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Post by aligarf on Dec 5, 2015 23:05:25 GMT -5
Good evening everyone! We have a 5 month old quaker who is new to our family. We got him Thursday from a local pet store. We were told he was not hand raised, but came from a breeder. My 10 year old son named him Periwinkle (Peri)  . We have never owned a parrot before, we had a cockatiel we loved, but Peri is a whole new chapter. My first question is, my son wants to "pet" the bird. I have been trying to give the bird space to acclimate. He seems very frightened, but of course my son is impatient and wants to interact with his new friend. So far we are offering food, toys, water, treats, Peri is not sure what to make of us... I don't think he's ever seen toys before. I opened the top of his cage today, but he did not want to come out. We have 2 dogs, so I hesitate to leave the cage open all the time, because I want to keep Peri safe. I guess my question is... am I doing this right? Waiting for the bird to decide that we do not mean him any harm? Second question, he "squawks" at us, and I try to talk back to him. But tonight he was screeching at us repeatedly. I do not want that to become a habit. So, I covered the cage with a blanket, and he quieted down. Was that the right response? Thank you all for your responses! I appreciate it! I will try to post a picture soon... |
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Post by biteybird on Dec 6, 2015 1:51:54 GMT -5
Hi, Aligarf & Periwinkle! Welcome.
I think it's best to take this VERY slowly (i.e., at Peri's pace). If you try to force interaction you will be in for a tough, noisy time and probably some vicious bites (that is something you don't want to happen to your 10-year-old son, in particular). It could also irreparably damage your new relationship with Peri. If he seems frightened he's probably terrified - you don't know what experiences he's had in the pet store.
You are also doing the right thing by not leaving the cage open unsupervised or when the dogs are around.
Squawking and screeching is something all quakers (and other parrots) do on occasion, particularly when they are feeling anxious or just want reassurance from their human flock. Covering the cage will help you not go 'batty' short-term, but it's not the ideal solution long-term. The best way is positive reinforcement (rewarding good behavior). You can start by giving him his space and talking gently to him. I'd expect a bit of noise from Peri until he knows you're not going to hurt him, then he may relax a bit.
I would try to explain to your son as best you can that he should leave Peri alone for a while. Try to be vigilant in case your son is tempted to touch Peri before he is ready...a sure recipe for a painful wound.
There are lots of threads on this site that address this type of situation, if you have the time and inclination to read them.
The main thing is to be very patient and gentle with your new friend. Also think about where his cage is in the house - if it's in the main room where people stay up late watching TV you might want to give him a 'sleep' cage in another room, as he will need 10-12 hours of dark and quiet every night.
I have probably forgotten some obvious things but the others will pitch in, I'm sure. |
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Post by easttex on Dec 6, 2015 6:18:46 GMT -5
Good advice from biteybird. It's hard for most children to empathize with a parrot. You really have to put their needs first. Imagine if you were kidnaped and taken to a strange new place where you don't understand anything. It happened once when he went to the pet store, and now has happened again. It's even harder for a parrot that was not hand raised. A hand raised bird will at least recognize humans as potential flock members. You're absolutely right to let Peri set the pace. Do try to not let attention be forced on him. Let him watch everyone as they go about their routines, from the safety of his cage. And never turn your back when his cage is open and the dogs are around.
On the noise, remember to reward the good and ignore the bad. Any kind of attention when he screeches, even negative attention, will tend to reinforce his behavior. His regular squawks are probably a call for flock mates, and a verbal response may help him to eventually see you as one of those. The best thing you can do for screeching is to not respond to it. Totally ignore him. You're in for some aggravation for a while, but that's the best way I know of to extinguish the behavior. One thing you can try when he gets going is to have someone who is in another part of the house make some attention-getting noise that Peri will not associate with a human. Something like dropping a heavy book on a hard floor. As soon as Peri stops screeching reinforce his silence. If he's not yet interested in treats, try just talking lovingly to him until he gets more used to you.
Good luck with him! They can be really great companions if they're handled with love and respect.
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Post by aligarf on Dec 6, 2015 8:48:41 GMT -5
Thank you so much for the reassurance. I really want this to go well!! Peri's cage is right in the living room, and he was most noisy toward the evening (about 6:30pm)so maybe he was tired and looking for quiet. I can't try the "sleeping cage" right now, because I can't get him out of his cage! lol! But it's a good suggestion for the future...
I will try to ignore all screeching, and I'm glad to know I was on the right track with the dogs. I will keep you all posted on our progress!
Thank you!
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Post by cnyguy on Dec 6, 2015 20:22:36 GMT -5
Welcome! I should mention that a lot of parrots will have a "morning squawk" and an "evening squawk," often close to sunrise and sunset. It's a natural behavior-- parrots in the wild do that to stay in contact with the rest of their flock. A good way to interact with a new parrot is to sit as near to his cage as he's comfortable with, and talk softly to him. That helps the parrot get used to his new human companions. That's something your son could do too, until Peri is ready for more physical contact. |
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Post by aligarf on Dec 6, 2015 20:40:13 GMT -5
My son and I went down to a local aviary and bought some new toys for Peri today. We will rotate them in the cage, and hopefully my son will feel more involved in the bird's care. Peri offered more vocalizations today, chirps, squeaks, and squawks, but still does not look to us for treats or rewards. He's adorable, I hope he will soon see us as flock members!
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Post by aaron on Dec 7, 2015 11:16:35 GMT -5
Welcome aligarf and Peri! The others have just about covered everything here-- I just wanted to chime in because my stepdaughter is also (in 1 week) 10 years old, so I am familiar with the challenges of trying to get a young person to be patient and calm enough to work with a parrot. She too tries to "pet" the bird sometimes, and it basically never goes well. Children don't always tend to understand that you need to build a relationship with the bird in order for it to be willing to allow things like being pet by a huge hand... and even once you do, you have to "pet" them in just the right way for them to be okay with it. It's all about being sensitive to their body language. My stepdaughter is often jealous of the fact that the adults in the house can so freely touch and snuggle with Cupcake, but she doesn't seem to possess the patience and empathy yet to actually take her interactions with Cupcake at Cupcake's pace, which is truly the only way it will work. This would definitely come more naturally to some children than it does for her, so hopefully your son is a more inherently patient individual  My stepdaughter also struggles with a fear of being bitten, as she was bitten at a pretty young age. As I'm sure you realize, having a parrot means getting bitten from time to time. The child will need to understand that too. So for now, while Peri is still getting used to his new home and is probably still terrified, I would recommend having your son take cnyguy's approach and spending time sitting nearby and talking calmly to the bird-- assuming that the bird is not so terrified that having you so close by is inspiring an intense fear response. Watch out for that possibility, but as long as he seems ok with you nearby, sitting and talking calmly from outside the cage bars is a great way to illustrate that you are not dangerous to Peri. Until Peri shows some interest and initiative to come out on his own and say hello, your interaction should probably stop there. Keep trying to give him treats here and there, though. These things can take a long time-- patience is really important... but you will get there! Good luck, and keep us posted on how things go!! |
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. We have never owned a parrot before, we had a cockatiel we loved, but Peri is a whole new chapter. My first question is, my son wants to "pet" the bird. I have been trying to give the bird space to acclimate. He seems very frightened, but of course my son is impatient and wants to interact with his new friend. So far we are offering food, toys, water, treats, Peri is not sure what to make of us... I don't think he's ever seen toys before. I opened the top of his cage today, but he did not want to come out. We have 2 dogs, so I hesitate to leave the cage open all the time, because I want to keep Peri safe. I guess my question is... am I doing this right? Waiting for the bird to decide that we do not mean him any harm?
My stepdaughter also struggles with a fear of being bitten, as she was bitten at a pretty young age. As I'm sure you realize, having a parrot means getting bitten from time to time. The child will need to understand that too.