Please help, my Alexandrine is terrified of me

liar4life

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I uploaded video just for this, i have no idea what to do. Doesnt matter if i approach with stick or my hand he would attack me. He also made my fingers bleed few times.

Once i didnt give him food for 3 days, and when i approached with my hand full of seeds, he didnt want to eat, he went directly to my hand so he can bite it.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjWhLUsAsk8"]Riki - YouTube[/ame]
 

wrench13

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1. Stop letting him run around the house. He should be in his cage.

2. Don't ever starve your parrot

3. Give us complete details on you and your parrot. Age, how long you have him, where you got him, size of cage, what you feed him, how much time you spend with him, anything you can think of . Your age, where you live , any parrot experience . You have very smart and experienced people on this board, but you have to give them something to go on.
 
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liar4life

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Im 20 and i go to college so i dont work that much with bird, maybe 1 hour every second day. But he is in my room almost all the time except when im into a lot of studying.

I got bird maybe 7 months ago , then he was 1 month old raised by his parents in the cage that was outside (in the garden).
I feed him with basic seed mix that i but in the pet store (penauts, sunflower seeds and a lot of other seeds), beside that i buy fresh apples that he is enjoying a lot.

I had a lot of parakeets before, but this is first tiem i have mid-sized bird.
His cage is maybe awarage for the bird of its kind.

Also i clipped his wings 2 months ago because he was hitting windows, wouldnt go back into his cage and simply cause a lot of mess.
Nothing else i could think of
 

flyingron

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Lack of socialization/never socialized. You leave a bird locked up all it's life and you're surprised it's not friendly to humans? It's going to take more than an hour a couple of times a week to get this bird. A bird that was socialized that was neglected usually adapts back to being socialized fast, but one that has never been exposed to humans much is going to be a chore.
 
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liar4life

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'never exposed to humans'. It is in my room with me whole day, its just i dont work that much with it, but when i try its furiosly trying to chop my fingers off. And trust me this is going on for 6 months so far.
 

LeaKP

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Yes, be creative about spending time with your bird. They are far more intelligent than we give them credit. Even talking to them while studying, hanging out, is valuable. 1 hour here and there will do more damage than anything. The bird is wondering, "what did i do wrong?" and perhaps is taking its anger out. Not an expert but after having birds for 30+ years I think it may be worth considering.
 

SailBoat

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Rule Number One: It is never the fault of the Parrot!!!! It is always the fault of the Human!!! If, you work from this understanding, you will quickly come to determining What You Are Doing Wrong!!! This will allow you to more quickly find and correct what you are doing wrong.

It is my hope that whoever sold you this poor parrot provided you basic information and care instructions. In all honestly you need to go back to them and have them go thought the basics again!

In addition, it is highly likely you have not taken your parrot for its first Avian Vet visit, which commonly occurs with in a few days or at most a couple of weeks after your parrot came home with you. Correct? Well, your parrot is over due and needs to be seen very soon.

Unless you make a commitment to major changes in the way you are handling your parrot. This is only going to get much worst!

I have never said this before, but I think you should strongly consider returning this parrot to the seller. It is neither the fault of the Parrot or the Seller that you are having these problems. Remember, its never the fault of the parrot.
 
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chris-md

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Liar4life, please don't take these posts as personal attacks on you. You don't know better and we know that. In that respect its not your fault, it's the fault of the breeder for not doing their homework on you

You need to understand that you're getting these reactions here because you've committed the cardinal sin of parrot ownership: buying it and ignoring it. To have a well adjusted bird that allows you to handle them, you need to invest the time into actually HANDLING him...Evey day...frequently. They are like dogs, they need attention.

The way this SHOULD have gone is as long as you are home, that bird needs to be out of its cage on you/with you. An hour every other day is wholly insufficient. Especially for an alexandrine. You got a bird who has the reputation of turning feral when not handled.

I'm with Sailboat here. You've gone down a long dark road here and I'm not sure you have what you need as far as time, willingness, and skill needed to CORRECT the situation. You might consider returning the bird to the breeder/store you got them from; it's the most humane thing to do in this case. In fact I beg you to. Otherwise this poor bird will wind up rehomed many times throughout its life; and his life may end tragically from neglect.

For the record, forum, this is why I ALWAYS tell kids coming here asking for advise on buying a bird that they need to wait. College is just too busy for best proper parrot ownership.
 
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Leena

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At 7 months your Alex is still a baby please do not starve him.....As wrench has said he should be in a cage and not have a free run in the house unsupervised.That doesn't mean you have cage him 24x7 , but he needs supervised out of cage time.
You parrot is scared and has to learn to trust you. Alexandrines are extremely food greedy and very independent , use it to your advantage.
When he is in his cage, offer him treats like small bits of cashew, almonds or anything he likes . Let him associate you with something good and pleasant. Talk to him gently through the cage bars . You can start by placing the treat in his food bowl and when he is comfortable with you around offer it with your fingers.
When he is out of his cage eat something he likes with all the yummy noises like apples,orange or even carrots . He will want you to share it with him .... offer it from distance so he cannot bite you. If you have the will and are consistent with your good behavior you will have a companion for life.
Alexandrines are not needy . My Rio keeps himself busy on his cage top with his toys . He can keep himself entertained even with bottle caps. Please take out some time and read the previous post in the Alexandrine forum ..... you will understand your Alex better with some excellent advice regarding his diet and what to expect from your parrot.
Whistle and talk to your Alex, they are excellent mimics and often will associate phrases with actions . It is also a great bonding exercise. He is definitely NOT what you have mentioned in your title.
All this is going to take time but if you really have the will and are consistent you will have a life long companion.
 
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Allee

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I uploaded video just for this, i have no idea what to do. Doesnt matter if i approach with stick or my hand he would attack me. He also made my fingers bleed few times.

Once i didnt give him food for 3 days, and when i approached with my hand full of seeds, he didnt want to eat, he went directly to my hand so he can bite it.

Riki - YouTube

Several of our members have responded with very good advice, for that reason alone I will not remove the video from the original post. We don't allow photos or videos of birds interacting with potentially dangerous predators even when the predator is human.

Withholding food from a bird for three hours is not a common practice. Withholding food for three days is reckless endangerment, not to mention, cruel. What do you hope to gain by treating a living being like this? The bird is obviously afraid of you. My advice is to find a new home for the bird.

I changed your offensive original title to better reflect the nature of your post.
 
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liar4life

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Thanks for all the answers. However there are some things here i feel i should point out as you roasted me really hard.
Bird is NOT terrified of me, she does not go all crazy when i approach the cage, she does not scream every time like in this video.
She also is eating from my hand (through the bars) and is sort of communicating with itself when exposed to a mirror, and also she is trying to mimic few of whistles . she also took a shower in the tub while in the cage, she enjoyed it like a little kid she is.

Problem here is when she gets out of cage its like a different bird, she is running away from me and the cage and tries to hide anyway its possible (dishes, radiators, under bed).
If she steps on a stick i use, it will be there for 2-3 seconds before she tries to attack me.

And for the end. I live in Bosnia, here we dont have Avian Vet visit or any animal vet at all. Neither will the previous owner accept the bird back as he is obviously selling them to have some money for himself, this is 3d world country over here.
 

Allee

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Thank you for the explanation, I'm very releaved to hear things aren't quite as bad as I first thought. I only had the information you provided. You're beautiful Alexandrine appears to be agressively defending itself in the video.

There are better and far more effective ways to approach a frightened or an unsocialized bird.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

I understand you live in Bosnia but that shouldn't prevent you from providing a safe environment for your parrot. Please, do a lot of reading and research, find out all you can about your feathered companion, both of you will be happier. Birds are intelligent and capable of building strong bonds with their humans if given the chance.

Please don't ever fail to provide your bird with basic necessities, clean water and a nutritious diet.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
 
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liar4life

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Probably going to update post in 2 or 3 days IF u want to with a video where you can see the bird inside the cage and its behaviour. Haha i feel so roasted
 

Allee

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No need to feel roasted! You sort of asked for it! :)

Looking forward to hearing more about your feathered friend.
 

BIRDIGIRL

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I actually wasnt going to answer your post as you have been given excellent advice by others plus I dont think you are really interested in making friends with your bird for if you were you would not be talking about spending time with him every second day when YOU had time...you see whether you have time or not your bird needs your time everyday several times a day for longer and shorter spells of time each day like for example 2 to 3 15 to 20 minute sessions and a number of quick hello sessions from 5 to 10 mins in length and never do you starve a bird...I wouldnt be friends with you if you starved me so why should your bird want to be friends with you when you try to starve him and if the shoe were on the other foot would you be friends with your bird if he were the one starving you and leaving you without food...Birds are very forgiving and you will be forgiven if you begin to make the effort but you need to start putting the birds needs before your own and giving him your time and company and make patient very patient advances in friendship and bonding...if you havent got the time or the patience or the will to do this not for a day or two or for a week but for each and every day of your birds life then you would be better returning the bird to the breeder or rehoming him with someone who has the time and the patience and the will to put the effort into bonding with him and caring for him and hid needs for the rest of his life. Im sort of angry with you that you starved him
 
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BIRDIGIRL

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Probably going to update post in 2 or 3 days IF u want to with a video where you can see the bird inside the cage and its behaviour. Haha i feel so roasted

I will look forward to seeing the video...sometimes we all need a roasting from people who care :) I hope you can make ftiends with your parrot soon but it will take a lot of time and a whole lot of patience on your part
 

Anansi

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Most of the stuff you said could be chalked up to inexperience, and all the answers given would have reflected that. But you opened up with a statement that included starving your bird for 3 days.

3 days.

Given that, how could you expect to come onto a parrot forum and NOT get roasted? Starving a bird for 3 days isn't inexperience. It is cruelty. Plain and simple.

I suggest that you listen to the great advice that you've received here, and check out the great links Allee has provided. But if you feel yourself still leaning more toward tactics such as starvation and such, please rehome your bird. It would be best for both him AND you.

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Taw5106

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You got great advice here from great parrot peeps that really love their birds. Yes we spoil our birds, BUT, we make mistakes too, we are all human. I have a thread going in which my Ekkie keeps laying, I did make mistakes but I put it out there to learn, vent, and share, as well as to help others that may be looking for help. You get out what you invest in your bird. Food is a great motivator to win a bird over so when you let your bird out, interact and try giving treats to change the behavior. Great videos on YouTube, look them up, they do help.


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