a few baby questions

[Hcloost]

hello there!
I'm a new member of this forum, with a new baby IRN of 8 weeks old. I just have a few questions about my new boy (at least it feels like a boy to me )

I had the bub for about 3 days now and he has settled in a little bit - takes treats and does step ups and sometimes lets us scratch him. does anyone know any tricks or games that might be able to help me gain his trust quicker? i want him to feel at home as soon as possible.

also whenever fingers come close to him he often has a little nibble at them - i think this may settle as he comes to terms with his new environment. its hardly ever a hard bite, and he hasn't drawn any blood. my first thoughts were that he may be a bit scared and trying to warn me off, and when he does get irritated - thats when he puts on a bit more pressure. i was just wondering will this behavior pass? any help would be appreciated.

thanks for your time, this is a great forum!
Hayley

[Melika]

Since birds are their own people, they have moods too. So we learn to respect them. If he gives a pinch and you know he doesn't want to be handled right then, it's perfectly acceptable to leave him alone for a while. If you keep puching, he'll just bite harder until you finally 'get the hint', lol. So if just a slight pinch is all he needs to let you know what he wants, he won't advance beyond that.

Peek-a-boo is a great game! Over time, I moved from just hiding behind my hand or a blanket to covering his head with my hand while playing this. Birds like to see what's going on around them since they are prey animals, so getting to the point where you can cover his head would prove his trust for you.

You could also play the towel game. Never drop the towel from above, rather you want to slowly wrap him from below. It's like a modified peek-a-boo. This can start just with your bird walking on the towel, and move on from there.

For both, there's lots of talking and praising and telling him how pretty his is. It helps to be genuine, as they can tell our moods fairly well and will respond accordingly. xD

And move at your birds pace. You want to build trust, not scare him.

Both these behaviors will also come in handy for the future- for either wing clipping or vet visits. ^_^

I'm sure others will add some more games.

[Hcloost]

thanks alot for your ideas i'll try the peek-a-boo

with the towel game, how does that work? do i start off with a flat towel, him walking on it, then progressing untill i can wrap it around him?

and in regards to his biting, i do usually try to put him back to where he is most comfortable (in his cage) if he is getting a bit cranky. i'm just a little worried that it will seem like a reward for biting though if i put him straight back in after a hard nip.

thanks for your reply

[Melika]

It's such a fine line. A hard nip isn't very nice and he shouldn't get what he wants with that. But a little pinch, if he's saying I'd like to be alone right now is okay. Preferably (and this is something Tsume does) he'll just grap you finger and nudge it away.

It goes by a case by case basis, so you do have to be careful about biting to return to the cage too.
We usually just return the birds to the playstand if they're getting grumpy, instead of their cage, and they sit and watch the family. I'll stop by and talk to them and offer a hand, sometimes they have a change of heart and want to come participate, other times they don't.

Most bites, when examined carefully, are actually caused by us anyway.

Depending on how confident your bird is you do the towel game that way. If he's standing on the towel, you can flip a side up and hide behind it, playing peek-a-boo with the edge of the towel as well.

Avoid red towels... most birds seem to be wary of that colour.

[alana8819]

thats a really great idea its funny heaps of people have said they dont like red but our floor is painted red not by my choice like it when we moved in and it doesnt bother cookie at all he also has heaps of red toys which he loves.