How long does the bluffing stage last?

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fred.e
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:54 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by fred.e »

I think I'm going through it now....

He want's out of his cage, then attacks me...

I persevere through his bites then he happily gets up on my fingers and all is cool.. but it happens 90% of the time?

Oh by the way, once Austin is relaxed - all he does is groom himself...

Any help would be great..

Thanks, Fred
Jodie

bluffing stage

Post by Jodie »

Hi,
I have heard this bluffing stage could go on for a year. He is just seeing how far he can go with you. I know it is hard but you actually have to pretend like he isn't doing anything wrong otherwise you might prolong the rebellion. Perhaps if you can't take the abuse wear a nice thick glove. It still resembles a hand and saves your skin.

I have a conure that bites at times when I am gone all day. This is his way of saying he missed me and I need to spend some time with him. I don't know if this could be an answer to your problem. Ringnecks are very needy birds. Even my breeder birds compete for my attention!

Hope this helps!
Misty_Anikin
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Post by Misty_Anikin »

Fred,

The bluffing stage varies in each IRN. I think a year is probably an extreme bluffing case. Though I am not sure, I only have had one IRN. BUT, my IRN Anikin only really went through the bluffing stage for about a month, if that and it was VERY mild!

I either got really lucky with him or it was not so bad because I spent a great deal of time with him and ALWAYS distracted him when I thought he was going to nip or bite me. If I went to pick him up and saw his eyes start to pin or if he started to lunge at me I would just get a pen and let him bite that and tell him up as I put my finger under him and that would help me avoid any bites.

I think the best thing for the bluffing stage is time and patience...it will pass if you interact on a regular basis with your
bird. Hope this helps! :)
-Misty
fred.e
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:54 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Post by fred.e »

Through much patience, and pain... And no reaction to his biting, lunging it has officially stoped - unless I am forcing him (e.g. getting him off my shoulder after an hour of chilling out) 99.9% of the time he comes up but once he will put up a fight - fair enough, it's comfy up there and we chat a lot.

But I am pleased to say it is over :))))) YES..!!!


p.s. can it return? lol
ringneck
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Post by ringneck »

Bluffing can come back; however, it will never be to the extreme as after the weaning. I don’t call this bluffing but just moodiness.

As sweet as my male Ringneck is, which he could not hurt a fly, sometime he has those days were he just gives me a good bite. But as I hold him more and more he just deals with me.

Sometimes I give my bird a good “NO!” and he knows to stop; however, it’s not recommended during the bluffing stage. You don’t want them to associate “NO!” for attention. That would only make them bite more.

Hope this helps

Best wishes, :wink:

I.C.
samon
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Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:36 am

Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by samon »

I HAVE a very smalll indian ringneck that is going through the bluffing stage pleasee help me i love that small indian ringneck she was my first parrot please help me and tell me how to make her stop biting meee :( :?: :roll:
ringneck
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by ringneck »

hey samon,

Hang in there my friend! Did you purchase your ringneck as a baby? Is he tame? Read this article ok?

http://www.indianringneck.com/bluffing/

Hope this helps my friend,

IMRAN-C
Blueberrybird
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Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:33 pm
Location: Oklahoma

Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Blueberrybird »

Wow. I'm pretty sure mine has started the bluffing :( either that or he just hates me!! He is also still losing a lot of downy feathers, and the feathers on his head look rangy and rough, I haven't noticed any long or big feathers, just a lot of little ones. Is that what a normal molt looks like? I'm thinking I might take him and some treats into a small bathroom today and just sit there and kind of force him to be near me. Hopefully I won't come out too bloody lol!! I have been working a lot of overtime & have been gone a lot, that doesn't help either!!
Roro1988
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 12:12 am

Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Roro1988 »

Hi...I have an indian ringneck which is 1 year old now. I love him very much and i spend a minimum of 15 minutes with him everyday. Roro doesn't like to be pet too much but still he steps up on my finger fine with no problem. But lately i am having some biting problems with him...He steps up fine but randomly bites my finger!!! Why is that??...Is this part of bluffing?.......And whenever i try to hand feed him he pins his eyes at me as if he doesn't want me to give him anything......But the true problem is that lately, from the second i let it off my finger and put it on its cage, he's transformed into a real monster, no way to make him step up again. If i try to make him step up i receive very painful bites. The only way is that i have to bring a pencil and let him play with it while i take him off the cage....What can be the problem to this??? What can i do to stop this ??? And yea one more thing is that when i put him on his cage he starts biting his own leg!!!

HELP PLEASE.......

P.S. Roro never sleeps in its cage...he always sleeps onto it. In fact its me who gave him the manner of sleeping onto the cage...is this good or not??
Blueberrybird
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Blueberrybird »

I am very new to this too, but because of the helpful people on this sight, I have learned to get him away from, and out of sight of his cage when I want to handle him. I used gloves at first. But once you get him away from his cage he may act scared at first but he will eventually settle down. Now when mine is on his playstand away from cage he acts like he is going to bite but doesn't. Usually :)
ringneck
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by ringneck »

It's important the ringneck continue to be interacted with daily. If the bird should bite, move your hand back and continue holding the bird. I know this is a difficult time as many owners believe this phase will never stop. Also, don't be intimidated when the bird pins its eyes. I believe many owners make this mistake, rightly so, as this usually means the bird will bite. My females will pin their eyes for almost any little thing and it took me a while to learn that this does not always mean a bite. Remember to maintain your confidence as this is just as important! :wink:

Ringnecks are very smart animals and can pick up when we humans are fearful of them. All biting should be completely ignored as you don't want this to be a communication route the bird uses to control you.

If you travel a lot, or are away from the bird a lot, just continue interacting with your bird as you did before. These birds are so smart and they never forget.
Again, I know this seems like a difficult time but you just have to hang in there. I promise this will not last forever. I have three wonderful ringnecks and they too once went through this phase and all of them have stopped. :wink:

Best wishes :wink: ,

IMRAN-C
Melstar
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Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Melstar »

I find that when my guy pins his eyes it doesn't mean hes going to bite. I suppose I'm quite lucky as I have not been bitten by my guy..(can't say the same for my boyfriend though). Anyways when Eddie pins his eyes it normally means that hes excited about something. Him and I will play on the floor and he'll run in a circle with his eyes pinned and put his beak inbetween my fingers cause he likes it when i hold on and shake..(not hard..haha don't worry, im not giving my bird shaken baby syndrome...just lightly and playfully) Also he will pin if i have some food that he wants. I would think that an IRN will pin their eyes for more than one reason, yes could be aggression but clearly I think they also pin with excitement as well.
Roro1988
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Roro1988 »

Yea...this is for sure. i remarked that also...:)
stv217
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by stv217 »

Mine has started bluffing for two weeks now, and boy is it bad. It doesn't help that he's molting his head feathers, which is upsetting him also. He's 7 months old and is just having wild mood swings, being aggressive with me, his toys, angry preening, etc. So far he hasn't had any aggression towards strangers.

I guess I lucked out with my first irn. I don't even remember him having a bluff stage.
WickedOne
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Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:25 pm
Location: California

Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by WickedOne »

My seven month old female is going through the bluffing stage. She doesn't break the skin when she bites, and when she first comes out she likes to be cuddled and petted. After reading the article posted on this site, I've learned to just ignore it and gently blow on her if she bites too hard, that way I'm not scolding her. I also keep her foot toy with me to let her take out her issues on that.
My boyfriend and I are both working with her and hoping that with patience and attention she will get through this fairly quickly. I'm really glad that I found this site and the articles, I was worried that after her being sweet in the store and me falling in love with her that she somehow turned out to be mean. I look forward to the end of the bluffing stage.
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WickedOne
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by WickedOne »

I've had my Luna for a little over one month now, and her bluffing seems to be never ending. I'm trying very hard to have patience and not lose hope. With my work schedule, I get home about half an hour to an hour after her bedtime, but she is usually awake and wanting out when she sees I'm home. I open her cage door and let her come out, and I'll let her chill on my shoulder. She'll sit and groom herself, but if I'm on my laptop she'll climb down and start biting rather aggressively at my fingers if I'm typing. I'll put the laptop away, and she'll go back to grooming or playing with her toys. I'll give her a peanut to munch on, and if I try to hold her on my finger to chat to her she either goes right back up to my shoulder or starts biting my fingers very aggressively.
If I get her out in the afternoon on my days off, she does fine for a while but then will growl and bite at me unless I let her sit on the back of the couch.
I'm at a loss as to what to do. I've heard to just keep handling her and let her throw her tantrums, but my hands can't take much more (especially after being bitten by a dog the other day on the job). I don't want her to become one of those birds that just sits outside her cage and can't be touched. I thought I was making progress the other day when she let me scratch under her wing.
I've heard from my breeder that it can take six months, and I'm afraid that my boyfriend's waning patience with her biting (he's not a bird person and was hesitant to let me get her, and has been disappointed with her so far) and my work hours making it take much longer.
I've also heard that if you teach them a trick like laying on their back in your hand, it will help them trust you sooner and help the biting stop much more quickly, but I don't know what to do.
I love my Luna bird despite all her biting, and I'm trying to be positive that it will be over before I know it, but it does feel like it is going on forever. I know of IRNs that are super friendly, and that's what I want with my girl. I just don't feel like I'm doing everything right, and I'm afraid she's not going to like me because I'm doing something wrong.

In short, help and/or assurance will be greatly appreciated. Any tips and tricks would be awesome. Would training her to lay on her back in my hand help her trust me? Would helping her learn to take a bath in the sink help her to trust me? Would ANY of that help the bluffing and biting end sooner?
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Blueberrybird
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Blueberrybird »

Hi! Sorry to hear you are going through the same a's me. I too feel like a bad parent who selfishly made a purchase knowing that I do work a lot of hours and have a busy life. I've had mine for 5 months and he still bites and won't let me handle him. I've found no answers. I'm just keeping the thought in my mind that he's still fairly young, 8 months. And that we have years to developed our relationship. Wished I had an answer for you. Don't give up! And know that you are not alone, from what I've read this is common. I think time is our answer, a's long a's we don't give up and keep spending a's much time a's we have with them :)
WickedOne
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:25 pm
Location: California

Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by WickedOne »

Blueberrybird wrote:Hi! Sorry to hear you are going through the same a's me. I too feel like a bad parent who selfishly made a purchase knowing that I do work a lot of hours and have a busy life. I've had mine for 5 months and he still bites and won't let me handle him. I've found no answers. I'm just keeping the thought in my mind that he's still fairly young, 8 months. And that we have years to developed our relationship. Wished I had an answer for you. Don't give up! And know that you are not alone, from what I've read this is common. I think time is our answer, a's long a's we don't give up and keep spending a's much time a's we have with them :)
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I keep trying to remind myself that it will take time. It's just hard to believe that she was so sweet and loveable in the store and since I've brought her home she's been bluffing. But I'll have to just hang in there and give her love.
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Roro1988
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Re: How long does the bluffing stage last?

Post by Roro1988 »

Hi i have another question here...my bird roro is bluffing for more than 5 month now...is it going to last a long time???...roro gives very painful bites when it is on it's cage but as soon as i take him off he is fine. But he also doesn't like me to pet him....He stays on my shoulder ok but as soon as i put him on the table he runs to the opposite side and starts to play...Is this normal??? Have i done something wrong to him???...The thing that shocked me is that my cousin recently came to my place for a few days and roro does not seem to go away from him. And also he lets my cousin take him off the cage!!!! How is that???...When I take him off the cage i receive very painful bites :(((...Am confused!! Roro lets me pet him but rarely....Mostly when he's tired...I would appreciate any help please.
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