Just some questions about Alexandrines.

[frozen]

Hello, I've been looking around for some advice on my new Alexandrine and found this forum so thought I'd just ask some questions.

I picked up my new bird about 4 days ago and he is almost 11 weeks old. I did notice some 'lunging and fake bites' about 2 days into having him home, from what I had researched up about them I know that they go through a bluffing stage but I'm not sure when or if this is the bluffing stage I've heard about? He would out of the blue lunge at me but I would just ignore it and now I have noticed that he seems to have stopped lunging at me but still doesn't exactly like being petted yet. He still will sometimes 'bluff' at me but it seems to be getting less. Would this be considered the bluffing stage? or does that happen a bit later on when he is older?

I'm also considering purchasing an outdoor aviary for when his wings grow back (breeder had clipped his wings but personally I prefer flighted birds) and is a bit older as I would like him to have some space to fly around when I'm not at home. Just not sure if having an outdoor cage for him would run into any behavior problems or issues with tameness? Or possibly having difficulty getting him back indoors to sleep in his indoor cage..

Last thing I wanted to discuss was whether anyone has had success in training Alexandrines to free flight outside or on a bird harness to be more safe. Any tips on how I would start training him would be helpful as well.

Thanks.

 

[Betrisher]

Aha! Another Alex owner! Excellent! Welcome to the forum!

'The bluffing stage' doesn't happen till the birds reach sexual maturity, which is about three for Alexes. My birds are about a year old and they're going through a 'beaky' phase at the moment. I think it might have something to do with it being spring and hormones beginning to surface, but it's nothing I can't handle. Your bird is just a baby and very very new in his environment. I'd say he's simply letting you know he's still afraid and needs his space. It can take a week or weeks for a bird to become comfortable in its surroundings. Remember, the beak is his only defence.

Be very patient with your bird and take time allowing him to get used to your hand before you attempt to touch him. Then, you need to teach 'step up', 'go home' and recall as the most important lessons your bird will learn. This will occupy most of your time for the next while. Of my two Alexes, Madge is very ho-hum about training while Barney is switched on and quick as a whip. Birds differ in the way they accept lessons and you won't know what yours is like until you begin.

I gotta tell you, Alexandrines are not generally 'petting' birds. While some members here do have snuggly Alexes, most of us do not. My Alexes love me desperately, but they *do not* like to be touched at all on any part of their bodies. Yours may grow up differently, but I'm just letting you know that a snuggly Alex is not that common. The general response to someone trying to touch them is <<CHONKKK>>!!! I found, to my cost, that trying to *train* them to allow themselves to be touched simply results in increased beakiness and a foul demeanour. I backed off and got my darling gentle babies back again.

I'm a great believer that birds are born to fly and mine are fully flighted. They fly indoors, however, as there's no way I'm allowing them within coo-ee of the falcons that live nearby! I have a large outdoor cage (yet to be set up for them), which they'll graduate to when they're a bit older. Regarding transferring birds from outdoors to indoors and back again: we're going to cut a hole in the house and make a porthole so the birds can enter and leave directly via a chute. I kid you not.

I have actually purchased harnesses for my birds, but now I'm having second thoughts about it. Alexes are birds of the treetops. Flying around at the end of a string, no matter how long it might be, is never going to give them what they were born to do. They're athletic and fast fliers too (being parakeets). I can only visualise disaster if one of my birds attempts to do some fancy manoeuvre at the far end of the string. So, for the foreseeable future, my birds have the run of my house to fly as they like, but that's it. To this end, I've got perches over every window and doorway and a suspended playgym in the kitchen, which doubles as our living room. I love it when the Beaks whizz back and forth past my head and then come to me when I call their names.

 

[frozen]

Thanks for the info, but just having a bit of aggression at the moment when I sometimes go to put some fruit or vegetables in his bowl he will lunge at the fruit as I put it into the bowl or when I try to hand feed him through the bars occasionally he will just lunge at me. What would be the best way to stop him from doing this? It seems to only be when I have food in my hands.. Usually he takes it from my hand gently but has now been a bit rough, would the best thing be to wait till he calms down and only give him the fruit when he takes it gently? Or to just not give him the fruit unless he takes it gently? Generally it seems to only be the fruit he really likes that will make him lunge.

 

[Caitrose96]

Hi there,

This is exactly what my 11 week old Alexandrine is doing at the moment, so we are in the same boat! He does the exact same lunging when i approach his fruit bowl to put fruit in it, or if i approach his perch. It is getting a little frustrating, however from what i have read at this age they generally go through this stage for about 4 weeks on average.

I was also reading about when i approach his food dishes and perches, biting isn't a natural behaviour for birds, and while he doesn't really often bite he threatens too. What i came across that in the wild parrots are equals, and can often tell when another bird doesn't want them around, just from a look in the eye, or a slight change in body language. Us humans don't understand as well as other birds, however i'm slowly learning!

I now give my boy his own space, and he now occasionally lets me approach his perch, but if i need him to come down from his perch, i hold two sunflower seeds in my hand (his favourite treat) and call him and he comes straight too me, this way if i was putting him to bed, or just wanted to play with him i can, it also gives me time to put my fruit and veges in his bowl.

I have noticed that by allowing him his own space, and letting him decide if he wants to approach me has reduced this behaviour slightly, so maybe try and let your bird have his own space, and the same can go for you. If i'm studying and my bird comes to me, i simply say "No!" and look at him with anger, if that doesn't work i start making the same growling noise he makes at me when i intrude on his space.

It's a work in progress, i'm not even sure if this is the right thing to do, however my bird and i are developing a good relationship, and we are starting to learn what the other means.

Having said all that i spend a lot of time with my bird, and him with me, but we know when the other wants/needs some space.

I know this wasn't exactly what you were asking but i thought i'd share my experience, maybe it will help!
P.S i'm not sure if you want to use this method, but it is really easy to teach the bird to come to you when called, i started at a close distance, rewarding each time for when he came to me, and then eventually i'd move further and further away. He learnt in a space of 20 minutes, however don't expect this from all birds, i just got lucky :09: Unfortunately his wings are clipped So we can't do it from really far distances.

Goodluck with your bird!!!

 

[Caitrose96]

Also with the aggression with taking food, i generally hold it in a flat palm, just so he has nothing to bite