New IRN

[anx-e]

Hi.
I brought home a male IRN. I don't know how old he is, although his ring is very nicely visible. It have been about a month since I got him. He is very violent though. Well, I won't say violent. More like he is scared of me. Runs away when I get near him and tries to bite when I try to pet him. I think the previous owner abused him. So, here is what I have done. His wings are clipped. So I started leaving the door of the cage open. He eventually started to come out on his own after like a day or two. Now he comes out every morning and walks his way on top of the cage. And that is his area. never goes far from the cage unless I go near him. And he do not take food from my hand! When I try that he just take the food and throw it away..! Or try to bite me!
I could say he is a little friendlier than when I got him first. But still, got a long way to go I guess! Any tips for me?
P.S. I read some of the threads here, and almost all of them suggested letting him see me do stuff, watch TV or sleep. I do that already. I keep him in my room most of the time! Love the way he stares at me from the top of his cage too

[ellieelectrons]

Hi anx-e and welcome

First thing I would suggest is to find out what your birds fav foods are by giving him a bowl of cool things to eat and seeing which he eats first. Withdraw this from his normal diet and just offer it as treats (it's probably not the healthiest option anyway, so it won't matter if it's not part of his normal diet). Start by offering it through the cage bars. If he doesn't take it, make sure he sees you put it in his food bowl. Try to get him a little more interested in you every day. Be really patient. I wouldn't recommend trying to pet your bird, at least for now. Some ringnecks like to be stroked but many don't.

That's a starting point for you. There are lots of other threads on here about taming birds that are scared, I suggest you do a few searches and see what you can find.

Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes.

Ellie.

[MissK]

Also I would suggest it's actually nice he will take something from the hand even if he then throws it...... I expect one day he will pause to taste. Try using clean (no salt, no sugar) peanut butter.

[anx-e]

@ellieelectrons
Well, I did try giving him some seeds. He likes sunflower seeds and also he likes peanuts. Will try giving him those with my hand I am gonna try some fruits and veggies today. See if he likes them.


@MissK
Will try peanut butter too

Thanks for the tips guys. Hope they will work

Oh and another question. Will his tail feathers grow back? When I got him he had none. The previous owner said he used to have a little cage and got his tail twisted in the cage bars or something.

[ellieelectrons]

Oh, that poor bird, being kept in a little cage that his tail feathers came off. That's pretty awful Although I guess there's no knowing if the previous owner was telling the truth about the feathers coming off.

They may grow back after he moults which should be in the summer/spring - but can happen at other times if there are drastic changes in diet or living conditions.

Ellie.

[anx-e]

Oh...Good to know that there is a chance for his feathers to grow back I actually stopped leaving him in the cage now. Always keep the door open so he can go in and out whenever he wishes! He goes inside the cage to sleep every night, and comes out in the morning. I can see that he loves being free to do whatever he wants after being stuck in a little cage for all these days

Oh, and there is another new thing. He keeps flapping his wings very hard every now and then! Should I be worried about that?

[ellieelectrons]

Birds will exercise their wings - so flapping them isn't a problem. Is your bird flighted or have his wings been clipped?

If he is still in a small cage, it's probably a good idea to get him a bigger cage as soon as you can afford it, and when you do, get him as big a cage as you can afford and fit into your home.

The feathers will usually grow back so long as permanent damage hasn't been done.


Ellie.

[MissK]

As always, I must chime in and caution against leaving him out of the cage all the time. You cannot be 100% sure that you will always be there for him and that he will always have the opportunity to be not caged. You owe it to him to make sure he owns the skill of living in a cage and also of independent, caged play.

Congratulations on your bird!

[anx-e]

@Ellie:
Good to know that its normal. And as for his wings, they are clipped.

@MissK:
I do lock him in if there is no one at home. But, in my house there will always be somebody around to watch him. If I am not there, my brother will be there He isn't alone

[MissK]

I'm glad you cage him when there is nobody to supervise. We all know that's best for safety.

It's not my intention to lecture, but please think ahead a little farther. This goes for everyone. There is no telling what chance or misfortune might bring. We cannot know how life will look in five short years, let alone ten or twenty. I just passed on adopting a bird just five years old who's owner's life changed and made her look to sell him. He's got some grooming issues already, and has never been caged. I would have taken him, BUT, never been caged except to sleep at night. I simply could not take the chance on him. Who knows where he will end up. This woman told me he was "like a son" to her, and yet, here he is, looking for a home. She said it was because of her job.

None of us would willingly part with our birds, but the truth is Life Happens. We should be prepared for it.