Caique Crazy Blog

Caique Stolen From Petstore

2009-02-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago we heard of a black headed caique chick involved in an attempted robbery at Omars Exotic Bird Store. Its happened again, this time in Long Island.

Cops: Man steals pricey parrot in West Islip

BY MATTHEW CHAYES |matthew.chayes@newsday.com9:06 PM EST, January 27, 2009 Surveillance video shows a brazen parrot thief hiding a $1,399 baby black-headed caique bird in his jacket, then walking out of the West Islip pet store that was selling the bird without paying.

Suffolk County police detectives are scrutinizing the footage to try to identify the man videotaped in the avian apprehension from BTJ's Jungle pet store on Sunrise Highway, a department spokesman said.

The three brothers who own BTJ's Jungle couldn't at first figure out where one of their caiques had gone, but realized they'd been victims once they reviewed hours and hours of surveillance video, co-owner Tom Niehoff said Tuesday, the day that the theft was reported to police.

"It's a pricey bird," Niehoff said. "The bird that he happened to pick is a very quiet bird. They don't make a lot of noise."
The theft occurred on Jan. 19 when two men walked into the store, police said. Immediately upon entering, one man made a beeline for the tank holding the bird and placed it in his jacket. Then with an accomplice, he bought crickets.

The theft of the caique is at least the second time on Long Island in less than two months that animals have been taken out of a store undetected.

In December, a man hid a foot-long baby nurse shark in his jacket; Nassau police arrested that suspect, Elbert Starks, 30, of Freeport, a month later.

"People are stealing left and right there," Niehoff said as a menagerie chirped in the background.

There is a video too that can be seen here

Papegaaien Journal

2009-01-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

A Dutch Magazine called Papageaaien Journal, or, ParrotJournal recently published an article written by site owner Emily. Here is an excerpt (in English) of the original version.

"Full of personality
Caiques have become infamous for their clown-like personalities. They have quickly gained the well-deserved reputation of being the clowns of the avian world. Whether they are attempting to moonwalk (hanging upside down in the cage and walking across the top), hopping like a kangaroo, or sleeping on their backs, caiques are always good for a laugh. I am often asked to describe the personality of the caique. It can be hard to perfectly characterize these bundles of joy. I usually use the following description:
"Imagine a dog, like a border collie, the type of dog that needs to be worked (for its sanity and the owners!). Now, mix in the intelligence of an African Grey parrot, and the attention span of a moth. That is a caique."
True to form, caiques are little busybodies."

To view the article in dutch, you can follow this link -
http://www.papegaaienjournaal.nl/papegaaien%20journaal%20dec08.pdf

The article will also soon be available for download on the caiquecrazy.org website.

The debate begins

2008-12-29T21:27:00.000-08:00

We had a friendly mock debate on the forum which had me in stitches laughing, so I thought I would share with you all. People divided up and tried to convince the other 'team' which caique species was the superior.

Posted by user Kokomo:

Let me shed a little light on this subject.

Back in 'Ye Olden Days' there was thought to be only one type of Caique and it was what we refer to today as 'The Black Headed Caique'. We all know how awesome of a companion bird the BHC is so it should come as no surprise that any/every person of stature would obtain a BHC to as a status symbol. Being the BHCs were more than the folks bargained for the BHC quickly turned in to quite a bit more than status symbols. They won over the hearts of their human owners and became members of their family. Some BHCs were even regarded as royalty and owned/ruled over townships and cities. Now this was indeed a time of turmoil and imperfection. Big changes were afoot and not everyone was in agreement with the changes that were brewing. ***PAY ATTENTION HERE as it gets really complicated.*** A strange man from a small country just south of where one of the most powerful BHCs ruled came to town. (We will refer to this man as Mr. J. because history has many different versions of this story and we won't complicate it with any of the names associated with them.) Mr. J. was a wise man and shared a wealth of knowledge with any and all people that would ask for his words. The ruling BHCs assembled a group of men to speak with Mr. J. The BHCs wanted to remain anonymous as they suspected Mr. J. knew a secret that would be thier undoing. Under instruction of the ruling BHCs these twelve men learned a lot from Mr. J. and one night at the dinner table one of the men asked Mr. J. if the beloved BHC was the best bird in all of the world. Mr. J. responded to this question with a pause and then answered -(and I quote) "No. There is another. One that is extremely close to the BHC but has a head that resembles the Sun." RESEMBLES THE SUN PEOPLE. The men were taken back by this info. They didn't know what to do. Should they go to their ruling BHCs and tell them of this news? Surely the ruling BHCs would want to banish and destroy all knowledge of this Sun Headed Caique. The men even feared that they would be either killed or have thier tongues removed to keep this secret safe from the people. The men continued to ask Mr. J. questions about the [i]Sun Headed Caique[/i] and had a local artist paint a picture of the bird. They asked Mr. J. if it would be appropriate to officially name the Sun Headed Caique the White Bellied Caique. Mr. J. said to the men (and I quote) "That would be a very accurate description but it wouldn't differentiate the Sun Headed Caique from the BHC." The men agreed with Mr. J. but told Mr. J. that the BHC's name would differentiate it from the Sun Headed Caique and not make it seem like the Sun Headed Caique was trying to be like the BHC by having the word 'Head' in its name. Mr. J. gave some thought to his and said (and I quote) "Cool." This is really a long story and many books have been written about it so if you want all the details just look into getting one of the books. I will tell you that when the BHCs got word of the teachings of Mr. J. they captured him and two of the twelve men that they had hired and had them CRUCIFIED!!!!! They wanted to set an example of what would happen if they caught anyone talking of a WBC or how it is the best bird in all the land.

I have included pictures of Mr. J. and the twelve men. This is just after Mr. J. told them of the 'Sun Headed Caique'. They are discussing the official naming of what is now the WBC.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

This post is a little late, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday season. For this months post, I wanted to let you preview an excerpt of an article that will be appearing in the latest edition of the BirdBoard.com newsletter. Remember, decorating for the holidays can be fun, but you want to make sure your decorations are bird safe as well!

"During the holidays, there are many new and exciting things we use to decorate around the house that can be as dangerous to your avian friend as they are pretty. We want your holidays to be fun and safe, so we are addressing the common holiday household dangers for 2008.

Among the most common decorations for the winter season, is mistletoe. This often seen holiday plant that harbors such fairytale legend also has a dark side. Mistletoe is part of the Viscaceae family, and the form commonly seen in North America is a hybrid plant of both English and European varieties. Mistletoe is famous for bearing its fruit in the winter months, making it a popular decoration during the Christmas seasons. The red berries that are so trademark of mistletoe are toxic to our avian friends, as are holly berries. Another favorite holiday plant, the Poinsetta, can cause GI tract irritation if ingested. "

Catch the rest of this article soon, coming to an inbox near you!

Baby its cold outside!

2008-11-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

With the winter weather upon us, its about the time of year that bird owners start to worry about their fidlets freezing their, um, tails off. Some winter suggestions for keeping your fids warm include:

-Investing in a heated perch. I've heard many good things about this product. Best for smaller birds like caiques that are not prone to trying to chew through heavy plastic items.

- Invest in a heavy, warm cage cover. In doing this you can turn the heat down a couple degrees at night, save on your heating bill, but not worry about turning your feathered friend into a birdie popsicle

- A reptile ceramic heat emitter (emits heat only, no light) works great as a heat source for your bird.

If you invest in one, be sure to put the emitter into the appropriate light source, such as this one that has a ceramic socket which will not pose a fire hazard. One with a dimmer switch like this works perfectly to give you control of heat output.

Avitec also sells avian heat panels which can install in an aviary or your home to provide your bird a warm place to cuddle up to. I've heard lots of good reviews about these devices as well.

Stay warm, and have a happy thanksgiving!

Long time, no blog!

2008-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

After a short hiatus from the blogsphere, I am back!

I just wanted to take the time and give a shout out to all our site sponsors for caiquecrazy.org and caiqueforum.com

Birds Comfort - birdscomfort.com
HQ Bird Cages - hqbirdcages.com
FeatherBrite- Featherbrite.com
Feathered Friends Momentos- featheredfriendsmomentos.com
Arlissa Green Creations- arlissagreen.com
Davis Aviary- Davisaviary.com

We appreciate your support of our website! We take every opportunity to refer customers to you :)

More spots are opening on the site, so if your small business is interested in some thrifty advertising opportunity, please contact Emily at emily@caiquecrazy.org subject line: Advertising. We'd be more then happy to work something out with you! Spots on the website and forum are now available.

Wishing everyone a wonderful beginning of November!

Caique Stolen at Omars

2008-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

News: Man tries to make off with $1,300 bird | customers, sklar, bird, birds, shop - OCRegister.com

Video: Man tries to make off with $1,300 bird
Surveillance video shows a man putting a black headed Caique inside his jacket, and the bird crawling out before being chased down by customers and employees.

By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register
Comments 28 | Recommend 6

LINK TO VIDEO EVIDENCE!

LAKE FOREST Even with clipped wings, the costly bird refused to go with its alleged birdnapper.

A 35-year-old man tried to stuff a $1,300 bird into his jacket from Omar's Exotic Birds and then ran out of the pet shop Sunday afternoon, but the brightly colored bird wiggled out of the jacket, alerting customers and employees of the theft.

Customers ran out and held down James Leland Loper until deputies arrived and took him into custody on suspicion of grand theft, said Lt. Fred Furey of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Surveillance video shows the man playing with the birds, which roam freely on perches or sit inside glass enclosures that are open at the top, said Danielle Sklar, assistant manager of the pet shop.
An employee approached Loper and asked him if he needed help, but he said he was just looking, Sklar said. For about 30 minutes he interacted with the birds in the store like the rest of the customers.

Then, after looking around for people around him, the suspect shuffled the black headed Caique inside his jacket and walked out.

"Somebody just saw a bird coming out of his shirt," Sklar said. "It didn't want to stay put."

A group of customers and employees ran after him as he hurried across El Toro Road. One of the customers tackled him and held him until deputies arrived.

Customers are allowed to interact with the birds inside the pet shop, but several visible cameras hang on the ceiling to deter any possible shoplifters, Sklar said. Thefts in the shop are rare, but surveillance video catches those that try to make off with the merchandise.

The store will perches and displays as they are, with customers having free access to the animals, Sklar said. This helps the customers find a bird whose personality meets their own.

The black headed Caique, a parrot with green wings, yellow neck and a black head which is native to South America, was recovered and is back in the store, waiting for an owner willing to pay for it. The price tag is $1,300.

Update- caique mutation

2008-10-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

I managed to track down the original person that first posted the picture of the supposed blue mutation caique. Unfortunately the person has been unwilling to talk, other then to say that they had recieved permission from the owner to post the picture, but further information regarding this bird is, in a word- taboo. Very unfortunate as we can not really confirm or deny this mutation at this point, not knowing where the bird originated from, who bred it, etc etc etc. Pity, as this could be extremely useful knowledge to have down the line in regards to caique genetics, mutations, etc etc etc.
People, if you have information, don't be frugal. Share it. Aviculture is in its infancy and growing every day, and if everyone hoarded all their bits of knowledge, our community would be shattered. Its not the people who suffer, its the birds.
John McMichael of thecaiquesite.com has commented on the possibility of the blue caique mutation, and believes that it is possible, and sites the 'orange tint' on the nape as being a result of different pigmentation on the bird.
As such, there is no further information yielded about this bird at this time. Such a waste- there is such potential for caiques and enthusiasts to learn more about this intricate species.

Its almost October....

2008-10-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

already, can you believe it? This year has just flown by!
With the coming of October I am proud to announce that the new issue of Good Bird Magazine (www.goodbirdinc.com) is out, and in it, an article written by moi! It is titled Learning From Mercy. If anyone gets the magazine, I'd love your feedback. I just learned about the publishing of it today, so am eager to see my copy. I don't know how much or what part of the original I sent in, so I am anxious to see how it turned out!

Everyone enjoy your transition into October!

A new presidential runner

2008-09-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

Its been on everyone's minds: politics. Who are you voting for this election? Did you read the latest scandal? Blah.. blah... blah. We were talking politics on the forum and things got a little heated, so I pulled a prank to lighten the mood.

Vote Caique for 2008- the only politician that won't let you down!

I jest, of course. But thinking about it... wouldn't the world be better off if caiques did rule? I can see it now...

Caiques rule the world: until they forget what they are doing or find something more interesting to do, halfway through the program.

Housing crisis? No problem! Everyone is let out of their cages to roam and survive. Locked up no longer!

Gas prices? Who needs gas when you've got wings?

Economy in a slump? The bird says as long as you can still get food, you are OK!

Maybe its better if caiques don't rule the world, after all....

Honey I'm home!

2008-09-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well we have safely arrived to our new house, and gotten the fidlets somewhat situated. The car ride was long, but that is a story for another day! We pulled in somewhere around 10 pm, after getting hopelessly lost. Seeing as how the caiques like to put themselves to bed at around 7:30ish, they were not happy about having to be up 'after dark.'

Here you can see how the birds were situated in the car. 2 in the seat up front, 2 in the back. These are their traveling cages, which I love. They are collapsible so they store easy, but they are sturdy and great for traveling. Each of the birds had 2 perches and 2 side mount toys, as they would be in their travel cages for an extended period of time since we had to load the van, then drive, unpack the van, and unpack and clean the cages over a period of about 5 days. For the drive they had fresh fruit, seed, and a smidge of water.

Lesson learned during this trip? When birds are screaming in the car cause its past their bedtime, a chip from the quickee mart makes for a good bribe to be quiet.

Moving with Parrots

2008-08-25T07:56:00.001-07:00

Well, its that time of the year again: moving time! I just love packing all my belongings up in cardboard boxes, hauling it into a truck, fitting all the animals into the car, and driving to my new place of residence. NOT!
The parrots are not happy. Not happy at all. I had to take apart their 'caique condo' (see post in 07 for picture of the condo) so that it could actually fit in the truch- I assembled it inside the bird room and found that for whatever reason my doorways are not 50 inches wide. So the condo is safely awaiting its departure in the garage, and the caiques are in temp. 18 by 18 cages. Poor babies have to get by with only a couple perches and toys each. And they are not happy about this situation, not happy at all. Can't say I blame them- but their upset is driving me bonkers! They are complaining all day about their new arrangements.
Anyhow, the plan is to put the caiques, amazon, and parrotlets into travel cages, hook them into the car, and make the 2 hour trip to our latest destination. The caiques like car rides, so hopefully that will be enough stimulation to shut them up while we have the daunting task of unloading the moving van and trying to get some semblance of order in the house again. Once the van is unloaded the people have rested, we can get the cages back together and in their proper places. Until then the poor babies are going to be stuck in their temporary travel cages. Poor neglected things.
Just kidding about them being neglected, of course.
This week shall be interesting. I will be taking various notes for all parties interested, and shall have some funny stories (I am most certain of this!) when I return.

Hidden Gems

2008-08-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

I love stumbling across hidden gems on the internet! Take the following pictures, for example.

This is a picture of a pallid caique, found on www.parrots.org website. The pallid is a subspecies of the black headed caique, and one that is rarely photographed.

This picture was labeled as a yellow thigh caique, when in actuality it is a green thigh, another rarely photographed subspecies.

This photo was unearthed at www.caiquesite.com Its so refreshing to see the little talked about subspecies finally get some photo recognition!

We end with another small picture of some green thigh caiques. Until recently the only picture I had ever seen of a green thigh was the one that appears on P Patch Parrots website!

If anyone has any other pictures of green thighs, pallids, yellow tails, or any other caique subspecies that are not commonly photographed, please send them this way! I want to make a gallery of all the photos for later use.

A blue caique?

2008-08-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

Someone brought this to my attention via the caique forum. A picture was found, and posted, of a supposed blue mutation caique!
There has been a lively debate going on as to whether this mutation is possible. We know that other supposed caique mutations have been reported, yet there is only one living specimen that has yet to be positively identified.
Is this mutation fact or fiction? Personally I am leaning towards it being bunk- the way the orange on the nape still shines through the white makes me suspicious. Add to that, that the picture used is actually of a pair of pallid caiques, and this gets even curiouser! Pictures of pallid caiques are rare, to say the least. The probability of this mutation being real? Slim to none. But its an interesting thought, isn't it?

St. Vincent Amazon

2008-07-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

While this is not about caiques, it definitely warrants a story.

Rare St. Vincent Parrot Hatched at the Houston Zoo!
Birth the First at the Zoo
Since 1999
On April 25, 1972 the Houston Zoo made history, recording the first hatching in captivity of an endangered St. Vincent Amazon parrot. That first birth was followed by a second hatching in 1999. Today, the Houston Zoo is proud to report that history has repeated itself again and Zoo bird keepers are caring for a St. Vincent Amazon that hatched on May 28, 2008. The chick has been named Vincent after the father of the first St. Vincent born at the Houston Zoo.
“The chick hatched after 25 days of incubation and is being hand raised at the Zoo’s off exhibit Avian Conservation Environment (ACE) building,” said Houston Zoo Bird Department supervisor Chris Holmes. “For the first 28 days Vincent was hand fed every two hours from 5 in the morning until midnight. He went home with me in the evening and came to work with me every morning,” said Holmes. Vincent was transported in a specially made climate controlled carrier.

Found only on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles, the St. Vincent amazon is officially classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the IUCN. The current wild population of St. Vincent’s is estimated at 800 individuals, despite numerous natural hazards and human encroachment into their habitat. Prior to 1898, the parrots were fairly common. However, two natural disasters took a heavy toll on their population after 1898. A devastating hurricane struck the island and was followed by the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano that crowns St. Vincent’s northern landscape. Though the population has increased since these disasters, the slow reproductive rate of this species makes this a long process.

With the end of the breeding season approaching, Vincent’s parents will be on exhibit again at the Houston Zoo by early August.

Trying to be a more concensious blogger..

2008-07-15T11:37:00.001-07:00

Normally I feel proud of myself if I manage a post a week. I read blogging for dummies today, and doh, did it make me feel lame! A post a week? They recommend a post a day, or ever other day. Ooops.

So, here is my -every-other-day-turning-over-a-new-leaf-post:

I hope you all got to listen in on The Bird Talks on July 6th. I was the guest speaker, and was fortunate enough to be able to talk caiques for an hour! Complete and utter bliss, I assure you. I was asked back to do another talk in the fall- woohoo. Please kee your eye out for future speaking engagements - the new store 'The Platinum Parrot' has also requested my collaboration in holding a caique seminar and mini event sometime this year. Yay! I am very excited. I love nothing more then talking about these birds.

If you were unable to catch the live podcast on the 6th, please go to our Emily's articles page- www.caiquecrazy.org/emarticles.html a stream of the podcast will be available shortly for you to download.

Green Thigh Caiques

2008-07-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

Until recently, there were only a couple of breeders within the United States that bred the green thigh caique (Pionites leucogaster leucogaster ). Green thighs are not available in the pet trade- a hybrid of a green thigh x yellow thigh may pop up every now and then, but the main reason for breeding is to increase the captive population. Ralph Lima was once a well known caique breeder and had a good deal of information regarding different species of white bellied caiques on his website. A few years ago, most unfortunately, he sold out his caique stock and scaled back breeding to only select few species. Nancy Speed of P Patch Parrots was one of the remaining breeders that still was actively breeding green thighs. Most unfortunately it has been reported that Mrs. Speed has sold her collection of caiques and is going into semi retirement. When the stock was sold out and whom to is not known at this time. I hope for the sake of the caique community that the breeder(s) who have invested in the green thighs will start updating caique enthusiasts on breeding status and any other pertinent information. Up until now, little to no information has been revealed on the status of the green thighs within US aviculture. Hopefully things will change!

Caique Seminar

2008-06-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

On July 11th, 10 pm EST, there will be a live caique seminar at www.caiqueforum.com

Caique guru John McMichael of www.caiquesite.com has graciously agreed to come and do a live chat with all members interested in attending. The chat will be a roundtable discussion, and should be very interesting! Please come and join us if you want to learn more and are interested in hearing about Mr. McMichaels longtime work with these wonderful birds.

If you are interesting in joining, please:

sign up for an account at www.caiqueforum.com
on July 11th, login
hit the chat button in the navbar, and you'll be there!

Remember the chat is at 10 pm EST.

Sponsors for site

2008-06-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment and thank our new sponsors, for helping keep the caiquecrazy.org alive!

www.birdcages4less.com
www.birdscomfort.com
www.hqbirdcages.com

You can view their ads on the website. Please take a moment to visit these fine vendors.

Book Review

2008-05-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

I recently ordered a caique book from amazon.com it was titled 'Caiques' by Mary Gorman. Initially I tried to lookup Mrs. Gorman, to see her other works and her relation to aviculture. I could not find any information regarding Ms. Gorman and her parrot experience, which left me a bit wary about the books potential.

Nevertheless, I ordered it to skim over.

The information is very solid, basic information. Good for a newbie to birds, or a new owner that has no idea about caiques at all. The information does not talk about breeding, which I like because most handbooks such as this do, and its not relevant to the new pet owner. A short list of pros and cons on the book are as follows:

Pros-
solid basic information
gave good advice as to cage size
gave good advice as to what a basic diet it
gave good advice as to the needs of a caique
gave good advice on energy level of a caique
gave good advice as to not buying caiques for children

Cons:
left out the differences between young black heads and white bellies
did not tell how to distinguish a male from a female
was extremely basic, not good for a owner that already has a caique or is previously experienced
showed pictures with caiques with other species of birds with no mention of their tendency towards aggression
said caiques can be housed with multiple species
gave no solid caique references in the index

mediocre:
Did have lots of relatively nice pics, but the majority of pictures were black headed caiques, not enough white bellied caique representation
did not give solid facts as to when caiques were first kept

Overall on a rating scale of 1 - 10, I would give this book about a 4. Good solid information for a first time owner, or person researching a bird, but not for the experienced birdkeeper.

I also ordered and am awaiting another book titled Elsewhere In The Land Of Parrots. Review to come shortly.

If you are interested in buying the caique book mentioned above, click on the following link.

Caique Beak

2008-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

I've seen lots of questions around the internet lately, in regards to caique beaks. Is my birds beak too long, should I get it trimmed, what is a 'normal' or 'safe' length. Here is the skinny on caique beaks:

Caiques have longer beaks then other similiar sized parrots. What looks OK on a senegal, medium sized conure or other similiar size bird can mean 'short' or 'acceptable length' on a caique. Why? Well, caiques are built differently. Their beaks are slightly longer as an adaptation to their natural diets, which include the nectar and pollen of native flowers. To be able to access the goodies, they have to have longer beaks to reach deep within the flower or fruit.

You can see here, the beak length of a senegal parrot.

Now, compare this length to that of one of my own caiques, a female black head.

You can clearly see the difference in length. But for a caique, this length is more then acceptable, and not to be considered 'long'. I've been approached by many people, asking if their birds beak at this length is too long. Nope, thats just a caique for you.

While this is a very short and informal post, I hope this clears up some beak misconception.

Avian Artist

2008-03-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you for everyone who has voted in our informal poll. The gathering of information is still continuing, so if you have not already voted, please take a couple minutes to do so! So far there has been an interesting correlation between males, and birds that are older then 2 years in regards to 'tailfeather tipping'. When there is a broader spectrum of input I will post the results here, in case anyone is interested.

I found this website while browsing the internet and thought I would post it here for interested parties. The site is dedicated to avian portraits. I have been watching the progression of several portraits and they are turning out beautifully.

Click the banner to be taken to the website.

7/12/08 edited to add: unfortunately the avian artist site appears to be unavailable and no longer working.

Caique Poll

2008-03-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

We are polling to see if the amount of yellow tipping on a caiques tailfeathers has any correlation with age and/or sex. Please vote now to help us gather our data!

How much time does it really take?

2008-03-04T08:27:00.001-08:00

You tend to hear that question alot. 'Well, birds can't be that much trouble. They are in cages, after all.' No such statement could be further from the truth. In fact, its been said that having one parrot in the house can be equated to living with a dolphin or chimp. And thats just one parrot! Most people have a multiple bird household. How does one bird really affect the household and how much time does it really take to care for that bird?
I've been conducting an informal experiment. I took my camera and started photographing everything I do on a daily basis for my birds. Clean cages, weigh the birds, feed the birds, cook for the birds. Well, you get the idea. It was mind boggling how much effort one actually puts into caring properly for these amazing creatures! A photo journaling of my 'day for the birds' is soon to follow.

March is fast approaching

2008-02-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

and do you know what that means? March 23rd, 2008 will be our 2 year anniversary! We are going to celebrate big time, with lots of pomp and circumstance :) Keep your eyes peeled for new and exciting additions to the 'CC Empire!'

If you haven't already, please check out our forums. We recently switched servers, which unfortunately wiped out all members. Please take a moment and register again! This new forum is better and faster then ever. We want you with us as we celebrate our special two year anniversary!!!

Because I've been delinquent with keeping up with the blog lately, here are some interesting caique photos I took with my new Sony Cybershot Camera

The Hierarchy of Parrot Needs

2008-01-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is a post I wrote about a year ago on a parrot message board, in regards to a posters question about parrots and dependency, the need for. This was my response:

OK here it is. Bare with me as this is all pure speculation/observation on my part and I am going to be jumping around alot, K?

Have you ever heard of Maslows Hiercharcy of Needs? The theory is that once your basic needs are fulfilled- shelter, food, security- you can move 'up the ladder' and continue to fillfull lesser needs- needs that you do not need for basic survival. Needs like self esteem, postive interaction with peers. The highest need is self fulfillment- self awareness. It is estimated that very few, if any, human beings ever fulfill this need because we are continually moving up and down the hierarchy.

True parrot flock dynamics are instinctual, and based on survival. Parrots need other parrots. They need them for security- they warn each other of predators. They need each other for socialization- verbal and physical, like grooming. They need a flock so they can pick a mate and continue the circle of life.

In a cage a parrot has everything given to him. Food in a bowl eliminates the 4-9 hours a day your bird would be foraging. Toys and huts replace time the bird would spend seeking shelter and things to play with. A clean water dish eliminates hours of flying to find a fresh water source.
So whats left? Socialization of course! Verbal- isn't it fun to scream?! And physical- preen me, I itch. And your bird has 15+ hours a day to long for it, because everything else has been handed to him.

Hence the need for independence. Hence the difference between true parrot flock dynamics and human flock dynamics. In the wild, a parrot is always with another bird- in a 'flock'. At home, your bird may be around you, your dog ,your cat, your goldfish- but never have those true parrot flock dynamics.

Now- back to our handy-dandy hierarchy of needs.

This diagram is based on a humans hierarchy of needs- and is a bit more complicated then needs be, IMO. But it illustrates what I am going to be talking about well.

[img]http://i18.tinypic.com/2egh0eq.png[/img]

OK so picture a parrot. In the wild your parrot has to work to fulfill his physiological needs each day. Thats an all day job. Once those needs are fulfilled, he/she needs to find a safe place to roost for the night, and/or a safe nesting cavity to raise babies. That fulfills safety needs. Your bird has now moved up 2 places on the pyramid.
The flock dynamic, and your birds mate would most likely fulfill the love/belonging need (I do not want to get into these aspects too much because otherwise its going to lead into a lot of guesswork/anthromorphization/illogical reasoning)
Your bird is almost to self fulfillment. In humans, sell fulfillment is the ULTIMATE. We want for nothing, have everything, have no issues. I hesitate to move a bird to the esteem rung, simply because can birds have an esteem need in the sense humans do? You decide.
Either way you look at it- your bird in the wild is pretty far up in the hierarchy just by fulfilling basic needs on a daily basis. Higher up then some humans will ever get, for that matter.

Now- take a captive bird.
Physiological needs- handed to them. Why the need to fulfill if they are already there? Food, check. Water, check. Sleep, check. Clean cage, check.

Safety needs- fulfilled. A cage in an area away from natural dangers.

This leaves us at the love/belonging need.

OK so this is where dependency and the hierarchy theory ties in, for me at least. You can't want what you never missed, or in this case didn't acknowledge you already had- in this case physiological and safety needs. So it makes logical sense, if you are looking at the hierarchy- that most parrots start out trying to fulfill the love/belonging need. Whether or not it is fulfilled is based on the interaction between human and parrot.
I think that, IMHO, once the love/belonging need is fulfilled, the bird can move up the hierarchy to what we would view as fulfillment- in this case not having to be Dependant upon a human for everything. IE playing in the cage while the human is away, participating in foraging and natural preening activities, engaging in regular sleeping patterns, etc.

To be stuck in the dependent stage, would to be stuck on trying to fulfill one of the hierarchy needs. In most birds cases, its the love/belonging. Where do i fit in, in this human flock? Are they going to take me out today?

Now- interesting concept here. Compare the behaviors of a wild bird with behaviors of a captive birds, and their place on the hierarchy. A captive bird, as I said, i believed would be on self atualization portion of the pyramid, having fulfilled all other needs on a daily basis. Wild birds do not pluck- they do not bite (biting is a captive bird behavior, wild birds do not bite other then to warn of danger- they do not inflict harm with their beaks with the intent to hurt) and they certainly do not have screaming issues! they play, they fly, they make nests and have chicks.
Consider the captive bird. The captive bird is, from my perspective, usually stuck on the love/belonging part of the hierarchy. It is not uncommon to hear of, or even live with a bird that has biting, screaming, plucking/self mutilating issues. A bird that is clipped, that does not have chicks, and participate in other natural activities.

So where does this leave us?

Seems to me the bird that has more freedom- ie socialization within flock dynamics, be it human or bird, is taught to forage, engage in natural activities such as bathing, preening, playing with toys- is one to be happier because they can have lives outside their human. Being independant is not a bad thing- its being dependent that can turn into damaging.

Changes

2008-01-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

For everyone I traded links with: can you please email them to me again? I lost my link back list when I switched the format of the blog.

I've been working hard on redoing the blog and website to make it more user friendly. Easier navigation, easier to read, all around simplified. Everything is still in progress so bare with me! I am trying to get it all done as quickly as possible, because it frustrates me to leave projects half finished lying around.

Happy January everyone!

Bird of the Month

2007-12-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Caiques are bird of the month on www.birdchannel.com (hosted by the BirdTalk magazine folks). They are requesting people send in their stories of living with caiques, and why these birds are special to you. This is a great chance to educate others about these wonderful birds, so please, if you have a caique, consider sending a story in!

My submission:

I am owned by two rehomed caiques, Higgins and Rosie (aka Goober).
They are the loves of my life- after living with caiques for three
years I can't imagine having a house without these wonderful birds.
I'm often asked by non bird folk what caiques are like, and why I am
so attracted to them. In an effort to help people understand what a
caique is really like, I give this description: "Imagine a dog, like a
border collie, the type of dog that needs to be worked. Now, mix in
the intelligence of an african grey parrot, and the attention span of
a moth. You have a caique".

There is never a dull moment with a caique around. They may be hanging
from the curtains, flying from playgym to playgym with a great big
'whirrring' sound to wrestle with one another, or beating up toys in
their cages. They are fantastic eaters and eat with gusto. I often
refer to them as little garbage disposals- I've yet to find a food
they dislike!

Another thing that endears me to these wonderful little birds is how
outgoing they are. I've had neighborhood children come and play with
my birds, much to the birds delight. Just about anyone can handle
them, so long as they are unafraid. Most people are taken quickly by
their quirky little personalities.

Higgins and Rosie bring laughter into my life daily. I enjoy looking
into the future with them and growing old together.

Emily of Caique Crazy Forums

Caiques are unique

2007-12-04T09:19:00.001-08:00

Caiques are an interesting species. They differ in many ways from other parrot species, both in large ways and small. As we learn more about caiques, and parrots in general, we gain greater knowledge on how to care for these birds in a more natural and healthful way.

Like other parrot species, caiques can hybridize. They can hybridize amoung themselves- there have been noted yellowthigh/black head hybrids, as well as green thigh/ yellow thigh. Interestingly, unlike some other parrot species, it has been noted that caiques can hybridize with other species of birds. On his website, John McMichael has a small blurb about a caique hybridizing with an illigers macaw. Unfortunately no pictures are available, and no information is provided as to if the eggs were fertile or not. This piece of information has the potential for a lot- if the eggs were fertile, it would mean that genetically caiques are 'close' to the family of small macaws. We could learn a lot by analyzing and probing for more information.

Did you know caique parrots are right footed? Studies have shown that a parrot can show 'footedness', that is, a preference of using one foot over the other when eating, etc. Much like our preference for writing with one hand or the other. In comparison to other parrot species generally exhibiting left foot preference, caiques prefer the right foot. I wonder what this means as to their way of thinking? In humans, using one hand over the other shows a 'brain side preference- left or right'.

Unlike other parrots, the caiques upper beak, the maxilla, is not fixed, but rather hinged. This is believed to be an adaption to climbing.

It is also said that caique chicks are deaf when they are hatched, unlike other parrot species. They are also born with no ear opening. The opening appears at around two to three weeks of age, when the eyes begin to open.

Interestingly, information and prints on caiques date back to 1783. Yet in 2007, this bird is considered to be somewhat rare in the avian community, not being as readily available as other parrot species in the pet trade.

One must wonder about the lack of information available on these parrots, and when they will gain enough attention from influential people within the avian community to warrant observation and study.

Its snowing.. its snowing!!!

2007-11-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well, no really. On the blog it is! I am gearing up for Christmas folks, so expect to see some funky happenings going on around the site. I thought we could do a 25 days of Christmas type thing with the website. I have so many ideas in store I don't know which to implement first! In the works are:
-an education section [complete with coloring pages, emergency contact sheets that can be readily printed off and ready to use, and educational resources for use in seminars, birdclubs]
-recommended reading list
-updated 'dangerous materials' section
-total revamp of the site (come January. I have the cuuuutest spring theme saved, lol)
-making browsing easier for the site- no more getting lost in the pages!
-partnering with another bird site (infosuperflyway.com) to bring you a creative map that will pinpoint lost/found birds.

....And so much more!

Another note- I know its been mentioned before, but our Caique Crazy 12 months of caiques calendar is now available for purchase! If you view our store you can browse our many gift items. If you have a parrot and are interested in getting his/her picture on an object, feel free to contact me. I do custom orders and can place any picture you give me on a multitude of items- anything from cooking aprons to travel mugs, and keychains!

Ok, ok, my little spiel is over.

Everyone have a happy holiday season. Caique stories coming soon!

The cages are here! (and a Happy Thanksgiving!)

2007-11-20T06:47:00.001-08:00

After anxious waiting, my new cages are here! WOOHOO! The caiques got a total revamp. Previously, Higgins (my male BHC) was in a large California model cage, and Rosie was in a small California dometop. Now, they are both in a double stack cage, with so much room to spare! Each cage has interior dimensions of 35 by 30 by 40. These cages are heavy duty- I love them. The birds love them, too.

Now the above picture was taken before I had set up a full spectrum light on the bottom portion. No worries- the FS light is up and running and both birdies are happy.

Its amazing what a simple cage change can do for a birds attitude. My previous clinging, obsessive screaming, neurotic (ok, she still has issues, lol) little Rosie-Goober is no longer clinging to the side of the cage, yelling all the time. No matter how I re-arranged her previous cage, she was never happy. Now, she is running around her cage, playing, sitting in front of her light, just being a generally happy bird. I think the cage on top and the wall behind her makes her feel really secure [as she is a really insecure bird]. It seems to be just what she needed, because her horrible screaming has practically been non-existant since I put her in the new cage.

Higgins (my male BHC) loves being on top. He has always thought he was top bird and I think being so high up gives him an ego boost [not that he needs one!]. He has spent the past couple days looking out the window and playing with toys on the bottom of his new cage. WOOT! It's a happy household.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving- from my flock to yours :)

Caique Calendar

2007-11-15T05:12:00.000-08:00

2008 is quickly approaching- do you have your calendar yet?

We've got the ultimate calendar for caique lovers- 12 months of caiques! Each month is a beautiful, high quality picturing portraying caiques doing what they do best- being themselves!!!

Three versions of the calendar are available, so please browse our store to view them.

The Store

Pick out the calendar that best suits you. Makes a great present for a bird owner/lover!

Its pumpkin time!!!!

2007-11-06T05:52:00.001-08:00

I love fall. I love the change in weather, the pretty trees, how the months smoothly blend together.

Another reason I love fall- the food! But not for me, for the birds :P

Fall means pumpkins and squash, mixed nuts, pomegranates, and all sorts of other seasonal fruit. Yum.

Last week was Halloween, and I got a large pumpkin to decorate with, and small minikins for the fids. They loved them. Here is my recipe for tails up pumpkins:
1 mini pumpkin
cinnamon
apples

Wash the pumpkin thoroughly. Cut the top off. Wash & chop apples. Leave the 'guts' in the pumpkin. Stuff the inside with chopped apples, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Put the top back on. Warm oven to 375, place pumpkin in for 8-10 minutes, until warm and 'soft'. Remove, let cool, and feed to birds slightly warm.

It makes a great enrichment toy- not only is it good for them, but its loads of fun to shred!!!

2007-10-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

I got back from Parrot Palooza on Sunday and had a blast!!! Parrot Palooza is put on each year by the wonderful Bird Paradise in Burlington, NJ. I have never set foot in a nicer store. The event was well worth the drive. If anyone is in the area, I highly recommend checking out Bird Paradise!!!

Needless to say, I spent entirely too much money and enjoyed maxing out my credit card. The entire store was 20% off, and that didn't count the coupons you received upon arrival! I did some major shopping for my fids at home with the help of one of the caique friends I made at the store :) Among other things, I picked up a Large Long Get-A-Grip for my birds which I cannot wait to put up. I love the E-star bird products. I also picked up this really neat foraging toy called Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts. It is built for larger birds but makes a great playstation for a bird enthusiastic as a caique.

The event hosted free seminars all weekend long. I attended seminars by Sally Blanchard and Irene Pepperburg, who also graciously signed my copies of The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots, and The Beak Book: Understanding, Preventing, and Solving Aggression and Biting Behaviors in Companion Parrots. It was wonderful to meet these two people who have impacted so many lives in the avian world.

I gave been busily uploading photos for the better part of the day, and I am sure they will appear on the site sooner or later. As of now, you can view some of the photos over at CCF.

Now I am going to go run and wait for the UPS guy to get here to deliver my new cages!!!

Loyalty

2007-10-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

One thing you never hear a lot of people talk about in regards to caiques is how extremely loyal they are. Not only do they have great personality, are the perfect size, and are just fun to look at- they make great sidekicks!

Unlike some other species of parrots that bond strongly to one person and will lash out to everyone who challenges that bond, caiques are very easy going. They can hop from person to person- heck, the more the merrier! The little attention hogs :) But thats not to say they don't bond strongly with one person and have a preference of who they like to spend time with. And, to that person they form the bond with is to whom they are extremely loyal. Having a bad day? Get your caique out and cuddle a bit. Having a great day? Dance around the living room together! Someone making you mad? Don't let the bird near- chances are the birdie will bite.
My caiques are very loyal to me, especially my male black head. Oh he loves meeting new people, but in a new situation that makes him slightly unsure, its me he runs to for re-assurance. If he thinks someone is threatening me or picks up a bad vibe off of someone, he will snap at them in my defense. If I need to have a restful, quiet day, he will sit on my lap or shoulder and gladly cuddle, quiet mellow. (now thats saying something for the energizer bunny of the bird world!)

Other caique owners tell me they have noticed this as well. I think it is one of the best quality a caique possesses - it certainly makes up for all the trials and tribulations you can go through adapting to the jekyll and hyde personality of a caique. When they are good, they are oh so good. When they are bad... they are very, very bad.

Until next time!

Babble Ball meets Caique

2007-10-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Rosie the caique LOVES her new babble ball toy. We got it in the mail last week and I tossed in the birds cage for a test run. The birds immediatly flung themselves against the sides of their cages like 'WHAT is that and WHY is it here? Will it eat me?' Poor dears.

Don't feel sorry for them too long! I took the ball out, let it sit within site for half a day, and gave it another test run by putting it in Rosies cage. You can see how much she loves it now. Its her new favorite toy! I think this is high up there on the list of caique favorites- I highly recommend anyone who has a caique to get one.

The toy is called a Babble Ball and there are several types available:

Babble Ball - Small

Babble Ball - Big

or this really neat looking one

Boinky Babble Ball

I am going to have to order another one for Higgins because Rosie certainly isn't sharing!

Busy busy busy!

2007-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy, busy week! On top of regular life stuff, we've been getting ready for Parrot Palooza. For those that are going 'huh?' - Parrot Palooza is an event that takes place yearly at Bird Paradise, in Burlington, NJ. There will be educational seminars, food, door prizes, storewide sales (uh oh... must not max out credit card... MUST not max out credit card!!!) and best of all, you get to sit around and chat with birdie friends!

Over at the caique forum, everyone is getting excited as this event draws near. We have some NJ folks that are regulars at Bird Paradise and are getting all us un-initiated Parrot Palooza folks psyched! We've got flyers ready to print out, business card and brochures to leave for anyone that might be considering purchasing a baby caique. Just look for the big group of people wearing T-Shirts saying 'I've been caiqued!'

More exciting news on the home front- Caique Crazy has moved servers! We are www.caiquecrazy.org and ready to rumble. This means LOTS of promising things- more resources for caique owners- the sky is the limit!

CCF members have also agreed to sponsor a pair of white bellied caiques that are in the sanctuary program at The Gabriel Foundation. We will be getting more information on those guys Saturday, so stay tuned to find out!!

And... news on the homefront. Rose and Higgins proclaim that every caique must have a babble ball- they are the coolest thing since sliced bread. Mine came in the mail yesterday and they are both just enamored with it. Nothing better then two caiques giggling like goons, poking a ball, making it bark, moo, crow (I got the animal noises one) and then run to pounce on it as soon as it does.

Ok my break is over- back to the grindstone. More information coming soon!

2007-09-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

One thing I find rather frustrating about keeping caiques in the home is that so little is known about them. We know there are two species and four sub-species. We know they like to reside in the forest canopy of their natural environment. We have a general idea of their range and to which countries they are native to. We think we have an idea of which foods they eat in the wild- over at the Caique Site, John Micmichael has documented a small list of foods that caiques eat in the wild.

But other then that- what do we know? Their sleeping or foraging habits, their nesting habits? Unlike macaws and cockatoos or other parrot species who have been studied extensively in their natural habitats, we know next to nothing about these delightful little birds called caiques. People argue over whether or not to give them sleeping quarters such as a nextbox year round- in countries such as Germany where they are avicultural requirements and minimums, this is a must. Why? What leads us to that conclusion?

When people ask about the specific dietary requirements of caiques, no one can answer honestly, because we don't know. Oh, we can guess about their needs- its been said they need a higher fruit content, perhaps even supplement with nectar like a lori and fresh flowers- but why? What if we are leaving out an important aspect of our birds diet because we have not sought to find the true answer.

People fight all the time for the funds to get to go and observe a species in its natural habitat, log the data and bring that information back to share with the avicultural community in hopes of better understanding our parrots and enriching their lives. Shouldn't we do the same for our caiques? I've donated to yellow eared conure conservation efforts, hyacinth, spix, lears, and blue throat macaw efforts, but have yet to come across a person, group or some such organization that has stood up and said: 'I am fighting for the right of the caique parrot. I want to know more about their habits so that I can make my birds at home happy and healthy and allow them to live out their natural lives.'

Isn't it time?

Your first bird

2007-09-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Its a commonly enough asked question, especially among birdie minded folk. 'What was your first bird? How old where you when you got it?"

I have another question, birdie folk. When was the first time you realized you were destined to become a bird owner? I know some people have grown up around parrots and it just seems to come naturally, while others just got stuck with that odd pet and poof- love at first site. But do you ever look back at the years before your house was a live-in jungle and wonder if you ever saw warning signs of what the years ahead were destined to be like?

I was chatting with one of my best friends via IM the other day. Her and I go way back. We met in 3rd grade elementary school and were in the same class every year until I moved away- have stayed in constant contact ever since. I had pulled out this box of pictures that had gotten sucked into some unknown closet vortex (you know the type...) and was just reviewing the pictures. It was a bunch of pictures of me, my friend, and our 'old gang' from elementary school. Good times, good times.

So here we are getting all nostalgic and sappy, and memories are flooding back like everything happened just yesterday. And I remember the moment that I will define as my first 'birdie moment'. AKA destined to clean up bird poop for the rest of my life :D

Elementary school, 4th grade.

Aww, come on folks. Don't some of you struggle to know WHY one day the urge hits you to drop an insane amount of money on a pile of feathers that squawks, bites, poops, flings food all over your walls and carpet, and makes your neighbors pull their hair in frustration? All while you are looking on with adoration in your eyes, of course.

I remember growing up and thinking parrots were cool. I remember someone in my 6th grade class bringing in their blue and gold macaw, and thinking it was a pirate parrot. *insert rolling of the eyes here*

But seriously. Wouldn't you love to have that defining moment in your life and bottle it, preserve it somehow, and look back, perhaps give your past self a little shake and scream 'WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!'

hehe.

Back to my story.

It was fourth grade. We were in the artsy phase of life. You know what I am talking about... lots of chorus, hands on learning, and lots of art classes. I remember lots of play-acting at recess, too. I grew up with a cat or two around the house, a dog (m y grandparents) and the occasional fish, but nothing more exotic.

I remember one day drawing what I considered the classic 'parrot'- long tail, big beak, wings. Flashy bright colors. I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Cut the little figure out, and to make it really seem lifelike, make a pesudo ring out of paper which I promptly glued the parrots feet too. Attach the ring to your finger, and with some maneuvering, the parrot could stand up on his own! Err... wave in the wind? Flap and catch the breeze?

Anyhow. I was the hit of the playground. I had a pet bird! Take that contraption out to recess and before you know it everyone was on that piece of paper like you thought it was a bowl full of sugar candy. Soon my time in class...err... extra time, was spent making paper parrots for friends. I bet during recess the monitors were scratching their heads wondering what fad was this- everyone seemed to be walking around with parrots!

Sadly I don't know whatever happened to my original Polly. I guess he/she got lost in the shuffle of life. Funny how memories like that get buried- much like those pictures did, and resurface after time.

Polly the paper parrot, I salute you!!!

Ode to a Captive Parrot

2007-09-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Parrots have given up a lot for us. They have given up their natural lives as they know it- and even though parrots in the North American Market today are domestically bred, they still for all genetic and instinctual purposes, are wild animals.

This is, Ode to a Captive Parrot.

created by me, but pictures rights go to various sources off the internet. Text is all mine.

Things are a'changing

2007-09-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

The past couple days, if you are one of the rare people who might check the site regularly, you will have noticed the site has been undergoing some weird things. No worries! Thats just me, playing :-) I am putting up a new, easier to navigate format, along with some neat updated features to make Caique Crazy better then ever before. Please hang in there - I only do so much at a time, and often have to walk away from the computer and come back to the project later.

Later on if you see any missing links, any missing pictures, please drop me a line and let me know!

Just a quickee update- the new main page layout is ALMOST done! WOOHOO. I just have to play with the colors a bit more.. because sky blue and light green do not go well. Format a couple more things, and all should be ready! I will be making some small changes to the format of the internal pages as well, so look for those too :)

Next on the list- tackle the forum layout. But I think I need a break before my head implodes.

Oh, and some people have been asking what the heck is up with the layout, LOL. Lord of the Rings? Ok, Ok. Here is the scoop-
I found the layout on another free for grabs blog and loved the look. You gotta admit- its pretty darn spiffy. I think its relaxing. I liked it so much I am formatting the rest of the site to match... I am calling it 'The Hobbit meets Victorian Era', lol. We have had so many wild and zany colors, its time for a new look. And I think it fits in nicely with the weather changing- winter is just around the corner folks!

I've started doing a link exchange with other bird related blogs- if you are interested in swapping links, let me know! I really need to kick myself in the butt and get this place up and running... I've been a bit lax about it. Anyhow... thats all for now. Enjoy!

Rest In Peace Alex

2007-09-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

WALTHAM, MA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2007)—Alex, the world renowned African Grey parrot made famous by the ground-breaking cognition and communication research conducted by Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D., died at the age of 31 on September 6, 2007. Dr. Pepperberg’s pioneering research resulted in Alex learning elements of English speech to identify 50 different objects, 7 colors, 5 shapes, quantities up to and including 6 and a zero-like concept. He used phrases such as “I want X” and “Wanna go Y”, where X and Y were appropriate object and location labels. He acquired concepts of categories, bigger and smaller, same-different, and absence. Alex combined his labels to identify, request, refuse, and categorize more than 100 different items demonstrating a level and scope of cognitive abilities never expected in an avian species. Pepperberg says that Alex showed the emotional equivalent of a 2 year-old child and intellectual equivalent of a 5 year-old. Her research with Alex shattered the generally held notion that parrots are only capable of mindless vocal mimicry.

In 1973, Dr. Pepperberg was working on her doctoral thesis in theoretical chemistry at Harvard University when she watched Nova programs on signing chimps, dolphin communication and, most notably, on why birds sing. She realized that the fields of avian cognition and communication were not only of personal interest to her but relatively uncharted territory. When she finished her thesis, she left the field of chemistry to pursue a new direction—to explore the depths of the avian mind. She decided to conduct her research with an African Grey parrot. In order to assure she was working with a bird representative of its species, she asked the shop owner to randomly choose any African Grey from his collection. It was Alex. And so the 1-year old Alex, his name an acronym for the research project, Avian Learning EXperiment, became an integral part of Pepperberg’s life and the pioneering studies she was about to embark upon.

Over the course of 30 years of research, Dr. Pepperberg and Alex revolutionized the notions of how birds think and communicate. What Alex taught Dr. Pepperberg about cognition and communication has been applied to therapies to help children with learning disabilities. Alex’s learning process is based on the rival-model technique in which two humans demonstrate to the bird what is to be learned. Alex and Dr. Pepperberg have been affiliated with Purdue University, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, the MIT Media Lab, the Radcliffe Institute, and most recently, Harvard University and Brandeis University.
Alex has been featured worldwide on numerous science programs including the BBC, NHK, Discovery and PBS. He is well known for his interactions with Alan Alda in an episode of Scientific American Frontiers on PBS and from an episode of the famed PBS Nature series called “Look Who’s Talking.” Reports on Alex’s accomplishments have appeared in the popular press and international news from USA Today to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The Science Times section of the New York Times featured Alex in a front-page story in 1999. That same year, Dr. Pepperberg published The Alex Studies, a comprehensive review of her decades of learning about learning from Alex. Many other television appearances and newspaper articles followed.

Alex was found to be in good health at his most recent annual physical about two weeks ago. According to the vet who conducted the necropsy, there was no obvious cause of death. Dr. Pepperberg will continue her innovative research program at Harvard and Brandeis University with Griffin and Arthur, two other young African Grey parrots who have been a part of the ongoing research program.

Alex has left a significant legacy—not only have he and Dr. Pepperberg and their landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology changed our views of the capabilities of avian minds, but they have forever changed our perception of the term “bird brains.”

For press contacts:
The Alex Foundation and Dr. Pepperberg can be reached by e-mail at the alex@alexfoundation.org or by phone at 781-736-2195.

If you choose to help support this research, please consider making a donation in Alex's memory to The Alex Foundation, c/o Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Department of Psychology/MS-062, 415 South Street, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454.

For Alex

I knew you not my friend but you touched my life
Not only mine but that also of my wife
You see, before we learned of you
All we knew is that budgies come in blue

Well now it’s your entire fault
That I can’t blame the Supreme Gestalt
That forever and a day
I will be loved by something Grey

My two Grey life’s companions want to thank you
For opening our eyes and expanding our minds
For everything you have done and still will do
For the benefit of Psittacenes and Human kinds

With much love and the greatest respect
Michael L. Graham

Stevie Wonder

2007-08-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Stevie Wonder is an amazing caique that was hatched at Shady Pines Aviary. Little Stevie was born without eyes. Gloria Balaban, of Shady Pines Aviary, was determined to find little Wonder a good home. What better home then a home that had already experienced the love and wonder of a caique? Stevie Wonder found his new home with Christine Eicher on Friday, August 17, 2007.

Christine writes:

"Little Stevie Wonder was hatched on May 25, 2007 at Shady Pines Aviary. As you can see, he was hatched without eyes. Stevie is developing like any other Caique chick, and, I think perfect every which way! Today is August 5, 2007 and Stevie will be arriving at his forever home from Shady Pines Aviary within a week or two.

Little Stevie the Wonder Caique arrived Friday, August 17, 2007! He is pure joy!!

Little Stevie Wonder's Baby Shower (August 7, 2007 to ??)
Little Stevie's Aunts, Uncles,Caique Cousins, and Parrot friends are throwing a cyber baby shower for him! The gifts they are sending make noise and have very rich textures. Very thoughtful gifts for a blind baby parrot!

I know that when Little Stevie the Wonder Caique arrives here at his forever home, he will want to have his thanks to his cyber friends on video.

Keep checking back to see all the wonderful presents Stevie receives and for the links to his video thank you cards.

Special thanks to Momma Gloria Balaban at Shady Pines Aviary for the Cyber Baby Shower and for choosing me to be the baby's new Momma!

Momma Christine

Little Stevie the Wonder Caique is settling in and seems very content in his forever home with me, Mamma Christine. Mamma Gloria and Daddy Ron, his breeders at Shady Pines Aviary, call every day to see how he is doing and to share their wealth of knowledge on weaning and fledging chicks."

Gloria Balaban says little Stevie hatched from normal parents who have raised chicks before with no previous issues. Stevie is one special birdie!

To see pictures of little Wonder, please check out his photo albums that are being updated almost daily by his loving mom.

Caique Diet

2007-08-10T11:00:00.001-07:00

A good diet is the most important aspect of avian health, longevity, happiness, and being a good parrot owner. A bird on a poor diet with have poor plumage, overgrown nails, a flaky beak, and other health problems associated with lack of proper nutrition. What is considered a good diet for a caique parrot?

Caiques are different then other parrot species. Their long beak is adapted for getting pollen and nectar from flowers, and the juices of ripe fruits. In the wild, their diet is made up largely of fresh flowers, pollen, fruits, nectar, and grains. It has been noted that caiques eat the following foods in the wild:
Fruit of the Acai palm
Wild Figs
Seed from the American Muskwood
Seed from the Rubber Tree
Rice
Liana Flower
Guava Fruit

A complete list can be found at The Caique Site

What does this tell us about how we should adapt their home environments? Many caique breeders, including John McMichael and longtime bird owner Sally Blanchard, believe in substituting their caiques diets with lori nectar, to mimic the nectar they would naturally gather in the wild. Goldenfeast Lori Nectar contains all organic ingredients, and contains no sugar, unlike some other nectars, and is personally what I choose to supplement my birds diet with aswell.Caiques also have a natural higher fruit intake then other birds.They seem to thrive off the natural sugar highs. Because these birds have such a fast metabolism, and are constantly on the move, they can burn off the natural sugars much more easily then some other parrot species. Caique owners choose to supplement their birds with more fruits then veggies, although veggies are a necessary part of the diet as well. Whilst some bird owners choose to go the all veggie no fruit route for their companion parrots,people who own caiques should allow their birds fresh fruits.Some favorite fruits include:fresh papaya,mango,plum,nectarines,apple,oranges,and grapes.Other foods such as kale and spinach are readily accepted as well.

Since a large majority of caiques diets is composed of flowers, caique owners may choose to supplement their birds diets with fresh blossoms from bird safe plants. A Alist of safe plants includes common house plants such as: Aloe, dandelion, dogwood, gardenia, marigolds, petunia, thistle, yucca, white clover.A complete list of safe plants can be viewed at Planned Parrothood

To fulfill the need for pollen, caique owners can purchase bee pollen and add it to their birds cooked foods, or feed singly to the bird.

Another consideration to make is bugs. Yup, you heard me right. Bugs. Meal worms and crickets are a great source of calcium (as well as enrichment... can you picture a caique hopping after a cricket?). Some people choose to feed meal worms to their parrots in addition to their regular diet. 'Gutloading' the meal worm naturally (allowing the meal worm to gorge on vitamin rich foods, such as yams) is a good way to add calcium and nutrients to your birds diet. Feeding the mini meal worms is recommended, or meal worms that are not yet fully mature. Fully mature regular size meal worms develop pincers on their heads that, if swallowed properly by a bird could theoretically do damage to a birds crop. If you do buy the larger meal worms, as a precaution it is recommended that you remove the head prior to feeding them to your pet bird. Freeze dried preservative free meal worms are an alternative to live. Word of warning on the crickets.. many prefer to feed them dead, as ones who have tried to feed them live, the crickets have escaped and are still alive in the house! If you are not the 'live bugs' type, an interesting bird safe alternative is available... Bag O' Bugs

It is recommended that the base of your birds diet be compromised of a high quality pelleted food, supplemented with fresh fruits, veggies, etc. I believe in supplementing with high quality seed, too, as you can see, caiques are natural seed and grain eaters in the wild. Feeding an organic pellet such as TOPS, Goldenfeast Golden Obles, or Foundation Formula, is a good start to great nutrition. Please refer back to our topic titled 'The Pet Food Recalls, and Your Bird' for more information on these food items.

Want more information on feeding your caique? Check out Caique Crazy where there is both a recipes section and a diet page, with information for you to explore.

A rare look

2007-07-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Poking around the internet one day on my never ending quest for further caique information, I found quite the interesting photo that I would like to share. This photo comes from the Bird A Day Blog

This is Magoo, a pallid caique. Magoo's owner says about him-
"Magoo is a pallid caique from the rainforests of Peru. He is the most hilarious clown, with a terrific personality and most loving curiosity. .. oh, and the healthiest appetite you can see!"

Photos Credit Cynthia: Lima, Peru

Pallid caiques are the only subspecies of the nominate black headed caique, scientific name Pionites Melanocephala. The Pallid is Pionites Melanocephala Pallidas.

Pallids are a rare site to see, as they are not kept in US aviculture in all, and very rarely in collections outside of the US. Only one other breeder has been recognized in the United Kingdom as a breeder of pallids.

The only difference between the two forms of caiques is that the nominate race- (the caique sold in the US as black headed caiques, in the pet trade) have mottled bright orange thighs, whereas the Pallid has pale yellow thighs. The pallid is so rare and lacking in information, it has formerly lead to arguments on whether or not this bird truly exists, or if its a hybrid of the black headed caique, or possible freak mutation.

Little is known about the Pallid Caiques natural territory, other then it appears to be a bit northeast of where the nominate Black Heads reside, in Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia.

Glowing Caiques

2007-07-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

I came across this interesting study while surfing the internet:

These Caique parrots belong to John McMichael.

These are "yellow-thighed caiques" and their scientific name is "Pionites leucogaster xanthomeria". These photographs came about as a result of an email that John McMichael sent me that went as follows: "I own and breed a species of parrot known as a caique. I am interested in some pictures of them made using UV photography. These birds have apricot colored feathers that fluoresce a bright yellow under a black light. I have made a crude attempt to photograph this fluorescence. This, however, has proved a challenge since they seem to get agitated when illuminated by the black light and refuse to sit still. Thus, I had to use the fastest color film I could find (1800 ASA) and I wonder if the results could be better.

I would also like to have some pictures made of them with UV reflectance photography. This species is monomorphic. I keep wondering if both sexes still look the same in reflected UV light. Birds are able to see into the near UV, so they may be able to discern sex in this way. I was wondering if you might be interested in this." I replied that this would indeed be of interest to me and the rest is history. So far we have photographed these birds twice. The second time only for fluorescence and this time using a lighter toned backdrop (Photos 4, 5 and 6) but since it did not fluoresce it did not change the tone of the background significantly.

Anyway, you can find out a LOT more about these birds at John McMichael's website located here: www.caiquesite.com

The camera that was used for these photographs was a Canon A1 with a 100mm f/2.8 Canon FD lens. The parrots were first photographed using 3200K Tungsten illumination on Kodak Vericolor Portra film using the camera's metering sytem to determine the shutter speed and aperture automatically.

Next, since they naturally exhibit strong UV excited fluorescence, they were illuminated by a Sunpack 555 flash (operating at full power) whose reflector was covered with a Wratten 18A filter. To keep ultraviolet away from the film and allow only visible wavelengths through the lens was covered with a Wratten 2E filter. The scene was recorded on Kodak Extachrome 400 speed film at an aperture of f/2.8 with the flash-to-subject distance being adjusted from about 12" - 36" from the birds to achieve the equivalent of bracketing.

Finally, to record the reflectance of UV radiation from the bird's feathers, the lens was covered with the Wratten 18A filter to allow only UV through to the film. The lens was focused on the birds but the focus point was brought opposite the infrared mark (as suggested in my article: Guidelines for UV and IR photography). The flash was located on a bracket attached to the camera and both were thus about 4 feet from the birds. The best aperture at that distance was something like f/5.6 based on a series of bracketed exposures. The film for this was Kodak TMax 400 processed in Rodinal 1:25 for 6 minutes at 68 degrees with agitation every 30 sec.

This is a pair of nominate race WBC's

Caiques under UV lighting

Caiques by reflected UV light

for more pictures, please visit: Exhibit- Caiques

Hopefully informal studies like these will soon be taken more seriously in the avicultural world, as caiques are one of the least studied parrots that are currently kept as pets. The more we know about them, the better we can care for them.

Discounts!

2007-07-04T19:52:00.001-07:00

Caique Crazy has teamed up with two wonderful retailers to bring its forum members some savings. Now, shopping with caique crazy can save you money! Bird Paradise in Burlington, NJ, offers forum members 15% in-store savings, or when shopping online, enter the coupon code to save 10%! The Squawk Store (http://squawkstore.com) gives you 10 % off your purchase when you enter the coupon code. This offer is only available to forum members.

We are also pleased to announce our alliance with Step Up Bird Supply. Simply enter the coupon code upon checkout to save 10% on all purchases.

Shop Caique Crazy and save today!

Fame coming to CCF!

2007-06-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Its true, folks. Been hearing rumors lately that a certain black headed caique mom is making her way over to the caique crazy forums? Well, its true! Sally Blanchard and her sidekick Spike are joining the Caique Crazy community! Sally has graciously agreed to participate in several live chat sessions with CCF members, and we are also currently working out a Q & A schedule. Chat sessions are FREE- but you must be a member of the Caique Crazy Forums to participate. This keeps out spammers, and allows us to carefully moderate sessions to ensure that everyone is having a good time! As soon as details are worked out, they will be posted- so check back soon! In the meantime, if you are interested, head on over to http://caiquecrazy.spreebb.com to register an account. Remember- you must be a registered member to participate in our chat sessions! Thank you!

Bird Auctions- death to birds?

2007-06-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

The above is an advertisement for an 'exotic bird auction'. 600+ birds will be displaced, shuffled off to new homes to on June 16, with whomever has the highest bid and the cash on hand to pay for it.
A scary thought, isn't it? Many rare and exotic species that aviculturists yearn for- work hard for so many years to buy, care for, then breed to increase species numbers- auctioned off like some fresh cut of meat. Advertised as 'proven money makers' and 'proven breeding pairs', like the birds will return whomever invests x amount of money in them as long as they throw a nestbox in the cage.

Even worse is the fact that this is being put on by a world renowed veterinarian. Dr. Susan Clubb, who works for Loro Parque, Kaytee, and Parrot Jungle Gardens and owns Hurricane Aviaries, is selling her exotic bird collection to cover divorce costs.

But- does that explanation satisfy outraged parrot owners all over the internet? Of course not. Speculation goes that this has turned into a quick and easy way to make money. Each hyacinth in the collection- there are currently four- should sell for an estimated $9,000 each, which is speculated on message boards that, that amount of money should be enough to pacify general divorce costs. The Queen Of Bavara, or Golden Conures, (3 pairs) will go for an estimated 1,500 each.

So why choose this route? For someone so world renowned, this auction must be degrading. One has to wonder if the human ego has taken over, and then greed for money has overcome personal desires.

A petition to stop all exotic animals has started at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/486747064 with encouragement from everyone in the avicultural community to sign.

Some are defending Dr. Clubb, saying that in a short amount of time, this was the quickest and most effective way to dissipate her 'collection'. But, others must wonder why she chooses the informal route- selling to the highest bidder, her years of hard work going all over the globe (select species of birds have been approved for exportation), rather then contacting some of her many contacts in the avicultural community, and selling her collection that way. Surely some breeders of whom Dr. Clubb knows and places her trust in are looking to add some rare birds to their current flock? Rather then just any old Joe, who will do goodness knows what with their new 'purchase'?

The whole situation has left the avicultural community in turmoil, and this blogger in sadness and frustration.

2007-06-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hey all, just a quick word.

CC now has a myspace account! Written from the views of the admins birds- Higgins, Rosie, and Cupcake. Please take a moment to visit, and if you have an account, add us to your friends!

http://myspace.com/caiquecrazyforum

See you around the net!

Caique Experts

2007-06-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

Are you a caique expert? Do you breed caiques, or are you just a knowledgeable hobbiest? Do you know about caiques in the wild, have in depth information and knowledge of caique behavior, diet, and attitude? We want you!! Caique Crazy Forums is putting together a panel of experts, to answer member questions that are in depth about their birds. These questions may be anything from molting, to breeding, to behavior. If you are interested, please contact Amy.

Funky Happenings...

2007-05-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Anyone who visits the site frequently or even infrequently may have noticed to odd happenings going on over this past month. The site has undergone some wacky changes, and the whole forum looks different. E-gads, whats going on?

Due to some turmoil within the administration, the original site was pulled from its server. It has been rehosted and is currently undergoing changes to make it bigger and better then ever. Look for regular updates to the blog, new site features including an interactive caique quiz, and more articles pertaining to the care and keeping of caiques.

Please check out the new forum located at http://caiquecrazy.spreebb.com and keep tuned for further features to come!

The Pet Food Recalls & Your Bird Food

2007-05-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have all heard about the dog and cat food recalls that started happening early April. Over 30 brands of recalled wet food, due to melamine contamination. Now, some dry foods have been recalled, and the list of possible contaminates just keeps spreading.

Does this affect our birds? Its my belief that its only a matter of time before it hits all animal foods. This is just the calm before the storm.

Previously, the only bad boy on the label was wheat gluten. Now, there are 6 possible contaminates. Wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran, and rice protein are all being inspected by the FDA for possible contamination. I just inspected the ingredients list of Roudybush, the pellets that I feed my birds. Wheat gluten- check. Soy meal- hmmm. Corn products, check. Roudybush rice diet, which I feed my plucker, also has rice bran, and rice protein. Comforting, isn't it?

Are you thinking- 'well, I don't feed pellets, I feed seed!'. You are not going to be happy with my findings. A quick search on the internet scouring common brand seed ingredients revealed startling discoveries. Topper Bird Ranch Seed uses wheat gluten. They have assured me that they only use US sources for all their wheat gluten (why use it at all? Wheat gluten is a cheap, unhealthy filler) so it should be safe, right? One would think... until you hear about the recall of Chicken Soup products, who is US based, and did not use imported products, but still found traces of melamine in their Kitten and Puppy Formulas?

A quick look at the ingredients of another popular food, Kaytee, shows that their seed contains Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Middlings (don't know what wheat middlings are? A cheap way to feed cattle to fatten them up before slaughter. Don't believe me? Google it!) and Ethoxyquin . Their pellets contain - surprise surprise.. ground wheat middlings (again, cattle feed!), Corn Gluten Meal, Ethoxyquin, and of course, some sugar for good measure *insert sarcasm here*

I could go on and on, but you get my point. Just about every label reads the same. So now what? with more foods being recalled, how do we know what is safe to feed our birds?

My personal recommendation? Go organic. If you don't already- feed only organic fruits and veggies to your birds. If your pellets have any of the possible contaminates, ditch them. I've found 4 pellets that do not have any of the contaminates in the ingredients list- and, are healthy and use organic ingredients. They are:
TOP Pellets- Totally Organic Pellets. http://www.totallyorganics.com/ingredients.php
Harrisons- http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com
Goldenfeast Golden Obles- http://www.birdsafestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=1057
Foundation Formula- http://www.organicbirdfood.com/

Honestly, I plan on switching my birds over to the TOP pellets ASAP. I refuse to risk their lives because of human idiocy.

Want info on the latest pet food recalls? Click on any of the following:
Chicken Soup Recall

Specific Brand List of Recalled Foods

Site with constant updates about the pet food situation

Why Human Food Is Affected By Pet Food Recall

and of course... the scariest of the them all. Pet Food May Have Been Spiked On Purpose

The first post

2007-04-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Amy here-

Welcome everyone to the Caique Crazy blog! This is my first ever blog posting, so please be patient as I learn the ropes :)

Have you noticed the new site? Topps has done a wonderful job setting up a new format for us! Please note the new URL- http://www.caiquecrazy.us.tt

We have also been hard at work setting up a new forum for our CCF members. Proboards was getting to be a pain, and there was just too many logistical problems to count. We were getting increasingly frustrated by the things we wanted to do with the old forum, but simply couldn't. So, CCF packed up all its gear and moved to Invision board style hosting! I gotta say, I love the changes. It runs faster then ever, and there are seemingly no limitations. For anyone who wants to take a peek, check us out at http://caiquecrazy.spreebb.com

Like the changes that have been happening? Sign our guestbook and let us know! Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Until next time

~Amy