Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

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ErnieisAwesome
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:16 pm

Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by ErnieisAwesome »

Hello all. I have been a parent o my hand fed green baby IRN for about 3 weeks now . Things have been great but I noticed last night he's been running across the cage to get away from me when I sit and talk with him . As if he's saying " no I don't want you " . Which is very possible I guess . However I love this bird it will kill me if he starts to " turn " from me . I also was reading somewhere on here last night that someone had heard if ou are hand feeding your baby IRN that it will eventually hate you and turn their attention to someone else in the house ? This can't be true , right ? I'm sad my little guy may not love me anymore !! This is my 2nd IRN baby . My first was a blue and he broke his neck a few months ago according to the pet store I was getting him from . I had fallen in love with that bird , visted him everyday so making the decision to get this little guy wasn't taken lightly .

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance .
AJPeter
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by AJPeter »

Do not worry, he has not turned against you, try a different treat, be patient. Eat your meals near his cage let him see it is safe to be near you.
Blue Pako
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by Blue Pako »

This Sunday marks Pako's month anniversary with me. He is about 16 weeks old. I noticed he was starting to nip at me when my hand would go inside his cage for step up, or even on top of cage - he would also run away from my hand both inside and on top of the cage. If he falls on the floor, he is more than happy to step into my hand. You could try what I'm doing, and start click training with him this. I use the top of a jam jar and just bent it a little to make the click louder. Make sure the room is lit well. Lights are on, if it's not a sun filled room.

I only started doing it this week, and I find that he is more responsive on top of his cage. He seems a little uneasy when I take him outside of the cage area on a perch.

Day 1: I started off just clicking, and giving a treat. I did in the morning before feeding him, and after his afternoon nap. Probably about 10 times each. Break up your treats, so they are small enough that it only takes him a few seconds to eat. I use pecans.

Day 2: I started with about 4 click-treat. Then 'touch' a chopstick about 6 times. I let him rest for a minute and repeated the 'touches'. I did the touches again about 8 times after his nap. Try to have the chop stick about 1cm further away from him every time.

Day 3: Today I do chopsticks and start Step-ups. I just say 'up.' Always use your clicker as soon as he does what you want, then give treat.

Day 4: Start with a few 'touches' (he should find this easy now) then Step Ups. After his nap, all step ups.

Day 5 - today: By now he doesn't nip at me. Even inside the cage, he will use my finger to get to another perch. Still not fond of me taking him outside the cage. But when he comes to the opening, he must step on my hand to get out. This afternoon I was trying to get him used to the floor. So I was getting him to step up, and placing him on his ladder (which extends from cage to the living room floor). He is petrified of the floor, so I brought him down lower each time. He kept dropping his treat in an attempt to make a quick getaway. I did this about 4 times and he didn't want to train anymore. So I left him alone. I want him to get used to the floor, and being away from his cage. He is happy to travel around the house on my shoulder, but I'm concerned he might become dominant if he isn't trained first.
InTheAir
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by InTheAir »

Hi guys,

Ernie, a hand fed baby irn won't automatically dislike you. It is more likely to be a direct reaction to how you are approaching and/or handling him. Watch his bodylanguage as you approach the cage and back off if he starts to show signs of fear. The best way to make friends with a parrot is to let him come to you for treats and slowly gain his trust. If you search this forum there are heaps of threads on taming already with heaps of good advice.

Paco, the height dominance myth has been throughly debunked. It is a pity that people still fall for it. I was given a couple books for Christmas last year that spouted out that rubbish! Both my irns are fully flighted, sometimes they choose perch on the curtain rails above us, sometimes they perch lower than us. I get the same range of reactions from them wherever they are perched. Our "bossier" bird will even choose a lower perch to nap on than our other, more "laid back" bird quite regularly.

Dominance of any kind is not really important enough in our relationships with parrots to worry about. Parrots don't have the same kind of hierarchical structure that human groups do. Parrots don't obey orders from other parrots as such. They are a bit more in the current moment.
The reason they want to be up high is simply a matter of safety. They are aboreal birds, they evolved to live in high places. Being stuck on the ground is basically a death sentence to a wild irn, so a pet bird that is not comfortable with it's environment is not likely to want to be on the floor.
I highly recommend reading over the articles on http://www.behaviorworks.org/htm/articl ... hange.html There is a piece called "The Struggle for Dominance" on there that you will find very interesting. I think everything parrot related on that site should be compulsory reading for anyone with a parrot!

Regards,
Claire
ErnieisAwesome
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Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:16 pm

Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by ErnieisAwesome »

Paco , Thanks ! I've actually seen a lot of clicker trained birds on YouTube and I've always wondered if it's as really easy as everyone says but sounds like it's really working for you guys so that's great !
I really think the issue may be my 3 year old son . His room is right across from mine and that's where Ernie resides atm for his own safety really . He's so small I want to keep him close , warm and safe . So he's heard my son scream and me fuss at him and although I do my very best to keep the kids away and their voices down ar I understand Ernie , some times theres just nothing I can do about it . I hate that he's so scared ! I would move him to another location but it would be even worse if he were out in the open . My hope is ad he gets older he will eventually adapt and get use to the noises of our family and then his cage can be moved to.tye dinning room which isn't THAT busy .
ErnieisAwesome
Posts: 48
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by ErnieisAwesome »

Claire ,
Should i already be giving treats at such a young age ? If so what kinds are okay for babies ?
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by InTheAir »

ErnieisAwesome wrote:Claire ,
Should i already be giving treats at such a young age ? If so what kinds are okay for babies ?
Opps I didn't realise how young he is. I don't know about babies, I got both my birds after they were weaned.
I find my birds get more upset by movement and thumping than loud music or talking (we don't have kids so screaming isn't a common method of communication in our house). I'm not sure if babies are the same, if you visit a breeder with 20+ pairs you couldn't exactly describe it as quiet or peaceful... :wink: They would give your son a run for his money on volume!
Does your birdy feel exposed in his current cage set up?

Hopefully someone who has an interest and experience in handraising birds will comment..
Skyes_crew
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by Skyes_crew »

Hi Ernie,

How old exactly is your baby? Is he still being handfed or is he weaned? What kind of foods was he weaned on to? Is he clipped already or is he still flighted?

I did some experimenting this year on the pros and cons of handfeeding vs. co-parenting.

With the handfed clutch I noticed a few interesting things. Up until they started fledging, all four wanted to be around me all of the time. They would cry and beg if they heard my voice at all. They were very sweet. Once they gained flight two different things happened. The two females of the clutch wanted to remain with me and would fly back to me at any chance. The two males of the clutch claimed their freedom right from the start. Somewhere around the tenth week, all four babies, who were once eager to come out of their flight, were suddenly scared. I even got nipped a few times by the two males. So instead of going into their territory, I let them come into mine when they were ready. After about two weeks of that, I noticed them not as flighty when they were caged. I offered a small piece of shelled peanut to them as each came out to fly. And then as they were flying around I sat with the peanuts in my lap eating a few myself. Their curiosity and love of peanuts eventually brought them my way. My findings were that somewhere between 9-10 weeks on a handfed bird they go through a bit if a rebellious stage. I don't consider it a "bluffing" stage. Just a point for them to gain their independence.

As a side note...I raised all of my babies to be used to children. Even with the co parented birds, I would regularly have my children handle them and play near their flights. If you isolate your baby from noise and activity, you will wind up with a jumpy nervous bird. I say put your bird in a main living area of your house but out of the heavy traffic areas. Teach your 3 yr old to approach the cage with arms behind his back. Typically 3 yr olds want what they can't have...I know because I have one...and so by giving him access to see the bird, and to learn about the bird, it loses it's shine quickly for them.

Hope that helps :)
I am owned by my birds...and I wouldn't have it any other way :D

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SunniDai
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by SunniDai »

Ernie, Sunni went thought the same thing. I think it's not so much a "bluffing" stage as a stage of gaining some independence. When they are babies, their world is very small. Basically you and the food. Once you aren't hand feeding anymore, they realize there's more out there than just you, and that can be scary. The biting is usually a defensive move when they feel that there's no other choice; when the "flight" mode has been taken away, all that's left is "fight". Now your relationship evolves to a different stage with your fid. but every day is something new and interesting :)
~Dana

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ErnieisAwesome
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Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:16 pm

Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by ErnieisAwesome »

[quote="Skyes_crew"]Hi Ernie,

How old exactly is your baby? Is he still being handfed or is he weaned? What kind of foods was he weaned on to? Is he clipped already or is he still flighted?
Ernies , exact age is uncertain . He was lack for a better word " dumped " at a pet store where i take photos . The owner of the store showed me how to feed him and gave me formula . He was guessed at the time to be about 5-6 weeks . His wings are not clipped and he's still on formula 3xs a day although he does seem like he doesn't want as much . Ive started offering plenty of seed , veggies to see if there is any interest . i didn't want to introduce fruit right away so he doesn't become a " picky eater " from what I've read . Oh and i forgot to mention that yesterday when i went to put fresh water in the cage , he flew out and almost hit the sliding the glass in my dinning room ! This bird is in full flight !

I did take some advice and moved his cage . This way he can hear whats going on . He can see my Lovebird though , I'm not sure if thats good or bad?

"With the handfed clutch I noticed a few interesting things. Up until they started fledging, all four wanted to be around me all of the time. They would cry and beg if they heard my voice at all. They were very sweet. Once they gained flight two different things happened. The two females of the clutch wanted to remain with me and would fly back to me at any chance. The two males of the clutch claimed their freedom right from the start. Somewhere around the tenth week, all four babies, who were once eager to come out of their flight, were suddenly scared"
This seems like what could be happening for sure ! Ernie is a mommas baby . He loves tickles and he loves to be cuddled . Just when I approach the cage he runs to the corner . i sit for a few mins and talk to him , usually once he realizes its me he will start bobbing his head up and down as if he's hungry , in which i feed him. So maybe just approaching the cage is whats freaking him out . Thanks for your input !

"As a side note...I raised all of my babies to be used to children. Even with the co parented birds, I would regularly have my children handle them and play near their flights."
Okie dokie ! Hahah You haven't met my children ! Im kidding. okay i thought i was " protecting " him from them but you are right . I need to get him use to them.
Thank you all so much for your input ! Very cool !
ErnieisAwesome
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:16 pm

Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by ErnieisAwesome »

I wanted to also add that I'm currently searching for an aviary in my area. It may be a hike but i know totally worth it .
I would like to get some opinions on his cage placement . Ill take some photos and attempt to upload them , if i can maybe some of the more experienced IRN owners and " good breeders :P " can help me out.

Thanks
Donovan
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by Donovan »

The cage should be as close to your main roosting spot ad possible like next to the couch or the computer. Wherever you spend the most time sitting around.

As far as how your bird reacts to you, just don't do anything he shows you he doesn't like. I have a young irn who enjoys being touched. Sometimes he doesn't want to be touched and if I try he'll give a little bite or a bump with his beak and he'll back off and so I know to leave him be for the time. Later he's practically begging me to rub his cheek and neck, but if I pet him when he doesn't want to be petted then he'll eventually think petting sucks.
ErnieisAwesome
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by ErnieisAwesome »

Donovan wrote:The cage should be as close to your main roosting spot ad possible like next to the couch or the computer. Wherever you spend the most time sitting around.
Thanks I actually moved the cage today next to my couch . He actually seems pretty happy which I thought he would freak because of the kids but he's doing fine .

As far as how your bird reacts to you, just don't do anything he shows you he doesn't like. I have a young irn who enjoys being touched. Sometimes he doesn't want to be touched and if I try he'll give a little bite or a bump with his beak and he'll back off and so I know to leave him be for the time. Later he's practically begging me to rub his cheek and neck, but if I pet him when he doesn't want to be petted then he'll eventually think petting sucks.
Just curious ..how does your bird beg ? I ask because I feel like Ernie begs me for tickets when he cries . I go and get him and he goes right up to my neck and snuggles in and barrier his head into me . He's so cuddly!
Donovan
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Re: Green baby suddenly scared of me ?

Post by Donovan »

They all have their own unique way of begging.. I have learned my bird's noises to the point I know what he's asking of me and I can tell from another room what he's doing by the noises i'm hearing.

You'll learn your bird in time but sure it'll take a while
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