Bonded ringnecks

[-Dila]

Hello everyone, hope you are all well!

I'm suffering from a little bit of quandary over my two lovely Indian ringnecks, and I’m hoping that somewhere, someone might be able to help me! I’ve tried searching across the internet, but everything out there seems so vague. I’m hoping there you guys might be able to help.

Here’s a little synopsis of my ringnecks lives so far:

Back in May, after the death of my mothers much loved Cockatiel (who was very tame), she decided that she would like some Indian Ringnecks. So for an early birthday present I brought her two lovely ringnecks from a local pet shop (6 months old at the time). Unfortunately I never really thought to find out about how they were reared (though I wouldn’t change them for the world!), and although they appeared calm enough in the shop, in reality they were anything but! I think that instead of being hand reared, that they might in fact have been raised in an aviary, though I might be wrong.

In addition to the fact that they were relatively un-tame when they came to us, I think that my mum’s method of handling them (she’s very “gung-ho” so to speak) kind of frightened them even more. Although the Cockatiel was happy to put up with it, I think the ringnecks are understandably less tolerant. By her handling I mean putting her hand in the cage to grab them etc. Not only that when they were let out of the cage they went wild. It came to a point when they ruled the room they were in – stripping wallpaper (credit to them- they were very ingenious when they were doing it!), chewing holes through blinds and curtains, pooing everywhere – you name it, they done it! At night it was impossible to get them into the cage. My mum was in a habit to chasing them around the room with a stick and shouting at them (which I think made things ten times worse) until finally they would go in. Though I have to say, I can’t blame them for not going in – they’re cage wasn’t in the best of places. All in all, they were actually very unhappy birds.

Finally my mum went away about three months ago for a long holiday and I took over. The first thing that happened to me was I got attacked as soon as I walked into the room. Screeching, claws out, wings flapping the lot! After a week of this I decided enough was enough. I wanted to move them into the living room where I’d be sitting, but couldn’t do that with the way they were – I liked them having freedom to leave the cage, but couldn’t have them destroying the living room too! So I took the decision to clip them. For a day or two after clipping them, I left them in the room where they were as to not unsettle them. The only time I let them out was when I was in the room and all they would do is jump onto the bed and climb back to the cage again (repeatedly!).

Although they had plenty of toys, I decided they needed a “play stand” so I went out got lots of bits of wood, a base and made them a stand that they could sit and chew on all day (and it’s a pretty awesome stand if I do say so myself!)!

So, now they’ve been in the living room for over 2 month and it’s a massive change from how they were. They play on their stand and have the occasional flutter around the room to see the other birds (they have most of their flight back). But they always go back to the stand or the cage when asked. Bed time is so easy – a few word of “night night” or “bed time” along with a rounding up arm gesture and they’re away. And best of all – they’re happy!

The only thing we would love now is if they would let us get anywhere near them to give them a stroke!

They still flap about (though only slightly) when you go to change their food and water. Anytime you some within a few feet of them they panic and run away. I’ve been gradually moving their cage and play stand closer to me and they’re getting more and more comfortable, but I’ve still got a long way to go. I can’t even tempt them with any treats and I’ve been trying for months.

But ultimately I think I might have a problem with getting them to bond with me (or my mum) – because I think they’ve started bonding with each other. Although we can’t be sure yet, as they’re only about a year old, I think they might be a male and female (brother and sister). The smaller one has been doing a lot of displaying, chirping and head bobbing recently to the very uninterested larger one! Again, though I can’t be sure since they’re both still very young.

So….after all that, my question is – should I try to separate them slightly in order to get them to bond to me? I’ve been thinking about taking each one away individually for 10-15mins sessions a few times a day to spend a bit of time with them separately, but I’m not sure if this will be any use if afterwards they just go back to each other? Someone suggested that I give one away, but I would loathe to do that and would rather keep them both as they are (bonded with each other), than give one away.

Is there a way I could tame them both? I would like to hope that there’s some way of doing it, and if there is I would really appreciate some guidance on how to go about it.

Thanks in advance for reading, and my apologies for the rather long-winded story! Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Dila

[ellieelectrons]

I, personally, wouldn't separate them if they get along well... Only because they will be lonely... However you are right that it will make them harder to tame (but not impossible). You could try having separate training times with them. With our two, though, our lutino (Charlie) gets extremely anxious when separated from our blue (Janey), so whilst Janey would be fine with it, Charlie would spend most of his time trying to work out how to get back to Janey.

With regards to training, I can offer a couple of ideas to try. When you go up to the cage to offer them a treat, try to get them to take it from your hand but just before they flutter around out of fear, stop offering it to them and place it in there food bowl. Also, you need to ensure the treat is something they will go crazy over.

We found that with our younger bird, we'd gradually condition him to not be afraid of a yellow baby spoon by putting his fav treats in it. I found it easier to train him to take treats from that before training him to take it from my hand.

I also suggest you read my recent post on foraging.... That may help too.

Sounds like you are working really hard at it... and are bound to get a breakthrough soon!

Ellie

[xx_sheena_xx]

Total seperation for each other is probaly not a very good idea because they seem to like each other very much.
Could you get another cage (one the same size as they have now) and put it right next to the other one? This way they will be in seprate cages and will still be able to see and talk to one another.

Try having them out individually with you everyday but also some time together so they can preen each other, ect.

Good luck

[dog_glenn123]

Its great to see you are taking it on and having ago! its much nicer having happy birds.

I havent had alot to do with hand raising birds but i do have some advise.

At some stage your mum is coming back and you will have to immediatly retrain her otherwise all your hard work off gaining some trust from the birds will be undone.

When IRN's get spooked and can last a couple of weeks before they settle.

Going at them at 100 miles an hour doesnt work.

Good luck with your mum cause i dont think you need it with the birds.
Thanks Glenn

[jimmyjack]

i agree with the suggestion of one on one training - short 10-20 minute sessions (but no longer!) several times a day if you can manage it. breaking barriers is tough and takes time. it must be so much harder when you have two of them!

can you handle them yet? like are they at all comfortable sitting on your hand? you sound like you are getting some response from them, so there has to be some relationship building there. if you cant get them to perch on you, that is the first step. it becomes quite obvious when their boundaries are pushed and they feel uncomfortable, and with careful observation, you can see the steps before they even retreat or flying away.

- eye quivering and alert
- eye may pin, become agitated and may start the shakes or flutters
- few steps away (small retreat)
- the big retreat (or bite)

hopefully you can see these steps when you begin training. you want to slowly reduce their comfort barrier. try slowly approaching them, and when you see the telltale signs of fear (you are pushing the barrier) stop approaching and hold your hand there for a few seconds, then remove your hand and praise (and treat) them. you'll find rather quickly that you'll begin to get closer and closer. they'll let you know when the training session is over and theyve had enough - its counteractive to work after this and best to return them. for the first few sessions it may only be a few minutes, but dont worry.

the same approach comes to petting/stroking them. its a new action and they'll fear it at first. you have to allow them to trust you - thats the key. techniquely, theyre rewarding you for your good behaviour, and vice versa.

good luck, hope that helps!

[-Dila]

Ellie – thanks for your advice. I agree that I wouldn’t like to separate them. Especially when I’m at work, it’s good to know they have each other for company. I’ve tried what you mentioned in your post (about holding a treat out and when they get a bit flustered to just leave it in their food bowl) but I don’t think I’ve been consistent enough. I try it once every day or so and then just give up, so I need to try harder. I had a read over your foraging post as well, and there is some really interesting stuff in it! I definitely think I’ll give it a try. I sometimes hide bits off fruit on their play stand, but after reading your post it doesn’t seem as though it’s enough. They’re always chuffed when they find their hidden bits of fruit, so I think it’s a great idea to do it for most (if not all) of their food!

Sheena - thanks for your post! I agree that separation isn’t a good idea, so I’m just going to have to work harder to tame them both. I thought about buying another cage, but I think I might run out of space if I do, since their cage at the minute is quite big! I think I’ll try the idea of spending some alone time with each of them individually. I like the thought of the two having each other if I’m not around, so I don’t think I could separate them!

Hi Glenn – thanks for your advice (and encouragement!) You’re right in that I’ll need to tell my mum how to act around the birds otherwise everything I’ve done so far will go to waste! I’m hoping if she sees the difference in them from when she left, she might start listening to me about how to approach them. It’s nice to know you think I’m doing it right with the birds – lets just hope I can get my mum sorted now!

jimmyjack - thank you for your reply! I definitely think I’ll try some 1 on 1 training with them. They’ve never been separated from each other, so it’ll be interesting to see how it goes! At the moment they don’t come anywhere near me, so I’ve never had any contact with them. I’ve been bringing them closer to where I sit and now they can sit relatively relaxed on their play stand within a foot of me. When I’m trying to approach them directly (they don’t really care if I’m just walking about doing my own business), although they get agitated and flutter away from me, I’ve never seen their eyes pin and they’ve never bitten. As soon as I see them become alert and take a step back I stop (though I’m not sure if that’s too soon? I don’t like to push them much further than that). The only thing I have noticed is that one of them begins to shred things when it’s agitated, so that also when I stop.


Once again a massive thank you to everyone that’s replied to me – it’s much appreciated! I’m going to give my first 1 on 1 session a go tonight and we’ll see what happens! I’ll post an update to let you know how it goes. It’s good to know that you think they can be tamed even though there are two of them. It makes a change from all the other advice, which just seems to be centred on either separating them into different rooms, or giving one away! If you have any more snippets of advice, or if you think I might be doing something wrong, please let me know!!

Thanks again!

Dila

p.s. I’ve just realised that I’ve never mentioned their names, however I’m a little ashamed to make it public what I call them because the names aren’t particularly flattering! These were only temporary references to them, but unfortunately they’ve stuck! The larger one which I think is the female is called “The Grumpy One” (because she always looks grumpy!) and the smaller one which I think is the male is called “Birdbrain” (because he just does the most stupid things!). I’ve always named my pets after their personalities but unfortunately for my parakeets, these are the only two names that seem to suit. Maybe one day when I get to know them better they can have proper names!!

[ellieelectrons]

Good luck! Sounds like you are doing all the right things. I suspect all it will take now is time & patience.

Interestingly, what you described with your birds about how they are with you is the same way my two are with anybody other than me & my husband... (they don't mind the guests until they start to walk towards them) So I'm trying the same techniques when we have guests. We don't have guests that often so it makes it a bit hard to train.

Good luck & best wishes.

The key to any training activity is to be able to break the behaviours you are seeking into small enough steps (these are called approximations by professional trainers), using appropriate rewards, time & patience. Where I usually fall down is being to come up with the appropriate approximations that I'm after.

Ellie

[jimmyjack]

good luck and let us know how you get on!