| Caiques Caiques (pronounced kye-eeks) are fearless, joyful, playful,
entertaining, and charming. They love to roll around, tumble, play on their backs,
and hop like bunny rabbits!
There are two sub-species of Caique - the Black-Headed Caique
and the White-Bellied Caique. Both species originate in South America. The
Black-Headed Caique is slightly smaller than the White-Bellied Caique, with
an approximate size of 9 inches.
Immature White-Bellied Caiques may possess a varied amount of
black feathering on their heads. Additionally, they may have grayish/blackish
blotching on their beaks and feet. This is commonly seen with immature White-Bellied
Caiques. By the time they reach maturity at approximately 3 years of age, the black
feathers are usually replaced by bright orange feathers and lighter beaks and feet.
Some expert aviculturists say that the White-Bellies who have heavy black feathering as
babies have had darker orange feathering on their heads as adults.
Caiques are extremely sociable and outgoing and seem to
have an endless energy supply and enthusiastic personalities. Due to their
incredibly lively nature, Caiques need a constant and ample supply of food to maintain
their high energy levels. Additionally, Caiques should be supplied with a variety of
toys to keep them busy and entertained. Caiques are highly intelligent and are
capable of learning a variety of tricks.
Caiques need a good size cage, especially because they are so
active. Caiques require at least a 27 inch wide cage, which will allow for an ample
supply of toys to fit comfortably inside the cage.
While playing with their favorite person, Caiques
are known to engage in a game known as "hair surfing." They grab a footful
of hair and swing back and forth, rubbing their head, beak, and chest on their favorite
person's head! The only problem with this type of play is that they can and usually
will get tangled up inside your hair, so be careful!
Caiques are not strong fliers, as they have
relatively short wings in proportion to their body size. Many people decide against
clipping their Caique's wings for this reason.
Caiques do very well in active households. If
you are looking for a small parrot with a big personality, then perhaps a Caique is the
perfect match for you. |