New Owner of an Alexandrine

[Nicola]

Hi
I am the new owner of a 4 month old Alexandrine called Peekee. At the moment I dont think he likes me very much, he wont come near me and if I try to go near him he hisses, bites. I have tried sitting near his cage and talking to him, not making eye contact.

 

[Nicola]

Help and Advice needed

Hi
I have had my Alexandrine for 2 weeks, he/she is 4 months old. I got him from a breeder who said that he was stick trained. I have been reading lots of different information on bonding, I have sat by the cage talking and not making eye contact, he backs away as far from me as he can. Whenever I go near the cage to change his water, food etc he lunges at me to bite, he has hissed at me. Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[Terry57]

Hello and welcome to you and PeeKee!
I think your new baby is just nervous from being moved to his new home, and away from everything that was familiar. Here is a great thread with tips on building trust:
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Good luck with your new baby, and I would love to see pictures of him when he is feeling less stressed (wouldn't want the camera to freak him out)

 

[Holden1960]

Just a couple of questions at this stage I am no expert, but we have had an Alex in the house now for a month and he is having a great time around us all. He has been stepping up for us to come out of his cage since day 3.

1. Has Peekee had his wings clipped? and

2. Is his accomodations (Cage) really large?

The reason I have these questions is that our Alex is unclipped and so he knows he can just fly away and 2, he has a pretty big cage so there is plenty of room for him, but the other issue is that the water and food bowls have there own doors that mean we do not have to mess around inside HIS cage just to make sure that there is adequate food and water.

 

[Nicola]

Hi, no his wings haven't been clipped, he has a large cage with separate door openings for the food and water. He will happily come out and go back in the cage. Still doesn't like is near to him, have been spending lots of time just sat by his cage talking, he won't take food from our hand, just goes to bite. X

 

[Betrisher]

You'll need to develop the patience of a saint. If a bird is nervous, hurrying things up won't help. Alexandrines generally dislike being touched and are often very hand-shy. Start with something long (stick of celery, carrot, sprig of millet) that you can offer from a distance. Then, slowly shorten the treat item until birdie will accept the treat from your hand. It sounds easier than it is, but the longer you spend with your bird in this early phase, the better your results will be.

Here are some good videos that demonstrate my favourite way of step-up training:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIaDDSeZKnI"]Parrot Training Workshop Live Demo - Step Up Training with a Macaw - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe0pW5v7vOs"]Parrot Training Clips from Parrot Care & Training Seminar - YouTube[/ame]

Barbara Heidenreich is my favourite trainer because everything she does is calm and slow with no-mess, no-fuss and nothing but rewards for good behaviour.

Keep trying with your bird and do ask questions whenever you get stumped. We're all here to help!

 

[Delfin]

Is he is parent raised or was he hand raised?.
To change the food and water bowls are you reaching inside the cage or can you change them from the outside?.
Your Bird doesn't hate you. He just doesn't know you or your hands so he is scared and when you get too close he hisses and bites.

Alexandrines are generally hands-off and take a bit more interaction to build trust. Once I gained Delfin's trust, then I would handle him every day but when he decided he has had enough, he would fly off to his stand. I rewarded him each time. Overtime I could hold and give him head and check scratches him for longer periods. Now when he has had enough he will climb from my chest and up onto my shoulder.

 

[ragulramesh]

Hi friends,
I am Rahul from chennai I have a its nearly 9 week old
Iis very well associated with me always sit with me but from past week it started plucking feathers a lot and tucking head with wings back and sleep is abnormal but its still active and playful but its feather are ruffled looks like sick but I took to vet they said nothing is problem but I can't feel its OK kindly help me in this

 

[Delfin]

Hello ragulramesh
the photo wasn't very clear but from what I saw the bird didn't in the best of health. I would get a second opinion. preferably from a avian vet

 

[ragulramesh]

Delfin
Thanks for your reply but in chennai vet doctors are too rare weather any other chances are there

 

[ragulramesh]

Find the photo dear

 

[ragulramesh]

Wat will be age for it now because I rescue it near my office so I can't able know wat is age for meenu its name for bird

 

[ragulramesh]

Wat u can guess about the health of the bird in. That last pic

 

[Delfin]

I would take some photos of the birds droppings and compare then to some of the images on the internet and take those findings to your vet and ask for him opinion.

Your Birds droppings are a really good indicator of your birds health.

 

[miloslave]

How cute! To me this looks like it is still a baby. If it is it might sleep more often than an adult. Someone with more experience with that particular type of bird might be more helpful, but what are you feeding it at this stage? Is it begging to be fed by any chance?

If it is an adult, it might be molting rather than plucking as well.

 

[Delfin]

It's definitely a Baby, around 7 to 9 weeks old. the eyes are still black, the tail hasn't fully formed and it still has patches of Grey down feathers over the body. I would be feeding weaning formula for breakfast and dinner and finely diced fruit and veggies for lunch.

 

[ragulramesh]

Friends give me some food menu chain for my kid wat type of food I should give because I don't ever have a bird as pet this is first time

 

[Davidcsky]

i am not an expert in the matter, but first try and locate a good pet store specializing in parrots and purchase some good hand feeding formula. your bird is definitely still very young and requires a higher degree of care. i would feed the formula twice daily (morning and evening) and introduce solid foods (veggies, pellets, fruits, seeds & nuts) for lunch.

hope this helps.

 

[ragulramesh]

Friends,
Find the new photo of my kid
One more doubt at wat age the eyes will change for my kid

 

[ragulramesh]

My kid is keep on biting feathers but not plucking weather it is regular at this age are any problem