Alexandrine screaming

[alexandrine]

i started a new strategy with him , when i get him out of his cage i gave him a lot of toys near of me but not so close for an hour , thanks god he stopped screaming , i will continue doing that and will make him nearer every time till he stops , anyway he is still a baby only 4 months and may be he is calling his brothers or family so i hope that sound will stop in a few months when he starts to talk

[Ashleigh253]

Hi there,
Just interested in any updates?

We just got a 15weeks oldone as well. Only squawk on my face and hands not my partners

[Wolf]

It can be very difficult to figure out the reason that a bird id calling and additional clues to the behavior are often found in the birds body language. If the bird is squawking and bobbing its head and fluttering or lifting its wings then it is usually wanting food. This may not be for seeds or other hard foods as when it is this young it may not be able to eat enough to get enough nourishment and needs to be given soft foods a couple of times a day until it can eat the harder foods better.

The bird may be calling for attention. If you have recently gotten the bird then it is afraid of its new environment and has lost everything that was familiar to it, including its siblings and the human(s) that it knew and trusted. Birds are extremely social creatures and depend on each other, their parents, their flock, and their human for their sense of security and safety as well as their sense of wellbeing.

In order to work out what is happening with your bird and to make any suggestions that might help, we need more information as to what the bird is doing as well as what is going on at the time and just before it began squawking.

[liz]

If I don't answer when Rambo or Myrtle call me by name they start yelling hello until I answer.

Myrtle was a year old when I got her and she learned many things from Rambo before she trusted me. Their personalities show when they call me. Rambo say "com'ere Momma" but Myrtle says com'ere Ma".

[Ashleigh253]

Hi Wolf and Liz,

You both are wonderful. Thanks for all the help. Patchie and IRN was so independent and easy so Rex the baby Alex was a real test and so far he is not the first time bird owner . But Im getting there and Im determined to make it work. Especially learning how cruel bird breeding is through our Avian Vet.

Ive been making gloop for both of the birdies for the last 4 days (since they are in the same cage now). Patchie eating alright while Rex only chews (bite) and moves on to the next one. I have 2 veggies stick that I hang on the cage with a different mix each day ranging from carrot, celery, kale, apple, watermellon, pineapple, squash, capsicum, cucumber. ...but Rex does the same thing (bite veg off the stick not eating them).

Crop feeding was our last resource according to the vet and he put on weight . He is now just really scared of my face and fingers I think. Information about Alex is so limited on the net. I really would like to know more about their behaviours and body language to help baby Rex settling in more quickly. I guess I was lucky with Patch as Debra is a great breeder and she cares for her birds not Greg (he is just all about money ).

[Wolf]

Both the Alexandrine and the IRN are very similar species, so much so that personality differences are probably more of a factor than species differences in their behaviors.

On another note, the best time to teach a bird to eat its veggies or anything else for that matter, is to eat the food yourself in front of them early in the morning before they get any other foods. During this time you need to make happy noises to show them that the food is wonderful. You should also hoard the food for yourself allowing the bird to ask and then to beg for the food, but not sharing the food until the bird is demanding that you share the food. That is how the parent birds do it to teach their babies to eat the right foods. The hoarding of the food until the bird is demanding it or tried to steal it reinforces that it is very special food. The time that you spend doing this with your bird has the added benefit of being a bonding activity with them.

[liz]

Wolf is so right. More often than not they want what you have. You can even offer a bite from the other side than where you are eating.
Myrtle is so bad that I have taught her the word "mine". She knows that means that nothing she does is going to get it for her. She does not like the word.
My cockatiels are not great at eating veggies on a regular basis. I cut Amazon veg into pieces just right for picking up. I have a gadget that chops food into tiny square pieces that I use for the Cockatiels. When I chop too much I give some to the Amazons. They look at it like different food since it is chopped and mixed up, and eat it too.
Sometimes it looks like they are biting something then dropping it. They are very messy eaters. There is always a pile of chomped food when they finish a feeding. My aunt commented on Myrtle picking up a pea and just putting it back down. When I looked close enough I could she that she ate the inside of the pea and put the shell back down so that it looked untouched.