How Long Does It Take to Wean Out a Caique?

Caiques are considered energetic, spirited, bright and affectionate pet birds. Two distinct species of these South American birds exist, white-bellied caiques (Pionites leucogaster) and black-headed caiques (Pionites melanocephala). As with countless other types of animals, appropriate weaning time is crucial in youngsters of both species.

  1. Caique Background Information

    • Captive caiques that are properly cared for tend to live for 25 to 40 years, according to the World Parrot Trust. True to their names, white-bellied caiques have white undersides, and black-headed caiques have black heads. Black-headed caiques have white stomachs, too. White-bellied and black-headed caiques both grow to roughly 9 inches in length. Caiques are outgoing, plucky and gregarious -- definitely not meek wallflowers in any sense of the word. Despite their liveliness, they are not particularly noisy animals.

    Feeding and Weaning

    • Mother caiques feed their babies by first taking in food themselves and then promptly regurgitating the sustenance directly into the babies' mouths. When they wean their chicks, they do so by cutting down on these feedings until the little ones are fully able to feed themselves. In the weaning process, owners can get involved by presenting the new elements of the chicks' diet. Weaning chicks consume the same types of food as the fully mature adults, but especially things with softer and smoother textures.

    Finishing the Weaning Process

    • When a bird is fully weaned, he's eating the same foods as adults of his species. In captivity, that's a lot of pellets, fresh veggies and fruits. In nature, that means a lot of fruits and seeds for white-bellied caiques and a lot of foliage, flowers and seeds for black-headed caiques. Weaned birds are capable of eating independently and are no longer helpless youngsters -- they're more along the lines of teenagers on the verge of adulthood. For caiques, the weaning process usually completes itself when the little ones are between 4 and 5 months old, according to bird expert Sally Blanchard on BirdChannel.com.

    Bird Size

    • When it comes to weaning, bigger varieties of birds generally require more time than their smaller counterparts. Caiques are an exception here. They are relatively slow at weaning, although they're not particularly large avians. Wee parrotlets, for example, usually are totally weaned when they're somewhere between 6 weeks and 8 weeks old. Massive hyacinth macaws, on the other hand, need a lot more time -- their weaning usually takes place when they're in the ballpark of 30 and 35 weeks in age.

    Food

    • Caiques are kind of like the "foodies" of the bird universe. These guys, simply put, adore eating. They are far from fussy about what they put into their mouths. Despite that, it is vital for owners of caiques to feed them only nutritious, well-balanced caique-specific diets -- think pellets and fresh produce. It is uncommon for caiques to be choosy about food, but when the situation pops up, it usually is due to problems that occurred early on during the weaning process.