New IRN owners.

[Peter&Sarah]

Hi all,

We are new owners of a nearly 3 month old female IRN, we have named her Belle as the wife loves Disneys Beauty and the Beast. We only picked her up 24hrs ago and since getting home she has loved being out of her cage and interacting with us, perching on our shoulders, whispering in our ears and just generally loving the attention.

Yesterday she was soft, caring and loving but today for some reason, no different behaviour shown, she has started nipping the biting, hard enough to draw blood. Is there something we have done that could be causing this, nothing different from yesterday or is she as a nearly 3 month old testing her boundaries.

She is not fussed on being inside her cage if we are home or if it’s daylight but settled nicely last night in her new home.

Any advice regarding the biting and any tips you guys and girls have for training would be gratefully appreciated.

Many Thanks
Peter & Sarah

 

[saxguy64]

Hello and welcome! So glad you're here and asking questions. I'm not any kind of expert, but here's my take. Day one, and for as long as it lasts, honeymoon phase. Everything seems wonderful. In reality, many times it because she's terrified and actually in shock. She doesn't know how to act in her new, unfamiliar, scary environment, so she kind of accepts what's going on without reacting much. After that, the fear sets in, and she's trying to protect herself in the only way she knows how, ie. biting. Your job is to step back al little and build trust. That doesn't happen in a day. It could be a week, months, even years depending on the bird. That is entirely up to her. This might be of some help:
https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/tips-for-bonding-and-building-trust.49144/

The most important take away is to always progress at her pace, whatever that may be. Patience is your friend, and it will be entirely worth it.

 

[Peter&Sarah]

Hello and welcome! So glad you're here and asking questions. I'm not any kind of expert, but here's my take. Day one, and for as long as it lasts, honeymoon phase. Everything seems wonderful. In reality, many times it because she's terrified and actually in shock. She doesn't know how to act in her new, unfamiliar, scary environment, so she kind of accepts what's going on without reacting much. After that, the fear sets in, and she's trying to protect herself in the only way she knows how, ie. biting. Your job is to step back al little and build trust. That doesn't happen in a day. It could be a week, months, even years depending on the bird. That is entirely up to her. This might be of some help:
https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/tips-for-bonding-and-building-trust.49144/

The most important take away is to always progress at her pace, whatever that may be. Patience is your friend, and it will be entirely worth it.

Hi and thanks for your reply saxguy64, will take your advice at hand and we have taken a step back today and let her come to us. This evening she has seemed a bit more relaxed and less bitey. Will check the link supplied, thanks again.

 

[Terry57]

Hi and thanks for your reply saxguy64, will take your advice at hand and we have taken a step back today and let her come to us. This evening she has seemed a bit more relaxed and less bitey. Will check the link supplied, thanks again.

Excellent advice from Saxguy, It sounds like it's working!
Working with parrots at their own pace is the best way to form a bond that is based on love, care and respect for each other's boundaries.
This makes me so happy!
And BTW, Belle is a real beauty

 

[Peter&Sarah]

Excellent advice from Saxguy, It sounds like it's working!
Working with parrots at their own pace is the best way to form a bond that is based on love, care and respect for each other's boundaries.
This makes me so happy!
And BTW, Belle is a real beauty

Hi Terry, thanks for the welcome and reply, she really is a little beauty and reading from the info in the link saxguy64 provided there is some great advice there to for us to follow and progress with. Belles happiness and well-being is the most important to us and if it takes 2 days or 2 years we will persevere.

 

[Terry57]

Hi Terry, thanks for the welcome and reply, she really is a little beauty and reading from the info in the link saxguy64 provided there is some great advice there to for us to follow and progress with. Belles happiness and well-being is the most important to us and if it takes 2 days or 2 years we will persevere.

I am looking so forward to seeing your progression with her!
Belle is a lucky girl to have found you. I see a beautiful love story in both of your futures

 

[Peter&Sarah]

I am looking so forward to seeing your progression with her!
Belle is a lucky girl to have found you. I see a beautiful love story in both of your futures

Thanks Terry, this is her now today, ever since I opened her cage this morning, she wants to be close and on the shoulder. She really is a sweetie.

 

[Terry57]

Thanks Terry, this is her now today, ever since I opened her cage this morning, she wants to be close and on the shoulder. She really is a sweetie. View attachment 42540

Awww, I love this! You're making progress already

 

[Peter&Sarah]

Ok so today Belle has been out all day and most of that on our shoulder, hasn’t bitten me once today. Just been letting her do what she likes except when biting cables at the computer, a nice gentle no and my hand next to her saying the word up and she would be back on my hand then shoulder. I know it’s probably going to be one step forward then maybe half a step back but it’s all going well and already we love her and her little ways.

One question I need to ask though, at what age should they stop having formulae if that’s what’s used to hand rear the babies and when would they start eating fresh fruit and veg ? I ask as the breeder said Belle likes broccoli and sweet potato and apples but as yet I can only get her eating seeds even though we have offered fruit and veg in a dish and by hand. She takes the seeds from our fingers no problem at all.

Many thanks for all your help and advice so far and in the future.

 

[Terry57]

I think it's awesome that you are letting her do what she wants to do (within reason). I'm sure she is feeling more and more confident because she isn't being forced to do anything she doesn't want to do. This bond of trust you're building with her will continue to grow until she wants to be trained. She will love that contact with you.

She should be given formula as long as she will take it. This is called abundance weaning and I believe is very important for the bird, physically and mentally.

My guess is she would take it from a spoon for you. Your local pet shop should have some handfeeding mix, have you ever handfed before? A spoon would be easy, the other ways are trickier.

 

[Peter&Sarah]

I think it's awesome that you are letting her do what she wants to do (within reason). I'm sure she is feeling more and more confident because she isn't being forced to do anything she doesn't want to do. This bond of trust you're building with her will continue to grow until she wants to be trained. She will love that contact with you.

She should be given formula as long as she will take it. This is called abundance weaning and I believe is very important for the bird, physically and mentally.

My guess is she would take it from a spoon for you. Your local pet shop should have some handfeeding mix, have you ever handfed before? A spoon would be easy, the other ways are trickier.

Hi thanks for the reply and advice again. Will purchase some hand feeding mix but no I have never hand fed a bird.

The thing that was making me think about it is she squawks and bobs her head like you see when a young is being fed by their mother on wildlife programmes. A spoon sounds great and easy, if I take it she just eats it if the spoon ? Sorry can’t remember if I said she is only 11 weeks old.

 

[Terry57]

If you scroll about halfway down where the numbers start in this post, there are some instructions for handfeeding. The first part is rather harsh but the info below that is great information.

So you bought an unweaned baby...

Can you ask the breeder how the baby was used to being fed? I do hope she will take it from a spoon, but just be careful not to let her jam it into her mouth.

This explains different methods of handfeeding. However, I would not do the last 2 they mention.

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/handfeedingmethods.html

I doubt she will want much, I think a lot is the comfort it will bring her.

 

[Peter&Sarah]

If you scroll about halfway down where the numbers start in this post, there are some instructions for handfeeding. The first part is rather harsh but the info below that is great information.

So you bought an unweaned baby...

Can you ask the breeder how the baby was used to being fed? I do hope she will take it from a spoon, but just be careful not to let her jam it into her mouth.

This explains different methods of handfeeding. However, I would not do the last 2 they mention.

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/handfeedingmethods.html

I doubt she will want much, I think a lot is the comfort it will bring her.

Thanks Terry.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you! Just like a puppy with their needle teeth, your little one needs to learn pressure training!

 

[Peter&Sarah]

Welcome to you! Just like a puppy with their needle teeth, your little one needs to learn pressure training!

Thanks Flboy, will look into that.