wing twitch

Moderator: Mods

Post Reply
dcads29775
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:46 am

wing twitch

Post by dcads29775 »

Hi all, my Polly keeps twitching her wings. Do Ringnecks do this while moulting. Also she just suddenly started to try to bite me :(. Ive had her (well i was told shes a female) about a week. She takes food from me gentle as anything, I used to be able to stroke her no problem, but now i have to go steady as she started to nip. Have I done something wrong????
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: wing twitch

Post by MissK »

Hi. Hard to say since we don't see Polly doing it, but "wing flipping" is generally a sign of agitation in birds.
-MissK
sanjays mummi
Posts: 2050
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:07 pm
Location: Bedfordshire UK

Re: wing twitch

Post by sanjays mummi »

Birds, like humans, don't always want to be stroked and petted, parrots are notoriously fickle, kiss one minute and try to tear a chunk out of you the next, it's part of their charm.
dcads29775
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:46 am

Re: wing twitch

Post by dcads29775 »

so this could be because the moult as she has quite allot of pin feathers under her wings at the moment and on her head. She is preening herself. seams to be doing a good job. theres allot of little fluffy feathers everyday, these are like baby feathers and a few 1 or 2 big feathers one which has been cut (prob from wing clipping (previous owners)). She is eating fruit veg seed. She doesnt want to interact with myself much at the moment and seams grumpy lol. But is this normal for this time of year in UK. It is very hot here at the moment. I do not know when breading season is either over here for IRN s, but could this be another reason???? :?
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: wing twitch

Post by InTheAir »

Moulting occurs after breeding finishes.
Does your bird have regular baths and access to it whenever she wants?
It would also be worth introducing a good quality pellet to her diet and feeding less dry seed. Sprouted seed is good too. I usually feed a teeny bit of hard boiled egg a couple times a week while my birds are moulting for extra protein.
I am not an expert on diet at all, but I have talked to several avian vets about it and they have explained to me how inadequate seed is as a primary diet for birds and that the vegetables won't necessarily make up for it. It is worth researching diet and talking to your avian vet about it.

I've also read that clipped birds can be extra uncomfortable while their new wing feathers grow in as there are no feathers to protect the new growth. It is well worth considering the benefits of keeping your bird fully flighted and how fun it is to have a bird zooming around the house :D
Our Nila seems a little less tolerant of human stupidity when he is moulting, but it is the only time of year that he likes having his head scratched too. :lol:

As Missk said above, wing flicking can be a sign of agitation or excitement.
dcads29775
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:46 am

Re: wing twitch

Post by dcads29775 »

im not going to clip her wings as i think it is cruel. I just hope she goes how she was b4. as she used to be friendly. now its hard getting my hand near her without her diving at my hands unless i got a sunflower seed for her which she takes gently. I will try boild egg as she is in moult, as for pellets, im unsure which to get for her and which brand.
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: wing twitch

Post by InTheAir »

That's great that you are planning to let her wings be. Flighted birds are such fun! They are also really good for improving your training and handling skills :wink:

Have you target trained her? That can be a really good way to interact with hands off birds.

I believe Roudybush is well thought of. My birds like it and thrived well on it, but I just switched them to Harrisons. I think both brands are available in the uk. I haven't tried any other brands.
dcads29775
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:46 am

Re: wing twitch

Post by dcads29775 »

Ty for your replies InTheAir. I will look up those brands and see what I can get my hands on. As for target training I have not tried yet as when I got her she was coming on my hand and was very friendly with me responding with me, taking food as gentle s a baby, but now she snatches food through her cage bars, i open the cage top and she dives at my hands, when ever i talk to her she twitches her wings as if she dont want me by her, now im getting afraid of her :( I feel as if she hates me. but when i sit near her eating she will sit on top of cage and you can see her thinking about coming to get a snack. Then she decides not to. So I give her a snack when she is on her cage. Ive only had her like 2 weeks. I really need some help as I dont want to let her go. I want her to be my pet for life lol. Ps I have had a african grey b4 which i loved to bits but sadly i had to let her go after around 3 years of having her due to partner and her asthma. now she a ex lol and i regret letting her go (the African grey lol) I will never get rid of my bird again for any 1.
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: wing twitch

Post by MissK »

Hi again. I guess we all must make a choice when it comes to partners who are not compatible with our pets. I dated a guy once who asked me if we would ever NOT have a dog (he was hoping). I compared the importance (to me) of living with any dog to the importance of living with that particular guy and I told him No, *I* am never not going to have a dog. It's important to know what's right for you and share that information up front so that everybody can make their choices based on an accurate idea of reality.

That said, I'm very sorry you gave up your Grey and lived to regret it. You might have as easily kept your Grey, given up your partner, and lived to regret that instead. We can only make the best choices we can at the time and live with them.

As far as Polly is concerned, two weeks is really not an appropriate time frame for thinking about giving her up based on a little hitch in her settling in to your home. It would be different if you had never had a bird, didn't realize living with birds was totally in opposition with your preferred lifestyle, and really hated it. You should give her a great deal more time.

With regards to being afraid of her, please don't be afraid. What's the worst she can do, really? OK, if you are really unlucky, she can possibly pass you a disease that kills you. Are consciously you afraid of that? No? OK, then the worst she can realistically do is bite you. True, maybe she bites you, the bite gets infected because you don't take care of it, infection spreads throughout your body and, again, it kills you. Worst case scenario. Are you afraid of that? No? Why not?

What you need to do is protect the areas of your body where a bite would really, really hurt you. Don't let her beak within striking range of your head and all the sensitive bits you keep there. Do a SEARCH here for my posts on blocking the bite. Do not do things that make her want to bite you in the first place. Offer her a distraction from biting. Does she come to bite you when you try to open the top of the cage? Consider that your hands overhead and the cage ceiling moving might make her feel a bit unsettled. Let her come out the door first, or possible offer her a really fantastic treat in a dish as far away from that action as you can. Work your way up to opening the cage by first letting her get used to you putting your hand near the top of the cage, then on the top of the cage, then fussing with the connection, etc. If a giant tried to lift the roof off *my* house I'd be scared to bits. I'd run away, but if the doors were locked and I couldn't get out, I'd surely attack in any way I could. Have a little compassion for Polly here.
-MissK
dcads29775
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:46 am

Re: wing twitch

Post by dcads29775 »

ty again missk, the 1st week i was able to put my hands in the cage and open the cage no problem, she would come over to me for a tickle lol. But she changed. Could it be possible that she just realised her previous owners never coming back??
SunniDai
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:49 pm
Location: Washington state, USA

Re: wing twitch

Post by SunniDai »

I don't know much about the psychology of how our fids behave. But if I were going to chime in here (which apparently I am lol), I would say that perhaps the biting is because she realizes that you are not hurting her. Could be her way of testing the waters. "What will happen if I bite? Will this large two-legged creature attack me? What reaction can I get from this human?" Could be that since she is becoming more attuned to you and your home, she is beginning to feel a little more comfortable and therefore able to test the waters in this fashion.
Again, I am not an avian psychologist. Nor do I play one on tv :wink:
~Dana

Image
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: wing twitch

Post by InTheAir »

SunniDai wrote:I don't know much about the psychology of how our fids behave. But if I were going to chime in here (which apparently I am lol), I would say that perhaps the biting because she realizes that you are not hurting her. Could be her way of testing the waters. "What will happen if I bite? Will this large two-legged creature attack me? What reaction can I get from this human?" Could be that since she is becoming more attuned to you and your home, she is beginning to feel a little more comfortable and therefore able to test the waters in this fashion.
Again, I am not an avian psychologist. Nor do I play one on tv :wink:
The above comment really scares me!!!
Anthopomophising in this manner can be very unproductive to the relationships between birds and people. I'm pretty sure that is how the concept of height dominance came about and just think of how many parrots have suffered and even still do because people believe in it. Most of us know it was a faulty premise, but it is still promoted by some people!
Every single bird behaviourist I have met, read the works of or heard talk always say the same thing: What is the observable behaviour?

I'll just have to debunk that comment with an anecdote, but if you would like me to provide articles by proper, qualified people I can. :wink:
When Sapphire got tame enough to handle, she was still exhibiting some nervous body language when we moved too suddenly. The first time she bit me was a reaction to my hand moving very quickly into her personal space (because I thought she had her foot caught in my hair). Possibly her foot was slightly caught, which would explain why she didn't fly off. That was months ago and now we have a better trust account she doesn't bite me when we repeat that scenario. Ie: in a lot of cases the more confident the parrot is that people won't hurt it, the less reasons it has to bite.
Ok, I really can't not add one little article by Dr Friedman titled "He says, She says, Science says":
http://www.behaviorworks.org/files/arti ... 20Says.pdf


Dcads, I really think the best way to build a good relationship with your parrot is to learn the basics of applied behaviour analysis. You can learn a lot from the written works on http://www.behaviorworks.org
If you haven't read them already, the first 2 articles in the learning and behaviour section are very useful!
dcads29775
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:46 am

Re: wing twitch

Post by dcads29775 »

Ty for the info I will have a good read l8tr.
SunniDai
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:49 pm
Location: Washington state, USA

Re: wing twitch

Post by SunniDai »

I posted that comment based on the time frame dcads has had the bird.
I was wrong. Sorry.
Continue on.
~Dana

Image
Post Reply