New IRN owner and Hand Taming!?!?!?!?!

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Maddy&IPod
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2015 11:20 pm

New IRN owner and Hand Taming!?!?!?!?!

Post by Maddy&IPod »

Hi lovely people,
My names Maddy and I've recently bought an IRN. His/Her name is Opie, he/she is 10 months old, blueish grey and aviary born in good ol' Queensland AU.
The go with Opie is im trying to hand tame him/her but im having a spot of trouble.
i sit next to his/her cage every afternoon and read and talk to him. i change his seed regularly, and give him apple slices(opies favorite) meal worms and celary.
what i've tried so far is open the little door on the front with an apple slice, sit my hand there still and tried talking to him/her to coax opie to take the slice from my hand. Opie has been successful with this 3 or 4 times (2 days in a row), then Opies gone back to being scared and not coming near me again. When i sit at the computer desk (next to opies cage) he/she sits in the corner closest to me and looks, so i know opie's curious.

opies only just started chattering quietly to himself instead of the loud shrill he did when i first got him. when he talks to himself i talk back just so he/she knows im listening. He/she is settled when im playing my music thankfully and he/she loves his loufa swing and hanging mirror toys. I think opie thinks hes a bat because he/she likes hanging from the roof of the cage (i dont know if thats normal or not) but opie seems content when doing it (he makes a weird noise with his beak-like grinding- and ive read that means he may be happy, content or sleepy)

can anyone give me any pointers in what im doing wrong or could improve on? i eventually want opie to be my little dude just to hang out, with out of the confines of the cage and not have to worry about him flying at a window and hurting him/herself.


HELP! :?: :|

regards Maddy and Opie :)
Wessel Gordon
Posts: 408
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: South Africa
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Re: New IRN owner and Hand Taming!?!?!?!?!

Post by Wessel Gordon »

Hi Maddy and Opie

Two weeks aren't that long in trying to tame a bird. I have 5 IRN's and a African Grey and depending on the bird it took me from a few weeks to a few months to convince some of them to take a treat from my hand through the bars and there's still at least two that blankly refuse to take anything from my hand. IRN's aren't exactly cuddly birds so convincing them to be comfortable around you takes a lot of commitment.

Having said that: I think what you're doing so far works fine so just keep it up. What I would suggest is trying to figure out what his/her favorite treat is and to not give it with other treats or food but make a show of presenting it. That way Opie will figure out that it only shows up when you do and if he/she acts the way you want to.

Wessel
Maddy&IPod
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2015 11:20 pm

Re: New IRN owner and Hand Taming!?!?!?!?!

Post by Maddy&IPod »

thanks wessel,
in your experience, what are your irns more likely to accept? I've tried apple, pear, strawberries, baby spinach leaves and other lettuce, carrot and so on.
I was thinking I'd try tomato but I wanted to get opinions first.
Wessel Gordon
Posts: 408
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: South Africa
Contact:

Re: New IRN owner and Hand Taming!?!?!?!?!

Post by Wessel Gordon »

What they are willing to accept depends on their mood but unshelled peanuts is always a favorite around here. Just be careful with that....according to some research peanuts contain a lot of fat or something which obviously isn't good for a bird in the long run. My birds get their two peanuts a day unless one sneaks in with their regular food.
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: New IRN owner and Hand Taming!?!?!?!?!

Post by InTheAir »

Hi Maddy,

When I got my hen she wasn't tame either. I would drop her favourite treats in to a dish and leave. Within a few days she would approach the dish while I was still nearby to get her treat. Then she started grabbing the treats while I was pushing them through the bars. Once she started doing that, I started offering treats by hand. When she would take a treat through the bars and stay next to me and eat it. Then I started opening the door to offer her a treat.

My girl likes fruit, pretty much any type and almonds. Passionfruit tends to go down well with ringnecks.

The main concern with peanuts is a thingy called aflatoxins. If you search the forum you will find info on it by Melika.

- Claire
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