Help with new Alexandrine

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joshc136
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:28 am

Help with new Alexandrine

Post by joshc136 »

Hi,

About 4 weeks ago, my partner and I bought an Alexandrine parrot from a breeder. He was only 6 weeks old when we got him, so about 10 weeks old now. I say him, because he already has quite a dark ring around his neck, and is quite large.

He is a pretty good bird, a lot of the time he is well behaved. But he is noisy, really noisy. We have just started wheening him off spoon feeding, but he has been noisy since day 1. He seems to be getting worse also. He is mostly noisy when I get home from work, and at night time (also througout the day, and in morning, but less frequent). He makes really loud, repetative calls over and over and over. I dont know if its a hungry or excited noise or what, but when it gets too much, we give him a "time out" in a dark quiet room. Basically, we just take him into a dark quiet bedroom and just sit there with him until he quietens down. This helps to calm him down, but he often gets vocal again when bought back into the main living area. When he isnt making the loud, annoying calls, he makes lots of other cute noises, like he is trying to talk.
o le
He also bites. Usually just fingers and ears. Often when trying to get him to "step up" he will just latch onto a finger, or repeatedly strike fingers. He doesnt seem to bite really hard, doesnt draw blood, but it does hurt and is pretty annoying. Sometimes, when he seems to be upset, he will bite really hard, and really lunge at you, often with an angry sounding squawk.

We both work full time, so he spends most of his day (until about 7pm) in his cage. He has 3 toys and a foot toy to keep him occupied. His diet consists of a pellet/seed mix, fruit (apple, grape) and vegies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, corn, pea's) He has plenty of clean drinking water.

We are really hoping that he is just adjusting, as he is still really young. We really like him, but the noise is starting to get too much. Some days we cant stand it and have to leave the house to get away from the noise. Can someone confirm if this is normal behaviour, or is there something we should or shouldnt be doing with him??
Lilly
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 10:20 am
Location: The Netherlands
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Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by Lilly »

About the biting fingers when you ask him to step up, I actually found that my FID (feathered kid) did the same but after a while I realised he wasn't biting he was actually balancing himself with his beak as he stepped up, because he was young he couldn't quite get his balance to stand on one leg while lifting the others. I observed this also when he would stand on his perch and try to eat he would wobble as he hadn't quite mastered balancing and eating with one 'hand'. :lol:

Oh and congratulations on your new FID lol!
joshc136
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:28 am

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by joshc136 »

Bit of an update, seems the noise is getting worse, he screams pretty much constantly whilst me and my partner are around. If I am in the bedroom, he doesnt make any noise, but as soon as I enter the same room he is unbearably loud. Somebody please help before the neighbours call the cops on us!
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by ellieelectrons »

I'm sorry you are having so many problems with the noise. Given that he is just being weaned now, I'm wondering if it is him squarking to you the he would squark to his parents? They can get really noisy when they are wanting parents to feed them / comfort them.

The good thing is that if this is what the noise is, it will settle down as he gets older... if you can just wait until then.

I could be wrong because I'm not sure how old they are when the baby squarking stops... although I know that Janey (our blue IRN) was making these sorts of noises to me for a couple of months after she was weaned. Would love to hear what others say.

Trying to stop noise is not easy. You have to get to the cause. We sometimes have problems with ours too. This thread may help:
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=10856

Good luck!

Ellie.
joshc136
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:28 am

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by joshc136 »

I think you might be right re: squawking for his parents. Sometimes he tries to regurgitate food into my mouth and if I dont take it, he tries to bite me on the mouth and/or nose.

I've started looking for ways to keep him occupied, and this has helped a lot with the noise. I went to a local pet shop, and they recommended peanuts (in the shell, so its fun for him to crack them open) and wheat biscuits (hard ones, so that he can destroy them more so then eat them) This has seemed to help this afternoon, he has spent all of his time playing with peanuts and wheat biscuits, and made very little noise. The true test will be when my girlfriend gets home.
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by ellieelectrons »

The good thing is... that if it is baby noises then these will change as he gets older... you may get a new set of equally annoying noises... but there is hope!


Ellie.
yoshi6910
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:57 am

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by yoshi6910 »

Hi,

Just wondering how your young alexandrine is going. Is he still noisy and calling out all the time?. I would like to know as I have aslo just purchased an Alexandrine. I got hime from a breeder at 4 weeks and hand fed him myself but the noise started when he started to wean. Now he calls when ever we take him out of the room that has his cage in it or when ever I go near him. He's not as bad with my daughter. Driving the rest of the family up the wall. We want to spend time with him but we just can't stand the noise.
Hoping to hear back good news.
julie
Moderator
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:07 am
Location: nsw australia

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by julie »

LOL goodluck with that :lol: those noises stopped with Mika when he learnt to bark,wolf whistle,yell hey my boy,come here boy at us. It is pretty amusing when he argues with us though.
Gemma
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:50 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by Gemma »

we have an alexandrine (claude) and he acts like that all the time. i thought the neighbours would complain about it too :lol: he seems to love my mum, he will be quieter when i am by myself in the room with him but as soon as my mum comes in he will go nuts, but he calms down with food
myrka2004
Posts: 140
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:33 am

Re: Help with new Alexandrine

Post by myrka2004 »

joshc136 wrote:Hi,

About 4 weeks ago, my partner and I bought an Alexandrine parrot from a breeder. He was only 6 weeks old when we got him, so about 10 weeks old now. I say him, because he already has quite a dark ring around his neck, and is quite large.

He is a pretty good bird, a lot of the time he is well behaved. But he is noisy, really noisy. We have just started wheening him off spoon feeding, but he has been noisy since day 1. He seems to be getting worse also. He is mostly noisy when I get home from work, and at night time (also througout the day, and in morning, but less frequent). He makes really loud, repetative calls over and over and over. I dont know if its a hungry or excited noise or what, but when it gets too much, we give him a "time out" in a dark quiet room. Basically, we just take him into a dark quiet bedroom and just sit there with him until he quietens down. This helps to calm him down, but he often gets vocal again when bought back into the main living area. When he isnt making the loud, annoying calls, he makes lots of other cute noises, like he is trying to talk.
o le
He also bites. Usually just fingers and ears. Often when trying to get him to "step up" he will just latch onto a finger, or repeatedly strike fingers. He doesnt seem to bite really hard, doesnt draw blood, but it does hurt and is pretty annoying. Sometimes, when he seems to be upset, he will bite really hard, and really lunge at you, often with an angry sounding squawk.

We both work full time, so he spends most of his day (until about 7pm) in his cage. He has 3 toys and a foot toy to keep him occupied. His diet consists of a pellet/seed mix, fruit (apple, grape) and vegies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, corn, pea's) He has plenty of clean drinking water.

We are really hoping that he is just adjusting, as he is still really young. We really like him, but the noise is starting to get too much. Some days we cant stand it and have to leave the house to get away from the noise. Can someone confirm if this is normal behaviour, or is there something we should or shouldnt be doing with him??
My thought that he screaming that he lonely all day long. Poor baby.
Why you buy him if you not have a time for him, and when you got tired from your work you don't wanna hear him as he excited when somebody coming to play with....then you try him calm down in dark room.
My though that he need a better home
.
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