IRN very protective of cage?

Crayfish066 · Aug 27, 2017

Whenever I stick my fingers near the outside of his cage he lunges at them, he doesn't really lunge at me any other time even when I put my hands inside his cage.

Is there a reason why he's reacting like this when I interract with him through the bars but not when he's outside the cage or my hands are inside it?

SilverSage · Aug 27, 2017

Even my sweet tame ringies do this. My sweet ones lunge but don't bite, my less sweet ones will bite at the end, and the truly wild ones are too busy panicking to lunge. I just don't stick my fingers between the bars of cages Since it seems to upset them so much.

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Crayfish066 · Aug 27, 2017

SilverSage said:
Even my sweet tame ringies do this. My sweet ones lunge but don't bite, my less sweet ones will bite at the end, and the truly wild ones are too busy panicking to lunge. I just don't stick my fingers between the bars of cages Since it seems to upset them so much.

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He only seems to lunge at me when I do this, he runs away from others who he doesn't see as often. Does this mean they're scaring him more?

SilverSage · Aug 27, 2017

Probably. But even my sweet babies lunge before gently giving kisses when you stink your fingers between the bars.

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clark_conure · Aug 28, 2017

I wouldn't say others scare him more, but he's more comfortable with you and isn't afraid of you; because you're around him and you haven't eaten him (bird think).

Strangers are an unknown quantity so kind of they scare him more. But more to the point you he has figured out won't ever hurt him, he is just still learning to trust.

When it gets to the point the bird is on you and your watching tv or talking on parrotforums and he just nods off on you....that's when you know pretty much he trusts you. But they will still do some odd things.

Crayfish066 · Aug 28, 2017

I finally managed to get him to step up albeit with a lot of eye pining and finger biting inbetween.

He tried for ages to hover in mid air to eat the millet from my hand but I guess he figured that never worked out so he finally decided to climb on my finger to get to it lol.

It's funny how quickly they change their outlook though, he hasn't stepped up once in the little over a month I've had him but now he steps up over and over again.

I tried to put him back in his cage just, moving as slowly as I possibly could but I guess he still isn't comfortable with me moving when he's on my finger because he jumped off before I could get him near his cage.

clark_conure · Aug 29, 2017

Any bird human relationship is a relationship between two masters...the bird is a Master by his withholding and beak, humans are a master because we buy the food and set the schedule and size. It's all about trust. A partnership.

I trust clark to put his head next to my open eye and he will cuddle in the curve of my brow.

I remember your posts from really only a few days ago, maybe a week; you were afraid to let him out because he'd fly off and ram into stuff, now he's getting on your hand, that is really good progress. Whatever you are doing is working slowly to build up that trust.

I think in another month you'll be on here and not asking questions, but telling newbs....oh THIS is how you solve THAT.

LordTriggs · Aug 29, 2017

yes this is an amazing bit of progress. Birds are pretty territorial, I say if he doesn't like fingers in the bars then no fingers in the bars, effectively that cage is his bedroom, it's his space so he makes the majority of the rules in there

Crayfish066 · Aug 29, 2017

Thanks for the advice guys, he has taken to trying to electrocute himself by chewing on my rooms light's wire now.

Need to figure out a practical way to cover that ASAP because I feel like it's impeding our progress and his trust in me when I frantically wave my arms at him trying to stop him killing himself.

LordTriggs · Aug 29, 2017

oh yeah they do that haha! Gotta do a full bird-proof. Parent's think it's hard baby-proofing a house, they know nothing. I advise walking through the house taking a full lap and noting every single thing dangerous. covering cables is the best place to start along with little holes and stuff they could hide in,

Crayfish066 · Aug 29, 2017

LordTriggs said:
oh yeah they do that haha! Gotta do a full bird-proof. Parent's think it's hard baby-proofing a house, they know nothing. I advise walking through the house taking a full lap and noting every single thing dangerous. covering cables is the best place to start along with little holes and stuff they could hide in,

I've covered the light and a few cables so far, hopefully with a bit more bird proofing i'll get to the stage where I can properly relax while he's out in my room lol.

Always worried about him getting to the odd stray wire though, pretty difficult to cover every single one of them.

Crayfish066 · Aug 30, 2017

Is there an accepted method to discourage biting btw?

He seems to be biting with more force and determination lately, although I have
recently started wearing gloves so I'm questioning how much of that is him being fascinated by the material.

I'm not really feeling any pain through the gloves since they're welders gloves but since he's stepped up his biting it makes me nervous about the thought of ever switching back to gloveless, at least before this is under control.

LordTriggs · Aug 31, 2017

Crayfish066 said:
Is there an accepted method to discourage biting btw?

He seems to be biting with more force and determination lately, although I have
recently started wearing gloves so I'm questioning how much of that is him being fascinated by the material.

I'm not really feeling any pain through the gloves since they're welders gloves but since he's stepped up his biting it makes me nervous about the thought of ever switching back to gloveless, at least before this is under control.

Don't wear gloves. It encourages biting more than anything and they can be scary for a bird.

Tell him "no" without shouting, and then put him on the floor. Even if just a couple seconds he will know he did wrong

Crayfish066 · Aug 31, 2017

LordTriggs said:
Crayfish066 said:

Is there an accepted method to discourage biting btw?

He seems to be biting with more force and determination lately, although I have
recently started wearing gloves so I'm questioning how much of that is him being fascinated by the material.

I'm not really feeling any pain through the gloves since they're welders gloves but since he's stepped up his biting it makes me nervous about the thought of ever switching back to gloveless, at least before this is under control.

Click to expand...

Don't wear gloves. It encourages biting more than anything and they can be scary for a bird.

Tell him "no" without shouting, and then put him on the floor. Even if just a couple seconds he will know he did wrong

Seems like you're right, when I don't wear gloves he doesn't bite anywhere near as hard or as energetically. Is saying "no" enough to discourage him when he's not standing on my hand though? He only climbs on my hand when it acts as a stepping stone to a treat so he only tends to do it outside of his cage because inside the cage he can just use perches and bars to reach the treats.

Crayfish066 · Sep 1, 2017

Weird, when he's out of his cage he acts a lot more aggresively to my bare hands...

He keeps lunging at them, although I get the feeling he's trying to warn me off because he's done no damage YET.

clark_conure · Sep 1, 2017

Be consistent, every bite deserves a time out. Till he learns...It might take a few days....but not longer.

Crayfish066 · Sep 2, 2017

clark_conure said:
Be consistent, every bite deserves a time out. Till he learns...It might take a few days....but not longer.

I've started taking the millet away whenever he bites, hopefully he gets the idea soon lol.

IRN very protective of cage?

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