Turn Around – Conure Does Interpretative Dance to Total Eclipse of the Heart

A Caique Owners Shopping List

Bringing home baby, and wondering what accessories are essential for your new fids well being? Well, we have got the perfect list to compliment your shopping spree. Straight from the recommendations of caique owners are some tried-and-true, accessories and must-haves. We’ve got your back (and your fids, too).

Must Haves

The cage- this is the most important aspect of your birds environment and one that needs to the most consideration. Powder coating or stainless steel finish depends on your budget, but no matter the finish, when looking at a cage consider the various aspects. Cage size is recommended at 24 by 36, with less then one inch bar spacing. Cages that open at the top are not recommended, and look for cages that have parallel bars so your bird can easily navigate. The author of this article prefers flat top cages, but it all boils down to personal preference. Food and water dishes that are extended outside of the cage (giving more room within the inside of the cage) are recommended.

Perches- a minimum of 5 is recommended. Choose different textures, shapes, and sizes, to give your bird a variety of to perch upon. Caiques like to chew and shred, so natural branches that have bark attached are recommended so the bird can take joy in stripping the perch of its bark. Cholla perches, that are made of a natural cactus material, area also enjoyed. Slick perches like manzanita and dragonwood are not encouraged. Rope perches are a favorite among caiques, as they can bounce and play, chew and rub on the soft cotton material.

Food Dishes- stainless steel or ceramic are encouraged. Purchase an extra set so that you can throw the dirty ones in the dishwasher and still have a clean set on hand. Stainless steel dishes are often sold as ‘coop cups’ and can be purchased to fit your already existing food dish holder, or come with their own attachment so the cups can be placed strategically within the cage. Caiques have a tendency to enjoy tipping over their food dish, so consider a dish such as the Quick Loc Crock, which literally locks in place.

Toys- Caiques love playing with toys- that’s a fact. The brighter, the bolder, the noiser- the better. Quick hint- check out the baby section of your local discount store. Hard plastic keys, teething rings, and rattles are bird safe and caique fun. Tried and true bird toys include the shreddable Parrot Pinatas, the mind bending Crazy Leather Box, or the chewable Brainiac block. All of these toys challenge your birds skills and increase activity while elevating boredom. The recommended number of toys is no less then 5 at one time in the birds cage. With a caique, the more, the better, so don’t be stingy when it comes to play items.

Emergency Medical Kit - If your bird breaks a blood feather, bangs a toenail, or injuries himself in any way, you want to be prepared. Accidents to happen, and caiques seem to be especially accident prone. A good basic medical kit will include self adhering gauze (vetwrap is a popular choice), clean gauze, tweezers, hemostats, a pair of sharp scissors, antibiotic cream, and a heat pack. Many different types of medical kits are included, and the more comprehensive ones contain everything from emergency handfeeding formula to forms that include your vets contact information.

Accessories

The Water Bottle- Caiques are bird chef wanna-be’s. Their specialty? Parrot stew. Whatever can go in the pot- er, in this cage, water dish- will. It can make providing a clean source of water frustrating at times. Especially when you go to change the water and you wonder why how on earth it turned a bright blue color, and what the heck are those floatie things? Trust me, you don’t want to ask questions. Some caiques, intelligent as they may be, don’t seem to realize that dunking that big chunk of brightly colored wood in the water doesn’t make the wood any easier to chew. There is a solution- water bottles. A water bottle can be hung, providing your pet with a constant source of fresh water, even if he has turned the once clean bowl of water into something less then delightful. When purchasing a water bottle, the recommended ones are made of glass (shy away from think plastic ones) and have stainless steel spouts and outfittings. Lixit brand are highly recommended.

The Snuggle Buddy- while this is the name of an actual product, in this article we refer to snuggle buddy as anything that your bird likes to sleep next/in at night. Most caiques enjoy having a ‘happy hut’ type of tent to sleep in at night. There are a variety of tents and huts available for purchase. Looks for one made of long last material such as fleece, with the hanging attachments made of something similar to plastic chain link. Otherwise the attachments that hold the hut to the cage can be easily chewed through by a bored bird. Other snuggle materials can include fleece swings, large cotton rope toy for the bird to snuggle, and other like materials.

Foraging system- Foraging is an important part of your birds wild, natural behavior. While we highly encourage a foraging model feeding system, because this theory and research is still relatively new and mainstream, we are categorizing a foraging system as an ‘accessory’ rather than an immediately required part of your birds environment. Creative Foraging Systems is a new company that has a fantastic line of feeders and toys that are perfect for caiques. Allowing your bird to work for their food lets them re-create natural behavior that can potentially curb future behavioral issues. You have many options and choices when it comes to foraging, but we most highly recommend a foraging system as a main feeder, and an accessory like the ever popular Crazy Maze as a supplemental item.

In Conclusion

This is just a sampling of items that can be purchased for your bird, and come highly recommended by owners. Look for other articles that include in-depth product reviews, food recommendations, playgym accommodations, and much more.

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A Parrot Can Change Your Life

Are the animals in your life your family? I know mine are. Of course I do have a human family and wonderful friends. But my animals are my constants. I can count on their joy when I return home (and many times when I just walk into the room.) If I feel like singing I know one of my parrots will absolutely join the chorus. If I decide to whistle, I am guaranteed two more parrots will participate. If I am scurrying about the house my flighted parrots will follow. If I am curled up in bed to watch some TV, my long time blue fronted Amazon parrot companion of twenty three years will insist on preening my eyelashes and eyebrows, an indescribably relaxing feeling. And of course I can always count on my dog to snuggle up next to me when I am feeling under the weather. I can’t imagine life without their company.



There is plenty of information that cautions people about the responsibilities of having a parrot in the home and the potential behavior problems. And I certainly agree. Acquiring a parrot, or any animal, is something one does after researching the pros and cons and evaluating one’s own situation. I am all for responsible pet ownership. So yes, do your homework, find a responsible breeder, adopt from a reputable parrot rescue, learn about common parrot behavior problems, practice positive reinforcement, determine the financial responsibility, and keep educating yourself so that your parrot will have the best life you can offer. But after that is done and you have decided to take the plunge, be sure to take time to do this….enjoy your parrot!


A parrot can change your life. I know a parrot changed mine. That eye brow preening parrot has taught me so much. I joke that my relationship with that bird is the longest of my life. But it is true.

Tarah, my blue fronted Amazon parrot came to me as an adult and I know nothing about her history prior to her joining me. She was sold for $100 to a friend who worked in a pet store. When my friend could no longer care for her she came to me….with a biting and screaming problem. Even so I was enchanted when my new parrot roommate said “hello” when I was eating a piece of bread. Little did I know this small green parrot would lead me to a career in animal training.

Tarah taught me that a kind and gentle approach to animal training and handling teaches an animal to trust you. Like many parrots, Tarah will bite if forced to do something against her will. Tarah taught to me to give up on force a long, long time ago.

Tarah came to college with me, where I studied zoology. After graduation I went to work at a zoo. In part because of my few years as a parrot owner I secured a job at the bird show. After getting my feet wet with bird training I was hungry for more. I devoured books on training and soon found myself applying my new found knowledge on some of my parrot’s behavior problems, like that screaming for attention issue! I watched our relationship blossom as I began to understand more about how to influence parrot behavior with positive reinforcement……and Tarah learned to whistle instead of scream for attention.

Even though I worked all day with animals, I looked forward to coming home and spending time with my parrot. And I thought it a good sign that my parrot seemed happy to see me too. I can’t remember the first time I was close enough that Tarah decided to preen my eyebrows, but we both obviously liked it. My parrot learned not to poop on me so she could have more time working on my eyebrows. Every time she pooped on me, I would put her back on her cage. She quickly learned to “hold it” so she could stay with me longer.

It was in these close moments I also learned to relish the smell of an Amazon parrot. To me Amazon parrot smell is like mom’s apple pie. It means love.

My parrot taught me some important lessons on how to connect with an animal. But she also inspired me to learn more. I already enjoyed seeing animals in the wild, but soon I really wanted to see parrots in the wild. I have since had several opportunities to see parrots in their natural habitats and highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in parrots. It makes me proud that many people who share their home with a parrot are often concerned with parrot conservation. These are the folks so touched by parrots they will donate money, time and goods to make sure wild parrots can thrive. That is not something that can be said about too many other types of pet owners. Parrot lovers are a special kind indeed.

At this point in my life I have met and worked with thousands of parrots. I often wonder if any of it would have happened had it not been for that one eye brow preening parrot in my life. I was once asked what my “happy place” is. Guess what my answer was. Tarah still preens my eyebrows nightly and I still look forward to it. I hope you too have a “happy place” that involves a parrot.
Barbara Heidenreich
www.GoodBirdInc.com
Copyright 2010

Please excuse the dust

We recently upgraded the forum software to vbulletin 4.0. We’d been running vbulletin 3.8 in the past. 4.0 is a dramatic upgrade and has completely changed the structure of the site - for the better! Of course with any upgrade there is a learning curve. Unfortunately we lost all our custom styles and forum look and feel when we upgraded, so now the forum appears to be ‘fresh out of the box’ so to speak. I am working on customizing the site, but its going to be a process.

If you have any suggestions or input on how the site should look or feel, or if you have any special requests for new features to the site, please let me know!

Walnut Exchange Program: Cockatoo “Recycles” for Treats

National Bird Day

Join Us for National Bird Day

January 5, 2010

“Why National Bird Day?

• The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration.
• Today, nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world’s 330 parrot species.
• Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
• Many of the world’s parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to pressures from the illegal pet trade, disease, and habitat loss.
• Public awareness and education about the physical and behavioral needs of birds can go far in improving the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity.
• The survival and well-being of the world’s birds depends upon public education and support for conservation.

This is the reason for National Bird Day.”

The above is a snippet from the website nationalbirdday.com

National Bird Day takes a stance against owning parrots as pet, the pet trade in general, and the many concerns with owning exotic creatures. Some may or may not agree with the keeping of parrots in households as pets. In fact, just the other day, I commented to someone that I don’t like seeing animal in cages as a general rule. They looked at me kind of funny and asked me “well, then why do you have birds?” I replied that while I disagree with animals in cages- it is out of my control to do anything beyond the best environment for these animals that have been placed in my care. I don’t have control over parrots in the pet trade, and while I may disagree with it, isn’t it my duty to care for the ones that have already been the victims of human misinformation and ignorance?

Whatever reason you celebrate National Bird Day for, take a moment to celebrate that special feathered friend in your life. Give your bird an extra scritch and treat, and realize that while you may not have control over what goes on in the pet trade, by educating and informing your community on bird care, and donating to a worthy bird cause, you too can make a difference.

Heisenberg Paradox of Parrot Body Language

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