Help me stay engaged :D - IRN Screaming issues

[Mr Dobo]

Hi,

I don't know where to start and need help to keep my fiance sane, and still get married

I own a female 7yr INR. She loves me, hates Danielle. She has a massive cage, plenty of toys, a good view of the tree's other birds etc, fresh breeze, radio left on when I'm at work, time out of the cage in the mornings, she showers with me, I give her foraging toys with nuts and seeds to keep her mentally active, her diet is pellets with fruit and veg, but nothing seems to please her.

My problem is screaming..

The minute i leave the room she screams, or even if Danielle is ironing in front of her cage and watching tv she screams at her. Now, we have tried all the theories. We have tried leaving the room immediately when screaming and returning after a period of silence. We have tried the praise the quite with sun flower seeds (fav treat) and leaving the room again when it begins. Ignoring it, no reactions, no yelling. Sometime we half cover the cage and face her to the trees but sometimes she screams anyway...

If i were to get her a mate, would that resolve some of the need for attention? Would another female be able to be caged with her once I introduce them slowly in seperate cages and see if they get along? I don't want a male & female combo due to breeding..

Awaiting advice if any can be given and feel free to ask any questions..

Thanks Guys,
David

[happybird]

My sympathies! I can't advise, my IRN is still young, but I do hope you find a solution> sounds like you really love her! I have never heard of showering with a bird, does she enjoy it? is she able to grip onto your skin, doesnt it hurt? My bandit is not good at sitting on shoulders!

[ellieelectrons]

Hi

Two females will not get along in the breeding season. If you want to get her a friend, you need to get a male.... We had our female first and then got a male and it worked out okay.

I'm not sure what to recommend re screaming but will think about it. I do know the key to stopping screaming is understanding the cues that are causing the bird to scream... But in my experience this can be difficult to figure out.

Ellie.

[Mr Dobo]

Hi Ellie,

Thanks for your reply;

If I get a male, how do I ensure they don't breed? Do 2 birds equal double the noise levels? (I live in a unit, but neighbors aren't too bad)

She has had several unfertilized clutches, and I was told not to take the eggs until she is bored of them, or she will just keep replacing them, so I just leave them until she isn't sleeping on them.
Do I take them, and replace with dummies eggs with the male involved? Or do you try and seperate the birds during gestation months?

Thanks for your help
David

[ellieelectrons]

If I get a male, how do I ensure they don't breed? Do 2 birds equal double the noise levels? (I live in a unit, but neighbors aren't too bad)

My hen as never laid eggs although she is constantly looking for nesting places.

I'm afraid to say that at times 2 birds do equal double the noise levels but not always... I think to some degree because they've got each other they don't need to call out to you as much... but there are definitely times when they both will call out for you incessantly.

Do I take them, and replace with dummies eggs with the male involved? Or do you try and seperate the birds during gestation months?

I think dummy eggs should work but I don't have any experience in the area. I think separating them could potentially be quite distressing for them. My male hardly does anything without my female doing it first. He doesn't like to be too far away from her. We had our female first and she is much more independent.

Good luck with the hard decisions ahead of you.

Ellie.

[Melika]

You can also take away the eggs as they're laid and freeze them for a few hours before putting them back. The people that gave me Hane have been doing this for a while now and it's worked just find. Other people just never give a pair a place to nest in the first place (no nestbox). But many IRNs seem to lose their pet qualities when housed with a mate of their own species.


Hane screamed at my husband a lot first while dating and even after we got married and moved in together. Our solution was I never gave Hane treats anymore- all treats came from Joel. Now Hane sings to Joel instead. Joel has taken over most of the food role now. Hane still loves me more, but doesn't hate my husband.

Also, you might want to read this. It is one of my favourite articles on preventing or fixing an overly bonded parrot-human relationship: http://www.rationalparrot.com/tease.html