WATCH OUT FOR MR. HIDE! Overnight Turnaround & Not Bluffing?

[PythonzEve]

Hey all, I am befuddled right now and worried and I'm not sure what caused it or what's going on.

Monday was just like any other day, Sukha (my IRN fid) was out almost as often as we were home though he goes to bed a little earlier than us, either on his cage, his window play-stand or the play-stand in the living room, hopping and fluttering and climbing about as usual with the occasional begging to eat whatever we eat (all bird safe food is shared, so he gets quite a large variety in diet plus seeds, nuts, pellets, fruits/veggies and other treats in his cage).

Tuesday he's running away in his cage and biting HARD! Won't let us get near him, touch him or pick him up to take him out of his cage and he's dead quiet for most of the day. I check on him and try several times to let him out, but he wants nothing to do with us other than to sit alone and inflict pain.

I feel like the last year (almost) has all been in vain and I've lost all of my progress! Yesterday my husband endured the bites and we somehow got him in the living room play-stand, but I had to watch my fingers and where he was when I was hanging up his treats as he goes after and lunges for us if he feels the need, or runs/flutters away. Today I went back to square one of offering fruit (apple) within reach only if he got on my hand, which he'll put a foot on or get on for a split second then jump off like he's expecting an electric shock or something. Since he's in his cage more he's screeching which is not fun for the household, and I'm wondering do I leave all of his foraging toys and treats in there, or do I remove something to reestablish that dependency? Right now he has things like a puzzle toy that dispenses food, fresh fruit and nuts in a hanging whisk, treats hidden in shredded paper in another foraging toy, pellet mixed with peanut butter that is hidden all kinds of places, a few shredder toys, bells and noisemakers and the usual bird toys as well as a few chewable perches. No mirrors or anything that can hold too much reflection.

Does anyone know what could have happened for such a literal overnight change? I was going to start harness training him this spring so he could be outside with me as I garden and such, now I wonder if I'll have to go back to the basics and retrain everything else? He won't do anything we've trained right now. I thought he'd be too young at just under a year to be showing any mood behaviors related to breeding, and it's a little late in the season right?

[bec]

look around his areas is anything different?
even a spider on the wall can freak these guys out
one of ours ( is terrified of spiders & his reaction reminds me of a human panic attack)
other things to think of are
anything new.....
toys
your clothes/ hair color
perfume
people (workmen can be realy scary sometimes)

furmiture the littlest thing to you can spark major freakouts in birds
even a particular color can freak them
i had one who freaked at the color purple
another that wont leave his favourite toys alone in the cage they have to come out for plays too
also think back to monday & teusday did anything (& i mean absolutly anything) happen on those days that was differnt than the normal day?
skeet (who i hand reared my self went realy funny for about 3 months) defintly wasnt bluffing because he was alone when we had a small earth tremour
on the other hand how old is he? are you sure its not bluffing coz it realy does sound like bluffing to me especially the suddenness of the change in him

[ringneck]

PythonzEve,
I am really sorry this happened! It’s amazing how something can trip up these birds. Let me start out to say that Indian Ringnecks are neophobic—this simply means they are fearful of new objects. All my ringnecks are scared of one item or another. They flutter and act like they are being murdered when they are around something that really scares them. In fact, it’s very difficult for me to control them when they are scared.
With that being said, Bec was right. I honestly believe something in that room changed or a new item was added that really scared the bird. Go back and think about what was placed into the room and remove it.
For now, you should go about like nothing happened. You’re little bird will return back to normal—I promise. Don’t over think it and go about your business like you usually do. Can you hold the bird in any other room without him being scared?
Hope this helps! Please keep us updated!

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

[PythonzEve]

Umm, sometime this week (can't remember which day) I took off the sheet from the futon by his cage to wash it (getting a -real- cover for it)... Other than that I can't think of any real changes other than new toys which he's already played with. I was going to put the sheet back in the linen closet but I can put it back on to see...

Sukha is 11 months old BTW, he's been weaned for a while now.

[bec]

i would put the sheet back on
if its in the wash try explaining to suhka
where it is....
yes i know this sounds silly but it amazes me all the time how much just telling them whats wrong helps

[PythonzEve]

Could it be because he's moulting? Would that be something to cause an overnight turn around? This is really worrying me as I can't trust him around people and my toddler anymore and our fingers feel like pencils after going a few rounds with an anxious pencil chewer, and he's drawing blood sometimes. I feel bad but even tottering our fingers and getting him off balance won't work and just exacerbates it, we blow on him with a stern no but most of the time he goes on biting. If this can't be fixed we don't have the money for professional training and may have to trade him or something as a breeder for a chick. I always wonder if it's because we didn't get to hand feed him and after he was weaned the breeder just left him with the other birds (we got him in August)?

I mean he has a cage twice as big as the minimum for IRNs, plenty of toys as I've said before, a great diet so I don't think it's that. For example today he has had some apple and banana bread for breakfast, veal parmesan for lunch, honeydew melon for snack and spaghetti for dinner along with the nuts, seeds, pellets, cereal and fresh veggies he has in his cage. That's just today! Yesterday we had eggs and cheese, spaghetti for lunch, so on and so forth, we eat pretty healthy and low salt diets so we do share a lot! Right now he's munching on a corn cob. He used to be out almost as often as we were home (he was in the cage while my toddler napped and he has a bed time of 8pm) and now I can't hardly get him out of his cage and if I do get him out it's a near bloody fight to get him back and he used to be such a gentleman coming out and going in with no problem whatsoever. He still won't do tricks too much other than nodding yes and saying please for food but barely. Doesn't want to really play with us at all.

I've had other birds before and obviously they've moulted with small mood changes but nothing like this!

[bec]

i would say thats it especialy if its a hard moult
most of my birds are ferrel when they are moulting

[ellieelectrons]

Hi Jessica

Maybe your bird is getting too much laid on? I suggest you look at the foraging thread. Since we've increased foraging opportunities we've found behavior is better (not perfect, but much improved).

Here is the foraging thread:
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=11701


Best wishes.

Ellie.

[PythonzEve]

Bec, that's good to know! I've had other small birds but this is my first IRN, just alarmed me to see that dramatic of a change that quickly. Trading him is/was an extreme idea and was voiced after a biting fit ending in my finger bleeding and I said it while still flustered. He was actually half decent today with no bites, but he still actively moulting (feathers flying but no bald spots yet at least) so very suspicious that is the culprit.

Ellie, I've read the thread, loved it and emulate it. I don't just pile everything in one spot (or even one playstand even) and as a note on that, peanut butter and honey mixed with just about anything else (by anything else I mean seed, pellet, etc), then refrigerated scoops and works just like putty while chilled and you can get some really fun/interesting foraging/hiding spots all over! And of course the taste is awesome on top of the other stuff like foraging toys, hiding food in shredable toys etc. So yeah, foraging isn't a problem ;op

[PythonzEve]

So yeah, weird. Almost two weeks on the nose of Mr. Hyde and he's back to Dr. Jekyl, a well behaved gentleman who enjoys playing, chatting, seeking us out, practically jumping on our fingers, liking tricks and generally being a good boy... Except for the begging for food but that's kind of our fault and we don't mind

Will this happen again during moulting season or are we done until next year? I could deal with a couple weeks, as long as I know my love-bird will be back afterward!