Stuck
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:59 am
Hello there!
I acquired my first IRN almost a month ago or so. She hatched March of 09. The lady told me she had been handtamed, but they left her alone on top of her cage to do her own thing and she crawled around and ended up bonding with their macaw then wanted nothing to do with them. They moved and sold her to me
When I first got her she was scared and would straightaway move almost as far away from me as she could get in her cage. Within a few days, she would hold her ground if I brought my face close as long as I didn't also bring my hands along. Every time I opened her cage, she would climb out and just hang out on top and relax until someone got close and she'd move away and get back inside frightened. If my flighted Senegal Parrot scared her, she'd fall off the cage and I'd have a time getting her back to it! I usually had to use a towel because she would not step on a hand or perch.
I work from home so about a week after getting her, I put her cage next to my computer desk where the back of her cage is against the wall and the other three sides are open. I placed a new large perch in the front top corner of her cage nearest my desk (also left her old perches in there). She has been choosing to sit on her new perch and sits maybe 3 inches or so from the edge of the cage near me. I have been able to get her to take apple, popcorn bird treats, greenbeans and dried fruit from my hands through the bars of the cage which she will accept very gently.
I have also managed to be able to put my face right against the bars of her cage while talking to her gently. She seems to enjoy this, and she will sometimes make lots of after I have been out of the room for a little while. But whenever i bring my hands into the equation, she freaks out completely. If I put my hand on the cage near her, just resting it gently flat with my palm against the bars, she will freak out and flee her perch. The past couple of days I have managed to lessen the space of her fear bubble, but she seems to be stuck right here. I cannot get any closer, and yesterday the tips of my fingers were hanging in the cage and she tried to bite me!
I'm stuck on what my next step should be. I am not sure how to proceed. Any help would be good. I have read that teaching them to step to a perch can be very helpful, but she wants nothing to do with anything like that. When she falls off her cage, I have tried to get her to step to a perch to get back on her cage and she wants nothing to do with it. She has also been doing this thing lately where she bends over in half, her pupils go very narrow just once, and she makes this odd sound once. Almost like someone saying "UGH!" It's nothing like a mating dance or anything, just kinda wondering what this crazy bird is up to.
I acquired my first IRN almost a month ago or so. She hatched March of 09. The lady told me she had been handtamed, but they left her alone on top of her cage to do her own thing and she crawled around and ended up bonding with their macaw then wanted nothing to do with them. They moved and sold her to me
When I first got her she was scared and would straightaway move almost as far away from me as she could get in her cage. Within a few days, she would hold her ground if I brought my face close as long as I didn't also bring my hands along. Every time I opened her cage, she would climb out and just hang out on top and relax until someone got close and she'd move away and get back inside frightened. If my flighted Senegal Parrot scared her, she'd fall off the cage and I'd have a time getting her back to it! I usually had to use a towel because she would not step on a hand or perch.
I work from home so about a week after getting her, I put her cage next to my computer desk where the back of her cage is against the wall and the other three sides are open. I placed a new large perch in the front top corner of her cage nearest my desk (also left her old perches in there). She has been choosing to sit on her new perch and sits maybe 3 inches or so from the edge of the cage near me. I have been able to get her to take apple, popcorn bird treats, greenbeans and dried fruit from my hands through the bars of the cage which she will accept very gently.
I have also managed to be able to put my face right against the bars of her cage while talking to her gently. She seems to enjoy this, and she will sometimes make lots of after I have been out of the room for a little while. But whenever i bring my hands into the equation, she freaks out completely. If I put my hand on the cage near her, just resting it gently flat with my palm against the bars, she will freak out and flee her perch. The past couple of days I have managed to lessen the space of her fear bubble, but she seems to be stuck right here. I cannot get any closer, and yesterday the tips of my fingers were hanging in the cage and she tried to bite me!
I'm stuck on what my next step should be. I am not sure how to proceed. Any help would be good. I have read that teaching them to step to a perch can be very helpful, but she wants nothing to do with anything like that. When she falls off her cage, I have tried to get her to step to a perch to get back on her cage and she wants nothing to do with it. She has also been doing this thing lately where she bends over in half, her pupils go very narrow just once, and she makes this odd sound once. Almost like someone saying "UGH!" It's nothing like a mating dance or anything, just kinda wondering what this crazy bird is up to.