Caique Questions, birds not getting along

[LittleWing]

Hello Everyone,
I just came across this forum a few days ago. I have some questions on bird behavior, caiques in particular.
I have 2 babies, one is a WBC male 3 years old, the other is a BHC male 5 years old.
The story goes like this.... I purchased the WBC 2 1/2 years ago from a bird store. He is a sweet, silly little guy! A friend convinced me that he needed a brother for companionship while I was at work during the day. I pictured them snuggling, preening and playing together! I already decided that if I got another bird, I would adopt a rescue. About a month ago I found a sweet BHC through a local parrot rescue and brought him home. I kept them in separate cages across the room from each other. It's pretty apparent that my WBC is very unhappy about the new brother. The new brother seemed curious and willing to try and be friends at first (I believe he came from a home with other birds and is used to being around another caique) But now my WBC has tried to attack him enough that he is afraid of him.

I am getting conflicting information from different people who have a lot of experience with parrots. One tells me that it will just take time, maybe several months, but they will get used to each other. Another tells me that caiques are solitary birds. They are very territorial and they may not ever get along. And even if they do (even in the case of siblings raised together) that I should never leave them out and alone together, because one can suddenly turn on the other and can even kill each other.

It kind of makes sense to me and at the same time, it doesn't. My WBC has alway seemed very independent and happy even when I'm not around. He has a palace of a cage and I've created a hanging playground for him. He is quite content to play with his toys or sit on a perch and stare out the window. I am able to leave him out of his cage when I'm not home because he never climbs down and free ranges. (My neighbor is home all day and checks on him too)

But then, as I understand it, birds live in flocks and thrive on the companionship of those around them. Are caiques somehow different in that they like to be by themselves? I thought for sure he was going to appreciate the company of another of his kind.

Now I feel bad because I've created a situation that is making him unhappy, and his behavior around this new bird can be very stressful. I also feel bad for the new bird. He is so sweet! The parrot rescue told me I could return him if it didn't work out, but I couldn't bear the thought of taking him back. At the same time tho, it's not really fair to my WBC if he's going to just keep on being miserable and aggressive. It's not fair to either one of them.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[liz]

When you have one you shower it with affection and care. When you bring another home you have to make sure that you still give the first the same attention that it is used to. It is just like having a child (like 3 or 4 years old) that got all your attention then bringing home a baby. That first child needs to know he is still number one.

Example: 31 year old Rambo is very social. He was raised like a child. I got Myrtle to be his buddy. He accepted her and loves her even if she is a pest. Myrtle loves Rambo but with her back round she does not want to share. She will even go after him if she thinks he is getting too much attention. Rambo accepts that I give her attention. He some how knows that she came from a bad place. To make up for the times that I can't give him attention we sometimes hide in my bedroom to play and talk about nothing. He still knows he is number 1 but his care has been modified so that Myrtle thinks she is number 1.

The new one needs you attention. The one you have had longer needs to know he is still number 1.

[Wolf]

To begin with I am unsure whether you have a Blue headed or a Black headed caique nor do we have any idea of the age of the BHC, however it is only important is one of them is an adult and the other is not as juvenile and adult parrots do not get along until both are adults.

The White bellied caique and the Blue headed caique are often seen together in the wild and appear to have very similar lifestyles in as far as flock behavior. The Black headed caique behaves a little bit differently in that during the day the large communal flock breaks apart into smaller flocks of up to approximately 30 birds for foraging.

I do not mean this to be anything more than a constructive criticism, but you would perhaps been better of to make certain that these two birds were of the opposite sex as they would be much easier to get to get along with each other. I believe that the problem that you are experiencing has more to do with the sex of these two than to anything else. Please allow me to explain myself.

Both of the birds are males and they are both going to bond with you, unless there is another human that one of them can and chooses to bond with. This bond is a mate bond and so both birds see the other one as a rival for your attention and because of this are not getting along. This could result in injury or death of either or both birds if they fight over you.

The information that you received is not actually contradictory as both are true depending on the situation. Since I do not have this species of parrot, I am not sure how difficult it will be to get these two birds to get along well enough to let them both out of their cages together. I do know that you will have to be careful when it comes to you having physical interaction with either of them where the other can see it, because of the nature of the bonding.

Someone with more experience with these birds and/ or this type of situation will need to step in with how best to work this out.

[Pajarita]

Well, I don't really have any personal significant experience with caiques but, going by other species of parrots, I would say that Wolf is correct in saying that it would have been easier on both birds if they were from opposite genders BUT having said that, I would also say that there is no reason why they cannot become flock-mates to each other given enough time and the right circumstances.

Parrots are all highly social animals and this is a survival trait so it's programmed into their brains to actually NEED the company of other parrots and having a lone one is actually VERY hard on the bird - especially when people work full time- so having another one even if it's just to look at and listen to, is always beneficial to them.

Obviously, the ideal situation is when the birds bond with each other and satisfy each other's needs for emotional support when the human is not around (I actually agree with your friend). And it's not that hard to get them used to one another AS LONG as the 'old' bird (the WBC) is not overly hormonal because, if it is, it will cling to relationship he has had (with you, the human) and would not accept any other bird as it would be nothing but competition for your love. So, the first thing you need to ask yourself is whether this could be a problem for you and, if it is, take steps to fix it. Now, even if the birds have been kept at a strict solar schedule and a good diet so they are not overly hormonal, and although breeding season is almost over, they are still producing lots and lots of sexual hormones because of the super long days so one of the problems you have for sure is that this is the not the best time of the year to introduce birds that are of the same gender to each other (but, for all you know, you could have a male and female because neither has been sexed, right?). But it doesn't mean it cannot be done and I will tell you how I do it with mine.

I start by putting the cages next to each other's but with about 1 inch or so of separation so they cannot reach through the bars to bite one another but is still close enough for them to get used to seeing and hearing each other all the time (with highly social species, familiarity does NOT breed contempt, quite the contrary!). Do not let them out at the same time, interact with one first, put it back in its cage, and then and only then take the other one out. Also, cover the top of the cage (only the top and just a tiny bit of the sides) of the one that remains in it while the other one is out to prevent the loose one from trying to attack the other one through the bars and watch it carefully so every time he flies over to the other one's cage, you immediately give him the command to fly off. It might seem that this is impossible to teach to a bird but it's not, it just takes time and persistence. Zoey Senegal is a jealous little thing that does not normally like other birds and would often 'bother' the ones that are caged when she is loose but, as all the other birds downstairs come out at the same time she does, the only one that stays in a cage is Pablo, which is so severely handicapped that he cannot come out at all because he falls to the floor, and she would often fly to his cage but all I have to say is her name in a "I am warning you!" tone of voice for her to fly off immediately. I did this by saying her name and NO! Bad Bird! followed by the command for her to move away from it - it goes like this: "ZOEY! NO! BAD BIRD! GET AWAY!" (but, of course, you would use your own commands) Now, at the beginning, I would say this while quickly walking toward the cage and when I got there, I would make a "shooo" movement with my hands for her to fly off but, as I repeated the words and the actions every single time she did it, she learned and now she hardly ever perches there any longer and, when she does, I just say her name (even if I am in another room and we cannot see each other) in a warning tone and she takes off.

So, after a while and when you see they are beginning to accept the other bird's presence, you can start letting them out at the same time after you interacted separately with both BUT do NOT allow either of them on you. If one flies to you, give the command for him to go back to his cage (I tell them to "Go home!") and be strict about this because you don't want either of them getting jealous of the other bird or too possessive of you. I always recommend doing this at noon because they are the most calm at this time of the day as the 'noon rest' is part of their natural biorhythms. I usually make it a point not to bother them at this time of the day (and often use it to run errands) but one has to use whatever tools one has... If you don't free-feed seeds, pellets or any other protein food (which, in any case, it's not good for them and causes hormonal problems), you can also use this time to give them treats, one first and immediately the other (and praise, praise, praise) because it will not only distract them and keep them occupied but it will also start working as a bonding exercise for them (parrots always eat together, it's a social event to them).

I have gotten a redbelly, two senegals, a GCC and sun conure to accept one another and they all came as adults to me and, with the exception of Zoey (who is, by far, the most jealous of all my birds!), they all came from single birds households so, although it takes time and work, it's not impossible if you take the right steps and do not get impatient about it.

[LittleWing]

Thank you all for the helpful information! Yes, the BHC is a black headed caique. My white bellied caique just turned 3 years old, and the black headed one is 5 years old. When I originally brought him home, I did not know whether he was male of female, but I had to take him to get his nails trimmed and at the same time I had them send off to have him DNA sexed. So I only found out a week ago that he was indeed a boy. It does make sense though, and I often wondered if they would have gotten along better if they were of the opposite sex. Last year my WBC was so incredibly hormonal! I can't tell you how many times he bit me and drew blood. This year has been better, and I have yet to be bitten. But he is still a feisty little turkey.

I have been seriously contemplating whether or not it would be best to find a better home for the little guy. I feel an incredible amount of guilt however, because i read stories about abandoned birds and birds that go from one home to another and I think to myself 'OMG thats me, he's going to think his mommy abandoned him!' Aside from the fact that I am really attached to him.
I just knew I couldn't take him back to the bird orphanage.

I have a couple friends that are thinking about whether or not they want to adopt a parrot. I thought of them because they adopted several birds from me back when I raised finches. They loved those little birds so much and took such wonderful care of them, that I would feel good about sending the BHC home with them. I wouldn't let him go to just anyone. But even so, I still feel terrible.

[Pajarita]

Well, don't make any decisions yet - wait a while and see what happens once the breeding season is finally over. It takes time to get two birds to accept one another and you've only had him for a very short while so, in reality, you don't know yet if they will bond or not. Also, you might not be able to give him to somebody else because all the rescues I know make you sign a contract that says that, if the animal doesn't work out, you can't sell, rehome, adopt or put him in a different rescue/shelter, you can only return it to them.

[seagoatdeb]

A month is no time at all to see if they get along, so try to hang in there. The new bird is just getting used to the new home. it takes several months and often more to socialize two similar size parrots together. I am not sure about Caiques, but many species of parrots form bonds with the same sex, and you would be their favorite human/mate. You always have to supervise two parrots out together, even if they look like they get along. Two parrots will generally learn to get along with you there socializing them, but it can happen that they have personalities that have a hard time getting along. in that case, you would just let one out at a time and they would still be company for each other while you are out.