Hello there.
Have recently become the owner of a beautiful green IRN. Approx 20weeks old now.
We are getting to know each other.
it's name is Sage as we don't know if its a boy or girl yet. I just call him a him! Better than it!
He as started biting hard which I am assuming is the bluffing stage. It is very hard to not react!
I look forward to reading the forums.
Anke
Anke "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards"
Hello and welcome,
I am also new here and also have a new green IRN- he's 7 months and we just adopted him. He's pretty freaked out in his new home- He just arrived Friday afternoon. He was handled a fair amount before, so had been taking treats of seed and apple from me. But always appearing fearful with a big fluffy head.
Sometimes he lunges and tries to bite. So I have been just backing off and letting him have his space. He spent a little time yesterday outside his cage- we were told he couldn't fly. But then he took flight toward a dark window- he did not hit it, but from the floor he just walked back to the cage. So perhaps he's more of a glider than a flyer. He stepped up to a perch easily and allowed me to put him back easily- so that's progress.
How's it going with Sage?
We are still trying to settle on a name here- he came with one, but it's no one's favorite- but I figure he's had enough change for now and we'll just take one step at a time :P
Sage is still biting and lunging. Not drawing to much blood!
He walks along the couch and sits on my head willingly. As long as he doesn't bite.
Is just a lot of perseverance isn't it.
Good luck with your bird.
Anke "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards"
I am also new to the site and have a young IRN Clyde, he is around 3 month old, we have had him now for over two weeks and he has started to nip when you ask him to step up when he is in his cage, just got him a large cage this weekend so getting into pick him up is a lot easier than it was.
My way of defecting the biting at this time is to say peanut and offer a quarter of a peanut to him and then say step up, this makes him release my knuckle part of my finger and jump onto my finger to get his peanut. But i hear you, its hard not to react when hes got his beak around my soft skin on my knuckle.
Anked and Missie, and Nicole ,
How's it going with your new additions?
Our fella seems to going backwards a bit- before he would take apple, grapes and seeds nicely from me, but now just lunges and bites it from my fingers and drops it to the ground. It seems like he could care less about a "reward" now and is just mad most of the time.
He does step up onto a perch to come out of his cage and spends a good deal of time on a smaller perch/stand outside the cage. This was recommended to us to reduce his being so territorial in the cage and get him more family interaction. He makes fun noises- mostly with my son- but sometimes I think he's somewhat stressed out. It turns out he's older than we thought-probably a year and a half since his ring is so distinctive.
I am discouraged with this more aggressive behavior and lack of wanting really any treat- making it difficult to "train" away the undesirable behavior.
I will keep trying-
annie
I think you all will be OK in time. You just have to get your sea legs, or birdie legs.... Couple of thoughts in no order:
*Avoid being bitten. You can dodge, block, or distract. There is a lot of advice about remaining stoic during a bite in order to not reinforce it, but I really feel this is frequently interpreted with the emphasis on the wrong part. Your goal is not to sit there and take it. Your goal is to minimize the fuss so the bird does not end up training you to put on an entertaining show when presented with the cue of being bitten. The act of biting is self-reinforcing, so don't let it happen. NOTE WELL: Not all activity of the beak on your skin is a real bite. The beak is used to investigate. You should allow gentle beaking so your bird can satisfy his uncertainties about you. If he gets carried away, guide him to a different activity. There is some communication to be had in this beaking activity.
*For the bird who seems to be mad about something - I think they are trying to express that you are not welcome in whatever capacity provoked the "mad" behaviour. A territorial bird, especially one feeling a bit testy over hormones or molting, is likely to reject some advances, especially those which invade his turf. Do some research on this and find your way with it. One approach that works for me is is to simply not be deterred. I will carry on what I need to do, but gently, and deflecting any unfriendly advance. There is no call to push the bird's buttons over this as it is not any kind of contest. When Rocky is feeling his territoriality, I know it in advance and I am gentle, but insistent about stuff like cage maintenance. I will offer him things by hand, but I don't push him. Nobody pushes a friend when they are not feeling their best. Find a middle ground where you can respect your bird.
*For lunging - check your own behaviour. The lunge is a reaction.
*Flying - if the bird has been "properly" clipped he should be able to glide but not sustain upward flight. He can still crash into walls, windows, random objects, and the floor. Clipping is a controversial subject with passionate people on both sides. My personal opinion is that clipping almost always does more harm than good, and does only harm more often than not. If the bird flies poorly due to inexperience, practice should help. If the bird has not learned to fly properly then clipping should not be done as it interferes with learning this important skill.
*Rejecting treats - sometimes we're just not in the mood. It goes for them as well. When a treat is rejected the bird may have a different priority in mind. Maybe a foot toy is needed. Maybe a vocal interaction or a blinking game would help. Novel distractions are often times well received. Has your bird ever watched you turn your own head upside down? Does he make any noises you can mimic? Put your thinking caps on.
I have been very lucky with Clyde, he's Grumpy in the morning when I wake him so I leave him alone (i am also grumpy in the morning, so I understand) lol
We leave the radio on when we go to work, and when we get home we each in turn will take him out of the cage with a step up and a crumb of a peanut with then a kiss from him. We are now at the stage of taking him out and he's leaning out to give us the kiss before we ask for it! This must be done at least 7-10 times a night, I think if not more. He gets out for a few hours but just sits on his bar! Never roaming or leaving his cage.
He is taken down to the basement each night when we all play on the pc and will sit happily on my chest with my hand around him, To stop him flying away as I have cats about. Then will sit on his spare cage, while we all game.
I hope thing get better for you Annie, just keep up the good work ur doing and he will settle with u and the family I'm sure.
Hello there.
Sage is settling well, sort of. My son takes him out of the cage with no great difficulty after school.
I tale him out when I'm at home. He plays on his play table I made him. If I'm in the kitchen for to long, he will come and inspect. He doesn't take treats but he takes himself to his cage when he's ready for bed!
He still bites, not as often, but still hard!
Anke
Anke "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards"
Anke, I think the bite will fade. Just continue to be sweet and considerate, give him every reason to trust you. I have been through biting with my bird -- he now only bites if I missed a cue or neglected to do my part. For instance, he is very quickly looking for something to do when he is on the wrist. If I don't provide something of interest, he is probably going to nip me. It's not a "bite" in the real sense, just a nibble, just something to do. If I sleep way too late and his breakfast is equally late, when I reach for the empty dish, he might grab me as I am touching it. This one I really think is him doing the bird equivalent of "HEY! Don't take my dish; I'm hungry!"
In the past my bird had a defensive bite - and it was a real tears-in-your-eyes bite. It faded in both frequency and severity, and passed through a phase of him just putting the beak on the skin but not biting down. I confess, it was very emotional for me when he would do that. He *could* bite, but he chose not to, though he needed to send me a communication. It made me very proud and appreciative.
It is very hard to not react! 
but he takes himself to his cage when he's ready for bed!