New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

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Shooni
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 11:49 am

New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by Shooni »

Hey there! I'm new to both the site and ownership of a Ringneck, so sorry if I get anything wrong.

Roughly two weeks ago I purchased a IRN. He is 4 months old, supposedly stick trained and hand tame, but apparently that isn't the case. He's settled into his cage just fine. Eating, grinding his beak, perching with one foot, so he seems rather happy and familiar with this new home. So naturally, I've tried to begin taming him, yet he is so very frightened of me, or my hands.
What I am doing currently is applying a chunk of carrot through the cage bars, right by one of his perches. I then rest my hand on the far end of the perch and wait. A couple times he has come over, put one foot on the perch and started eating the carrot with my hand beside him. But I am still very far from even touching him, and when I offer him a stick to step up on, he flies off in a panic. Forgot to mention that his wings are not clipped, and I do not plan on having them clipped either.
I don't know how to progress. His cage is in my bedroom, so I am besides him most of the day. I talk to him and move calmly, yet he is still frightened. However, whenever I leave my bedroom he begins squawking, though as soon I return he'll stop. So I get the feeling he likes my company, but so far doesn't trust me.

I am a patient person, I have so much time to devote to this wonderful bird.
But right now I feel a little hopeless. He's very flighty and I cannot make any progress.
I'd appreciate any input! Thank you so much for your time. :)
sanjays mummi
Posts: 2050
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:07 pm
Location: Bedfordshire UK

Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Two Weeks, sigh, you have quite a way to go. Sanjay, aviary hatched, parent reared has only let me touch him in the past eighteen months and he is Five!, I let him decide, let him do things at his own pace, and quite frankly I don't care if he stays the way he is. He is a much loved companion, hand shy, stroppy at times, but I wouldn't be without him.
Wessel Gordon
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: South Africa
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Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by Wessel Gordon »

Shooni,


Rule 1 of IRN training: they will do something if and when they feel like it, in other words: it's always on their terms.

Being patient and consistent is a huge help in trying to train them.

I agree with sanjay's mummy: two weeks aren't that long at all in IRN training. In some cases with my flock of six it sometimes took me months to convince them that I'm the guy bringing the treats and that it's safe to snatch it from my fingers and fly off.

Just patiently keep doing what you're doing and one day your hard work will be rewarded. If the bird doesn't feel like doing something today there's always tomorrow. And figuring out what the bird's absolute favorite treat is usually advances training a bit because they are so food motivated. With some of my birds it's unshelled peanuts, cheese, a juicy piece of apple...so don't limit the bird's choice to just the carrot.
Shooni
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 11:49 am

Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by Shooni »

Thank you both, I appreciate the replies!

Don't worry, I wasn't expecting him to be completely calm and tamed within a couple days. I've plenty of time on my hands to work with, whether it takes months upwards to a year. I'm mostly worried of doing something wrong or upsetting the bird, hence posting this topic to try avoid any wrong doings. He is my first IRN (have owned cockatiels, lovebirds in the past), but browsing this site has already help very much so.
I have delved into finding treats he'd like. From tomatoes to kale, peanuts and strawberries. He's a bit fussy, but is like a heat seeking missile when it comes to carrots, ahaha.

Again, thank you. I'll continue with the process and hope for results in good time. :)
Patience is key; I shall bear that in mind.
Wessel Gordon
Posts: 408
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: South Africa
Contact:

Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by Wessel Gordon »

Keep on trying to discover more treats he loves...with only a carrot you might run the risk of deficiencies. My birds love grated apples and carrots. It's hard work to prepare it but if you grate the whole lot I found they mess less and thus eat more.
sanjays mummi
Posts: 2050
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:07 pm
Location: Bedfordshire UK

Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by sanjays mummi »

And Sanjay would sell his tail feathers for a walnut!
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by InTheAir »

I don't think there is any problems with using carrots as treats if he likes them, but it is good to find a few treats to have up your sleeve. My guys go crazy for passionfruit, but it is something you only want to feed in moderation.

My aviary raise girl responded very quickly to me dropping treats in her dish and backing off. I think she was snatching them from my hands (as i dropped them in the dish) within a week. When she started taking them more confidently I backed off a smaller distance and incrementally decreased the distance depending on her comfort level at the time.


Good luck, keep practising that patience! And good for you keeping her wings as nature intended. My girl bumped her head on the ceiling a couple times when she first started coming out of her cage, but didn't do any damage to herself. Just keep those windows covered until she is really confident and has worked out that you can't fly through them. I had sheer curtains up when my guys were young, which seemed to help them figure it out.

Regards,

Claire
Shooni
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 11:49 am

Re: New owner, struggling to tame my Ringneck.

Post by Shooni »

Hey again! Figured I would post a quick update, if anyone were interested.

I continued my method of wedging treats through the bars and resting my hand on a nearby perch, and he kept coming over to grab the food, slowly becoming less weary of my hand. Anyway, tonight I decided to instead hold a good chunk of carrot in my hand and hold it steady by his perch. His interest was soon piqued and he came straight on over! After a bit of inspection, he hopped onto the perch and reached out to eat from my hand. He didn't run away at all. He got a good mouthful and remained sat beside my hand whilst he ate.

I'm really happy with the progress! Will hopefully keep earning his trust.
This site has been so very helpful. :)
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