Learning to be a Bird Mom

[notscaredtodance]

Another great small bird that is definitely a joy is a caique. They're SUPER playful, more like little kittens than little birds.They roll on their back and get into any crazy ocntortion they can just to play.

But, they are a little louder (on average) than senegals and green cheeks.

They ar also what is called "beaky". They don't bite, they just use their beak for everything first. They check your finger out with their beak to make sure its stable before they step up. Regular birds explore with their beak, yes, but caiques are known even moreso for it.


My senegal actually plays like a caique. She loves going under blankets and tunneling around, she's all about flipping around on her back... so it really just depends on the bird when it comes down to it

[pchela]

I have a caique and they are awesome little birds but they may be a bit overwhelming for a first time bird owner. They are a lot of fun though... they hop!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

If you search around the forum there is a lot of advice on dealing with nippiness. With Scooter, a lot of it was just getting to know each other. In general, with one exception, we never did anything to DIScourage the biting, but did a lot to ENcourage a more desirable behavior while ignoring any nips. Some of it was also recognizing situations where he might be cranky or overexcited and trying to avoid handling him then (for example, he still can be rather inclined to nip at bedtime, sorta like an overtired child). The one exception was biting that was really overenthusiastic grooming. For that we'd give a verbal warning "be gentle!" and then either blow gently on him, or remove him if he persisted. My cuticles may SEEM a bit like pinfeathers, but I really wasn't appreciating that attention, LOL. And at the same time we would praise him and give lots of scratches back if he was gentle with us. Now he's an absolute love to handle!

[BirdbrainJan]

Thanks so much for all of your feedback!

I've now visited two of the Senegals, one of whom was flighted, the other not. Both were very firmly bonded to their owners, which is to be expected, but I'd have some work ahead of me in becoming someone they'd really know and trust. I'm also worried about how much they might be affected by leaving their owners...the flighted Senegal was purchased at 7 weeks of age, and the non-flighted Senegal was actually syringe-fed by his owners. I was able to spend about an hour with each bird, and by the end of it, their owners could ask them to step up on my fingers, but they didn't look too pleased about it.

I think I've felt the strongest bond so far with the GCC in the pet shop...I spent about an hour with him there today too, and he's quite shy, being just a baby (five months!), but he'll now take tiny bits of papaya from my hand, and even let me stroke his chest while sitting on his perch without wanting to move away. Pretty cool!

So I'm analysing and over-thinking and calculating, and am completely torn! The GCC would end up being quite a bit more expensive than the others, but I like the look of him, and really have felt the most drawn to him overall so far.

Does anyone have any feedback on pre-owned birds? Would I really have my work cut out for me if they are so firmly attached to their owners? I guess I didn't really feel as much of a bond towards them because they're really their owners' birds, but is that a fair way to judge the potential of having a bond with a bird? Also, even if I did choose the flighted bird, would it be wise to clip his wings while we were getting used to each other?

Overthinking...but if I'm choosing a companion for 30 years or so, I can't be too careful, right??

[pchela]

Hi,

I have fostered several older birds and I know a lot of people who have bought or rescued older birds. You can absolutely form a strong bond with a preowned bird so don't let that sway your decision. A bird who is bonded with its owner already will probably take a few months to adjust and bond with somebody new but it will happen. It will also take a baby a few months to become comfortable with a new owner though it may be a bit easier with a baby to form an initial bond. Some of it is just going to depend on how social the bird is. If the Senegals will step up for you that's a very good sign. I guess what I'm saying is that either way you go you will have to patiently work with the bird to build trust and a strong bond so I'd go with the bird you feel the most compatible with.

An example story for you... about a year ago I took in a seven year old Red Bellied parrot for a friend of mine who was having health issues. The bird was very hesitant around me at first but would step up. After a few months of being with me, he started regurgitating for me and formed a strong bond with me. He wanted to sit on my shoulder or chest and have me give him scratches all night long. He was really a sweet bird with me. Well, my friend got better and took him back about 2 months ago and the bird has been biting him severely. This is the person who had him for seven years of his life. He is still very sweet with me though. So, this is an example of a preowned bird that actually prefers the new owner to the old one. So, just to illustrate my point that whether the bird is preowned or not shouldn't really be an issue. Hope this helps!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Well, I'm probably a bad example, but Scooter was a bird I initially fell in love with through a glass wall at a pet store. Wasn't our intent to buy from there at all, but it wound up happening. "The heart has reasons whereof reason knows nothing" (Pascal). I've only bought the one bird but I do have some experience with horses and the best advice I've ever heard in that area is that you use your head to focus in only on those which might be suitable, but then you choose the animal that you feel that connection to... it's the one thing you can't price or specify.

[BirdbrainJan]

Yes, I think my heart is definitely pulling to the little GCC. He's the one I first fell in love with and tipped me over the edge to wanting a bird, triggering all the researching to make sure I was making the right choice.

I went in again today to see him, as I am thinking thinking thinking, and he ran right over to the front of the cage and kept reaching out to my fingers (albeit behind glass...he feels pretty safe and confident behind there!)

Tomorrow I'll go in and put a hold on him once and for all...decision made! Stay tuned for pictures!

Now there's just the process of finding him a name!

[BirdbrainJan]

So I went in tonight to put a hold on my little bird...and some random guy bought him today. It caught me by surprise how attached I was...I burst into tears in the middle of the shop, so embarrassing. The girl who sold him was one of the only ones who didn't know I was interested in him.

I'm hoping if the guy impulse-bought the GCC, he'll have a change of heart and return him. The girls at the shop said he was a bit of a jerk, demanding free food with his purchase and all of that. They have a 14 day return policy, so we'll see. I'm just really disappointed

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Awww.... I'm so sorry to hear that. The guy might in fact return him, it happened with Scooter, but if not, I am sure there will be another bird for you. Maybe contact a GCC breeder?

[pchela]

I'm so sorry. That really sucks.