Very disappointed with my new IRN ;(

[mausi3030]

I thought I had done my homework and decided on what I thought was a good breeder. The breeder came recommended and her website is very good. My 10wk old IRN arrived a week and a half ago. I had to fly him/her, probably not a good idea. Too make a long story short the baby arrives he let me hold him and pet him when I tried to give him a treat he freaked out. For the first few days he was eating fine but otherwise just sitting in his cage doing basically nothing. Not making a peep. I talk to him and take him out, but as soon as i'm not holding him he will fly away. His wings are clipped but apparently not enough. He has made some progress at least he does move around in his cage some and he will actually look at me when I talk to him. When he first got here he would just turn his back. I have read all I can about training an IRN etc., I have little to no bird experience. I emailed the breeder to ask for suggestions especially regarding the fact that he freaks out when you try to give him a treat. The breeder replied that she did not have time to do more than she did and she did not teach him how to take a treat. She got very defensive I was not accusing her of anything I just wanted advice on what to do. Now the behavior makes more sense my guess is he has been handled very little I got exactly what I was trying to avoid a bird that has had very little human interaction. I'm at a loss of what to do.

[julie]

Give him time.The poor thing has just been taken away from the only safe place he knows. You need to let him know that you arent going to hurt him. Start off by leaving him in his cage and do the normal household things you do and let him see whats going on,this way he will be less likely to freak out with your movements ect. Eat near him,watch tv ect. After a day or so then open his cage door and sit nearby and see if he comes out.

[Pattu Rani]

I am curious if your baby is from the same breeder as mine(in MD) - sounds like how mine acted when he first arrived a year ago(and for a long time afterward). She says that the birds are handfed but my IRN is still afraid of hands(though he is gradually less so), he acts as though he was not socialized at all. I called the breeder a couple of weeks after Krishna had arrived and she said sometimes they are a little skittish, try offering treats(which he still won't take from our hands). After your baby has had time to settle in, if he/she is trying to bite then put something sweet on your finger like honey or syrup(I used mango chili dipping sauce) and it will distract your bird from biting and hopefully he/she will associate hands with something good.

[jimmyjack]

Hi! i know youre probably pretty worried, but you need to keep at it. Birds arent dogs - they are not pack animals and in the wild they are prey, not predators. As such, training is more difficult and time consuming. You have to build a relationship and that takes time. You cant expect him to be obsessed with you as soon as you got him home. I'll pick apart your post to hopefully help and give you some feedback good luck

My 10wk old IRN arrived a week and a half ago. I had to fly him/her, probably not a good idea. Too make a long story short the baby arrives he let me hold him and pet him when I tried to give him a treat he freaked out. For the first few days he was eating fine but otherwise just sitting in his cage doing basically nothing. Not making a peep.

This is exactly the sort of behaviour to expect. He is scared, in a new environment and has no idea whats going on. Immediately after the most traumatic experience of his life, a huge monster (though you only offer love) picks him up and wraps hands around him. ARRGGHH!! theres a possibility that he was scarred into inaction here. As someone has suggested, just let him hang out in a common area of the house (NOT tucked away in a quiet room) so he gets used to your presence and activity. After a few days, offer a treat - though he almost certainly wont come and take it, let him see you holding it, then drop it into a food container and go about whatever youre doing. He'll get to know your presence means tasty treats. this is the starting step!

I talk to him and take him out, but as soon as i'm not holding him he will fly away. His wings are clipped but apparently not enough.

As above, slow steps to begin with -dont try and handle him just yet. As to flying, yes he will still be able to fly even with clipped wings, a bird should NEVER have their wings clipped so much that they cannot fly. clipping just inhibits their ability and can help with training as it makes flying away more of an effort. If he is just flying away, it is because he is willing to exert that effort to escape. go back to step one and move slower...
I would wait until he is comfortable with you before you start letting him out, so then he can associate being out with having fun with you - if you get what i mean. hopefully you'll get to a point (probably not for months atleast) where you dont even need to keep the cage locked anymore. my baby is rarely locked in his cage, loves to be out and play but will always find him back in his cage

He has made some progress at least he does move around in his cage some and he will actually look at me when I talk to him. When he first got here he would just turn his back.

thats great. it means he is starting to be a bit more comfortable with his environment.

I have read all I can about training an IRN etc.,

one of the best sources of information you should read through is this forum. the most common post is along the lines of "please help, how do i fix my bird" or "please help, i dont know how to get my bird to play with me"...read through pages and see what responses have been and what people have done...believe me, i started out one of those people. im no expert, but im happy to share my knowledge with you as others did with me

good luck, dont be disappointed. all you can do now is love that bird and work really hard to help make its life easier

[Labreet]

I am a very new IRN owner and thought i would offer a few words from someone in a similar situation. I brought home my new addition about the same time as you, however, mine is about three years old. Their maturity is completely different and your's will take time but the new bird behavior is the same. When we brought Ollie home he was very afraid. I left the door closed for days and just talked softly and moved slowly and let him become accustomed to our lifestyle. I was nothing more than the lady that left the yummy treats in his bowl. Then i started opening the cage and he started coming out. Initially no sounds except for screaching and i felt he was calling to his old owner and distressed. He wouldn't let us hold him unless we chased him down which just stressed him more. Now today several weeks in, he is sitting and calling to us with whistles, words, etc. We still move very cautiously and don't force him to be handled other than what he seems to be ok with. I work on step up and i am still the lady with the yummy treats which he is really enjoying. He's finally beginning to play with toys and really loves my son. Hang in there and do lots of research. All pets have individual personalities but give him time to acclimate. Good luck!

[phildez]

Hi

Firstly - breeders breed birds, they do not 'tame' birds. That would be YOUR job as the birds new 'parent' so pretty pointless asking any breeder for tips on taming as they simply do not have the time!!
Second of all, from what I've read I don't see anything of worry from your bird, just a normal parent reared/aviary chick in a new environment. What exactly where you expecting the bird to be doing that its not??

Its a little bit worrying to read your title as 'disappointed' as perhaps you purchased your IRN thinking he'd be entertaining you 24/7 with clown like or cute antics??? I blame Youtube myself.......

Anyway bud - good luck!

[Pattu Rani]

Another bit of encouragement - Krishna just took some food from my hand for the first time - through the bars of the cage, but it is a step in the right direction. It has taken a year but finally our little green friend is starting to trust us - don't give up!

I am guilty of basing my opinion of IRNs through youtube - fell in love with their talking and antics. If you notice though most of the really talkative and affectionate IRNS are older(if male, have their full neck ring) and presumably they have had lots of time to get to know their human flock and vice versa. Over time try different toys and treats and see what your bird loves. My little guy loves those cat balls with the bell inside - he plays with them constantly and when I shake one in front of him so it jingles he spreads his wings and whistles