Hi Guys, Im Luke from Australia

[QPs Dad]

Hi guys. We have already been on this forum/site maby a dozen times or more. It really is a must 1st stop for any IRN querys and questions.
Hopefully we can add some of our experiences. We have 1 IRN. His name is QP. My wife was desperate to get a smart and pretty Parrot.
She did her homework and we ended up bringing QP home at 4 weeks age. My wife hand fed him using a syringe and we all fell in love.
A year later and he worships the ground I walk on, but hates my wife. He has made her bleed so many times, my wife honestly believes
the numerous QP bites have sped up her healing process. There can be a hole 1 day, and nearly healed the next. Anyway, its lucky that
she is very patient and strong willed and wont give up on her baby. QP is personality +. He makes us laugh so much. He is actually pretty
cool with our 2 daughters. (16,6) Although he will tell our 6 year old pretty quick if he objects to whatever trouble she is trying to get him
involved in. Qp has just started to enjoy a bath in the kitchen sink. He splashes around, bites the stream of water, gets a really nice spread
on his tail feathers and has a great time. He will fly and land on my wifes head and wait for the sink to be scrubbed and ready. If my wife
takes too long, the ear gets munched. QP is a big sook at dinner time. Only wants what we are eating. He squaks and squaks until getting
his way which is usually. We have posted a few of QPs videos on YouTube. Channel name- Indianringneckparrot
Hope you get a few giggles from this very pretty, very smart, very naughty QP

[ellieelectrons]

Hi and welcome!

QP is very cute and obviously much loved! I think he may be a she judging by this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3bQAhqR ... N_dqrorUs=
although it may be too early to tell... but the stance at the beginning of the vid is classic female mating position.

I'm sorry to hear about the problems your wife is having with QP. What are you guys trying to improve the interactions? Sounds like he/she has bonded to you and sees your wife as competition?

I think this link on petting your bird could be useful for you:
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com.au/2011 ... arrot.html

Best wishes!

Ellie.

[McmillanBirds]

Hi QPs Dad

I just watched the you tube link Ellie posted(thank you Ellie) and the characteristics of QP are just like my 8yr old female Biscuit. She does the whole stance for me and clicks and whistles while her pupils get small and the dilate and I can stroke her and tickle her all over. When she is sitting on the top of her cage or on the couch I say "come give mommy kiss" and she runs up to me and plants a big 1 on me. Sometimes she tries very hard to force my mouth open and stick her whole head in to see what I am hiding in there which makes me laugh, she also makes sounds while her head is in there, I am sure she likes the echoing noise.

QP is a beautiful bird and you guys have obviously done a good job with her

All the best
Carmen

[QPs Dad]

Thanks for the warm welcome. It may sound weird but Ive recently found that by getting QP in a kind of mini head lock, my thumb and pointer in a ring. (btw QP allows me to do anything to him without getting at all fussed) In the headlock I then put his back to my chest and kind of lock him in. He cant move his body at all, just his head. Then I sit next to my wife and she gets to have a nice cuddle and head scratch. The other day when I did this QP immediately bust out every word and sound he knew. It was like a symphony of weird and crazy sounds. Peekabootweettweetweeeeeeeeeepeekapeekaweeeeeeetweet, was really funny, the whole time my wife was scratching him. He looked really happy and relaxed. Qp loves to chat mostly before he takes a nap. Its like he knows he must practice.

[ellieelectrons]

Thanks for the warm welcome. It may sound weird but Ive recently found that by getting QP in a kind of mini head lock, my thumb and pointer in a ring. (btw QP allows me to do anything to him without getting at all fussed) In the headlock I then put his back to my chest and kind of lock him in. He cant move his body at all, just his head.

Probably the bird thinks this is similar to patting... I was also thinking about when my two mate and sometimes the male will hold the female's head, so it's probably quite natural (that's just be musing out loud, I've never heard anyone reputable say that!).

Sounds like you are doing really well with QP. You're reading his/her body language well and working out what works. These birds are all individuals, so there is no right or wrong way to do things... although there are some guidelines that are more likely to work.

My birds also talk and go through their repertoire of sounds when they are feeling contented and happy.

When my guys were young they used to chatter themselves off to sleep, I think you're right, I think it's a form of practising.

Is your wife happy with that level of interaction? If she is, that's fine... but if she'd like to be able to interact with the bird on her own, I think you may need to take a step back for a while and let her have a more major role?... just until the aggression tapers off.

In our case, our female has more strongly bonded to my husband than to me, but I'm the main person to interact with them so I don't experience the aggression like your wife does.

Just my thoughts and they may or may not be right! I'm certainly not an expert.

Ellie.

[QPs Dad]

Ellie, i think stepping back may be the next trial. Its one Ive been avoiding only because I think he will miss me lol. At this stage the interaction with my wife is most important. So stepping back Ill try =)

[ellieelectrons]

Good luck with that QPs Dad!

Here is a brief post about a similar problem that you may find useful:
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com.au/2009 ... arrot.html

Ellie.