Purl the Ducorp update

I posted in the new member forum the other day..but figured I should put this where it belongs. I just recently got a 3 yo female Ducorp named Purl (was Pearl..LOL!...but I knit so I changed it..I don't think she'll mind). Any way I got her on Monday and there was a bit of hissing on Monday night.
Tuesday...not so much just when I walked in the door from work (which when my husband got home she had Houdini'd her way out of her cage). Tonight I opened the door slowly and said Hello to her and there was no hissing when I approached her cage.
I then cooked up some carrots for her and added a chunk of fresh corn on the cob and some sweet potato. I then sat down and was reading some mail and telling her how pretty she was and then I heard it. The gentle beak grinding..I'm hoping this means the same thing it did when I had my cockatiels which was they were happy/content. I take this as a big plus. This morning when I was giving her her food she was pressing her face up against the side of the cage and watching me. She then was reaching out of her cage towards me. I let her grab my finger and I stroked her toes but she tried pulling my hand closer and I wouldn't let her. Wasn't sure if she wanted a finger as a meal. I'm being leary since it's only 2 days I don't know how to read her. Because this morning she was taking things from me through the bars and then tasting and tossing them. Not sure..seemed like she was annoyed with me. Wasn't hissing though.
Time will tell..but I'd love some advice.
Quick question..I gave her raw sweet potato, do you cook yours? I had read that in the wild Ducorp's used to be considered pests because they dug them up on farmers to eat. But they used the word "yam" and I know there are different types..the Carribean has a "yam" that is not like the yam/sweet potato we know in the U.S.
Fingers crossed (still have all 10) that things continue to progress nicely with Purl.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions on what to watch out for in her behaviour bad or good.
Chris

Things are good with my baby girl...sitting here with her having my coffee and she is preening and enjoying her breakfast. She is munching on her ear of corn. I'm anxious to handle her but want it to be safe for us both. Maybe this weekend..her new play stand comes in today!!

Sounds like things are going great Our Macaw was here for 4-5 days before he tasted my finger, decided I was okay and pulled my arm down to his feet for him to step up. Sometimes it takes blind faith, at least for me.

I just looked up Ducorp's on wiki: quite a bird. Is it loud? Are they talkers?

As for yams and sweet potatoes, there is a difference between them. Who ever sees them, except at Thanksgiving? I'll suggest to the wife to get some for our babies. If they like raw, so much the better.

Yam (vegetable) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sulphiria said:

Sounds like things are going great Our Macaw was here for 4-5 days before he tasted my finger, decided I was okay and pulled my arm down to his feet for him to step up. Sometimes it takes blind faith, at least for me.

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Funny..I'm prepping myself for the first bite already..knowing I can't show a reaction so not to encourage the behaviour. I was in a bird store once and was playing with a young conure. And he immediately started biting my hand and fingers and I didn't flinch. He was just testing me. After that he began climbing up and down my arm doing his thing. I know that a cockatiel/conure bite is nothing in comparison to what a cockatoo can do so if I can avoid it I'd feel much better. I don't want to show fear to her..but I know she may go for me. I should probably use a perch to take her out of the cage in the beginning for finger/hand safety.

Chris

PortaPerch said:

I just looked up Ducorp's on wiki: quite a bird. Is it loud? Are they talkers?

As for yams and sweet potatoes, there is a difference between them. Who ever sees them, except at Thanksgiving? I'll suggest to the wife to get some for our babies. If they like raw, so much the better.

Yam (vegetable) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Click to expand...

The first night I met her and walked out of the room she started screaming, that was Monday. She hasn't done it since. The previous owner said she was quiet. My husband met him so he didn't ask many questions, he's never owned a bird so he didn't know what to ask, so not sure if she talks or not.

In the U.S. we call sweet potatoes "yams" for some reason..but in the Carribean a yam is really a root. The previous owner said she liked Yams..I'm taking that to mean sweet potato. She didn't touch the raw so this morning I cooked it and cut a chunk for her. When I go home tonight I'll see if she liked it.

Chris

I think I would take our Macaw and CAGs nips over our quakers. Those little bites are like paper cuts, they grab a tiny amount of skin and pinch.. and owwww. The bigger birds get more skin, and while they CAN do more damage, they tend to be more of the feeling of someone squeezing your hand.

That's good to know...my cockatiel Quasimodo since his beak was smaller, hence pointer tip could always get me enough to bleed. Chloe came to me in pin feathers and NEVER bit me. I loved Quasimodo but Chloe was my baby.

Well..things are getting better. A friend of mine has an African Grey and she stopped by today...Purl was a little hissy but my friend put her finger up to the cage and let Purl...bite/nibble it without pulling away. Purl did this a few times and my friend D was able to scratch her head!!! REALLY??? I realized that I was a little intimidated by Purls beak and so I was the one really holding back not her. So I did the same thing and she bit and nibbled on me as well..sometimes she got a good squeeze of skin but I didn't pull away. When she stopped she lowered her head and let me scratch it and her beak, even let me get some of the sheathing off her pin feathers. I then gave her some treats which was followed by some beak grinding. I was also able to borrow a much larger cage for her..Purl came with a 24x24x 30 and felt it was too small. Tomorrow I wash it down and bring it in the house for her to see and get used to.
Very glad things are progressing well...