Hawkheadeads

Contrary to some opinions I have read on the net, Hawkheaded Parrots make excellent pets. They are affectionate, very silly with their dances and mannerisms, very easy to train to do tricks, and they learn to talk very easily. They remind me much of Caiques - another clownish type of bird. As a matter of fact, years ago Hawkheaded Parrots used to be called Hawkheaded Caiques. Most Hawkheads will easily learn to lie on their backs in your hand and let you tickle their bellies. They can be taught to dance on your shoulder (very cute!) and most anything that other larger Parrots can learn. Almost all of my Hawkheaded Parrots talk by the time they are weaned. They do have a phase when they are rather spooky, This coincides with the time when their parents in the wild would chase them off, when they are well weaned. In captivity this occurs when they are between 6 months and 1 year of age. At this time they anticipate that you will turn on them and bite to chase them away, and they spook very easily. It is rarely a good idea to buy an unweaned baby bird, but in the case of Hawkheads it is extremely unadvisable since they will become scared of the one who raised them, at least for those 6 months or so. A habit of theirs that has scared many people and earned them the reputation of being aggressive, is their fondness of hanging upside down and striking at you. If you keep your hand steady the beak will strike towards it with lightning speed and - amazingly - when it reaches you it will be but a gentle tap. This mostly happens as a game when hanging upside down - but can occur in other positions also. Of course,like any other living being, if a Hawkhead feels threatened he will strike for real. If your bird is scared of you, don't invite a strike!

Hawkheads should have a spacious cage. thirty-one inches tall, twenty-two inches deep and eighteen inches wide is a decent size for a single Hawkhead, and bigger is better. Cages with playgrounds on top are nice, but when closed the cage should provide space for our friend to hang upside down and flap his wings. This is something they just love to do. To keep the nails nice and trim, one of the perches should be a concrete perch. The other perches should be of varying sizes. Just imagine having to stand on your feet all the time! It is very helpful to a caged bird to have perches that vary in thickness, texture and shape. All my Hawkheads drink from bottles. This keeps the water nice and clean. If given a water bowl they will quickly throw fruit and veggies and nutshells in, then they'll relieve themselves in it for good measure, and within an hour you've got bacteria soup instead of nice, clean water. Hawkheads enjoy a variety of toys, but, like many other parrots, may be scared of a new toy at first. In that case, introduce the toy gradually, first placing it at a distance in view, then closer, then on the outside of the cage, and then finally inside. Keep in mind, in nature the environment doesn't change very much, and certainly rarely suddenly. Trees don't walk away, new branches take a long time to grow. Sudden changes are scary. So, put your toys in the cage before your bird arrives. There are two types of toys that I consider basic furnishings for Hawkhead cages. One is a skewer that hangs in the cage. It unscrews at the top and you can stick the days fruit and veggie chunks on it. It keeps them clean and available and off the floor. Get one to have in the cage and one to be cleaned and you're in great shape for these voracious fruit eaters. The other one looks like a little round cage made of plastic. There is a piece of the top that can be pulled up and dry treats can be inserted. This is great for shelled nuts or peanuts or nutbread or Nutriberries or various treats that come in small chunks. Please visit our site for complete information..... www.hawkheadhaven.com

Annette

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