on eBay

Also very important, check that the fleece isn't being eaten and ingested by your caique
 
Pea loves his cosy-hut so much that he's decided it's the perfect place to sleep and hang out. So far he hasn't tried nibbling at any of it but I'll be keeping a close eye on it to make sure he doesn't. He does love to amuse himself on top of his old cage in the conservatory where it's sunny and warm. If your baby is anything like Pea he/she will like to bask in sunshine, so finding a place for a stand or perch where the sun comes through the window into the room might help encourage him to use it. :)
 
OOOh how I love to softness of the little head against the neck, my Jaffa (Sennie) snuggles up like that on me.
 
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