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Young IRN taming

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Young IRN taming

Postby Megschristina » Thu May 09, 2019 9:35 pm

I need to know the most effective way to tame my young 5 month maybe 6 IRN.
He was hand raised but only tame to the breeder from the start he doesn’t even want to come out of the cage, much less allow me to be the one who gets him out. I can approach the cage and be near him fine. Some days he is inquisitive of me some not. I do know what treats he likes and basically need help from the ground up. He won’t take a treat from my hand. Nor step up on a dowel (although he has before)

I’m afraid the parrot beginner guide might not suit my birds particular needs? The only thing we have going for us is his young age. I think I may even have put him in too large of a cage with too many toys. HELP PLEASR we want to succeed. All I know is he likes my singing voice. He won’t come out of the cage on his own or go back in on his own.
Megschristina
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Indian ring neck (male)
Previously a parakeet, a rooster and a lot of pigeons
Flight: No

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Pajarita » Fri May 10, 2019 9:25 am

OK, let me clarify and reassure you on some points you make.
1) he is not just tame to the breeder. Handfeeding a baby parrot makes it imprint to humans - all humans. This does not mean that he will bond to just anybody, it means that, as far as he is concerned, humans are part of his family. Now, this does not work the same way with aviary species as it does with companion species once the bird becomes sexually mature but it does work with babies so you should be OK in this respect.
2) he will come out of his cage. Parrots have their own timelines - and they are nothing like humans'! Everything takes forever with a parrot but the best thing to do (and what makes things progress more rapidly, believe it or not) is never to force things so, stop worrying, follow a super strict routine (never ever changing) and a solar schedule (they are hard-wired for it so your following it will speed things up and make him accept things faster).
3) if he doesn't take a treat from your hand is because he is not eating the right diet. I am sorry to be so blunt but there is no way that a parrot would not take a nice seed from a hand he doesn't fear UNLESS you are free-feeding protein -something that should NEVER be done with any parrot but much less with a fruit eater.
4) you do not want him to learn to step on a dowel and not your hand. Stepping on a stick is great and it should be encouraged but a baby should step on its human's hand without a problem so it might be that you need to tweak the whole thing. Start by putting a little piece of a millet spray stuck between the bars of his cage and walk away. Do not stare at him or wait for him to eat it, just pretend you are not paying attention but look at him from the corner of your eye while you do your chores or whatever and, when you see him going for the millet, praise him from where you are in the room by saying his name and GOOD BOY! I also tell them 'Peanuts' when I give them the treats (they understand this word to mean any seed or nut, not necessarily an actual peanut) so they start learning the word.

Once he gets used to getting his treat (not more than two or three tiny pieces a day, mind you), you can start putting the treat on the palm of your hand and putting your hand on the door of the cage (kind of like in and out at the same time so he doesn't have to actually come out of his cage to get it but he has to approach the door and you). He won't do it the first, the second and, most likely, not the third day you offer it but he will do it. I can guarantee you that! And, when he does, praise, praise, praise!

Once he starts taking the treat from the palm of your hand regularly and without hesitation, start putting the treat far from the part of your hand that is closest to him so he needs to put one single foot on your palm and stretch out to reach it and, when he does, praise, praise, praise and offer him a second piece. Before you know it, he will be stepping on your hand without a problem.

A lot of patience and a bit of ingenuity is what it takes with them. You should never force a parrot to do anything, you should, instead, woo, bribe, reward, encourage and praise (positive reinforcement instead of the negative reinforcement concept of flooding them). It takes quite a lot of smarts to be able to trick a parrot into believing he is doing what he wants when, in reality, he is doing what you want but, if you do it right, the rewards are unbelievale!
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Megschristina » Fri May 10, 2019 3:51 pm

I was told to feed rowdybush I give him fruits with that so is that wrong? I just followed the instructions from the breeder what exactly should I be feeding?
Megschristina
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Indian ring neck (male)
Previously a parakeet, a rooster and a lot of pigeons
Flight: No

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Megschristina » Fri May 10, 2019 3:53 pm

Thanks for the advice!
Megschristina
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Indian ring neck (male)
Previously a parakeet, a rooster and a lot of pigeons
Flight: No

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Megschristina » Fri May 10, 2019 4:17 pm

We just did the treat through the bars and Kevin took it right away. While I was watching
Megschristina
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Indian ring neck (male)
Previously a parakeet, a rooster and a lot of pigeons
Flight: No

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Pajarita » Sun May 12, 2019 10:23 am

What breeders want out of their birds is more babies so free-feeding protein fills their requirements because, even though the diet is not good for them, breeders don't really care as they don't normally use their breeding stock for long. But parrot owners do not want their birds to produce too many sexual hormones or to produce them all the time AND they want them to have long, healthy, happy lives so free-feeding any type of protein food is a no-no.

IRNs are mainly fruit eaters in the wild and this means that nature evolved them to eat a diet of very low protein, very low fat, very high fiber and very high humidity (fruits are 85-90% water). Any pellet is bad for them, not only Roudybush, because the moisture is too low (no more than 10% - and that affects their kidneys), fiber is no good (it's not the kind that works for birds -there is a study on this), fat is not too high per se but it is if you free-feed and you don't even know how much protein you are actually feeding because none of them gives you an actual value (they are all 'more than' or 'no lower than' or 'min', etc plus any pellet is going to have too much protein for a bird that eats mainly fruit). And your bird is too young to be eating an adult diet. The same way that one doesn't feed a toddler adult food, you don't feed a baby or a juvenile bird the same food you would an adult. You need to feed it soft food, served warm and fresh twice a day. Food that is low in protein, low in fat, very high in moisture and very high in fiber - just what Nature evolved it to eat.

Try giving it gloop with a large piece of fruit for breakfast and maybe some nice oatmeal or polenta mixed with baby food in the afternoon with a budgie seed mix for dinner. This plus a good quality multivitamin/multimineral supplement will do the trick.

Also, you can't keep a baby in a cage for hours and hours and hours. Babies need many, many hours of cuddling and more of company. In the wild, they have their parents and siblings right next to them all the time - leaving them in a cage alone gets them all anxious and stressed out... it's like leaving a very young child all alone in a room. It will do things to its head.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Megschristina » Mon May 13, 2019 12:41 pm

Hi, Kevin doesn’t cuddle. He’s not anywhere near cuddling. And what is gloop? I’ll change the diet from the formula I just need to know what to change it to and what I should then use as treats. He spends time outside of the cage but I can’t let my dogs eat him either so I have to be present or he has to be locked in a room where they can’t go.

I am trying to figure out how the cuddling advice - it would be forced and break trust- fits In to my query.
Megschristina
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Indian ring neck (male)
Previously a parakeet, a rooster and a lot of pigeons
Flight: No

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Megschristina » Mon May 13, 2019 12:43 pm

He’s been coming out of the cage for approx 8 hours a day on his own but only some of the hours is he out in the main room with us - otherwise he is IN the cage and I roll him about with me.
Megschristina
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Indian ring neck (male)
Previously a parakeet, a rooster and a lot of pigeons
Flight: No

Re: Young IRN taming

Postby Pajarita » Tue May 14, 2019 11:58 am

No, you should NEVER impose your will on a parrot. It simply does not work because parrots brains are not equiped to handle subservience, obedience, discipline or anything that a species with a hierarchical societal structure would understand. These things don't exist in a parrot flock... no leader, no alpha, no nobody that imposes their will on them.

Cuddling is something as simple as putting the baby on your lap for a nap, or on your shoulder so it can get close to your neck if it wants to - or allowing it to 'nest' in the palm of your hand (my quaker loves to do this and it's a HUGE pain in the neck because you are sitting there with your hand out doing nothing! But she loves to take a nap in my palm, just like a hen sitting on a nest of eggs :lol: so I let her). All babies like to be close to a warm body and I don't see how a handfed baby doesn't... it's strange.

You don't need to change to gloop from formula. You should continue feeding formula for as long as the bird asks for it (that's what their parents do in the wild) and add gloop to the diet. Then, when he no longer wants the formula, you just continue with gloop.

I would get the dogs used to being locked up in a separate room for a few hours every day because let me tell you that if you think that supervision works to prevent any accidents that may happen between a flighted bird and dogs, you are mistaken. Accidents like that happen way too quick for a human to stop the incident before damage is done - by the time you got to them, it's too late. Please do not risk it. Mind you, I have dogs AND cats (I rescue them, too) but the dogs stay in the kitchen or my bedroom and the cats have their own room where they are locked until the birds go back into their cages - I do not take anything for granted when it comes to my birds wellbeing (and yes, I am a HUGE pain when it comes to this, ask my husband and he will tell you - in detail! :lol: ).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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