Questions from a new Linnie Owner

[UrbanSylvanus]

Okay, diving right in I guess

I recently (like 4 days ago) picked up a male, 3 month old dark green Linnie from a breeder.
So far he's doing well, climbing the walls, eating/drinking a lot, playing a little with his toys, but I had a few questions for the experts here haha

1. My linnie seems to have a tendency to bite my hands, but they don't seem like the quick sharp bites of a self-defense bite? I feel it's more that he's curious about what these fleshy things are and trying to figure it out by biting. I draw my hand/arm away slowly when it starts to hurt but they do get a little red afterwards, which... owch
Would this be a "cut it out" bite or a nibble? If it's more a nibble, how can I get him to understand that biting so hard is unacceptable?

2) Day 2 of being here, he seemed to like the mist bath I gave him and even let me give him a scritch! Now it seems like he's forgotten that happened and backs away if I try misting him (I immediately stopped after one spritz and I haven't tried since Day 3) and only "bites" my fingers (the exact same thing from question #1)
I'm pretty sure it's just that he isn't in the mood, but I wanted to try asking about it just in case.

4)And the most important of all...I haven't given him a name yet! How did everyone figure out a name for their Linnie?

Also, any other advice for a first time Linnie owner is definitely appreciated!

 

[Dona]

Welcome and congrats on your new boy! We would love to see a picture! Go back and read our past Linnie posts and you'll get a lot of ideas. I have posted about a ton of topics. I am a total Linnie cheerleader. I think they are awesome!

About the biting, I think if it's more than a curious nibble that doesn't leave a mark, it should be discouraged. I actually seldom put my hands on Gigi anymore. She loves me but not my hands. Many Linnies are hand shy and Gigi is not the exception. If I were to get a bite from Gigi, I would firmly say "no bite" and pull away, then I would keep my hands to myself.

Gigi enjoys a misting about every 4 days. Too soon and she is less than enthusiastic, not opening her wings or leaning over. I make sure it's warm water and misting lightly from above. She stands on a mobile perch for this so no opportunities to bite.

Here's a cut and paste on how I named Gigi that I just posted a few days ago:

After living with a dozen birds over 30 plus years we found ourselves bird-less for 4 years. I talked over and over about getting a bird but couldn't seem to decide. We were in a condo now and growing old so noise and age were factors. Then my husband gave me my birthday present along with a coupon, "good for any bird at any price." He said he knew I missed living with a bird and wanted me to know he supported me if I decided. I called a breeder looking for a hand fed budgie. He sold his last budgie that morning and said he had Linnies. What's a linnie? He said he really loved them and I should look them up online to see what I think. Within hours I had done just that and I headed to see the babies in real life. At that point he had 2 lutinos left unsold. I picked the chubbier one and gave a deposit. I visited several times before pick up day. On that day I set up the cage and headed off. I held and played with my lutino linnie that I named Pip and was captivated. I talked with the breeder about possibly buying 2 and he said that morning someone had requested their deposit back on Pip's sister, a normal green linnie. He brought her out and I just melted. I've always been a big fan of green birds after my first beloved amazon. I loved that she was just as the Linnies are in the wild. I talked and talked to the breeder about whether I should buy both. He said it's up to you, you can have either of the lutinos or the green. Or one of each. He obviously wasn't worried about a sale, because he strongly encouraged me to take just one, build a relationship and then consider another down the road. So that's what I did, I took just one girl home, a normal green. As I comforted her in the box on the way home I knew that she wasn't Pip, that was the lutino I left behind. I said "What am I going to name my little green girl?" Oh! Gigi!

Let us know what you decide to name your little boy!

 

[Fuzzy]

Welcome! The advice I would give is avoid doing anything that makes your Linnie bite. Biting is a form of communication. Sounds like he was trying to tell you nicely to remove your hand (nibbles) and because you didn't listen, he is having to bite harder to let you know he is not comfortable with your hands near him. Whatever the reason, instead try pairing your presence and the presence of your hands with something wonderful like a treat. What does he pick out of the food bowl first? These will be his favourite things. Does he like millet spray? - a lot of parrots do. When you have found out what he particularly likes to eat, you can use these items to reinforce behaviour you want to see more of. Remember the more he bites the more he is learning to, so best address it now.

That's great you heeded his body language re the showering. Have you tried spraying a very fine mist up into the air so that it falls back down on him? This is much less intrusive. Later when he is used to it, you can switch to misting him directly.

on your beautiful Linnie!

 

[NorthernGannet]

Welcome! I just brought a new linnie home as well this past Saturday, and he needs a name too! I'm absolutely the WORST at naming pets. If they don't come with one, it takes me forever. I had to find a name for my adult parrotlet I adopted earlier this year. Can you believe at 2 yrs old no one had named her! Anyhow, I started by deciding to try to pick something that described her in some fashion. Either her personality, coloring, just something that related to her. I found myself focusing on her color and went from there. I came up with lots of choices but every time I said them out loud, they just didn't "fit". The name was too big, too small, too heavy, too lame in some fashion Then one day after about 3-4 weeks I thought both her coloring and personality reminded me of a Luna moth, which are a yellow/green and delicate yet strong, just like she is. When I said "Luna" out loud to her, she turned and looked right at me. That was it! Not exactly a scientific method, but it's perfect for us. I suppose I'll try the same method with the new Linnie as I get to know him and see how it goes I think it's important not to be in a huge hurry with choosing just the right name.

-NG

 

[Dona]

Welcome! I just brought a new linnie home as well this past Saturday, and he needs a name too! I'm absolutely the WORST at naming pets. If they don't come with one, it takes me forever. I had to find a name for my adult parrotlet I adopted earlier this year. Can you believe at 2 yrs old no one had named her! Anyhow, I started by deciding to try to pick something that described her in some fashion. Either her personality, coloring, just something that related to her. I found myself focusing on her color and went from there. I came up with lots of choices but every time I said them out loud, they just didn't "fit". The name was too big, too small, too heavy, too lame in some fashion Then one day after about 3-4 weeks I thought both her coloring and personality reminded me of a Luna moth, which are a yellow/green and delicate yet strong, just like she is. When I said "Luna" out loud to her, she turned and looked right at me. That was it! Not exactly a scientific method, but it's perfect for us. I suppose I'll try the same method with the new Linnie as I get to know him and see how it goes I think it's important not to be in a huge hurry with choosing just the right name.

-NG

Luna is such a cute name. We are waiting patiently for your new Linnie name.
I, on the other hand, love to name animals!

 

[UrbanSylvanus]

Welcome and congrats on your new boy! We would love to see a picture! Go back and read our past Linnie posts and you'll get a lot of ideas. I have posted about a ton of topics. I am a total Linnie cheerleader. I think they are awesome!

About the biting, I think if it's more than a curious nibble that doesn't leave a mark, it should be discouraged. I actually seldom put my hands on Gigi anymore. She loves me but not my hands. Many Linnies are hand shy and Gigi is not the exception. If I were to get a bite from Gigi, I would firmly say "no bite" and pull away, then I would keep my hands to myself.

Gigi enjoys a misting about every 4 days. Too soon and she is less than enthusiastic, not opening her wings or leaning over. I make sure it's warm water and misting lightly from above. She stands on a mobile perch for this so no opportunities to bite.

Here's a cut and paste on how I named Gigi that I just posted a few days ago:

After living with a dozen birds over 30 plus years we found ourselves bird-less for 4 years. I talked over and over about getting a bird but couldn't seem to decide. We were in a condo now and growing old so noise and age were factors. Then my husband gave me my birthday present along with a coupon, "good for any bird at any price." He said he knew I missed living with a bird and wanted me to know he supported me if I decided. I called a breeder looking for a hand fed budgie. He sold his last budgie that morning and said he had Linnies. What's a linnie? He said he really loved them and I should look them up online to see what I think. Within hours I had done just that and I headed to see the babies in real life. At that point he had 2 lutinos left unsold. I picked the chubbier one and gave a deposit. I visited several times before pick up day. On that day I set up the cage and headed off. I held and played with my lutino linnie that I named Pip and was captivated. I talked with the breeder about possibly buying 2 and he said that morning someone had requested their deposit back on Pip's sister, a normal green linnie. He brought her out and I just melted. I've always been a big fan of green birds after my first beloved amazon. I loved that she was just as the Linnies are in the wild. I talked and talked to the breeder about whether I should buy both. He said it's up to you, you can have either of the lutinos or the green. Or one of each. He obviously wasn't worried about a sale, because he strongly encouraged me to take just one, build a relationship and then consider another down the road. So that's what I did, I took just one girl home, a normal green. As I comforted her in the box on the way home I knew that she wasn't Pip, that was the lutino I left behind. I said "What am I going to name my little green girl?" Oh! Gigi!

Let us know what you decide to name your little boy!

Oh hello! I think I read your posts the most, or at least recognized them in different topics a lot lol ("oh hey, it's Dona!" etc)
When you meant "doesn't leave a mark", did you mean one that doesn't leave a mark in the long run? When I said that his bites left my skin a little red afterwards, he didn't break skin, it just got a little swollen and the redness disappears within the hour.
To be honest I was just trying to ask about whether this was a curious nibble, or this was a full-on bite based on beak strength relative to human skin lol

Also for the other kind people as well who've taken the time to answer my questions: here's a picture!
And I've been thinking of a name, it's a toss up between Basil and Machi (from matcha) based on his colors!

 

[Dona]

Oh hello! I think I read your posts the most, or at least recognized them in different topics a lot lol ("oh hey, it's Dona!" etc)
When you meant "doesn't leave a mark", did you mean one that doesn't leave a mark in the long run? When I said that his bites left my skin a little red afterwards, he didn't break skin, it just got a little swollen and the redness disappears within the hour.
To be honest I was just trying to ask about whether this was a curious nibble, or this was a full-on bite based on beak strength relative to human skin lol

Also for the other kind people as well who've taken the time to answer my questions: here's a picture!
And I've been thinking of a name, it's a toss up between Basil and Machi (from matcha) based on his colors!

Oh hey! Dona here!

Hmm not sure about the bite/nibble distinction. For Gigi it's obvious. She might come over and kind of nibble my fingers gently like it's a toy, checking out my nails and cuticles. If I touch her stuff, she might shriek, lunge and bite. Not much in between. Your boy is young and I bet he is experimenting and testing what's OK. I'd try to only allow gentle nibbles and no marks at all. It's not as if a Linnie can really hurt you, but it sure hurts my feelings when I'm bitten out of anger.

Thanks for the pic. He's so handsome! Beautiful color. @suileeka has a Linnie named Basil. Machi from matcha is adorable. Seems like a name he could potentially say. And turn in Mixie Matchy if he lived here. I'm full of silly nicknames for everyone.

 

[Dona]

@UrbanSylvanus since you are Japanese/American, Here's a picture of my son's Japanese girlfriend with Gigi. She was here for 3 months and left a few weeks ago. Just the loveliest person ever.

 

[Leih]

@UrbanSylvanus since you are Japanese/American, Here's a picture of my son's Japanese girlfriend with Gigi. She was here for 3 months and left a few weeks ago. Just the loveliest person ever.

View attachment 314868

Aww so sweet! Gigi has such a great personality!

 

[Leih]

My boys like a bath every few days as well. They are also hand shy, but they are also a bonded pair, they're not brothers but they've been together since they hatched, and training a pair is tough. I've never really wanted to separate them so we have a hands off relationship. Not that I haven't been bit, though! Linnies often go through a rough adolescence and Caspar was no exception. Emrys is shy, he was never aggressive, but Caspar... Look out! He's mellowed out now.

Lots of birds go through a bluffing stage where they seem to enjoy biting more than anything, but as everyone else has said the best way to teach no biting is to avoid it in the first place. Sounds like to you're doing great at ready his body language so just keep going with that. Something I like to do with a new bird is to just sit next to them and talk gently to them and sometimes read. Helps them get a feel for your presence.

I'm crazy with names, and I usually choose odd ones. Emrys is another name for Merlin, and I also have a conure named Galahad and a cat named Percival, so I like Arthurian legend! My lovebird, Aoife, it just hit me that that was her name, the same with Caspar. I also have two more cats, Matilda and Ivan. I'm a history nerd, too so I kind of go with old fashioned or historical names or characters from books that I really like. No matter his name he's super cute! We're always happy to see more linnies around here, they're such sweet birds

 

[JapanBirdLover]

Great stories about names on here! I get that about Gigi... G. G. means green girl!?
My Linnie is called Apollo. My kids were going to name their dog Apollo after reading the Iliad but then suddenly changed to Hector, so I took Apollo for my Linnie.
BTW I see there are other people with Japanese connections on here, so can I suggest “Nami” as a name for a Linnie? The Japanese word for a Linnie is “Sazanami”.

 

[Dona]

Great stories about names on here! I get that about Gigi... G. G. means green girl!?
My Linnie is called Apollo. My kids were going to name their dog Apollo after reading the Iliad but then suddenly changed to Hector, so I took Apollo for my Linnie.
BTW I see there are other people with Japanese connections on here, so can I suggest “Nami” as a name for a Linnie? The Japanese word for a Linnie is “Sazanami”.

LOL yeah Gigi is green girl.
The name Nami is adorable!

 

[UrbanSylvanus]

Great stories about names on here! I get that about Gigi... G. G. means green girl!?
My Linnie is called Apollo. My kids were going to name their dog Apollo after reading the Iliad but then suddenly changed to Hector, so I took Apollo for my Linnie.
BTW I see there are other people with Japanese connections on here, so can I suggest “Nami” as a name for a Linnie? The Japanese word for a Linnie is “Sazanami”.

I see Dona has already introduced me as the other Japanese member, so hello!
And Nami may be a great name, since people here seem to like on-the-nose names, and even some morbid ones (as I've seen people name their chickens "kara-age" (fried chicken))
What area do you live by the way? I saw you were asking about avian vets so if you need some reccomendations for the Tokyo area, I've already done some research for good ones around me.

 

[JapanBirdLover]

I see Dona has already introduced me as the other Japanese member, so hello!
And Nami may be a great name, since people here seem to like on-the-nose names, and even some morbid ones (as I've seen people name their chickens "kara-age" (fried chicken))
What area do you live by the way? I saw you were asking about avian vets so if you need some reccomendations for the Tokyo area, I've already done some research for good ones around me.

Hello and thanks for the reply! I visit Tokyo on business a lot but I won’t be taking any of the pets with me... I’m actually north west of Nagoya City. I heard that there is a bird specialist vet near here but not sure where yet.
Kara-age is way too morbid, but funny... only too difficult to call your bird repeatedly. Probably just be shortened to Kara or Kara-Chan. Actually my Linnie is officially Apollo, but we just call him Apo for short.

 

[UrbanSylvanus]

Hello and thanks for the reply! I visit Tokyo on business a lot but I won’t be taking any of the pets with me... I’m actually north west of Nagoya City. I heard that there is a bird specialist vet near here but not sure where yet.
Kara-age is way too morbid, but funny... only too difficult to call your bird repeatedly. Probably just be shortened to Kara or Kara-Chan. Actually my Linnie is officially Apollo, but we just call him Apo for short.

Ah I see, hopefully you'll be able to find them. I was planning on taking Machi to the really famous avian clinic in Ebisu but they said they were already booked for all of September

And yeah, shortening your bird's name to two or three hira/katakana seems like a common thing to do. I shortened Matcha to Machi for my own Linnie after all