Caique Care and Feeding

The costly caique feeding mistakes all come from that big appetite. A seed-only diet drives obesity, fatty liver and vitamin A deficiency. Letting a caique fill up on sweet fruit means it refuses the vegetables it actually needs. Free-feeding fatty nuts and sunflower to such a food-motivated bird piles on weight. And feeding from a plain bowl wastes a caique's foraging drive, so it gets bored, loud and messy.

Caiques need a large cage or a small aviary and constant enrichment. This is an athletic, curious bird that will find every weak point in a flimsy cage, so choose quality stainless steel with a floor grate and correct bar spacing. Rotate destructible toys and foraging puzzles to keep that clown brain busy.

Bold and highly social, caiques bond hard and love to wrestle, roll and play. They need daily interaction and plenty of out-of-cage time. Supervise closely around other birds, as caiques are known for bird-on-bird aggression despite their small size.