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Post by nasosipi on Jan 12, 2011 23:19:39 GMT 10
I would like to share, with those who are interested - a wonderful and very joyous experience...
March of 2010 I visited a local breeder to view a couple of pyrrhura conures to add to our aviaries... when I walked along the aviary fronts, I came across a pair of birds that reminded me so much of penguins.... their colour, their upright stature adn the way they moved... then one began to dance - well HAPPY FEET - eat your heart out - lol lol
My love for black headed caiques began at first sight - they were so animated, playful and affectionate...
In the months to follow I purcahsed 2 pair of young Black Headed Caiques as future breeders in our aviaries - my admiration continued to grow...
Only Saturday, just gone - I collected our third pair of young black headed caiques - tame and friendly we decided to keep them inside...
These gorgeous little clowns have reinforced all the training information I have read and acquired via conferences and meetings over the past year, in 3 very short days!!!
I cannot get over how incredibly intelligent these gorgeous little birds are - watch them and they show you how to earn their respect and trust...they show you their acceptance and comfort by actually requesting (in body language), to be close to you.
They watch EVERYTHING around them with intense curiosity - then follow daily habits or routines with enthusiasm.
I always knew there was something 'special' about these little parrots - they are most definitely the pride and joy of our feathered family...
PS - Don't tell the rest of the flock or they may get upset - ;D
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Post by flossy on Jan 13, 2011 8:13:18 GMT 10
That's awesome. My hubby and I are saving madly to add them to our collection as well! So it's nice to hear some feedback on them.....Thanks for sharing!  |
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Post by bitisbitis on Jan 13, 2011 9:01:09 GMT 10
Flossy, are they noisy birds?
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Post by nasosipi on Jan 13, 2011 10:16:16 GMT 10
Hi Bitisbitis  I am not finding the Caiques 'noisy' at all... they do have a very unique call and chatty voice - but - they spend most of their day playing with one another or their toys - sometimes both at the same time... When they do express themselves - early morning and late afternoon (or in between if starteld) it certainly is not a high pitched or offensive (for neighbours) voice at all Like beauty - noise can be in the ear of the beholder - indoors our eckies and sun conures can be what many would call loud - if - they want to be... but the caiques I feel are quieter Not sure if this helps |
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Post by bitisbitis on Jan 13, 2011 13:28:59 GMT 10
Thanks nasosipi, to me there is nothing that cuts through you like the sun conures "call". LOL :-)
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Post by flossy on Jan 13, 2011 16:17:25 GMT 10
Noise sure is in the ear of the beholder Nasoipi! lol....As I sit here listening to my Alex and Eckie have "who is louder" competition time....hehehehe.....Oh wait, my Quaker and Lorrie have joined in too...hehehehe....It's like they are all singing - and so say all of us.....lol. Thanks again for sharing |
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Post by nasosipi on Jan 13, 2011 21:16:31 GMT 10
 - ROFL - my ears are imagining the live parrots rock performance.... LOL LOL - you gotta love them Flossy - I love sharing the good stuff - thank you for your comments... keep saving - the Caiques are well worth the sacrifices
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Post by flossy on Jan 14, 2011 7:44:01 GMT 10
I am saving hard Nasosipi......believe me! I just don't know if I should go for a young breeding pair to start with and then raise my own chicks or get a handraised one or two straight off.....I guess it will depend on my budget at the time......
Keep sharing your stories!!.......I for one, loveeeeeee reading what our crazy feathered friends get up too....lol.
Time to go and feed the flock....I have accidentally "trained" my lot to call out...."What's for breakfast Mum?"...............It's very entertaining.........but they NEVER miss a day! lol.....
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Post by bleedinggreen on Jan 19, 2011 15:32:59 GMT 10
HI Nasosip,
What do you feed your caiques and in what style avairy are they housed. I know of a breeder that is breeding these, and most other by the sounds of it, birds in extra large cabinets.
What pyrrhura conures do you keep?
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Post by nasosipi on Jan 19, 2011 16:32:16 GMT 10
Hello Bleedinggreen - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ;D Hope you are enjoying your day !!! A typical menu each day my Caiques at this stage... They have Tropican Cockatiel Maintenance pellets available all day - everyday - and they do seem very fond of the Tropican Then they get a toss salad delight - approx 3/4 to 1 cup per day, which consists mainly of the following: sprouted seed, slow cooked bean and lentil blend, apple, corn, snow peas, spinach, pomegranate, passionfruit, grapes, peas, lebanese cucumber, carrot, paw paw, raw beetroot, swt potato - just a little of everything - depending on availability of course... They get the occasional treat of tropican bird biscuits or a desert spoon of grey striped sunflowers ... our newest pair LOVE sprouted sunflowers - guaranteed to get them to do anything if you dangle one in front of them lol lol As for the pyrrhura conures - this upcoming season, I am focusing on crimson bellied and black capped conures and down sizing to one pair of normal and 1 pair of mutation... so there are all up 2 pearly pairs, 1 normal and 2 mutations pairs waiting to go to their new homes ... as I type... I also have the sun conures - in the aratinga family and Red - Sided Eclectus,with yellow crowned amazons on their way... just waiting for them to wean and become fully independent - really looking forward to these guys joining us Our family really enjoys breeding season, everyone gets involved - its a really exciting time of year!! How about yourself bleedinggreen??? |
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Post by nasosipi on Jan 19, 2011 16:38:37 GMT 10
Oh sorry bleedinggreen... I forgot to answer your question about the flights... Originally I had then in 700 x 900 x 1.8m flights and I was really struggling to get enough natural branches and toys in there for them to entertain themselves on... So - after hours of reading, I decided to try them in a 1.2 x 1.2 x 4m flight... the outcome of this trial.......... They are back in their 1.8m flights - I found with the extra room to move, they interacted less with one another and with one pair, the hen appeared to lose confidence. Her personality changed - she just didnt appear as happy... Now back in the smaller flight - both pairs are interacting well with one another again, and they are much happier within themselves - brights disposition, talking more, eating more ... well, I think you get the idea... this is just my experience though... others may have different experiences. All my birds are in suspended aviaries outside or in large patio cages inside with our family - waiting for an aviary to become available Oh - the pair of BH Caiques I have inside - the tame friendly little clowns - Mumbles and Gloria... they love to come out and play with us - but - even then they tend to stay around one area and not venture around the house a great deal at all... unlike the eclectus and the conures... Hope this has helped - if you were looking for ideas |
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Post by silvercloud on Jan 20, 2011 20:38:21 GMT 10
They sound amazing. I've always loved the caiques. Maybe when I've won lotto haha ;D
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Post by bleedinggreen on Jan 21, 2011 9:03:57 GMT 10
Thanks for the info (and the b'day wishes).
I just can't hear enough from other keepers about what they do. I don't think anyone could really have the perfect setup, and just because it may work for them doesn't mean it will work for everyone. But we can all learn off each other and get ideas so when things go wrong we can quickly try something else.
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Post by Robyn on Jan 21, 2011 12:35:49 GMT 10
Don't be misled Caiques are also described as ADHD Birds, by some. I am more interested in what they are like as adults & what behavior issues if any they have. Have been told they are a little on the nippy side. Also what their lung capacity is once out in the aviary.
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Post by bleedinggreen on Jan 21, 2011 12:46:28 GMT 10
Generally birds are compared to sun conures when the issue of loudness is discussed, as if sun conures are terrible. I have a pair of suns and if they are the bench mark amoungst medium sized parrots then I can put up with anything. Yes they have a high pitched screach, but they really use it and when they do it's just a warning. Of course, I only have the one pair and every pair or individual birds are all differant.
Caiques are known to be highly active birds that need plenty of toys etc for stimulation. This is probably inline with the ADHD title. If you watch them they are constantly on the go. It's not hard to see that they do need things to keep them busy or else they could end up with behavioral issues.
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- ROFL - my ears are imagining the live parrots rock performance.... LOL LOL - you gotta love them 
