IRN help please!

[Cooki]

I have recently purchased a non tames IRN couple of months back to give some company to my Cooki. They getting on just fine but since yesterday I have noticed my new bird feeling agitated, sticking it's tongue out and using its nails to put in mouth. First I thought maybe nails need clipping, after I clipped its nails it's continuing to do the same. It's eating fine and no other symptoms, very active. Also to add, since I have bought it home, it hardly makes any sounds, is this normal for some IRN??

video
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtSs0CtFdH2/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=djbf1ah2y1qh

Many thanks in advance

 

[LordTriggs]

Just had a quick search online to check this behavior as they're looking to be in a bit of mild distress doing this. One of the things I saw come up was upper respiratory infection, I'd book up an appointment with your Certified Avian Vet as soon as you can to give them a check over and issue some medicine if needed. Just make sure they're Avian Certified and not just an 'exotics' vet as you'd get no actual help from an exotics

 

[Cooki]

Just had a quick search online to check this behavior as they're looking to be in a bit of mild distress doing this. One of the things I saw come up was upper respiratory infection, I'd book up an appointment with your Certified Avian Vet as soon as you can to give them a check over and issue some medicine if needed. Just make sure they're Avian Certified and not just an 'exotics' vet as you'd get no actual help from an exotics

Thank you Triggs,
Have you seen the video I put up? I'm at work at the moment so most likely will have to be tomorrow. Much appreciated and if you notice any other known symptoms by looking at the video then please do comment back

 

[SilverSage]

That behavior is nothing I’ve seen before in my flock of IRNs or in anyone else’s. Book an appointment with a CERTIFIED AVIAN VET (not just exotic) ASAP and show them the video.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EllenD]

Did you put this new IRN in the same cage with another bird that you already had? (I don't know who "Cooki" is)

The behaviors your new IRN is displaying are classic signs of serious anxiety and severe stress. It's very, very common for parrots to chew on their feet/toenails due to anxiety and stress, just like people chew on their fingernails when they are nervous, anxious, stressed-out, etc. You absolutely can not EVER bring home a new bird and immediately put it together with a bird you already have; you especially cannot EVER put a new bird inside of your existing bird's cage!!! All parrots are extremely territorial over their cages and stands. This is their "safe space", and even the most tame, loving parrot who is closely-bonded with their owner will often bite them if they put their hands inside of their cage. My almost 4 year-old Quaker Parrot, who I brought home as a 10 week-old, hand-tamed baby, and who I am as closely-bonded with as you can be with a parrot, will still to this day let me know that my hands do not belong inside of her cage...So I open the door up and let her come out on her own, and she immediately does and immediately flies to my shoulder as soon as I open the door...But if I just reach my hand inside of her cage to have her step-up or even to give her food and water when she's inside it, I'm going to get a warning bite...

****You should not EVER go out and buy a second bird as a "friend" for the bird you already have, because you have absolutely no idea whether or not they are going to like each other at all, or even be able to be in the same room with each other!!! Parrots are not at all like dogs or any other type of animal or pet, they have the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human child, and they form relationships with other birds the same way that we as people form relationships with other people...So even though you say that "they get along fine", it's quite obvious that they are not getting along fine at all, which is to be expected! The bird you already had at home is most-likely very upset about another bird just suddenly appearing in the household, and if you did in-fact put the new bird inside of your first bird's cage, that's a big no-no and you need to separate the immediately and get both of them their own complete set-ups; each bird MUST HAVE their own cage of adequate size, their own food and water bowls, their own toys, etc.
This is not optional...

A good rule to follow is "NEVER buy a second bird as a friend for your first bird. ONLY buy a second bird because YOU WANT another family member and friend for yourself, and always go into buying a new bird with the assumption that it may not be able to be anywhere near your first bird"...

****Any time you bring home a new bird, you first should do a 30-day quarantine in a totally separate room from any birds you already have, and behind a shut-door so that they don't share the same air-space. Avian Viral Diseases, the really scary and fatal ones like Parrot Beak and Feather Disease, are usually introduced to a person's birds by them bringing home a new bird and not doing a quarantine. Whether you got the new IRN from a private breeder or a pet shop, it doesn't matter, they could very well be carrying all kinds of bacterial and fungal infections, parasites like mites, etc. So you ALWAYS need to do a 30-day quarantine of the new bird in a totally separate room from any birds you already have, behind a shut-door, watching for any signs of illness...The other thing that the 30-day quarantine does is it allows the birds you already have to get used to the idea that there is a new bird in the house. Even though they aren't in the same room and they can't see the new bird, they certainly can hear them and sense that they are in the house, and they need time to get used to the idea of another bird sharing "Their Territory" and "Their Flock". If you just put the new bird either in the same room as the bird you already had, even just setting their cages right next to each other, and god forbid you actually put the new bird inside of your first bird's cage, then this is going to do nothing but cause severe stress, distrust, anxiety, jealousy, and possibly aggression in the future.

I don't know how long you've had your new IRN, but chances are that he/she is being bullied/dominated/picked-at by your first bird...If you have them in the same cage then this is obviously the issue and you need to separate them immediately so that they both have their own complete cage set-ups...If you already have two different cage set-ups, one for each bird, but they are right next to each other, you need to move them so that they are in the same room but ACROSS THE ROOM from each other, to put some space between them...If you have simply been allowing them to be out of their cages together without any acclimation period for them to get used to each other, then you absolutely need to SLOW DOWN!!!

Right now you're in what is called the "Honeymoon Phase" of having a new bird. It seems like they are "getting along fine" simply because you're not seeing them physically fighting with each other (yet), but it should be quite obvious to you that they are not getting along at all because of the serious anxiety that your new IRN is displaying...I have worked as the Medical Liaison at an Avian Rescue for over 8 years now, and I see the exact behaviors you're describing in many new birds when they are first-surrendered to the Rescue. It's extremely common...

***And forget for a minute about the fact that you've put the two birds together without any acclimation period...Any time you bring home a new parrot, they need time to adjust, settle-in, and warm-up to their new environment, and to you! Again, it's not like bringing home a new puppy or kitten. Parrots are very sensitive, and some parrots are a lot more sensitive to change than others are. So while your first bird might have had an easy transition into your home when you first brought them home, this new IRN may be much more sensitive and have a lot more anxiety and stress about the change...

You haven't yet earned the trust of this new IRN, and on top of that the fact is that you have no idea how the new bird is getting along with your first bird. Looks can be deceiving, and I think you probably just took things a little too fast when you brought the new IRN home...Now you should ALWAYS take any new bird that you bring home to either a Certified Avian Vet or an Avian Specialist Vet within the first week or two for a full "Wellness Exam" that must include a complete physical exam, a Fecal Smear, and routine Blood-Work, to make sure that the bird is healthy and isn't carrying any infections, diseases, or parasites that will not only make them very sick, but also make any other birds you already have sick. So you need to find a Certified Avian Vet ASAP and schedule a full Wellness-Exam with Blood-Work anyway.

In the meantime though, I would attempt to see how much of your new IRN's behaviors are due to anxiety and stress, and I would do this by first and foremost getting them their own cage and complete set-up if they don't already have their own and are living inside the cage of your first bird. That's just a big no-no and will almost always end badly....If they do already both have their own cages/set-ups, I would move them away from each other, so they are at least across the room from each other, and I would not allow them to be out of their cages together any longer until your new bird has time to acclimate. You need to "Hit the Reset Button" and make today the first day you brought your new IRN home and start-over. You need to work on earning the trust of the IRN before you ever try to see if he/she is going to form any type of bond with your other bird. Only have them out of their cages under your supervision, and keep them separated when they are out, or only let them out one at a time. Spend some one-on-one time with the new IRN, simply talking to them softly/gently, reading to him, or just having him sit on your shoulder or with you (if he's tame) without the other bird being out.You simply need to slow-down and let him settle-in, because I think you just went too fast and it's stressed him out severely.

****I just re-read where you said this new IRN is not tame, which is another piece of the puzzle...This bird is most-likely extremely anxious, scared, and stressed, and you absolutely need to slow-down with him, especially with putting him together with your other bird. This is going to be a marathon,, not a sprint, and it can take months and months to years to get a non-tame IRN to settle-in and form a bond with you or with another bird. It's actually dangerous to just put a new bird in with your current bird, and it sounds like your first bird is probably very jealous and territorial, and this will most-likely eventually turn into physical aggression and fighting. All of the behavior you have described are signs of him being very nervous, anxious, and stressed. He needs to be eased-into this new home and with your other bird, and there is absolutely no guarantee that they will EVER bond-closely with each other or even be able to be out together...As long as the new IRN is displaying these behaviors that point to severe anxiety, they need to be separated... Birds for bonds with each other just like people do...They may bond-closely and love each other, they may like each other but not be able to share any "territory", they may simply tolerate each other, they may hate each other, they may hate each other and be aggressive and violent. And you cannot make that determination by how they are acting when you first put them together, however it's pretty clear that the new IRN is not comfortable...