Any tips appreciated...

I've recently acquired a 3-month-old blue alexandrine who up until yesterday spent a week with my mom until I could bring him home (parents going through a divorce, long story...). I've been told by the breeder that one can tell the gender only after the alexandrine is 3 years old by the feathers, so he/she got the name Alex. I'll refer to it as a 'he' in continuation just for simplicity sake...
He doesn't exactly like my hands, but if I offer him my sleeve, he'll instantly be at my shoulder, and seems that he was hand-fed. There are times when he bites so hard he draws blood, and others when he naps on my shoulder and lets me pet him. He doesn't fly much, and it appears he finds a sense of security while being near my hair or on my shoulder. (Maybe he's missing his nest?) By Friday I'll have some toys acquired and I'll start clicker training him so he stops making my hands look like I've wrestled a cat.

Given that I've finally brought him home and got him a new cage, I'm a bit worried on how to proceed. For the last 48 hours, he's been really restless and keeps wanting to go out on my shoulder, even when it should be sleep time. He's been out in the new room, lounging and napping on my shoulder, but whenever it would be time for him to go back to his cage, he's running away, hiding behind my back and on my neck, or biting my fingers when I try to scoot him up. I've managed to get him into the cage by a little subterfuge, but giving his somewhat frantic pacing of the cage and caws whenever I leave the room, I'm worried that he sees the cage time as punishment and not as rest. I haven't been able to soothe him in any way yet, which I suppose is normal since he's with me for barely a week and a half.

Any suggestions on how to soothe him and make it clear that the time in the cage is rest time and not punishment? I don't want to distress him unnecessarely, and I can't have him out all the time, at least until my university exams are done.

My Alex was the same when it came to bed time. It's a baby thing. As mine got older, he would put himself up for the night. Also, if yours is biting hard enough to draw blood, I would be careful about allowing him on your shoulder.

My sun conure used to do that, and she's rather....we'll say "finicky", as well.

My conure is very food motivated (like most birds), and after finding her favorite snack, I can "make" her do things she normally wouldn't want to (such as....stepping up, because she decided she just doesn't want to anymore).

Does your Alexandrine have a favorite food? My conure's is dried papaya. She used to love sunflower seeds as treats, but now goes nuts over the papaya. I'd try coaxing your bird a few times like that, so that he associates "favorite snack" with going back into the cage, or, not sneaking around your neck and shoulders...

It'll take some time. I've had my bird for 4 years, and she's still a little brat. Haha.

And I believe you CAN tell the gender by the ring around the neck. I believe males have the pink or black ring... I'm not sure of what age, but I'm almost positive alexandrines are dimorphic, and the males have the ring...

And yes, I agree with khaiqha. Shoulder privilege should be for more "tame" birds....when they can perch up like that, it's like they can call the shots, and they know it'll be difficult for you to get them there.

Tricksy tricksy....

Thanks for the replies.

You CAN tell the gender by the ring, just I've been told that the ring doesn't form up to somewhere between 18 and 36 months, depending on the bird. Since mine is only 3 months old...
As for the favourite food, I have to admit I have yet to try a wide variety. He's getting seeds and apple slices, and the occasional cooked egg, but since he's only with me full-time for the last 48 hours, I haven't had the time to experiment properly. Last night while he was being restless and wanted out, he pretty much ignored the orange slice I was giving him and shot up my arm to perch on my shoulder.

For biting, I didn't explain myself properly. He draws blood when he thinks that I want to forbid him something or that I want to remove him from a place in which he's really confortable so he throws a tantrum and gets angry. Otherwise he steps shyly away from the hand, apart from when I either give him an apple slice, or when my hand is the safest place at the moment (smooth tabletop so far had him skidding across, so he came on my hand to feel secure and steady). I thought he might be going through the bluffing stage so I keep trying not to be fazed by it.
It doesn't affect his behavor at all when he's on my shoulder: he perches on it, preens no matter what I do (I still try not to make any sudden movements), he nibbles afectionatedly on my ear and he seems to have some fascination with trying to be a toothbrush. When given the option between flying and shoulder, he chooses the shoulder. Not that I'd like to test that with outdoors free flight. Any kind of sleeve is perfectly fine as well: it's just flesh and skin that he doesn't like for some reason.

Once I start training him I'm expecting we'll get along just fine. I just want to make sure he doesn't have any bad associations with cage time, and that he doesn't think I'm abandoning him or something when he has to stay in the cage as I go to work or to Uni classes.

Yeah, my conure steps away quietly when my hand approaches, and then if I don't stop and she gets irritated, she bites. Gotta watch those finger cuticles...

I'd just try associating the favorite food with the "hated" situation, like going into the cage, etc. It might take a while.... Depends on the bird. My bird loved my shoulder until she figured out I'd tricked her out of it. Now...she doesn't like stepping up unless there's food involved.

Best of luck though. It's tough, but in the end, should be worth it.

Welcome to the forum... You say your alexandrine is blue... I would love to see some pictures...

^ me too! Would LOVE to see pics. The blue alexes I've seen are just beautiful, but here in Australia (last I heard) they were selling for around AU$10,000 each (compared to $300-$400 for the standard greens) - WAYYY out of my price range!!

This little fella is my Alex. He spent a week in the office with my mom, and this was on his first day: he stole the lighter, chewed on it for about half a minute, then landed on the ashtray and dropped it in.

Now he's with me, and I'll post some pictures as soon as I can get dad to snap them. He takes a fancy to the camera cord otherwise.

The thumbnail from the Picture Gallery not showing, here's the upload of the pic...

I guess he made his opinion on ashtrays and lighters.... HAHA!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BIRD! I typically prefer the greens, but he's a real cutie! Such a soft baby blue. You got a keeper!

He really did make his opinions on them...Mom called me one night saying that he stole her cigarette and flew around with it until he finally dumped it into the tray. Since I'm an adamant non-smoker, having a like-minded parrot is nice

As for its price, dependant on which shop I visited, the blue ones were around the 690-990 Kuna range, which is 120-175 US dollars. Lucky for me, one of my clients is a breeder, so he gave me this (partially) trained one for free as a gift.

HAHA! That's awesome! Two of a kind.

WOW! That's really neat. I received my sun conure for free as well, and I'm in the process of getting a free macaw too. He's such a great bird, I'm going to visit him again this weekend. I like finding the free birds who need a new home. Good for me, good for them!

I'm pretty sure he's a blue ringneck...
Blue Alex's are more blue/green.
He has very small eyes and small beak shaped more like a ring neck.
I'm sure he'll still be a great pet.
Alex's are bigger and broader.

His characteristics are exactly the same as our alex, he hates going in the cage. What I do is save his favourite treats for only doing tricks and going in the cage. I only give him seeds when I have to put him away, or I give him an almond.

As for the screeching, that's typical parrot behavior, the only way to stop him is to give him something to entertain him like a tree branch or flowers to shred or something to keep him busy.... otherwise he will always do that call (kreee-awww) its also a juvenile call but a characteristic of all parrots is a flock call when you are out of sight they will call and call till they see u.

Another way to avoid it is put him where he can always watch activity from you, your family or outside .

Good luck!

He could be a blue ringneck... I can't tell, never saw one of those around.

However, it's odd because in the pet shops here they sell the likes of him as "small alexandrines". And the breeder was also specific that he keeps only alexandrines. I only neglected to ask if he'll grow any more, being that he has 3 months.

But regardless of that, he's an awesome companion. It breaks my heart when I have to leave him to go to work, but when I'm home, he gets the most of his flight time.

I also think he's an Indian Ringneck...

Here's a page on Alexandrines... The 4th picture shows a juvenile alexandrine next to an Indian Ringneck:

Alexandrine Parakeet, Alexandrian Parrot (Psittacula eupatria)

I would say he is a Indian Ringneck, why?
Because of the beak : )

But he is beautiful!

Ah thanks. So I'm even in the wrong sub-forum...

I might be just over-reacting but...I'm starting to worry my efforts to put him in the cage every night might be detrimental to building trust. I'm not sure why he is so reluctant to go in the cage at night. Back when he was in another cage, he'd go back in the cage for food and water during the day with no problems when I'd carry him to the door. Nights were not too big of a problem either.

But now, new room, new cage, he goes VERY restless when I manage put him back in the cage, and the process to get him to go back in is tedious: not even treats help. He keeps pacing the cage trying to get back to me, and I'm not sure he even sleeps at night since I find him clinging to the cage side. Instead he naps on my arm regulary after every play session.

Maybe the newspapers I use to line the bottom scare him, I really don't know...Despite being hungry, he never goes back in on his own. I try to do as much as I can not to harm the trust bond that's forming, but I'm not sure what to do.

Yup, I think his an Indian ringneck too, mostly because of his beak, and his short tail/smaller body. I'm sure it's a ringneck. I have owned both ringnecks and Alex's, they look similar but it's easy to tell the difference especially in their beaks.
My Alex is the opposite. She's cage aggressive and will not let you near her when she is on it, or in it. But if she is off her cage shes your best friend! I have never been able to get her out of this habit. But she's happy so that's all that matters right? Lol

This little fella is agressive only when it's time to be put back in. I'm starting to feel that if I made any improvements with him starting to trust my hands (sleeves and everything fine, skin he shys away from), they're undone every night when I'm tired, need to go to sleep, and he makes me go on a chase with ski gloves, as soon enough my hands won't have any spot where he'll be able to bite without nailing a previous bite wound.