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Post by 100birds on Apr 9, 2008 20:51:03 GMT 10
Hi everyone im new to the forum thanks for your help guys with this one. Today I purchased a hand raised Alexandrine parrot male. He was bought from a good dealer but the dealer has not had time to handle the bird as often as he would like running a store also. So the bird is about 2 months old and the dealer said I should be able to tame him and quieten him down because he was hand raised. I need some advise on where to start. I can put my hand in and yeah he bites hard. He will stand on my finger and hand but not for long, he does not like leaving the cage yet. I have one wing taped up. How long should I spend with him a day. I m going slow with him, i have a few bruises cuts and yeah he has drawn blood a few times. I can rub his stomach and like i said he steps up and down.
I need some help guys best wishes....
Im over the bruises and cuts already and its day one
sob sob
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 10, 2008 10:59:29 GMT 10
Lol, you poor thing...what do you mean by one wing taped up?? Anyways, just take it slow, try giving it treats. Matches goes crazy for sunflower kernels. Or a certain toy...or anything Im holding she wants. They are pretty friendly birds and smart and shouldnt take long to tame...they generally dont like to be patted or scritched.
When he sits on your hand give him treats...Matches doesnt usually just sit on my hand for long unless there is something in it for her...she sits on my shoulder for ages though. Plus their beak is always going so they need something to chew on so maybe once he is on your hand give him a toy to bite or chew instead of your finger lol. I have at least 3 scabs on my fingers at any one time because of Matches even though she is tame. You can pretty much see when they are going to bite so once you get to know the signs its easier to avoid it. Also when he bites, dont make a fuss otherwise they know they've gotten to you. Matches knows she doesnt get her way by biting even though she still likes to try, it gets less and less though.
Hold in there, they are great birds and he is probably just settling in.
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 10, 2008 17:31:23 GMT 10
where are you from??? It is very unusual for there to be a 2 month old alex this time of year. They normally start nesting around July/August and I have heard of very late clutches around the Dec time, but for you baby to be 2 months old he must have hatched in Late Jan/Feb???
I am going to guess your boy (and has he been dna'd otherwise you will not know for sure if he is a boy until he is around 18 months old to 2 years) ......... is possibly 4 months old and hasn't been handled since he was weaned. But like I said I am only guessing as I cannot see the bird.
Be patient, talk quietly, let him get used to his new surroundings. I normally only wait a couple of days then I start trying to handle them. Slowly. But it sounds like your bird isn't too bad except he bites. That could be because he doesn't know you yet.
Do like Courtney said, have a treat in your hand........although at the moment it might be a bit hard to know what treat your bird likes at the moment. So firstly try to find out what he likes. Mine loves to sip my cup of tea. So that is his treat. Plus he loves me to give his beak kisses and to just tell him he is a "good boy".
I have had Takoda (my pet male alex) since he was 4 and half weeks old. I handraised him and he was weaned at 11 weeks........I let him wean when he was ready. He was hatched on 20/08/06 and is only now starting to get his ring.......he should have it fully by his next moult. He was dna'd so I knew he was a boy when I got him.
Just remember your new bird is probably scared of his new surroundings and the new faces he is not used.....so be patient with him.
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 11, 2008 11:15:45 GMT 10
Yeah My alex was the last of the season from the breeder i got her from. She weaned at 3 months which is when i brought her home and that was in february. I got her DNA'd to know for sure, she loves anything im eating or her sunflower seeds...also she absolutely goes nuts for rice, i give her a bowl of rice and she's like a wild pig eating it.
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 11, 2008 15:40:31 GMT 10
a wild pig eating ...... lol that describes just about every pet bird I have. lol hey it even describes some of my kids lol
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 12, 2008 17:38:44 GMT 10
Oh it's a good description of me at times too lol.
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Post by 100birds on Apr 12, 2008 21:56:32 GMT 10
thanks guys.
the training is good i still have 8 fingers and two thumbs lol.
Well the guy I bought him from had a problem selling his birds (they were hatched before Christmas I found out) and he only handled them when he could (he runs a pet store) so the birds are a little flighty scared etc. So he suggested tape the wing up not cut it, so I have done that. I can tickle him etc on chest no bites today. He sits on hand in cage but soon he jumps off...I can get him out of the cage but he will only sit for a while he wants to either jump off, run and hide after that of jump into his cage (im guessing he feels safe there but Im getting there slowly. I have been bribing him with treats bits pineapple he likes and sun flower but not alot of sun flower. He does not like his back touched or top of head just yet but Im so happy with the bird I called him arthur. I got him thursady and already i have got him to this stage its just trust building im working on now...
Thanks guys for the help any suggestions?
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 13, 2008 18:18:09 GMT 10
I would clip him if you want to tame him down. You can always let them grow back. But I find it is easier to tame them down when they are clipped. If you don't know how to do it then go to a breeder or a vet .........or check out the link by Mike (avinet) he actually posted a diagram of how to wing clip. And remember to have both wings clipped.......and avian vet told me this after many years of me doing one wing clips. I will try to find the thread for you.
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 13, 2008 18:23:06 GMT 10
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 13, 2008 18:27:27 GMT 10
Yeah I would clip him, would be alot more comfortable for him. I clipped my green cheek conure to tame her down. SHe's fairly tame now so when she moults she can just have her wings back. Also he may never like to be touched much. Alexandrines arent touchy feely birds. My alexandrine HATES it when i touch her but she likes me kissing her beak. She also loves being on me.
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 13, 2008 18:31:42 GMT 10
yes Takoda is like that too. He loves to give me tongue kisses (yuk) and he likes to lick me. But if I put my hands up to pat him......he fluffs and pins ....... unless he sees a cup of tea attached to my hand, or an iceblock or just food lol. He is not a touchy feely bird either. But I do love him ;D and he does love me. lol
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 13, 2008 18:45:45 GMT 10
Yeah matches tongues me...yuck, and yeah i get the eye pin and the fluffing up with a big ole whining sound if i try pat her...unless there is something in my hand for her to chew lol.
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Post by 100birds on Apr 15, 2008 15:26:15 GMT 10
big no on clipping his wings he is a bird and its cruel beyond belief to cut them, cutting both wings is like a person being in a wheel chair for life sorry guys dont like that option.
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 15, 2008 18:09:33 GMT 10
Well there are 2 sides to that arguement and I have tried both. I am not an expert but everyone is entitled to their opinions........as you are yours too ;D Some people do believe in clipping...... I am one of those. Some don't.
I have allowed my pet eclectus girl freedom but in my house I had 4 children (3 of which were teenagers who don't listen) and the risk of a door being left open or a fan being left on while she was out was a great risk. Then one day she flew into the kitchen and landed in the sink ....... full of water.......luckily cold water with veges in it. She also developed attitude and so I clipped her ......... her attitude went back to normal and I did not have to worry any more about doors or fans or sinks full of water.
I allowed my pet Alex some free flight..........but I just cannot risk losing them to something stupid a door being left open. Our little budgie is unclipped and we allow him out twice a day ........ supervised so he can fly around and get some exercise.
My alex gets to play on a huge playstand, he gets to come outside with us and he gets to go camping with us too. He is definetly not an unstimulated bird. My ekkie girl is now in an aviary with a male and is not clipped anymore........as is my other pet alex a female who is also now in an aviary with a male and able to fly around..........and it is so pleasureable to watch them flying around in the safety of the aviary. ;D
Just my opinion ;D
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Post by pinkdevil on Apr 16, 2008 9:25:05 GMT 10
I can see both sides to clip or not to clip. I personally prefer my birds to be not clipped but having said that I would if I felt the need to. I have had birds who were clipped when I bought them and had to re teach 2 to fly again as they walked everywhere for so long (I kept them clipped). Even when I put them in the aviary, they walked and climbed everywhere. But having said that, I would love to be able to take them outside for a climb on branches and waddle in the grass (whats left of it lol) which can't be done with they have flight feathers  . I probably would clip if I had a bird who was a bit of a rouge and wouldn't behave or if my circumstances changed and it was unsafe not to clip, as feathers will grow back in a few months or so. ;D 100birds, I was wondering why you think by taping the wings is not like clipping?  Either way you are stopping or limiting the bird from flying for a period of time. I am genuinely interested in your opinion and NOT having a go at you For or against I think all here love their birds and want the best and safest option for them at the time. Tasha |
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 16, 2008 12:02:29 GMT 10
Clipping doesn't hurt them, they can grow back. My Matches isnt clipped because she is tame. My green cheek conure wasnt tame so I clipped her to tame her down. She is getting alot better and by the time she molts she will probably be ready to be flighted. I think taping is exactly the same thing but makes it alot more uncomfortable for the bird. Both wings allows limited gliding. Which means if they go to fly they will glide to the floor. One wing clipping off balances them and causes them to crash. I personally like my birds flighted but if they are not tame enough i do start with it clipped so it is focused more. I disagree with taping cos that doesnt give him the ability to exercise his wings properly or balance himself if he grips wrong.
But each to their own, I have a cocatiel who is always clipped because he cant fly properly and injured himself. However my alexandrine has never been clipped.
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Post by 100birds on Apr 18, 2008 10:42:59 GMT 10
well the bird i just bought im trying to tame and by taping one wing up its easier for me to try and handle him. Then when im happy ill undo his wing tape. you see this alex was hand raised but not handled for a few weeks so he became flighty, when I bought him home he would of went flighty if he had ability to fly making it harder for me to tame him. After almost two weeks i thought I was going good, he sits on my shoulder and arm, does not bite as much. But today he has already bitten me 8 times and cut open my finger tip so im leaving him to himself today in the cage. Its strange that for almost a week i can handle him no problems but today he has changed. thanks for all the suggestions
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Post by courtzrocks on Apr 18, 2008 13:57:32 GMT 10
I think it's the tape, it makes him feel uncomfortable, he needs to be able to stretch his wings out to balance so it might be making him feel unsafe. I strongly advise against wing taping, i think that is so much more cruel than wing trimming definately. Wing trimming gives them the ability to stretch their wings to balance and if both wings are trimmed properly then they are able to glide to the ground, not crash. As I said, my alexandrine is flighted because she was very tame when i brought her home. My green cheek conure is clipped because she wasn't tame. She is now so when it comes time for her to moult I wont be clipping her again. It doesnt hurt them and its alot more safer for them. If it is taped for a while he might not be able to fly anyway because taping them restricts the movement therefore he cant exercise his wings and get muscles so whoever suggested taping really has to look at the health and wellbeing of the bird.
Along with him being angry and uncomfortable, he may be testing you. Matches sometimes does that but i dont let her get away with it...if she doesnt back off when i say no then i put her in a different room (a barely used bathroom for me) for about a minute then she is ok.
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Post by 100birds on Apr 18, 2008 15:06:04 GMT 10
i like the bathroom idea. Today he had chewed my hand off almost. So i placed a towl over his cage. I ignored him for almost the whole day and then went to open the cage i gave him a few treats then he came out. He is on my shoulder now while i type this post lol. He may be testing me out or he was grumpy this morning and simply wanted alexandrine time out....
thanks for the suggestions Im unsure with the whole wing idea...
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Post by vankarhi on Apr 18, 2008 15:48:31 GMT 10
100birds......most birds do go through a teething stage, but not normally "chewing your hand off". I think there is something bothering the bird. I know you are against wing clipping.......and each to their own. I applaud people who can do it and would love to be in a situation where free flight is possible.....but for me it is not. Clipping the birds wings is not worse than "us" having a hair cut.......as in it doesn't hurt if done properly. Yes it restricts their movement.....but what you are doing to that bird is restricting his movement too. He cannot fly, but he can't even flap his wings in pleasure. All of my birds clipped or unclipped enjoy a good old wing flap ........ they hold on for dear life and flap like there is no ending. Clipping the wings need not be a permanent thing......they WILL grow back and by then your bird will be a lovely tame companion that hopefully will step up when asked even when out of the cage. That is just a suggestion.........but it is how I have tamed my birds.......and 3 of mine (2 sulfer crested 'toos and a galah) may have been wild caught many many years ago. I did buy them from a pet shop market thing in Brisbane (Paddy's market actually) but they had never ever been handled ....... and thinking back now I do remember wondering  Back then it was legal too. My pet galah had free roam of the yard every day (supervised.....while I was out gardening etc) and she loved it and got plenty of exercise. I have already spoken about the other birds and how I believe they are not suffering because of being clipped. Just my honest opinion. |
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. I probably would clip if I had a bird who was a bit of a rouge and wouldn't behave or if my circumstances changed and it was unsafe not to clip, as feathers will grow back in a few months or so. ;D
Either way you are stopping or limiting the bird from flying for a period of time. I am genuinely interested in your opinion and NOT having a go at you 
