are we doing this right?

[lilamy]

Hi I posted few weeks ago when I got my first irn percy. We didnt know much about him and what info we were given was wrong! We not even sure of age but due to markings suspect around 3. He is very nervous we bought him a new cage and he seems happier he likes to look in his mirror and is defiantly getting noisier twittering away and squaking.
he will not allow our hands near him and doesn't like us opening the cage.
We bought treats and clicker etc to try target training but cant even get close enough without him panicking and flying to other side of cage.
we didnt like him being cooped up so have been opening top of cage and letting him fly around lounge we dont think he has done this before as he was very clumsy at firat flying into things but getting loads better and no more accidents!!
Sometimes he will go back into cage for fruit and allows us to close the cage up but sometimes he refuses to go in and my partner has had to catch him which does distress him
we are over the moon he seems happier than he was at last home but not quite sure what to do next any suggestions??

 

[Betrisher]

If you can, spend long periods sitting by his cage reading or watching TV. The more time you spend with him, the quicker he'll get used to you. As soon as Percy's used to you being close by, you might start putting your hand in the cage: just relax and allow Percy to get used to your hand. Eventually, you would hold a treat and wait for Percy to come and pick at it. A spray of millet is good for this as it's long and he doesn't have to come far. Just take it very slowly. Birds are extremely nervous and will take fright at sudden movements and noises - your job is to get Percy to realise that the giant human being in charge of his cage is not dangerous. It'll take time.

If you have to chase and grab Percy, he will learn to distrust you. It's very scary for a parrot to be grabbed. Far better to allow him time to put himself away under his own steam. I know there are times when time runs out, but grabbing him will set you back so try and avoid it. I always save my birds' favourite treats for Home Time - it's the only time they ever get a peanut or a smear of honey. They're so greedy, they go for the treat every time and it makes Home Time a lot easier.

If Percy spends a lot of time out in the lounge, why don't you try putting down a treat (few sunflower seeds etc) for him to come and enjoy. You could gradually move it closer and closer to your chair until Percy's coming quite near. It's very early days yet, so keep trying. And please keep us up to date with your progress, won't you?

 

[lilamy]

Thanks for you reply and great info.
hes in our lounge so most of our time is spent near him and we talk to him lots and we stay in the room while hes out of the cage however he just likes to sit on top of our curtains and tends to only fly if we go towards him I will def try putting treats down in the room. Luckily my partner has only had to handle him back into the cage a couple of times and ocassionally has been able to just use a tea towel to encourage him back in his self but sometimes if put apple in he goes in himself but the little devil is getting clever and has been trying to reach the apple while on the outside haha!
We do sit with our hands in cage but he moves to the back of the cage and doesnt move ( this is what he did pretty much the whole time he was with his last owners and there is defiantly a remarked improvemebt) we have also considered getting another younger bird we can handrear so he has company and can see the other bird be handfed etc but im worried on implications such as them not getting aling or him feeling threatened?
I will def keep you updated thanks again for reply x

 

[chippy]

I don't think that getting a second bird is a good idea... I think slowing down and realizing that it could take months for this bird to relax is important. Take as much time as your bird needs. It might be a better idea to not let him out of the cage until he has calmed down and is ok with being touched...every time he is grabbed, it's a step backward for trust...

 

[Betrisher]

Getting another bird could possibly be a brilliant idea - or it could be a disaster! More than once, we've had members report they've gotten a new bird to keep the original company, only to have the new one teach the old one to bite or pluck or scream! Having said that, though, I have to also say that watching my Beaks play and forage helped my Dominic a huge amount in learning to do those things himself. You'll have to weigh the risks for yourself. Will you be happy to get a second bird and then, perhaps, be left with not one, but two untamed birds? If not, then it might be wiser to stick with just the one, at least for now.

Remember: taming can take months. The longer you spend with your bird, the better things will be, but it could be ages before you get the response you want. Just keep trying: slowly and patiently.

 

[WesselG]

Amy

Like other posters mentioned: it takes a lot of patience and even more time to tame a bird so be patient and consistent. One of my birds is supposedly hand-reared but it took me four months to convince it just to take a treat from my hand. At this point it will sometimes approach me to take a treat and other times it simply refuses to come close so we clearly still have some work to do building trust. The trick of putting his/her favourite treat just out of it's reach is a good one...it forces him/her to approach you to get it.

As for getting another bird: if you decide on getting a second one I would suggest getting the same sex as Percy to avoid any inclination to breed.

 

[lilamy]

Thank you for your replies I have spoken to my partner and we have agreed bot to let him back out just give him the time he needs we can definatly see small improvements and just hope one day he begin to trust us! Im finding he makes more noises when I am in alone im hoping this is a sign he becoming more comfortable x

 

[lilamy]

Just a little update for those who have given me advice. We have stopped letting percy out of his cage to avoid have to towel him to get him back in and continue to be around him a lot talk to him and be around him. He still doesn't like us opening the cage and will not let us near him or feed him from hand etc he is slightly more confident coming to food bowl when we r close but if we even move to look at him he panics and moves away.
its very frustrating as we hate to think he is scared of us but we are persevering and hoping one day he will come round to us even just a little bit!

 

[MonicaMc]

With the ARN I am fostering, at the moment the only time she gets Nutriberries (which she enjoys) is if I'm in the room with her.

I have a stool to sit on, and when I'm sitting on it, I'm sitting sideways to the cage, rather than directly facing it. I'm also watching her diagonally.

First day I tried it, she didn't come down to eat the Nutriberries so I moved the stool a foot away. It's only been a few days now, but my goal is to get her comfortable with me sitting at that distance (about 4' away from the cage) while she eats. As her comfort level grows, I'll move the stool closer to the cage, about 6-12" closer, and repeat.


This process could take several weeks, if not months, but I'm ok with that. She has an unknown past and I doubt she was a tame pet bird before, so I plan to slowly build up that trust. If I am too close, she'll hide (I did provide her a way to "hide" from me in case she wanted to), scramble all around her cage, or even try to fly in a panic. This is not the kind of behavior I want. I want her to be calm and ok with me being near.




The cage

The "hide-out"

It's only been a few days though so I can't say just how far she's gotten comfortable with this idea. If she wasn't ok with me being 4' away from her though, I would have started at a further distance away from her.

 

[pattito78]

Omg! I think we have IRN that are related lol cause mine does exactly what you described! But now that I tried really hard to make her feel safe I offer her treats and she takes them from my hand. But no touching her because she'll have a fit! Ugh I'm really trying here. Good luck!

 

[4dugnlee]

I have the problem of not being able to get my untouchable BFA back in her cage. She will accept food from our hands, but does not want to be touched. I used to have to go room to room to persuade her to go back in her cage(which I know scared her). Now I have a "schedule" that works pretty well for her. I let her out of her cage at night, when she is fairly hungry and fairly tired. She is out for 2 or 3 hours and then I show her a special treat and make sure she sees me put it in her cage, and she goes back to her cage on her own. I let her out around the same time everyday and sometimes now I don't even need to use the treat...she just puts herself to bed and when she goes in, I close up the cage. It's worked well for us anyway. I have a long way to go with her, but I'm taking baby steps and she is making progress and even if I can never really touch/handle her, I know that she's a happy bird with a better home than what she previously had.

I was also debating on getting a second bird, partially to let Sassy see me handling another bird to make her more comfortable, but mostly because I have always wanted a sun conure and I found one. I did get the SC, Chico, because it's what I've always wanted. They've only been together (in the same house...not same cage) a couple weeks now and I can't say that they will ever get along well. The advice I was given here on the forum was, don't get a second bird to help tame the first bird, but if you WANT a second bird then go for it, with the understanding that they may never be friends and the influence could go from the bad to the good, or the good to the bad.

Good luck!

 

[lilamy]

Defiantly sound like they could be related pattito! And yea dugnlee its hard and we would love a second bird but we dont want to upset percy!
Another update we have small progress! ! We have begun let him out again but have not had to use towel we are in a better routine now and if he wont go back in we just leave him till he is ready but we no linger let him sit on top of curtains so he is now getting more confident sitting on his perch on top of cage and no longer panics and flies off if we walk past!!
My partner has been using a spare perch stick to get closet to him and he has even let him very gently stroke his chest with it and he is slowly moving his hand further up the stick although percy is very clued up to this and is still not letting those hands anywhere near haha but we fell like we have made some progress and are hoping it continues thanks for replies all are very appreciated whether its advice or just a quick message to let us know we r not alone!!

 

[Terry57]

Congratulations on the progress! Sounds like you are on the right track
And you are definitely not alone

 

[JenJen]

MonicaMC - That little crocheted slip of a curtain you have in front of your foster ARN has me very intrigued! I very much like the looks of it - is it just a curtain or can the ARN safely clamber about on it as well?

 

[lilamy]

Thanks terry! He defiantly doesn't seem as jumpy around us still think we have a long road ahead and it does seem like hands are his main issue.
I just worry he gets bored when we aren't in I leave radio on and he has a few hanging toys a ball that talks when he hits it and a mirror but only thing he seems to like is the mirror the rest get ignored and as he doesn't like to interact with us I just feel sorry for him x

 

[MonicaMc]

It's actually a seagrass mat/net that came with some things attached to it. I originally bought it from a pet store in Clayton, CA. There are plenty of online stores you can purchase it from as well!


Here's one place!
SB699 Super Bird Creations Activity Wall *NEW* - PRODUCT/CUSTOMER VIDEOS


Although you can also buy the seagrass mats by themselves in different sizes.



Since Sylphie has chewed it down a few times (she always pays attention to the matt around plastic "C Hook's"!), I have "rolled" the mat up into a circular shape, placing the C-hooks through the top and bottom, then attached that to the side of the cage. She could climb on it before, but only climbed around the top of it. Now that it's in a role, she'll sometimes stand on top of it, or crawl beneath it on the shelf. Although still afraid, she no longer feels the need to have a 'hidy hole' in her cage! (well, with the assumption that she kept chewing her 'hidy hole' apart!)

She actually enjoys spending time out of the cage, but if I let her out, I have to close the curtain to the window - elsewise she tries to escape out the window! Getting her back in is not quite easy - yet.


I bought the mat for a different bird, but after I got her, I gave it to her as a place to hide... only to later find out that she's a wild caught bird! Which explains her fear behaviors and poor feather quality right now.

 

[JenJen]

MonicaMC -- thanks for sharing! It's a neat little toy! I can definitely see many uses for it.

 

[lilamy]

Ive tried to attach a couple of pics of percy (hope they work) he wont let me any closer while he is chilling on top of his cage haha