Advice please about fearful pair

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marley01
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 9:55 am

Advice please about fearful pair

Post by marley01 »

Hi all, I am new here. Last week I acquired a bonded pair of IRN. I am looking for advice on how to approach them and calm them down a bit. They came from a place that had a lot of birds and they lived together in a cage next to many other birds. They never had much human contact.

Right now they are caged on my side porch which is safely enclosed and quiet. We only pass through the porch if going to the side yard, so they have a lot of privacy. They are very scared when I change their food dishes, they flap all around the cage and yell at me with that IRN screechy sound. I am hoping to breed them in the future, and I understand that they will remain pretty wild, but I was hoping to make them less terrified of me. Throughout the day they just sit on the top perches and barely move at all, and don't make any sounds unless I go by them and they get scared.

Anyways, is it good that I have them in a private area? Would it be ok for me to quietly sit by them for some time each day even if they are screaming at me or should I just leave them alone? Also, when they scream at me I stay by them until they stop yelling, and then I leave... I am trying to teach them that they can't scare me away, but I'm not sure if that is a good idea or not. I have not been out there too much with them, because I dont want to frighten them more. Any advice is appreciated.. thanks :-)
Skyes_crew
Posts: 1946
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Hawaii

Re: Advice please about fearful pair

Post by Skyes_crew »

Having them in a quiet place right now is a great idea. And like you suggested, sitting by them and reading or doing something quiet where they can see you will help them to become accustomed to you. If your main goal is just to have them not be fearful of you when you are servicing their cage, then time is what you need. Give them plenty of time to adjust to you, their new surroundings, and new routines. Keep your movements slow and talk to them soothingly while you go about whatever you're doing near them. If you can, begin to announce your entry into their area with either a word, or a whistle. Something unique to them. You will see over time that they will get used to you being around them and they will become less fearful of your presence. Good luck and congrats on your two new feathered friends :)
I am owned by my birds...and I wouldn't have it any other way :D

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