Really new to IRN’s in fact to birds all together. We have acquired/adopted/taken in a female recently (I think) infact my son brought it home missing a few tail feathers poor thing anyway I’ve grown quite attached to her and long to be her friend and play with her with out any biting but was wondering how long does it take for them to trust you? Obviously how I treat her and how much time I spend with her will have an effect. I spend about 1 – 1:30 hours each evening with her due to work and probably 5 hours around her, 2 hour interaction with her at the weekends but she bit me yesterday really hard and broke the skin. Thing is it was just after I thought I had made a breakthrough. Sometimes I think she is trying to trick me into offering my hand just so she can bite me.
Very confused new IRN owner.
Are you able to handle her? if not then sit by her cage talking to her then before even trying to offer her your hand offer her a treat from your hand like some millet, apple ect... what ever she loves do this a few times then slowly start offering her your hand during this process you must probably will get the odd peck or bite the worst thing for you to do is shout or scream just try firm it and show her you are not scared
How long does it take? it can take as long as the bird wants it to when she fells she trusts you she will come to you do not rush her let her do it in her own time it may take 1 week it may take 3 months no one knows as all birds are different in there own mind.
Thanks for the replies any help or advice is very much appreciated. As I said in my welcome post I have very limited experience with birds and until our unplanned addition to the family I had no interest at all in having a bird as a pet. I had every intention of returning her to her owner but as of yet no one has clamed her. I must admit she is very interesting and so clever, within no time at all she could open her cage doors. I have no way of telling how old she is although she does seem to be fully grow going by info on the web. I thought I had made a break through the other night when she climbed up my leg onto my lap, put back her head and allowed me to stroke her chest. I was playing on the PS3 at the time, after I stroked her and feeling quite proud of myself (I’m a bit scared of her to be honest, well I did say I wasn’t a bird lover) I put my hand down next to me and she got up walked over to my hand quite calmly and preceded to bite me. Lightly at first, my wife tells me “it doesn’t hurt” so I never flinched but the bite just kept getting harder until the lower beak went through my skin and came back out and the upper beak pierced my skin. I know you shouldn’t react but this really hurt, I mean really! I couldn’t help but yelp. Of Corse I didn’t hit or push her and she just walked away looking back at me like I done something wrong. To be honest it was very disheartening. Trouble is just as she is starting to recognise me although she doesn’t want to be best friends, I am going to Spain for two weeks and my brother-in-law will be minding her. Will she still remember me? We have only had a few weeks together. I wonder if someone just threw her out? I mean if you lost a pet you would report it missing wouldn’t you. I hope she isn't claimed now, I would miss her she is quite a character
what i think is that the bird had just wanted your attention, so it nipped your hand lightly, but since you showed no response, the bird bit harder. this is one possible explaination to the bites that start off soft but end up very painful. maybe lightly move your hand to see if it responds and if it lets go, then continue playing with it as it may just had wanted your attention! hope that helped and correct me if im wrong!
Azure Just a "bookworm" (or rather an internetworm?) who has no ringneck(s) but REALLY wants a cobalt or violet
