Hello im from Greenford in london and help needed please!!

[Kiwismum]

I everyone i have literally just joined as i now own a 9w old Indian ringneck which i called Kiwi to match his / her colour!!

We have only had kiwi for under a week i will say she as its just easier!!
She has settled in well so far, flying to us and getting to know her surroundings

Im yet to decide if i should clip her wings, she is super tame and is currently on formula and weaning her on veg and fruit

I only have one problem!! She doesn't like to be in the cage..she goes all over the place and goes to a corner and starts to nibble the cage. Shes nibbling of the paint!!

Any advice guys??

I have tried talking to her but eventually we end up taking her out..then she relaxes

Nice to be a member and hope to read ur stories!!

[Wolf]

Well the first thing that strikes me is that something is not quite right about the cage if a 9 week old IRN is able to damage the paint. Is this a commercial cage or is it a home made cage?
It is good that you chose to let the bird come out as it requires a lot of time out of the cage with at least two hours of one on one time interacting with you on a daily basis. At this age your bird would also probably do better if it was supplemented with a couple of meals of a warm soft food, call it comfort food. It could actually prove to be needed as your bird is still very new to its surrounding and is stressed because it is afraid. The more time that you spend with your bird the better it will bond with you.
As far as clipping your birds wing goes; The ability to fly is connected to just about every major system in the birds body ranging from it ability to digest its food, to breathe properly as well as its ability to solve problems and to learn. I believe that no bird should ever have its wings clipped without a valid medical reason for it and certainly not because we don't feel like putting in the effort it takes to properly provide for the birds well being. To me clipping a birds wings to make it easier on me would be pretty much the same as making a child wear a strait jacket because it gets into things.

[Pajarita]

Yes, you need a good parrot cage because what you have is inadequate and dangerous (the bird would end up with heavy metal poisoning).

Now, you can't wean to just produce, you need to wean to a food that has lower protein and fat than formula but not one that doesn't have any. The bird will end up dead if that's all it eats. You need to offer two types of soft food served fresh daily. I always recommend one of them to be gloop because this is what I feed all my adult birds and it works out great both for them and babies, and the other one can be polenta or steel-cut oats cooked and mixed with pureed veggies and fruits (baby food is great for this), some nice, good quality, multi-grain bread, birdy bread, etc. Two soft foods, a different fruit, veggie and leafy green every day and some nice soft seeds for dinner will do the trick.

As to her wanting to be with you all the time... well, she is very young baby and all babies need to be with their parents. Notice that I say 'need' and not 'want' because want is optional but need is not. Baby birds stay with their parents for many, many months after they are born and that means 24/7! Because pet birds are stolen from their parents when they are very young babies in the nest and handfed by humans to make them imprint to us, they see us as their family and so they want to be with us all the time. You, my dear, are now a mother and your baby needs you all the time so welcome to the wonderful world of parrot keeping

[Michael]

Maybe it's a cage meant for smaller birds like a budgie cage? Powder coat is tougher than paint and the minimum requirement for a bird like that.

[liz]

You are blessed that she wants to be out with you. Baby birds like baby humans need physical contact. The problem is that most are afraid of people and have to be calmed. You got a good one ready to learn and experience her new home and family.

[Kiwismum]

Thanks so much for your informative replies..kiwi has been doing very well she / he has settled in quite well, i.will be looking into the cage problem, she does feel safe in the cage as ive put up lovely toys etc..but still she wants to be out and doesn't settle until I put a mirror!?!? Which im limiting as to when i use it..eg when I need to leave the house i put it.up coz it calms her and means shes not scared and she doesn't think she's alone. Amy suggestions on the use of a mirror?? I would love to potty train her any advice on if she is ready to be trained?? Thanks guys..hope everyone is well!!

[Wolf]

Again congratulations on your new baby, Kiwi. Although I am not against doing a little light training when they are young, the vast majority of your time needs to be concentrated on earning Kiwi's trust and establishing a strong bond with her. Kiwi's brain is like a sponge and will soak up about anything that it is exposed to, but training will not establish the bond that is required with these birds. I would rather my birds soak up social skill that help her to co-exist with me in a human household, things like no biting, step up, maybe even exposure to new things like new foods and toys, learning to use foraging toys, and mostly learning to trust me to handle her without fearing that I would hurt her. Training for entertainment such as tricks can come later on as there will be plenty of time. Potty training is something that I do not do, nor do I recommend it. I think that due to the parrots nature there is too great of a risk that the bird will start holding their poops in too long if they can't get to the designated pooping areas and this could lead up to life threatening surgery to save her life.
I don't particularly care for mirrors as some birds will develop to much of a fascination with the bird in the mirror, I would opt for a companion for my bird over a mirror any day, but that is me. I do understand how you are using the mirror and I understand why, but I still would not do this, I would use the radio and maybe the TV to provide stimulation to help them through the times that you are gone. I very often put my TV on a music station for my birds when I have to go to town as they love music. I also tell them that I am leaving and will return soon.

[Pajarita]

If I were you, I would not concentrate on target training an IRN. These are very difficult birds to keep bonded to a human so, personally, I would put all my time and all my effort on bonding because, especially since you work, it's going to be touch and go, my dear.

I do not recommend potty training. I think it's a terrible practice as it's VERY unhealthy for birds! Parrots are what they are, they are hard to keep happy, they are noisy, they are destructive, they can bite very hard and they poop everywhere and very often so if you can't live with these 'parroty idiosyncracies', you should get yourself a canary.

As to the mirror.... that's a hard one. I don't use them but that's because I don't have single birds. Now, personally, I am all for making them happy and, obviously, a bird all alone is never going to be happy so if you cannot find it in your heart to provide the bird with a companion, I would use the mirror. BUT, mind you, in order for the whole thing to work out, you need to keep the bird to a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk and provide a low protein diet because, if you don't and you give it a mirror, the poor thing will be overly hormonal forever and suffer terribly for it.