Abstract
I am writing you to clarify information published in the March/ April 1996 issue of the AFA Watchbird. The information is contained in Fran Gonzalez's article on caiques.Within a week of the Watchbirds mailing, I have received a dozen or so calls from alarmed caique breeders and pet owners looking for clarification on the following items:
1.) In the article, a reference is made to the effect that caiques have a reputation for being "carriers" of the Polyomavirus. All recent medical research points to the fact that caiques are extremely sensitrve to the Polyomavirus and will normally display all the clinical symptoms associated with the virus and usually succumb to the virus. This applies to babies and adults alike, which indicates how sensitive caiques are to the virus.
On the other hand, birds that are said to be "carriers" of a virus covertly harbor the disease and expose the virus to other birds. These "carrier" birds will normally live out their natural life span without ever being symptomatic.
In summation, caiques are extremely sensitive to any Polyomavirus exposure and are not considered a "carrier" type species.
2.) In reference to surgically sexing caiques, the article stated that caiques are delicate to this procedure and heavy losses have occurred after sexing.
In the past, my veterinarian, Dr. Max Weiss of Tarzana, California, has surgically sexed literally hundreds of caiques for me, both baby and adult, and I have never experienced any complications or deaths due to the sexing procedure. Ifeel that the veterinarian's level of skill is very important in performing this procedure. With this taken into consideration, I do not feel that caiques are any more prone to problems during a surgical sexing than any other psittacine.
One of the phone calls I received was from a frantic breeder who was afraid that her caiques could get the Polyomavirus from being surgically sexed. The article made mention that after surgically sexing 10 caiques, eight became ill with the papovavirus (now better known as Polyomavirus) and died. It should be made clear that the virus was probably brought out by the stress involved in the sexing and not caused by the sexing. The source of the virus was either by exposure prior to the sexing or even by the environment at the time of the sexing.
In no way does the surgical sexing procedure cause the Polyomavirus.
3.) The article stated that the P I. xantbomeria, the Yellow-thighed White-bellied Caique, is often called the Lime-thighed Caique. I believe the author was trying to explain that the breeding of the Green-thighed Whitebellied with the Yellow-thighed Whitebellied created a hybrid known as the Lime-thighed Caique. This cross breeding occurred in this country in the late 1960's and into the '70's due to a shortage of Green-thigheds. The Limethighed Caique is certainly a hybrid between subspecies and not a true subspecies itself.
Hopefully, this cross breeding will no longer occur, as we need to maintain the purity of the bloodlines remaining in captivity.
The above information is presented for clarification and is in no way intended to diminish the experience Ms. Gonzalez has had with her caiques. We maintain a friendly working relationship and plan to continue it. I would like to respond to Ralph Lima's comments regarding my article on caiques published in the March/ April 1996 issue of the AFA Watchbird. I would like to point out that all of the information contained in my article comes strictly from my own observation and personal experiences with my own birds and in my own aviaries. Other breeders' experiences may differ.
I have always been interested in caiques and was first introduced to these delightful birds in 1987. At that time I was warned by fellow breeders that these birds had a reputation for being carriers of Polyomavirus (earlier called papovavirus). That was my experience then and I did not mean to imply that all caiques are carriers of Polyomavirus. I hope my statements in the article didn't cause undue confusion.
For clarification, the article's fourth paragraph should read "Many U.S. breeders have been unable to find Green-thighed Caiques to mate with single birds and have paired these birds with Pl. xanthomeria. The resulting hybrid has been called the Limethighed Caique."
I am always eager to learn the latest information about caiques and am pleased that your readers have been blessed with so much information in the recent issues of Watchbird. I have always believed that bird breeding is filled with so many opportunities for those who wish to partake in the hobby. I think it's great that we can all share our views, opinions and formulas for success in order to enlighten others.