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Chewing and Pulling wing feathers

Calpurnia

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Don't worry, you don't have to DNA test Happy and can just wait to find out when he's older and (hopefully!) grows in his ring. I was just wondering because male birds seem to be more vocal (i.e. more inclined to learn to talk). But of course, there are exceptions to every rule, so even if Happy is a girl, if you are interested in teaching him to talk you'll just have to try it out. :p
 

siavash

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Don't worry, you don't have to DNA test Happy and can just wait to find out when he's older and (hopefully!) grows in his ring. I was just wondering because male birds seem to be more vocal (i.e. more inclined to learn to talk). But of course, there are exceptions to every rule, so even if Happy is a girl, if you are interested in teaching him to talk you'll just have to try it out. :p
What do you mean "HOPEFULLY" ? Come one maaaaan. I'm depressed as is... now u r telling me HOPEEEEEFULLY?
please don't tell me that there is EVEN A CHANCE that he may NOT fly!!!!

Cheers
PS: I AM SUPER SAD NOW (and thanks for ur help and comments; i really appreciate all of your help people)
 

Calpurnia

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Lol don't be sad!! I think you might be confusing "ring" with "wing"? Don't worry about Happy's feathers, they'll come in soon enough. What I was referring to is the fact that you can't tell whether a baby IRN is male or female until they are about 2 years old. At this point, males will start growing in their neck ring! See here for more details.

I only say "hopefully" because you mentioned yourself that you'd like a boy! I know we can't help preferring one gender over, but I also know you'll love Happy no matter what. ;)
 

siavash

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Right, Right.... Sorry about that. i got so freaked out that i didn't even double check what i was reading :)
and i don't know why i presumed that i saw Wing... i guess sometime we see what we WANT and sometimes we see what we most FEAR !!!!
BTW, i really don't care about Happy being a boy or a girl. i REALLY don't care. so why am i trying to know that he's a boy?:

1- 'coz the shop keeper told me. (i wanna know if i can trust him for sure)

2- i was planning to get him a wife :) -- (i was gonna get a little lady IRN; like a chick; a kid... by the time our girl turns 1 year old and an adult, our boy will be too. But now....) now i don't know if that's such a good idea lol

But thank u so much for clearing that up. i'm stupendously relieved........
 

ArcticFox

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Awww I love IRNs!! My first two birds were both IRNs and they will always have such a special place in my heart! He looks so sweet to. Both my IRNs were equally good talkers. One was male, the other female. I'd say talking to them is best- even if just reading aloud. Also, frequently repeat phrases you want him to learn.
 

siavash

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Hey everyone,

for the last 48 hours, Happy has started singing (or whatever you call it; i guess we have a word for that, as well). before that, i was always complaining that "WHY doesn't my parrot even make a noise, let alone sing.... someone told me, be thankful. i said "NO, i like him singing or making a sound or something". NOW I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SAYINGG...
So, Happy is happy; he's full of life; i wish we, humans, could learn something from them :)

Now, couple of friends here, suggested that i start talking to him and teach him (in reply of my question, of course). so i got another one for you:
Shall i start with a WORD or a PHRASE? like, should i first start with "Hello" or "Hi" or should i start with "pretty boy" or " come here" bla bla bla....

Again, excuse my English. it's not sophisticated or my comments wouldn't be so long... Thanks
 

Calpurnia

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It's all up to you! There is no right or wrong answer here. Repeat the words/phrases that YOU want to teach Happy. Remember, if he is inclined to talk he will likely already pick up the stuff that you say to him every day.
 

ArcticFox

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Mine picked up words they liked the sound of for what ever reason. My last irn had a pretty good vocabulary. His first word? Crash. It was long and drawn out- craaaaaash. It was like 4 months before he was saying any other words. His favorites before he passed away were 'kiss kiss' 'what you doing' 'love you' 'mine' 'go away' and 'come' but it took him some time to get there. He didn't really start picking up a lot of words until his ring came in.
 

siavash

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Mine picked up words they liked the sound of for what ever reason. My last irn had a pretty good vocabulary. His first word? Crash. It was long and drawn out- craaaaaash. It was like 4 months before he was saying any other words. His favorites before he passed away were 'kiss kiss' 'what you doing' 'love you' 'mine' 'go away' and 'come' but it took him some time to get there. He didn't really start picking up a lot of words until his ring came in.
I'm sure I can't even imagine how u felt; so i won't even try to say anything. i'm just sorry for ur loss.

and thanks everybody for ur help
 

ArcticFox

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Oh, thank you. I miss both my IRNs greatly but it's been five years since the most recent passing and my heart has healed.
 

Monica

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The following legumes (beans) can be fed cooked or sprouted. All other types *must* be cooked for human consumption in order to be safe for birds.

  • Adzuki
  • Mung
  • Sprouting Peas
  • Lentils

A bigger list of foods can be found in the following link. You may have bird safe foods over there that we are unaware of, so please don't take it that only these are safe! It is an incomplete list!


Bird Safe Fresh Foods & Toxic Food Lists & More | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum



The Association of Avian Vets lists 3 avian vets. I don't know if their information is up to date or not...

Dr Arya Rezaei Far - Association of Avian Veterinarians
Dr Seyed Mehdi Rajaei - Association of Avian Veterinarians
Dr Ali Namvaran Abbas Abad - Association of Avian Veterinarians
 

siavash

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Okay, NOW I'M PISSED OFFFFFF (Excuse the language),
on his left wing, there is loads of blood. thankfully, it's not bleeding anymore. i don't know what he did last night when i was asleep; when i woke up, i fed him, and let him climb the little trees he has. i saw something black under the wing. i thought i'm imagining it. so i looked closer. then i had to check it out. he HATES to be handled, but no choice. i saw the blood. it seems, he was trying to pull out a feather, and in the process, it appears, he damaged one of the little feathers (u call it COVER FEATHERS if i remember correctly from the article John sent me)... looks like, he tried to get a grip of the feather but at times he took the wrong feather or something like that...

PLEASE ADVISE

PS: he bit me, and now i'm bleeding. GREAT
 
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Monica

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Best you can do is clean yourself and your bird up best you can (does he like taking a bath or shower?). It's possible he had a night fright, too, and broke a feather. Then just keep an eye on him.
 

ArcticFox

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I agree. Unfortunately having a bird means getting bitten sometimes. Clean yourself up, if your feathered friend likes baths, a good bath would be in order.

Take some deep breaths. I find talking to the bird in question after I've calmed down helps me after a bite. I tell them what they did, how it made me feel and that I forgive them. Or that I haven't yet. I know they can't really understand but talking it out helps me feel better.
 

siavash

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@Monica Thanks for the food references and ur comments. very helpful...

@ArcticFox @Monica : I'm wasn't mad coz he bit me :) I was mad coz he hurt himself (I'm sure if somebody tie my hand and feet or something, i'll bite him too :) ). this "chewing the feathers" has been going on a while. with everybody's help here, I was able to control it (well, not control, but distract him somehow).

but non the less he finally hurt himself. that's why i was angry...

Thanks again, for you two, and everybody else's help.

i'll report back if anything comes up

Cheers
 
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siavash

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hey everyone,

it's been couple of days that i haven't bothered anyone; SO, here I am...

Question:
can a parrot (IRN specifically), INTENTIONALLY not eat much? like, they eat less resulting in getting lighter for flight... do they have such an intelligence? can they grasp or perceive such a concept?! (sorry, my vocabulary isn't vast; so i'm not sure if i did communicate my question well or not.)
in other words, can they intentionally NOT eat much so that they can get ready for flight (or for whatever reason EXCEPT illness)?

Thanks
 
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Monica

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Yes, they can, however, this is usually only seen in chicks that are getting ready to fledge and don't need to eat as much. Not so much in adults.


Saying that, a bird's weight can vary through-out the year, based on various factors, besides being sick.
 

CrazyBirdChick

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hey everyone,

it's been couple of days that i haven't bothered anyone; SO, here I am...

Question:
can a parrot (IRN specifically), INTENTIONALLY not eat much? like, they eat less resulting in getting lighter for flight... do they have such an intelligence? can they grasp or perceive such a concept?! (sorry, my vocabulary isn't vast; so i'm not sure if i did communicate my question well or not.)

in other words, can they intentionally NOT eat much so that they can get ready for flight (or for whatever reason EXCEPT illness)?

Thanks
First if all...your English is phenomenal.

Second of all, I am not sure that a bird gives any thought to worrying about their weight. But I do know my bird some days doesn't eat as much as other days, and I usually chalk it up to him being bored with his food.

Is your bird having healthy looking poops? Aee you able to weigh him to make sure he's not loosing too much?

Maybe try some different variety of foods in his bowl? I hope someone else will come along soon who has better advice for you.
 

siavash

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Siavash
thanks for ur help and comments...

@Monica : Happy is not a chick; however, he IS trying to fly for the FIRST time... So, maybe the same principle applies!! (he's about 8 months)

@CrazyBirdChick : thanks for the complement :) - you people are all kind.
yes, I've checked everything i could think of. his poop, his sleep pattern, his behavior, and i don't THINK he's lost any weight. all seem fine...
the thing is that, finally, he pulled out 6 of his tripped (bad) wing feathers. the one that made him bleed, he himself fixed that as well (i just bathed him). 3 feathers are growing back (2 on the right, 1 left); 3 feathers that i can see and distinguish, probably more is growing but not yet visible. he almost can fly a little. i see that he can FEEL it. i feel him feeling :) ... that's why i think he's trying to stay light or get lighter or, at least, not get heavier; he eats less for the last couple of days (4, 5)...

so, for now, i'll change the bowl and make the food more colorful. let's see what happens...

Thanks; and as usual, i'll report back
 

siavash

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hey everyone,

Happy new year. i'm so sorry; i forgot it's your new year. very sorry...
i swear i'm not ignorant; just a bit of a moron :) ... i hope you all have a great, healthy, beautiful and full of money kind of year (well, life, actually)...

HAPPY NEW YEARRRRR............... have a very merry Christmas and God bless you all.
 
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