SkyBlu13
Moving in
- Joined
- 1/24/15
- Messages
- 11
Hello, I am new to linnie ownership and I have a few questions regarding the fear behavior of lineolated parakeets. My linnie, Nym, is about 4 months old and I have had her for nearly a month now. She is hand-fed and has been pretty active from the get-go, exploring her perches, climbing every inch of the cage (even the ceiling, upside-down), and chewing/nuzzling her toys. She's also pretty vocal (but not loud) on and off, and goes a few volume notches louder around feeding time. What I am concerned about are some of the noises and gestures she makes on occasion. 
If I am near her when she is eating, or even just waiting on her food bowl before feeding time, she emits these quiet "Churrrr" sounds that seem a little fussy. Then, when I reached in to put her food in the bowl, she would run over, jump onto my hand, and "Churrr" a bit louder, punctuating each vocalization with a little head bob. Sometimes she will peck my hand or reach over to grab some of her food (veggies and pellets, usually). I try to stay still until she calms, then I place the food. Once that's done, she jumps down to start eating, grumbling very softly into her dish for a few moments before quieting down. I changed her food dishes to ones removable from the outside so I don't have to invade her space so much, but she still gets fussy when I remove them to put her food in. She stands at the food door, churring right at me until I bring the dish back. Nym gets very interested in anything I hold in my hands if I am near the cage, bobbing her head and turning to get a better look, and if I bring it closer she will taste it. She takes millet, veggies, and fruit from my hand, but once she finishes or accidentally knocks the food from my grip, she will churr at my empty fingers, sometimes burrowing her beak between them for a few moments. I am wondering if she is trying to bite me, but isn't getting a proper bite in because she is young? She has never bitten my fingers or my hand when making these noises, though sometimes she will get a bit louder and peck, or nibble while mumbling. I have also observed Nym doing this with her favorite toy, a frayed rope ball in her cage. She will also nuzzle the toy with her head feathers all puffed out, and confuses me when she makes a similar churring sound while nuzzling.
Her typical out of cage time consists of me opening the cage to let her out, which she usually does right away to climb to the top. Nym will step up for basically any food reward, and if she thinks I have anything edible in my hands, she will jump on me un-cued and search for it. I am more familiar with the body language of budgies, so I'm not used to anything she is doing. Nym makes this noise so often, sometimes seeming agitated and sometimes when she looks otherwise relaxed (toy snuggling or fluffed with one foot tucked). I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm worried that I am driving her crazy and she's playing the "tough gal" instead of running or hiding.
I've been told linnies usually fly away, or freeze and/or fan their tails when frightened. I have seen her do this with construction noise next door. One loud bang, and she was stiff as a statue, wide-eyed. The next bang, and her tail flared out. I tried talking to her quietly and she eventually warmed back up and went over to her toy. Nym has only flared her tail at me once, and that was when I tripped on a chord while cleaning a few feet away. OK, maybe I've been talking to much, but I can't help but worry. Is she scared of my hands? Am I being too pushy by trying to handle her? Is she braving my hands because I'm not feeding her well enough and she's hungry/desperate? Is she just being food possessive? I have a lot of phobias myself that I'm working through, so I know some of what it feels like to be put in a situation that makes you helplessly afraid. I want to do the right thing for Nym. Any insights would be appreciated. Thank you!
) and I'm taking it very slow with trying to tame her. I want to be sure she is ok with handling before I try anything like that, and if she's never receptive that's fine with me. Right now I just cope with lots of towels lying by the cage, around the cage, and under her play-gym. I try to anticipate the poop squat, but usually I'm just too slow 
