New IRN scared and sleepy

[digitaltiger]

Hello everyone,im new here and its very nice to meet you all.
Well i bought a green IRN 4 month's old,at first when i saw it at the store it seemed to be ok,tamed...i putted my finger it tried to taste it and stuff so it didnt seem to be scared with people,but when she (the store girl)grabbed it,it started screaming and flapping his wings and seemed very scared,when it came to his new house-cage after a few days when he was used to it,i tried going close to him but his reaction was getting away from me,and seemed very very scared of me,im sure this has to do with that "grab" from the store,like psychological trauma or something.
So my point is what should i do next..reallly im confused he seems to be scared even when i stare at him and i really want him to trust me,should i give him some more time? hes here for about 2-3 days,his wings are clipped..
Thank you all guys
Greetings from greece

[willowisp71]

Hello digitaltiger,

First of all, I'm very new to IRN's myself, so I don't have all the answers, but having only just rescued an IRN ourselves a week ago, I can definately say to you that, YES, he/she is feeling a little bit traumatized and YES, you need to give him/her a little bit of time to settle in and get used to the surroundings, and get used to you also.

Some things that worked for me over the last week are as follows:
- where possible I moved the cage to the room that I was in, as in, if I was sitting on the lounge I would have his cage next to me, if I was doing the dishes in the kitchen I would have him on a table or bench nearby, etc etc
- lots of quiet talking so they get used to your voice
- found out my IRNs favourite food was apple, so after 5 days started offering a small piece on my open hand through the cage door, he is now taking it quite readily.

I'm sure there are more experienced owners on this site that can offer you more expert tips as well, but I hope I have given you something to start with. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress

[digitaltiger]

Hey,thank you for the fast reply,i offered him apple too,and he seemed to liked it but he doesnt want me anywhere near him if i place my finger or touch the cage from the outside he starts panicking,and its so weird because at the store i almost scratch his head and now hes a hole different bird,i will give him time to get used to me,hes right next to me in my bedroom(where i spend most of my time) and he stares at me for hours...ive seen him climbing arround once i want in the room when i got in he was just starring me standing still upside down...
He doesnt trust me at all,and the thing is that the feeder is in the inside of the cage so if i have to put it off i will have to put my hand inside and this will stress him a lot...:/

[willowisp71]

Given time, he will eventually get used to you, I'm sure. As for when you need to change his water/food, you may need to just take things extra slow......take a step toward his cage, talking quietly to him, maybe even decide on a trigger word or phrase for him to associate to the action you are performing - if he starts getting stressed, stop and wait until he calms down again, take another step, stop again if he is stressing, rest your hand just outside the open door of cage, stop, wait until he calms down at a spot furtherest away from the food/water bowl, keep talking quietly to him, reinforcing what you are doing, ("more water, more food?"), slowly reach for the bowl, and slowly remove it from cage, pausing every time he starts to get in a flap, and of course do the same for when you replace the bowls. When you have finished replacing his food and water, perhaps give him a treat to let him know he is a good boy, if he won't take it from your hand at first, maybe just leave it somewhere he can easily get at it? Ideally you will want him to accept a treat from your hand, but I think at first you should work on getting him comfortable with his new surroundings and having you move around him. Being that he's still young, I wouldn't imagine it would take him too long to recover from the stress of being lunged at.....just keep your movements slow and fluid, your voice soft and low. Patience is the key, and even though I have such a log way to go with our Skittles, I can tell you, they are worth the wait. We just love our FID, he gives us so much joy, despite the fact he won't let us come near him Let us know how you get on

edit: *"long" not "log" way* lol

[digitaltiger]

Actually as time passed and with slow moves,i successfully gained some of his trust,hes wings are clipped and his all day at his stand i made for him,hes not stressing when im near him now at all i change his cage-bowls with ease,i feed him by my hand...
We got much better as time passed!

[willowisp71]

That's great to hear, digitaltiger! Keep up the good work