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T H E P E R C H
BIRD BYTES OFFICIAL EZINE
http://www.birdbytes.com/index.html
7/15/2001
Vol. 1, Issue #3
Rosita Mercado
Bird Editor
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Featured Article
=> Hot Book!
=> The Perch Links
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Keep On Chirping Everybody!
**Rosita Mercado**
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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***** Spikey Le Bec: The Celebrity Caique ******
By Sally Blanchard
A Wonderful Companion and a Visual Aid
When Spike and I travel to give seminars and programs, I am
amazed at how well-behaved he is at most of these events.
Not only is he a great companion parrot, he is a wonderful
visual aid and even though he doesn't always do exactly what
he is supposed to, it usually works out and I can make some
sort of valid point from his behavior.
Spike has become so well known that I'll walk into a room
unrecognized but the minute people see him, they'll greet
him emphatically, "Hi Spike!" I am generally not offended he
comes first - after all Frankenstein's monster is more famous
than Dr. Frankenstein. I certainly had a part in creating
Spike's personality and popularity - after all, I am the one
who taught him to bounce on command. I'm just waiting for
his announcement one day that he has found an agent who can
get him better bookings!
Every time the celebrity caique makes an appearance, people
who see him end up coveting him. I don't blame them because
he can be a real charmer and I too, am charmed by his
delightful antics. Several caique breeders credit Spike with
a high percentage of their sales but he never gets a kick-back.
Perhaps Spike is the quintessential parrot, embodying just
about all of the aspects people love about them. All of
this packed into a compact 8 inches from stem to stern, he
is literally a handful. Spike's colors are beautiful - although
I was told in high school home economics class that green
and orange did not go together in the grand scheme of design
(Hey, as I remember, the same teacher told us girls we could
get pregnant from sitting on a boy's lap unless we put a
newspaper between us - what did she know???).
Vibrant Colors
Spike is more than just a green and orange bird. His thick belly
and chest feathers are light grey with buttermilk white tips. On
his chest they become flecked with light yellow. His pantaloons
(which he puffs out for expression) are deep orange sherbet
with school bus yellow tips. His shoulders, back and tail are
almost iridescent emerald green ranging from forest to yellow
green depending on how the light touches them. The underside
of his tail is yellow brown with long fluffy orange and yellow
vent feathers covering much of it. The wing feathers are green
and black with ever so subtle shades of deep blue in the first
flights. His throat and cheeks (which he also puffs out for expression)
are yellow with occasional white and orange flecks
turning to a deeper orangey-red on the sides to the back of his
neck.
The lores in front of his eyes are emerald green and he has
grey fleshy eye rings giving him a wide-eyed alert appearance.
His eyes are deep orange with a grey green circle around the
pupil. He has a thick cushion of glossy black feathers on the
top of his head. Sometimes they become ruffled and out of place.
I like to tease him about his cowlicks. The transition from
his black cap to his nape contains a spattering of unique almost
turquoise feather, some of them part black and some part orange.
The same multicolored feathers occur in the transition from his
nape to his back and shoulders.
His colors are brilliant with a velvety sheen (of course, that
could have something to do with the quality of nutrition in his
diet that includes lots of high vitamin A vegetables). I remember
that about the same time Spike came into my life, I saw a cage
full of imported caiques for sale at an avicultural seminar.
There was nothing but seed in the cage and the importer was
making it quite clear to potential buyers that caiques thrived
on a seed only diet. I had just done my homework (and it was very
difficult to find any information at the time) and knew that
as a high-energy bird, they needed lots of nutritious fruits and veggies.
I've always hoped that no one who bought the birds
believed him!
A "Used" Bird
I got Spike at about 9 months old as a "used" bird from someone
who seemed to belong to the "bird of the month" club. None
of the birds ever lived up to his expectations so he would tire
of them after a while and they would go to new homes. Although
my intent was to find another home for the caique, the stubborn
little fellow wormed his way into my heart very quickly. This is
not to say he was a well-behaved bird. He had lived with no rules
for too long and thought he could get away with anything. He
was also on what seemed to be a classic "fruit loops" and
Pepsi Cola diet. He was so hyper, he had the attention span
of a seed moth.
His aggressive attitude when I insisted that he do something
was - You and what army is gonna make me? He was a shoulder bird
and it took me a good month or so of constantly "upping" him as
he ran up my arm to convince him that he was not allowed on my
shoulder unless I put him there. Just because Spike knows that
I am the flock leader doesn't mean he always respects this
concept. I have to work continually to let him know his
behavioral boundaries but he is an exceptional student.
Very Clever Little Fellow
Spike is also clever - very clever - sometimes too clever for
me. If there is mischief, he will find it. If there is a way
out of his cage, no matter how hard he has to work, he will
find his way out. He is not the type of bird who can be trusted
to stay alive out of his cage without close supervision. He
has learned several tricks in less time than it takes me to think
of them. Of course, many of the tricks he does well are based on
his natural behaviors. For example hopping, playing on his back,
swaggering with wings spread, and leaf-bathing are all
behaviors that Spike would do on his own. But I have turned
them into tricks by patterning him to hop when I "wind him up,"
to do a somersault in my hand (over and over and over and
over...). He also falls on his back when I either shoot him
with my finger or blow him over. After one program a few years
ago, Spikey spread his wings in response to the loud applause.
Now, the louder his applause is, the more he puffs up, sways,
and spreads his wings. What a ham! He loves to play Aliens --
he crawls around in my blouse and then pop his head out between
the buttons. About the hair-surfing thing he is so famous for,
this is his magnificent obsession. He loves to rub his cheeks
and body through people’s hair and it can be quite comical to
watch. In the wild, leaf bathing is a natural behavior for many parrots.
This involves rubbing their heads and bodies on
wet leaves that may contain oils or natural chemicals that
help in the preening process. I believe that Spike’s love
for hair surfing is actually a displacement for leaf
bathing. The record is 45 minutes although a few people have
come close since.
But can he talk? Yes, he says a couple of dozen things from
"babeeee" to "What are you doing?" but he doesn't enunciate
very well. So ... I can understand him! Not too long ago,
he exclaimed "Oh my God, Spike" when a friend turned on the
faucet near his cage. This was said very clearly and with
an edge of exasperation. He is such an adventurous parrot,
I imagine I have said it many times when I had to pull
him back from the edge of disaster.
Spike is exceptional in crowds of people. He is fearless
(except for balloons which terrify him!) and will generally
go to and be delightfully tame to almost anyone. Sometimes
it even surprises me because he can be a real butt around
his cage at home - especially if he is involved with a
favorite food. Spike and the other caiques I know are real
gluttons when it comes to food. They love to eat almost
anything and become very possessive about their favorite
foods. Like most narcissists, Spike is not into sharing.
I think the only food he has ever rejected was a small
piece of smoked oyster. Since that shouldn't be a part
of his diet, it didn't matter anyway.
Spike loves attention. He particularly loves it when I
have him do his tricks just for fun at home. He is happy
playing by himself when I am in the room if I answer his
"sonar beeps." These are his contact calls to make sure
his flock is nearby. If he beeps at me and I beep back
or say, "Hi, Spike, are you having fun?" he goes right
back to playing. However, if I don’t respond after a
couple of beeps, he starts screaming. Since I have figured
this out, I have to take the responsibility for his
screaming if I ignore his calls to the flock.
Are They All Like Spike?
I am often asked if all caiques are just like Spike.
Everyone wants their own little Spikey LeBec. I am reminded
of the saying, "Be Careful What You Wish For." Not too
long ago I read on the Internet that no caique ever
stayed tame past the age of sexual maturity. Spike certainly
disproves that massive generalization! While there is
nothing wrong with wanting or owning a caique, it is
important to realize that they are not all just like
Spike and even if they were, their high-energy dominant
personalities could be a serious challenge for many.
Rules and guidance are extremely important for these
jam-packed little parrots. Because of their high energy,
they need a cage as large as birds five times their
size, endless toys, abundant exercise, and lots of
in-your-face cuddle wrestling plus generous mood
altering quiet-time for face skritching.
It is hard not to anthropomorphize a bird like Spike -
he could have easily jumped out of a Disney cartoon.
Spikey is the consummate party animal (most of the time)
but he can be equally happy playing with his toys by
himself - especially if I let him know I am entertained!
Would I recommend a caique as a pet for everyone -
absolutely not! Would I recommend one to a knowledgeable
bird owner willing and able to do the right thing for
their high-maintenance avian companion - absolutely!
This informative article has been reprinted
from the Pet Bird Report. For more information
about the Pet Bird Report, please contact:
The Pet Bird Report
2236 Mariner Square Dr. #15
Alameda, CA 94501
E-mail: info@petbirdreport.com
http://www.petbirdreport.com
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SUBSCRIBERS CHIRPING CORNER
from Jennie
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Jennie, Welcome to our CHIRPING CORNER!
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Hey, my bird friends, I just wanted to recommend
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Jennie
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FROM BIRD EDITOR: Thanks for writing us Jennie!
Looks like we just got an invite to some
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*** Rosita
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Copyright 2001, The Perch E-Zine
Official Bird Bytes Ezine
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