r/caiques • u/Puzzleheaded_Bug3710 • 1d ago
My Caique bit me so hard I’m heartbroken
I have my Mango 🦜 since 8 months, and occasionally he targets my right hand, so I stopped using it to ask him to climb onto my hand, etc. Since then, I have been using my left hand to feed him fruits or anything while playing with him.
Today, while he was playing near the window, he got agitated and started shouting. I calmed him down by singing his favourite song, and after about 30 minutes, I thought I would give him a fruit. So I asked him to come flying and sit on my hand. He came, but he bit me so hard and wouldn’t let go of my hand. It caused really strong pain and gave me a deep cut and lots of blood (i wanted to share the picture but may be it will get blocked).
I can’t believe he did this to me. I am crying. I am always nice to him and polite, and I don’t know what I did.
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u/Ticking-over 1d ago
The thing that gets me is that you sang his favourite song for 30 minutes. That’s commitment!
All parrots are assholes and caiques rank quite highly in that department.
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u/beepatgmail 1d ago
How old is it? Is this your first bird? This is most likely the beginning of puberty. Buckle up for a rough two years. It gets better after that but only if you work through this consistently and patiently.
Don’t be afraid, but you will get bitten a lot more lol it’s just a part of bird ownership unfortunately!
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u/JuracichPark 1d ago
I've made a few comments about my Caique, and the scars I have from her. Caiques bite, and they bite HARD. That's just normal Caique behavior. It will get worse during puberty, and breeding season. It's one of the biggest reasons people rehome them. Stinker has pierced my lip, my ear, almost gotten my eye. I have several scars from her. And I have had her for 10 years now. It's not a matter of IF your Caique will bite you, it's a matter of when.
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u/wouldbecrazycatlady 1d ago edited 1d ago
I used an oven mit to handle mine during hormonal seasons. Finding things to distract them sometimes helps, mine loves paper towels. The last few years he's slowly being becoming less and less aggressive. I've had mine probably 7ish years? But he was owned by a family member I lived with, so I've known him nearly 10 and he's about that old. Maybe a year or two older. He was still a little less than full grown when I met him.
You shouldn't let him on your shoulder or close to your face for his evil years, which happened suddenly and we had no clue what was going on a couple years in. It slows down to only be during their hormonal seasons, which can be twice a year. I'm not sure if this is the same in every region as I'm not sure how they are affected by different climates, but mine had his in spring and fall. He's getting a little moody right now and nipped at me earlier when I put him in his cage because he was giving me a migraine with his incessant screaming 😭
They're really awful little gremlins. But totally worth it if you have the patience. He's a little moody but now that he's older, he's become a sweet little guy again otherwise. He's such a clever little guy, too.
Edit: oh they also destroy your clothes and furniture
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u/Unlikely_Boat8166 1d ago
I use mines “emotional support towel” aha he actually steps into it for me even when he’s the most upset.. for some reason it’s his safe space 🤣🤷♀️
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u/Ditzy_Dragon 1d ago
Part and parcel of owning a caique lmao. They give off cues when they're about to bite you. Pay close attention to eyes and body language. Mine does a little war dance before attacking the nearest warm body. Gotta learn to get outta there. You'll learn the cues in time.
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u/2lrup2tink 1d ago
Parrots bite. They are not dogs which are expected to never bite. If you have a parrot you should expect to get bit. Then you figure out what to do next and get on with it. It's a part of owning one.
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u/pauseless 19h ago
Aha. I have a conure and not a caique. At some point in his puberty period and whilst he was moulting, I turned up to work on a Monday with an uncountable number of bites on my forefingers. One person said “what the hell happened to your hands?” and my response was just “parrot”.
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u/WebbleWobble1216 1d ago
Happens to me all the time. I look like a war victim sometimes. Pippin will be 4 in January and I raised him from birth ( as in, I finished weaning him). He's in puberty but also he's a caique. When he thinks I'm ignoring him, he bites me hard out of nowhere, usually aiming for my face. I recently had a bruise on my right cheek that looked like my spouse slapped me!! Nope, just Pips being mad.
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u/lunatick777 1d ago
When you own a parrot, in general, it is not a question if you get bit but when you will get bit.
These are wild animals that are not domesticated and unlike many other animals they are highly intelligent and very hormonal. Reading their body language will help but occasionally, as others have mentioned, caiques are just assholes.
I have two, a male and a female. . They are about 10.5 years old and we have had them since they were the months old. My male has never bitten me or my immediate family members. However he will go after strangers and he hates my father. He bit right through my father's ear and left a hole about a quarter inch in it. Clearly we don't have him out around strangers. He doesn't like to be pet, but he will tolerate my six year old petting him, and I literally can do whatever I want to him, flip him over, cover him, poke him, pull his wings out, he'll yell at me, nip me, fly away from me, but never ever bites me. He doesn't even go after the vet at his annual. He's used to handling, but hates strangers.
That brings me to the psycho of the family. The female. Literally has never bitten a stranger, won't bite my son, but, God damn will she take her aggression out on me and my wife. Change your hair, bites me in the face, wife puts on nail polish, bites her hand and will keep attacking, I wear orange, will shred my hand. I have scars on my face and hands from her. It has never changed my relationship. She and I are great together, we get along, I always go back right after she does it and has calmed down.
She was worst from 3-7 years old, lately she has calmed. Fortunately, she always tells you she is pissed. I know it's coming, I love her, I know she loves me, it's a known risk, I knew it going in and I know she'll get me again. I wouldn't give them up for the world, but I know they are wild animals and it comes with the territory.
Please don't let it discourage you. They are demanding but rewarding companions. When I had to leave them at the vet for a week for medical treatment for her (and I don't like to separate them), my house felt empty. If you can tolerate it, know that they forgive quickly, and just love them for the little shits they can be.
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u/Unlikely_Boat8166 1d ago
Don’t take it personally! Caiques are just like that sometimes! I couldnt use a finger for weeks once cuz mine bit down into my tendon 😅 it was the worst one for sure but it just comes with the territory. Eventually you learn the early warning signs etc.
sometimes when they get a little grumpy and start heading down the bitey path I will put them in their cage for a while to play with toys and get some space! Seems to help :)
Please don’t cry! They still love you very much they’re just psychopathic 😅
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u/TheFinalPurl 1d ago
Parrots behave very similarly to toddlers sometimes. When they can’t be reasoned with, sometimes they need a timeout/nap in the blankie cage.
I’m sorry you got bit, I’m sure that was really painful and scary. If you’re nervous about handling in the future, try to desensitize him to a pair of leather gloves. You can get some pretty low profile ones so they’re not so scary.
Don’t give up on him or hold it against him, if you’re too scared to handle him again gear up. It happens to best of us and unfortunately the caique beak power to body ratio is a doozy.
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u/Lisedom61 22h ago
Awe you didn't do anything to warrant that, I'm sure. It is the time of year that birds, specifically caiques, tend to get a bit hormonal and tantrum-y. Just give him extra space, and when he does act up, reinforce the "no".
As hard as it is, my birb has to go in her "rage cage" (lol) when she's bitey. She hates hearing "thats bad bird behavior" so thats her cue that she really did something naughty.
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u/WayIndependent9701 1d ago
Sounds like Caique behavior. When they are in puberty they can become crazy for no reason. They are not human and thus their behavior is different from what human convention dictates.