Hi Guys my names Rochelle and I'm new to the forum!
Recently met this guy who mentioned he had a girl IR that's 6.5 months old and that he is looking to get rid of her.
From what I gather he hasn't spent any time on her and spends all her time in the cage. He mentioned she screams a lot and bites everyone. Now I am wanting to take her off his hands. My mate who breeds all kinds of birds and owns a few aviary IR said it's very very very unlikely I will be able to tame her. I would of thought with persistence and time it would defiantly be doable? She has had her wings clipped. I am starting to wonder if this is because she wants me to give it to her? Wanting to know what you guys think as you are the experts?
Attached is a photo of it! Friend also mentioned it may be a boy as it is too early to tell unless it has been DNA tested?
Rochelle
6 Month old Grey IR
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chjery1000
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2014 4:52 am
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
With a lot of time and patience, I personally believe every bird can be tamed and be friends with humans. I say go for it, but please do expect a lot of time to be spent and a lot of patience to be had on both your parts! 
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
you can absolutely tame that bird. It would take a little time but it's doable.
and by tame I don't necessarily mean petting and cuddling.. but it can be made to trust you.. not bite.. and even do the occasional trick. It can be made to take full interest in you.
and by tame I don't necessarily mean petting and cuddling.. but it can be made to trust you.. not bite.. and even do the occasional trick. It can be made to take full interest in you.
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
Hey guys thanks for your advice! I have had her for a little over a week now and the guy I got her off couldn't of been more wrong. She is soo gentle and beautiful has not bitten us once! He mentioned she was hand raised and for the first four months she was out the cage alot playing, then the last two months she has been outside neglected. We let her settle in for around 2 days and let her out for the first time on the third. She is very interested in everything and us and seems to get more and more vocal and confident everyday! She comes out every day around 3 to 4 times and for around half an hour to an hour each time! I took her to an avian vet for a general health check up and he said she is very healthy, we also got her DNA tested, so now just awaiting on the results. My only problem with her is she loves my piercings (and I have a lot) and pulls them out all the time, so now I wear a beanie around her and keep her away from my nose. She is the most amazing pet and has a spot right in the kitchen so she is around people all the time. She has never once shown she is scared of us, or my dog (who hates her). Great addition to the family!
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
sounds like you may be doing something right then... feel free to keep us updated on her progress
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
Hey MissK,
Everything is going great, he is not scared of me at all now. He is still only wolf whistling and making little clicking noises but I am sure he will start soon. I talk to him everyday!
I am starting to worry though. I go back to uni fulltime in August. I wonder whether the time I have will be enough for him? Going to uni from 8am till 6pm weekdays and when I come home I have to study. Will an hour out in the mornings and 2 hours at night be enough for him? I also am looking at rescueing another male, hoping to eventually put them in a bigger cage together, but now I am wondering whether I should or not? I have started putting him outside during the day (next to my budgies) and bringing him in around 5pm to play on his cage till around 7:30pm (bedtime for him). Am I doing enough??
Rochelle
Everything is going great, he is not scared of me at all now. He is still only wolf whistling and making little clicking noises but I am sure he will start soon. I talk to him everyday!
I am starting to worry though. I go back to uni fulltime in August. I wonder whether the time I have will be enough for him? Going to uni from 8am till 6pm weekdays and when I come home I have to study. Will an hour out in the mornings and 2 hours at night be enough for him? I also am looking at rescueing another male, hoping to eventually put them in a bigger cage together, but now I am wondering whether I should or not? I have started putting him outside during the day (next to my budgies) and bringing him in around 5pm to play on his cage till around 7:30pm (bedtime for him). Am I doing enough??
Rochelle
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
Rochelle, if you are not on a time schedule for his training (and you should not be) then you have all the time you need for him to learn what you want him to learn. Remember that you can only do what you can do, and if you overcommit then you may burn out. Sure, bring him out for a little social while you have breakfast if you want, but I think your better opportunity is when you get home.
If it were me, I might try a sleep cage. It would go (if for me) like this:
Wake, greet bird, put bird in day cage, give big kale leaf.
Shower, dress, etc
Make human and bird breakfast, then eat together.
Go off and have your day.
Come home, do whatever needs doing as soon as you get home.
Make human and bird dinner, then eat together.
Have a little one-on-one time with bird.
Have bird out of cage time while you settle in to your schoolwork.
Accept interruptions as needed and take a study break for bird as needed.
Handle whatever else you need to handle about the house, bird out if you can supervise, otherwise, bird in day cage.
At bedtime, bird goes into sleep cage and you both go off to bed.
I actually live the opposite schedule - I have all my time in the morning, which works a little better with birds for pets. At night I bother them when I come home and sometimes Rocky comes to sleep in my room and sometimes not.
If it were me, I might try a sleep cage. It would go (if for me) like this:
Wake, greet bird, put bird in day cage, give big kale leaf.
Shower, dress, etc
Make human and bird breakfast, then eat together.
Go off and have your day.
Come home, do whatever needs doing as soon as you get home.
Make human and bird dinner, then eat together.
Have a little one-on-one time with bird.
Have bird out of cage time while you settle in to your schoolwork.
Accept interruptions as needed and take a study break for bird as needed.
Handle whatever else you need to handle about the house, bird out if you can supervise, otherwise, bird in day cage.
At bedtime, bird goes into sleep cage and you both go off to bed.
I actually live the opposite schedule - I have all my time in the morning, which works a little better with birds for pets. At night I bother them when I come home and sometimes Rocky comes to sleep in my room and sometimes not.
-MissK
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
Missk, thankyou soo much for that. I already suffer from anxiety and over the last few days I have felt that maybe I can't give him enough even though I love him! I haven't purchased a day cage yet but in a week or two I will be. So for now I am moving his cage in and out the house haha. I am not on a time schedual, so if I have more time I will spend more time with him. I may try what you said. Eat with him in morning for around half an hour. Then outside for the day. Come home say hi, do my stuff and bring him in for an hour or so. So what your saying is you think that would be enough? Some days I may have more time and others not so much. My friend also said I will burn myself out haha
Re: 6 Month old Grey IR
Well, more time is generally ideal, but you can only do what you can do. We know that eating together is a big deal for birds, so he should get that from you every day. We know coming out of the cage is necessary, too, but we also know birds don't always go home when you need them to, so putting pressure like that on yourself before school could really go badly. Save it for a more relaxed time. From day to day, you give him more time when you can, less time when you can't. There has been a lot said in parrot keeping about how they need routine and reliability. I agree, to a point. There are some things that should not be haphazard, like breakfast. Life in the wild, though, can't be that predictable, and knowing this leads me to feel our birds are capable of great flexibility and resilience.
The schedule I mentioned you should not be on would be a timetable for getting the bird trained. You don't have one, so don't worry. You should understand that if you get a second bird to be a friend to your first, this may not go as planned. It is well understood they may dislike each other, so if you get a second bird, it should be the bird YOU want and will want even if they are not friends. If it does go well between the birds, then there is a great chance they will prefer each other over you. It makes sense, both being birds, both being home together all the time you're not. So consider it carefully before running out to get that second bird.
The schedule I mentioned you should not be on would be a timetable for getting the bird trained. You don't have one, so don't worry. You should understand that if you get a second bird to be a friend to your first, this may not go as planned. It is well understood they may dislike each other, so if you get a second bird, it should be the bird YOU want and will want even if they are not friends. If it does go well between the birds, then there is a great chance they will prefer each other over you. It makes sense, both being birds, both being home together all the time you're not. So consider it carefully before running out to get that second bird.
-MissK