IndianRingNeck.com

Hi Shardia

From what you've described, I would say you have a scared bird, not necessarily an unpleasant one. You have to work on building the trust relationship. The biting is a fear response.

A few tips:
When offering your bird a treat, do it through the bars at first until you've got him doing that regularly. Always let him come to you, don't chase him with it. If he doesn't come and take it from you, leave it in his food bowl ensuring he sees you putting it there. You want to create a pleasant association with seeing you. Each time you do it, try to get him a little closer to taking it from your hand before putting it in his food bowl. An interested look, a step towards you, these are all behaviors to encourage.

Also, are you sure what you are offering is a treat he likes?

Shredding paper is normal behavior. Perhaps you could buy/make some shredding toys for him?

The dance is normal. It's probably the male mating dance.

I'm also wondering if his cage is on the small side? How big is it?

Ellie.

Hello, Ellie! Thanks for posting a reply
Oh dear, I didn't think he was a scared bird, just thought he was a nasty one. Yes I do give him treats through the bars all the time. He comes running up to me or my mum to take it from us, most of the time if he hears us getting him his treats ready he waits on his top perch where i always give him his treats and he runs up and down making a lot of noice. Do you think him doing this do you think he's gained my trust or not? When shall I put some food on my hand and enter the cage or is it to soon for that, as I'm pretty sure he will bite me and I don't want that!
He was goodies every night which are apple,melon,pineapple, purple grapes or I do change it rounds when I go shopping. He does like them as he does eat them all, I think his favorite are the purple grapes. He does like his nuts and red pepper which are in his parrot food. When putting my hand in I only use fruit, what else should I try what other things do parrots like? I get him these yogurt clotted raisins things he loves them! I have got him a toy which hangs in his cages it's a Receipt Puller - its in a plastic case and they can pull the paper out and rip it up, but he still carrys his paper frm the bottom of the cage right up to his swing he spends hours doing this. He was got a lot of toys in his cage so it's not like he's board. I have changed the paper round now I've put the paper at the bottom of his cage and the plastic base bit over the paper you can do this, now he can't do it. It's much better! Ah, glad he dance thing is normal, thought he was going mad (all our animals are mad they all have there funny habbits) his cage is a African Grey cage as that's what we were having before getting an IRN so it's perfect for him (well that's what I've been told) I have got a link but it won't let me post it on here as I'm a new user if you copy and paste this in the google bar Wagner's Montana Bird Cage New Jersey for Parrots - Antique Grey it will come up click the top one, and it gives a picture and the sizes. Have a look and let me know if it's ok for him. The cage is the same apart from little bits on it what are diffrent to mine and the stand is different his is a lot taller it's totally different to the sand in the picture, I have to get on my tip-toes to reach the top of his.
The lady we got the cage off housed her Macaw. My bird doesn't come out of his cage (for more info read topic HELP) I am going to weal him out into the garden as we've been having some lovely weather it's just I'm not sure if it will fit through the door. I'm not sure if he'd like it. I know it's not ok to leave them in the cage all the time as they need excise, i'd love to get him out but he can't fly very well and last time he was out he flyed into the lamp/blinds and hit the wall twice and he was like just lying there, I thought he died! I don't want that happening again, and when he's out it so hard get him back in as he's nasty and won't let you go near him. Most of the time when he was out he used to just sit on the top of his cage watching my mum clean the cage and when she put her hands in or used to clean the bars he used to come running to the front of his cage, he only sometimes went on the curtain poll. Some people say put a lead ot somthing on him or a towl, how am i ment to do that when hes nasty?! Haha. When my mum cleans him now I hold a blanket on the front of the cage so he can't get out. Oh yes, when will he start talking, think I did say that. He does make a lot of noice now especially in the morning I'm sure he's going to star very soon, he's one now.


I'll look forward to hearing from you

He is still a chickster at 1yr, and Sanjay barely spoke at that age, I think they have to build up confidence first. Are you and your family repeating words to him? I have found with Sanjay he will say something, and just when you think he's forgotten it he comes out with it again, he is 2 yrs. Do'nt expect too much too soon, let it be in his own time at his own pace

Hi Shardia

Thanks for supplying more detail. Some of what I said earlier was probably incorrect because I didn't have a very good understanding of where you were at. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions!

Your bird may or may not be scared but the biting is definitely his way of trying to tell you something, we just have to figure out what that is! Think about what brings on the bite. Does he always do it when you feed him through the cage door? Or only sometimes? If you can figure the cause, then you can change your behavior so he will stop doing it.

I'm glad your bird already takes treats through the bars. That's really good. It could be that hands in his cage makes him feel like his private space is being invaded, so you could try offering the treat just inside the door, and let him come to you to get it. I wouldn't advise sticking the treat right up to him, make it so that he makes the choice to come to you. See how that goes.

Is your birds' main food supply in a bowl or does he get it through foraging? I found increasing foraging made all the difference to our girl's biting behavior. If you want more information on foraging let me know.

I haven't looked at the cage yet but if it's a cage to suit an African Gray or a Macaw, I'm sure it's plenty big enough.

I hope there's something there that can help.

Ellie.

Hello, Sanjays Mummi!
Aww, I thought he'd start talking soon. We do talk to him, I've got to admit we don't talk to him for like a long period of time all at once. We brake it up through the day so talk to him like 5mins here 5mins there, like when he makes noice we talk to him, like when he's playing we go "Ooo whatcha' doin' Sonny" and " Hello, Pretty Boy!" we say loads of different things to him (take me ages list everything) we mostly say - Hello, Sonny!" And "Pretty Boy" so think his first words will probablly be "Hello" ( what do most IRN say for there first word?) we whistle at him lots, he can almost do it! He's in the livingroom so there a lot of noice in there when the tv is on when me and my mum are in there ect... so he always hears us and the dog and when we have vistors, its never quiet in the livingroom. one day I'm pretty sure he'll say "Shut up Dog" :L

Hello, Ellie!
Thanks for getting back to me it's ok I probably should of listed more information, but I didn't really know myself, that's why I was asking haha. When I put the treat through the bars he just gets the treat and eats it, he doesn't try and bite me he's to interested in eating! He's happy when he has he treats because when I give it him though the bars I go "Oo Yummy Yummy Sonny" and his eyes go really small then big again, I was told they do that when there happy? Sometimes I think it just depends what mood he's I'm as sometimes when he's just standing there on his purch I say - Hello, Sonny!" and he makes noices then all of a sudden he like bites the bars really quick and make this noice which i've only noiced when he's angry, like when he's playing with his toys he does it a lot and dives at his toy and attacks it while making this noice and when he carrys his paper to his swings and drops it. I'm not sure why he bites sometimes he's fine then he's not, your probably right when I put my hand in the cage he probably doesnt like me on his territory as he does have that problem. He doesn't like being touched at all, like we can only strock him though the bars I think he prefers my mum stocking him as I don't really do it as he scares me I know he's only little, but them beaks are strong, they can crack hard nuts imagine what it could do to you finger, ouch!!!!! I mean sometimes he'll let my mum touch his beak for a few seconds and he'll let her touch his tummy but then he just makes that noice I was in about and try's to bite your finger, and gets really angry it's the same what you touch any part of this body, that could be the problem? I don't know I just want him to be nice! But I don't think he will ever be. I did try that one time putting my hand into the cage with a Apple but he just tryied to get out of the cage, you never know what mood he could be in, I mean ages ago I gave him a apple though the door, but I forgot to cut it so he had one end I had the other and I was trying to pull it away, he won in the end haha. But now I don't think he'd be like that he'd just try and bite me! His main food is in a bowl yes, he loves his red peppers and his nuts, he does forage in his food, as he moves it all around with his beak to get to his favorite bits, and it sometimes he throws out what he doesn't want to get his favorite bits, them later be goes down the bottom of his cage and eats what he's tucked out his bowl. Is that foraging?

Look forward to hearing from you

Hi Shardia

Shardia wrote:But now I don't think he'd be like that he'd just try and bite me! His main food is in a bowl yes, he loves his red peppers and his nuts, he does forage in his food, as he moves it all around with his beak to get to his favorite bits, and it sometimes he throws out what he doesn't want to get his favorite bits, them later be goes down the bottom of his cage and eats what he's tucked out his bowl. Is that foraging?

Here are some links on foraging:
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... 01&p=69400
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =4&t=13466
http://www.parrotenrichment.com/ - this site has some free ebooks to download

Shardia wrote: He's happy when he has he treats because when I give it him though the bars I go "Oo Yummy Yummy Sonny" and his eyes go really small then big again, I was told they do that when there happy?

Sometimes they do that when they are excited, they also do it when they are trying to focus on an object and sometimes they do it when they are angry.

Shardia wrote:He doesn't like being touched at all, like we can only strock him though the bars I think he prefers my mum stocking him as I don't really do it as he scares me I know he's only little, but them beaks are strong, they can crack hard nuts imagine what it could do to you finger, ouch!!!!! I mean sometimes he'll let my mum touch his beak for a few seconds and he'll let her touch his tummy but then he just makes that noice I was in about and try's to bite your finger, and gets really angry it's the same what you touch any part of this body, that could be the problem?

Not all birds like to be touched. I'm a member of the Australian Parrot Society and they had an article in their journal talking about how companion parrot owners shouldn't expect to stroke their parrots. You may need to accept that your bird just doesn't like it. Sure, you can try every now again but if he shows he doesn't like it, stop. My female loves to be pat but only when she asks for it and my male hates it. It's really funny though, he'll come right up close when I'm patting Janey and sit there like maybe he wants a pat also but if I touch him, he recoils and acts quite shocked. He's more interested in watching Janey's reaction to the pats than being pat himself.... and I can cope with that. He flies to me, he gives me kisses, he talks to me, he does tricks... it's ok. If one day he likes to be pat, then that will be okay too but if that day never comes, I'm still happy.

Shardia wrote: I don't know I just want him to be nice! But I don't think he will ever be.

All birds have different tendencies but changing your behaviour towards your bird will change theirs. My Janey has been quite a biter in the past. If she was full and I was trying to give her a treat, she'd lunge and bite me. Sometimes she'd see my hand invading her cage, she'd bite me.... I was getting some good bites regularly... but now these bites have decreased. I recently had a problem again when she started some nesting behaviour but I've now altered my behaviour and I still interact with her, she does tricks, she lets me pat her, etc. and I rarely get bitten. Biting you is a way that your bird is trying to communicate something to you (eg. stop annoying me by putting that food in my face - I'm already full!, this is my personal space, I don't want to do that right now). I found that when I stopped trying to bend my bird's will to conform to mine and instead looked at how I could get her to want to do what I wanted to do, things worked much better. They're not always perfect but we're both much happier. So what I'm trying to say is, you can change things... don't think that you're bird isn't nice because that's not going to change his behaviour... you have to look at how you can change your behaviour.

These links might be a good starting point:
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com.au/2012 ... rrots.html
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com.au/2009 ... up_28.html

I also think that if you are able to get your hands on "Parrot "Behaviour and Training #1" (see http://www.goodbirdinc.com/parrot-store-dvds.html) - I think that would be a big help for you. It really helped me.

At the end of the DVD she has a case study of a guy who had a bird that always bit - so much so that he'd stop letting it out of the cage. By changing his behaviour, the guy was able to train his bird and it stopped biting.

Mattcoffs has also been recommending a book about parrot whispering which I haven't read, but it sounds good.

Shardia wrote:I mean ages ago I gave him a apple though the door, but I forgot to cut it so he had one end I had the other and I was trying to pull it away, he won in the end haha.

Haha... Yes, I find that happens with my guys sometimes. I want them to have a nibble of something and they take the whole lot!

Some other tips:
- I found that increasing foraging stopped Janey biting me when I'd try to offer her a treat. Suddenly, I was the easy way to get food when she can't just go to the bowl to get it.
- When offering a treat, offer it from below the perch so your bird has to reach down to get it. It's harder from them to bite like this.
- I think if you want to interact with your bird you are going to need a place away from its cage to do so. Eg. a t-stand or a birdie play gym. If you let your bird out and he doesn't want to interact with you, don't force it. Try again another time. Although there is nothing stopping you trying to entice him with his fav treat.
- If you're worried about your bird not going back to his cage when you let him out. Try letting him out in a smallish room and take anything down / away that you're scared he might harm or that might do harm to him. Do it in the afternoon just before dark. If you can, just use natural light (don't turn any artificial lights on). You should find that as it gets dark he will want to head back to his cage himself. See how you go.


There are a few ideas... I can always write more... but try a few new things and see what results you get. Try not to force the bird to do anything it doesn't want to do and see how you go.

Good luck and best wishes.

Ellie.