Caiques: Everything About HEalth, Behavior, Feeding, and Care (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) Paperback – January 1, 2006

As there is very little information about these birds in book form I found this book a very entertaining read plus it covers everything you need to know about these birds as pets.An excellent purchase if you want to learn about this species as pets.

Not a book for anyone who wants to breed, but informative enough for a bird owner. Gives all the information you need to know to purchase a Caique, what to expect, what to feed and a general overall. Does not get into tricks or training. Great pictures are in the book. I bought my Caique after reading this book. The breeder has him/her now and I visit the baby 2-3 times a week until it's weaned. I cant wait to get my baby home.

This is a pretty conventional bird book, written to be easy to read and appealing. It reminds me of the popular articles I read in the former Bird Talk magazine. The thing is, it's sort of superficial and leaves out the best and also the most difficult aspects of Caiques as pets. My objection is that it encourages owning Caiques without giving much of a clue how difficult, and how rewarding, they can be. A lot of work and attention is required to develop a good relationship with a Caique, and can lead people who aren't remotely prepared--most people--to a big disappointment.I've owned two caiques, for almost 20 years. My relationships with them have been extremely successful. My Caiques and I have been extremely close, and they enjoyed their lives with my family very much. They have enriched our lives more than I would have believed possible. They can be closer and more affectionate pets than dogs. They can be unbelievably entertaining.What this book misses is that Caiques are unusual parrots, more social than larger parrots. They live in "clans", and have lots of life-long friends and rivals. They are acutely intelligent, playful, charming and very beautiful. However they are also extremely competitive for dominance, and fairly aggressive. They want to fit in to their owners' families, and have a happy life. However, they tend to want to "start at the top", ruling the roost.To be successful, you need to be consistently very firm, yet gentle, with Caiques, over a period of years. They will nip you a lot, in their quest for dominance. They need a lot of attention, an hour per day, say. However, they are so eager to please and so charming that this hour can be delightful instead of burdensome, for the right person. If you aren't ready to work at taming them, and willing to find time in your life for them, then you should find another species of bird. Don't set yourself up for heartbreak and a very expensive failed experiment. (Caiques cost about $800+.)I recommend the Wikipedia article on Caiques, for a less bland and misleading introduction. Also Dr. McMichaels' book on Caiques. Dr. McMichaels is a true expert on Caiques; where the author of this book is not.

Ok, so I have been thinking of getting a bird for quite some time, and have been reviewing all kinds of books.This book- the Complete Pet Owners Manual of Caiques, is absolutely wonderful. It goes into great detail about those wonderful little birds, everything from their mannerisms, to their diet, and their disposition.Not only do I recommend the book, but also a Caique!Enjoy!

Generally uninformative. All the information found in this book isn't specific enough to be useful (most of what is said applies to all parrots). I've found more information on Caiques (how they differ from other birds and specific problems and solutions owners find with them) on the internet (forums and YouTube videos). My impression from reading it cover to cover is that someone who researched the species and doesn't even own the bird themselves could have written it.I wanted the book to include more information about interacting with the species, but instead it covers basics like health concerns, house safety, where to get one, etc. which are all applicable to any species of bird (i.e. it says you can get a caique from a breeder, a pet store, shipped, etc... um, how is getting a different species any different?). I WANT to know more about how a caique is apparently "beaky." What does this mean? Should I "beak wrestle" or not (it's apparently a controversial issues with this species)? What's the difference between beaking and biting? Apparently Caiques also get "overloaded." How can I prevent this? How loud are caiques compared to other species? How much does their bite hurt compared to other species? Why do caiques bunny hop? All these questions remain unanswered. This book is FAR from "A Complete Pet Owner's Manual."On the plus side, I enjoyed the many clear, cute pictures of the species.

I bought this book because I have a caique and wanted to learn more about their habits, personalities and behaviors. This book was in great condition when it arrived and I am very pleased with the information it provided.

Very good of its type, plenty of pictures and swathes of very desricptive prose. It all goes to make a very good text book for those interested in this species. It follows the usual Barron's format of block text with scattered photos and the occasionl typo.

This was a great book for learning about my unique Caiques. I learned a lot and would highly reccomend it if you are thinking about getting a Caique or if you own them.