Help taming an adult Indian Redneck (URGENT)

[reeisconfused]

Hello everyone. We rescued an IRN from this person who kept the parrot in a really cramped cage. The cage was extremely small and he had absolutely no space to move around. He was fed really poorly as well.
We got him five days ago. First thing we did was move him to a bigger cage and feed him.
He is extremely scared of us and I understand that he probably will be for a while because of how he was kept. Moreover, we think that the person who kept him probably caught the IRN from a forest or from the wild.
Secondly, he is definately 3 years or older because he has a perfect ring around his neck.
He was extremely (very very very) dirty and we had to bathe him - we did it by spraying water on him. (I think that scared him even more but it HAD to be done).

Few questions -
Could anyone please suggest some ways I could tame him? He is an adult and untamed. He is very afraid of me and he starts trembling if I could near him. I fear that he may die from stress of us being near.
He’s very quiet (not a sound since he came here) and in perfect health. We haven’t clipped his wings. After being through everything, do you think he’ll ever talk? (even as simple as making sounds?)

I opened his cage and moved away and he did come out once. He climbed on to a shelf where he sat for some time (no interaction with us). However, when it was time to put him back, he was not ready to go in. We had to force him a bit. Now he won’t come out of his cage at all! What do I do?

He also paces back and forth in his cage a lot as if he’s looking for something or is tensed? Do you know why?

If you have any additional suggestions, please let me know below. I’m very concerned for the little guy and appreciate any help I can get.

Thank you.

 

[SailBoat]

Parrots are not like dogs as they have no natural trust of Humans. That trust has to be developed and it takes time, especially when they are Adults.

Developing that trust requires that nothing bad happens when Humans are around, only good things. Setting a chair next to its cage and reading out-loud in a comforting voice helps. Note the type of food that the bird likes and making a point of placing the food piece near them also helps. With time, you can offer the 'treat' to them. Each of these steps works to develop trust.

Having the bird near, but not in the center of family activity also helps.

Slow down.

 

[EllenD]

You said that "he's in perfect health", but that is doubtful based on his history. I don't know what he was being fed at his first home, but he could be suffering from Liver issues, kidney issues, etc., and he could be malnourished (if not undernourished) from not getting the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein, etc. that his body need on a regular basis. He also may very likely have internal parasites, bacterial infections, fungal infections, etc., especially throughout his GI Tract, since he was living in a tiny little cramped cage that was filthy, and considering that he himself was as dirty as you described, I'd pretty much bet the house that he's got some GI infections. The first thing you should concentrate on here is getting him to a Certified Avian Vet or experienced Avian Specialist Vet for a complete wellness-exam, and make sure that it includes a Fecal Culture, you need to insist upon this; based on his history it's a must. Birds instinctively hide all outward signs and symptoms of illness, injury, pain, etc. for as long as they possibly can; this is an innate instinct which protects them and their flock from predators perceiving them as being weak and an "easy target". As a result, birds typically do not show outward signs of illness or injury until months have gone by. And by the time people finally notice that something is wrong with their bird, it's often way too late for the Avian Vet to do anything at all about it, and they die. And based on his history and former living environment, this is urgent. If he isn't feeling well or is in pain, his behavior isn't going change until he feels better, regardless of any training you might do...

As far as "taming" him, this is going to be a marathon, not at all a sprint. I don't know where you live or why you think that he was a wild-caught bird (I'm assuming you don't live in the US); the behavior you're describing isn't necessarily indicative of the bird being wild-caught, as it's exactly the same behavior that a bird who was hand-raised/hand-fed by it's breeder would exhibit if it's first owner simply shoved it into a tiny little cage with no toys, nothing to do, horrible food, dirty, filthy conditions, and then totally neglected and ignored him. After years of having no human interaction and being totally neglected, it doesn't make any difference that the bird was hand-raised/hand-fed...And unfortunately IRN's in-general have a very strong tendency to lose their tameness a lot more quickly than other species of parrots.

So, what you need to keep in-mind is that it could take months and months, if not years to earn this bird's trust and tame him again. I don't know what your expectations are for his eventual behavior, but the main things you need to do are to commit to working with him one-on-one, every day, and keeping his cage in the main room of your home, like the living room, family room, TV room, den, etc., wherever you guys spend your time when you're home, and not in a spare room where he can hear you but not see you...Even if you're not directly interacting with him directly, simply having his cage in the same room while you're watching TV, reading, playing video games, talking, eating meals, etc. will help tremendously to desensitize him to interaction with people. It will also keep his screaming down, as he is very likely, once he gets settled-in and a bit more comfortable, to start screaming and screaming if he's kept in a room away from "where the action is" in your home, where he can't see you. He also needs to have lots and lots of different types of toys and foraging activities all the time, as he needs to stay busy and not become bored. He probably has never had any toys, the poor thing, and this too will help him to come out of his shell more quickly. And having his cage in the "main room " of your house where you guys spend your time will also make him much more likely to learn to entertain himself with his toys while inside of his cage, because he can see you, he's with you, and he's not screaming for you. Make sure that he has between 6-10 different types of toys in his cage at any one time, for example, one wooden toy to chew on, one paper toy to shred, one toy with beads to move around with his beak, one toy or box filled with crumpled up paper that has nuts and treats hidden inside it so he can forage for the treats, etc. All of this is going to stimulate him, enrich his environment, and again, bring him out of his shell.

The main thing is to not lose your patience and to not give-up when it feels like not much progress has been made in a few months. This is going to be a long process, with set-backs, but it will happen as long as you make the necessary, daily commitment.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I am thrilled that you rescued this poor creature. You are the best thing that ever happened to him!
And thank you for reaching out, and being open-minded and caring.
Here are some links that may help you.
You got great input above.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

And... about veterinarians...

Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet, since they have engaged in additional continuing education and special preparations.

Good luck.

I'm looking forward to hearing about you journey. Stick with us.

 

[GaleriaGila]

P.S.
What's the name? In my mind, I think I'll call him "Phoenix"!

 

[reeisconfused]

Parrots are not like dogs as they have no natural trust of Humans. That trust has to be developed and it takes time, especially when they are Adults.

Developing that trust requires that nothing bad happens when Humans are around, only good things. Setting a chair next to its cage and reading out-loud in a comforting voice helps. Note the type of food that the bird likes and making a point of placing the food piece near them also helps. With time, you can offer the 'treat' to them. Each of these steps works to develop trust.

Having the bird near, but not in the center of family activity also helps.

Slow down.

thank you so much for your input! we have put him in the hall where everyone stays most of the time. I think he’s doing much better than before in terms of settling in. He even has started coming out of his cage! He loves being outside and exploring. He’s not as scared of us as before but he’s strict on the no hands rule. I think we’ve made great progress!

 

[dhraiden]

Glad to hear the IRN is becoming more comfortable! Normalize your presence by remaining attentive and engaged, and offer a good variety of supplemental foods in addition to a reputable pellet mix.

 

[reeisconfused]

You said that "he's in perfect health", but that is doubtful based on his history. I don't know what he was being fed at his first home, but he could be suffering from Liver issues, kidney issues, etc., and he could be malnourished (if not undernourished) from not getting the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein, etc. that his body need on a regular basis. He also may very likely have internal parasites, bacterial infections, fungal infections, etc., especially throughout his GI Tract, since he was living in a tiny little cramped cage that was filthy, and considering that he himself was as dirty as you described, I'd pretty much bet the house that he's got some GI infections. The first thing you should concentrate on here is getting him to a Certified Avian Vet or experienced Avian Specialist Vet for a complete wellness-exam, and make sure that it includes a Fecal Culture, you need to insist upon this; based on his history it's a must. Birds instinctively hide all outward signs and symptoms of illness, injury, pain, etc. for as long as they possibly can; this is an innate instinct which protects them and their flock from predators perceiving them as being weak and an "easy target". As a result, birds typically do not show outward signs of illness or injury until months have gone by. And by the time people finally notice that something is wrong with their bird, it's often way too late for the Avian Vet to do anything at all about it, and they die. And based on his history and former living environment, this is urgent. If he isn't feeling well or is in pain, his behavior isn't going change until he feels better, regardless of any training you might do...

As far as "taming" him, this is going to be a marathon, not at all a sprint. I don't know where you live or why you think that he was a wild-caught bird (I'm assuming you don't live in the US); the behavior you're describing isn't necessarily indicative of the bird being wild-caught, as it's exactly the same behavior that a bird who was hand-raised/hand-fed by it's breeder would exhibit if it's first owner simply shoved it into a tiny little cage with no toys, nothing to do, horrible food, dirty, filthy conditions, and then totally neglected and ignored him. After years of having no human interaction and being totally neglected, it doesn't make any difference that the bird was hand-raised/hand-fed...And unfortunately IRN's in-general have a very strong tendency to lose their tameness a lot more quickly than other species of parrots.

So, what you need to keep in-mind is that it could take months and months, if not years to earn this bird's trust and tame him again. I don't know what your expectations are for his eventual behavior, but the main things you need to do are to commit to working with him one-on-one, every day, and keeping his cage in the main room of your home, like the living room, family room, TV room, den, etc., wherever you guys spend your time when you're home, and not in a spare room where he can hear you but not see you...Even if you're not directly interacting with him directly, simply having his cage in the same room while you're watching TV, reading, playing video games, talking, eating meals, etc. will help tremendously to desensitize him to interaction with people. It will also keep his screaming down, as he is very likely, once he gets settled-in and a bit more comfortable, to start screaming and screaming if he's kept in a room away from "where the action is" in your home, where he can't see you. He also needs to have lots and lots of different types of toys and foraging activities all the time, as he needs to stay busy and not become bored. He probably has never had any toys, the poor thing, and this too will help him to come out of his shell more quickly. And having his cage in the "main room " of your house where you guys spend your time will also make him much more likely to learn to entertain himself with his toys while inside of his cage, because he can see you, he's with you, and he's not screaming for you. Make sure that he has between 6-10 different types of toys in his cage at any one time, for example, one wooden toy to chew on, one paper toy to shred, one toy with beads to move around with his beak, one toy or box filled with crumpled up paper that has nuts and treats hidden inside it so he can forage for the treats, etc. All of this is going to stimulate him, enrich his environment, and again, bring him out of his shell.

The main thing is to not lose your patience and to not give-up when it feels like not much progress has been made in a few months. This is going to be a long process, with set-backs, but it will happen as long as you make the necessary, daily commitment.

thank you so much for your input! Yes, I don’t live in USA. I came to the conclusion that he was caught from the wild as here, many IRN’s are captured and sold for a low price by “hunters”. Ofcourse, this is just an assumption I made! Yes, we had him checked out soon after. Everything is okay except that he is malnourished. Its a miracle truly
He doesn’t understand toys at all! I’ve tried so many ways but he ignores them completely. He loves being out of his cage and is settling in much better. As for food, the precious owners kept him on a very narrow diet. They gave him limited fruits and veggies, I think. He doesn’t eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies so I’m trying to find a way to make it work.

thank you so much for your response

 

[reeisconfused]

I am thrilled that you rescued this poor creature. You are the best thing that ever happened to him!
And thank you for reaching out, and being open-minded and caring.
Here are some links that may help you.
You got great input above.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

And... about veterinarians...

Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet, since they have engaged in additional continuing education and special preparations.

Good luck.

I'm looking forward to hearing about you journey. Stick with us.

thank you so much for the response! he’s settling in nice and cozy. Still afraid of us but its been less than a week since we got him so I think its expected. He loves exploring and being out of his cage! We have a balcony with meshes (can’t go out, can’t get in) and he loves spending time there watching outside. He even has started squeaking when he sits there! Yesterday, he went back in his cage for dinner time but started squeaking as soon as we locked the door cause he wanted to come out again

 

[reeisconfused]

P.S.
What's the name? In my mind, I think I'll call him "Phoenix"!

His name is Max!

 

[wrench13]

Good on you for rescuing this guy.