Gabby-my adopted female INR

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Zookeeper1958
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:35 pm

Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by Zookeeper1958 »

Okay, so I took everything I read yesterday in to use starting today . Instead of forcing myself on Gabby ,I put a chair next to her cage and was sitting there talking to her and singing to her . She loves it when I sing " you are my sunshine" .
She climbed out of the cage a couple of times and came down close to where I was sitting for a few minutes then went back into her cage . This is where it gets bad - the third time she came down ,she hopped over to the arm of the chair I was in and then immediately jumped up the back of my arm , bit a chunk out of it -then took a chunk out of finger,at this point i stood up and she grabbed one of my toes and bit it so I wouldn't go near her. My husband came and although she doesn't like him , she did get on his finger and went back to her cage .

The first thing I figured out is : I must have had my chair too close to Gabby's " area". If that was the problem -let me know !! Even though its only been a month with this bird , I am about ready to give up ! I know she must like me - she screams whenever I leave the room and she can't see me . Most of the time I will say " I'll be right back Gabby" and she'll say " where are you going " ..
I just feel so totally confused and upset by this birds behavior ...
AlphaWolf
Posts: 289
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:06 am

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by AlphaWolf »

I know how you must be frustrated Zookeeper1958 but patience is the key. One month is like a nano-second for a parrot. I have had Aero for 3 months now and we just started to be able to change food and water without a panic response. So keep up and hope someone experience will chime in. Do you know what his favourite treat is.
"Live with parrots and you learn to panic"

AlphaWolf
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by MissK »

Hi. I sing that to my dogs, also "ain't no sunshine when she's gone".

I don't know about your interesting attack experience. Can you think what else was going on at this time? Do you have any clothing she fears, or was there possibly anything she doesn't like going on at the same time? How do you know she does not like your husband? Could there be misinterpretation, maybe she likes him a little too much? Maybe she likes you too much?

Suggestions for next time ~ back up the chair a little, wear shoes, and have something to distract her with if she comes to you.

Keepers with girls, chime in - this is your area, maybe?

Don't give up on Gabby just yet. Try to remember she is just a little birdie, and she is subject to her instinct and her past experiences. Her experiences with you are very new. Possibly you haven't figured out how to relate to each other very well yet, and it's going to take time. I can only think it's good (in the big picture) that she wants you back when you leave. Perhaps you can get a contact call going in short order? And I have to know - does she literally say "where are you going"? That would be too cute.
-MissK
Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by Doodlebug »

Hi again Robin. I feel for you I really do, my Dudes will come to me yet bite me for no apparent ( that I can tell) too. Very frustrating and I try not to take it personally but it's hard when we are putting everything we have into loving and caring for these birds.

All I can say is keep trying, and keep posting, the support I've had from the community on here has been so great, and they all know what keeping an IRN entails.
Loo :)
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by MissK »

Robin had some trouble navigating to make her next post, so she emailed me instead.
This is what she said:

We aren't sure gabby doesn't like my husband -she usually yells at him and
backs up into the cage when he comes near , like shes afraid oh him . And
as i mentioned, when i walk away , even telling her " I will be right back"
, she still screams for me cause she can't see me . If I'm in another room
i will yell or say loudly" I'll be right back Gabby". And yes, sometimes
when I leave the room (i always say I'll be right back ) , sometimes she
will say " where are you going" once or twice ..

I'm not giving up yet - i can promise you that ! I made a promise that i
would try for at least 6 months or longer . I realized yesterday , that i
had my chair way too close to Gabby's cage and that cage is her safe haven
. I can tell - she cannot stand to be away from the cage and both my
husband and I think this is bad . But , thats how she lived her life before
us - in a cage with no contact , no love , no play time - it really saddens
me what they must have put her thru . She may not want to be touched yet
but I can tell you this : I really believe she is happy and i say this
because we do let her out of the cage - she has a play too sort of !! And
plus a perch coming off the front . But shes always gabbing to herself and
singing (I think) and taking up a storm to herself.. Sounds like happy
sounds to me -I have tried many times to record these sounds but the minute
she knows I'm doing it she stops !!
I do have one short video of her on the dining table with some toys and all
she does is run around the table fussing ... I will try to post it if i can
figure out how !
-MissK
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by MissK »

Robin, down at the bottom of the last post, to the left, you see a button marked "new topic" and one marked "post reply". It's between the post and the light green bar below the post. Click the "post reply" and that should get you right to your text input box. :D
-MissK
AlphaWolf
Posts: 289
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:06 am

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by AlphaWolf »

Ok here is a message from Robin:

Thanks for the encouraging words -the only things i can tell she likes are
-cheese and my coffee . I walked by her one day while she was out on a
perch and she reached out and grabbed my cup with her beak and yanked it
towards her so i let her have some . Dont worry, its more like creme (
sugar free ) with a tad bit of coffee... Now - every time she sees me with
coffee she wants some .. The same with cheese ..
Robin
"Live with parrots and you learn to panic"

AlphaWolf
zentoucan
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:45 pm

Re: Gabby-my adopted female INR

Post by zentoucan »

You have adopted the female IRN. Why did the previous owner put the bird up for adoption?
I got a Alexandrine first and then a IRN. The Alexandrine was hand raised where the IRN was aviary bred. In three days I had the IRN stepping up onto my finger, taking food from my hands and he/she hasn't bitten me. The method I used and it worked for me, is using clicker training. Get your husband to do this has well. I would probably do alternatively. That way the bird will get use to you both.
I gather the bird is caged inside the house probably in the living room.

Day one: when the bird is in the cage, enter the room and go to the furthest point from the cage with the clicker in your hand. Approach the cage until the bird shows signs of being alert and/or frighten. Stop and just stand there and wait until the bird relaxes. Then click the clicker once and take two to three steps back. Wait two to three minutes, then approach the cage again until the bird shows signs of being alert and/or frighten. But make sure you get a little closer. Stop and just stand there until the bird relaxes then click the clicker once and take two to three steps back. Repeat this method until you are standing next to the cage. This will take about 15 minutes to do. Then walk away. Wait for around 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this method until you can walk up to the cage without the bird being scared. This could take 7 to 9 times. Once you have done this. With the clicker sit next to the cage and eat some food and have a spray of millet with you. When the bird shows interest and approaches you offer the millet and wait. When the bird takes some of the millet click the clicker once.
Once the bird gets use to taking the millet replace it with sunflower seeds. Feed the bird through the cage. This can be done in one day. Remember to click the clicker once every time the bird take food.

Day two: start by feeding the bird through cage. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes then wait 20 to 30 minutes. Open the cage door and offer sunflower seeds at the cage entrance. Be patient and remember to click the clicker once every time the bird take food. Do this for at least 7 to 8 times that day with 20 to 30 minutes breaks between.

Day three: open the cage door and get the bird to the entrance with some sunflower seeds and remember to click the clicker once every time the bird take food. Now instead of using sunflower seeds you go back to the spray of millet. With the clicker and millet in the same hand and with your other hand make it into a pistol. Focus the birds attention onto the millet and bring the pistol hand up very slowly to the feet of the bird. Your finger must be parallel to the perch and level with the bird's feet. Do not touch the bird. Don't remove your hand form this position. Now move the millet so it out of reach of the bird. The bird will have to step forward to get to the millet. Therefore stepping up onto finger. at first don't expect the bird to step up onto and/or stay on your finger at first and there is a possibility you could get bitten then again you might not. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes then wait 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this method again at least 7 to 8 times that day. You will need to continue doing this daily to reinforce the behaviour of stepping up.

Remember not to force the bird. The idea is to train the bird to do what you want without force.
after 3 to 6 months there is no valid reason to still get bitten or for the bird to be having panic attacks. if this is happening then you should re-evaluate your training methods. I think people who quote patience after months of training and are still getting bitten are deluding themselves.
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