ive made a huge mistake....plz help

[helen78]

Hello, I've taken in a 3year old girl alexandrine two days ago, She kept flying and banging into my window and door. I obviously do not know this bird that well, and although she seemed ok I didn't want to chance getting bit. So I trimmed her wings. Yes I used a towel and was very gentle, but now she totally hates me. she hissing at me and if I go near the cage she's going for me.
I've tried sitting for 4 hours talking to her yesterday but she just does not like me anymore, and pining her eyes and shaking
I was able to put my hand in the cage to change water food ect and she would take food from me..but now shes pining on me and going for me, she never did set up not even with previous owners they always opened the top on her cage and she came out alone.... Im so gutted and wished ide never done it
Please help, ive totally lost her trust.

She was rescued and was left In a budgie size cage before I had her, now she's in a massive macaw size cage, she hasn't any red feathers except two as she has lost alot due to rubbing on the cage trying to stretch out.
I previously owned African grey and eclectus and never have experienced this from them..

 

[4dugnlee]

I'm sorry you are experiencing this with your new fid. I understand your clipping her wings...I would have probably done the same. It was for the safety of your bird. She could have gotten really hurt or worse flying into windows and such.

You said she never stepped up even for the previous owner. Did the previous owner interact with her at all or just let her out of the cage to roam on her own. You've only had her a few days and she is still getting used to you and her new environment. If she was tame at all before, she will probably calm down and be tame again, IMO. Just be patient and give her time. It took my BFA 2 months to come to me and step up, before that I couldn't touch her...it took my U2 4 months to step up, but at least I could pet her, she just wouldn't step up).

Good luck and post pics when you have time...we love pics.

 

[gracebowen]

I made my budgie Ace mad at me. He was mad for a week.

 

[Flboy]

You did right, it will just take time. Just handle the basics till she mellows out and starts to trust you! One way to look at it, she knows what you did and is mad at you, smart bird! Reverse the situation and think how you would be feeling! But, again, you did right!

 

[helen78]

Hi, thank you for your support she's pretty mad at me.. As far as im a where they just opened the door and she came out alone, never used step up etc... She is very beautiful but I know she hasn't had a great start, I knew it was going to be a challenge, I feel a bit of an idiot for adding too her stress.

I think her cage is probably mind blowing for her too, she's used to a cage the size of a budgie/cockatiel cage, now she's in a huge macaw cage from the floor upwards with lots of toys, fresh fruit, pellets, a few treats.. I know its me because she's not pinning my children or husband. Hopefully your right and she will forgive me in time..

Thankyou again.x

 

[Betrisher]

I'm not going to comment on whether clipping or not clipping is good or bad, because that's very much up to the wisdom of the individual owner and his bird.

Having said that, though, I think you clipped your bird far too hastily. Two days isn't long enough to allow her to settle in and gain confidence in a new environment. That's why she flew into windows: she was disoriented. I would have left her a week or so before having her out of the cage and then I'd have done it very slowly and carefully. It's my personal belief that Alexes are one species that don't do well being clipped. They relish flight too much and suffer a huge jolt to their confidence when deprived of it. Again, just my humble opinion and I bet there's other folk out there who'd disagree.

BUT - you weren't to know any of that and we need to get this girl's confidence back ASAP. The first thing I'd do is leave her quite alone for two or three days. Just feed and water her for now and talk to her softly from a distance. Move very slowly around her cage without making any sudden movements or loud noises. Lots of times, we underestimate a bird's shock at being moved from one cage or house to another. This bird is probably very scared and the only outstanding thing that has happened to her so far is that she can no longer fly. She needs time to settle down and discover that you mean her no harm.

If she quietens down in her cage and will allow you to approach it, begin offering her food items through the cage. Use long things like millet spray or celery sticks or long grass heads - anything she can reach for without coming too close to your hand. Keep doing that for a while until she's happy to come right up to your hand. After that, you might try asking to scritch her head. She might even allow you to offer her food from inside the cage.

If you're not sure what to do next, check here. There's lots of us with experience in taming our birds and we'll all help as much as we can. The main thing to do is NOT HURRY. Some birds take days or weeks or even months (especially if they've been neglected or abused), so be as patient as you possibly can be. She'll come around in the end if the only thing she gets from you is patience and calm.

If she happens to come out of her cage, don't chase her to put her back. Just wait. It might take a couple of hours, but eventually she'll get hungry and go back to eat or drink. Or, it'll get dark, in which case you can hope she'll go home to roost. If all else fails, switch off the light and gently towel her. Alexes and other ringnecks generally don't like being handled bodily, so try to keep that to a minimum for now.

Please let us know how you get on with your bird! We'd love to see pics of her and my Barney and Madge send happy squawks to yet another gorgeous green birdie on the forum.

 

[helen78]

Thank you so much for the advice, I think in future I might just leave her wings alone, hopefully by then she will feel more confident around my home.
I have just left her today, I really do not want to upset her anymore. Ill get photos as soon as she feels a little happier around me.

Thankyou once again, it is much appreciated.

 

[Birdman666]

You did right, it will just take time. Just handle the basics till she mellows out and starts to trust you! One way to look at it, she knows what you did and is mad at you, smart bird! Reverse the situation and think how you would be feeling! But, again, you did right!

I agree.

Give it time. If the bird is flying into things, and has a high potential for injury, then this was the right thing to do.

My bird is mad at me right now is better than my bird loved me, but he flew into a window, bonked his head really bad, and now he's dead.

 

[Minimaker]

When I got my most recent parrot I decided that any bare windows were just too risky. It never was an issue because my house is in a country type setting and I have privacy already. I went out and bought simple sheer white curtains that pad the window a bit. They were inexpensive and I really bundled them up so they had volume in case the bird flew into the window. They will cushion any bird that flies into them without blocking too much light into the house. Even inexpensive window blinds would help stop them from hitting the window hard enough to kill them I think. And something in the window might make the window look like much less of an escape route. Shut the blinds when she's out of her cage, or close the curtains and she's much more safe.

 

[Betrisher]

Yes, what Minimaker said. I have holland blinds on all my windows, so of course those are always pulled down when the birds are abroad. Sheer or lacy curtains are also a great idea: no bird would try to fly through something that appears to be opaque: it's just that a window (especially a clean one, which mine are, unfortunately, not) looks exactly like a doorway to the sky. Of course a fleeing bird will try to fly into it.

I've often wondered about birds that fly into walls. I reckon it's possible they think a plain, featureless wall is the open sky. Maybe they don't see the difference between the colour of the sky and the colour of a wall - just the 'value' of what's ahead of them? ('Value' is a quilting term and it means whether a fabric is light, dark or in-between). Both sky and wall have a light value, so therefore birdie assumes he can travel there. I dunno. Just a thought.

 

[Ann333]

Lots of great advice here already so I'll just say that as you already know birds can and will hold a grudge. My baby never stays mad longer than a day or two. hand in there. The bonding will come but it takes time.

 

[LeaKP]

I just had my birds wings clipped because of the risk of flying into a wall/window. I lost a bird that way, it was very sad indeed. I had his wings clipped by someone else (certified bird groomer) so when he came out I was the hero rescuing him. I'll allow flight feathers to come in and see how well we can work with flying after he's been grounded for awhile.

 

[helen78]

Hi everyone... Its been a week and I cant work her out...
I'm starting to think she's cage aggressive too. If she is in the cage she's pinning and going for me, especially if I get too close, yet she will take food from my hand. If she's at the top of the cage with it open she still goes for me. If I close the top of the cage and put my arm out she woddles over climbs up my arm and sits on my shoulder. If I then go to touch her beak she goes for me, but she will sit on my shoulder happily, she lets me kiss her beak, but hands is a definate no no..
If I put her back on the top of the cage and once again with it closed put my arm out, she climbs on happily, cage open she aggressive???
Have I rescued the most strangest confused alexandrine or is this a sign she either really had a horrid time or she was never trained in the first place and ive really got to start back to basics taking 15-20 minutes a day learning up techniques from a stand or back of a chair?

 

[weco]

You may be right, thinking she has never received any training, but I can't believe she's any worse than the "gang of four" I rehomed several years ago, four sun conure siblings that were essentially wild...it took over a year to get the last one hand tame, you just have to be patient...in some cases, real patient.....

Good luck.....