NEW INDIAN RINGNECK (HELP)

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Haifa
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Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:08 am

NEW INDIAN RINGNECK (HELP)

Post by Haifa »

Hi everyone, i did some research and have been wanting a bird for a long time. When i found out a few things about the indian ringneck i new that this was the bird for me. I bought kiwi at some sort of bird fair, the man who sold it to me told be the baby was hand fed. When i bought kiwi home the first day, we'll just say he's a he, was very mean, nippy and everything. After the first week he got much better, he will actually let me pick him up and hold him but not for very long at all. Kiwi will absolutely under no conditions accept treats nor will he step up. I know he cares about me as much as i do him, but i can't get him to stay with me , or on me, or even around me for long. He is soo soo sooo flighty. His wings are clipped but it seems every opporutnity i am holding him , he wants out. When i kiss him while holding him, he lets me. Any free space though he is GONE. My concers are: is he ever going to just want to sit on my shoulder? Will he soon accept treats? I just want to have a lovy dovy bird is all. When he's in his cage, he's a very happy bird, i talk to him all the time. When i step out of the room and have left him alone he will not stop makin noises for me to come back. He just wants no physical contact what so ever. I have so many questions, i don't even know where to start.

Any advice, suggestions, please..... HELP
Tweets
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Post by Tweets »

just a quick note.. IRN's are not affectionate loving birds..
They dont like to be scratched and petted etc..
If you were after a loving affectionate bird, im afriad you picked the wrong bird.. 'tiels are more loving than any other bird..

With these birds, it also takes a lot to win their trust.. You need to keep trying every day!
when you walk up to the cage, dont look the bird directly in the eye.. glance over every now and then, but do not hold eye contact.. this makes them nervous.. When you walk up to the cage, talk in a gentle soothing tone.. If you walk up to the cage very quietly, the bird thinks you may be a predator..

I dont know if you have ever heard of clicker training? I think this would most probably help you out a lot.. go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bird-Click/ .. they will help you out there.. for instance : If the bird doesnt accept food from your hands, drop it into the food bowl that she can see you.. when the bird goes to get the treat, you click the clicker.. They associate the clicker with doing something good :)

I hope I havent confused you more.

Good luck!
Sami
Mikaela
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Think you have a girl IRN, hun...

Post by Mikaela »

Can you use the clicker for negative behavior instead, i.e. biting? Or only good behavior?

Also, I would like to say I too have a 9 wk irn that has been handled very much but hates it. She likes to chill AT you but not on you. If she lets you touch her it is because she hasnt noticed you doing it yet hehe. Otherwise, CHOMP. Unbelievable the bite they can have as babies.

I suspect this guy has a girl IRN and doesnt realize it. Hens are something, to say the least.
Tweets
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Post by Tweets »

Basically clicker trainign reinforces good behaviour.. We do not believe in punishment of any sort..
if you join the group, believe me, you can learn so so much from them.. eventually, you can teach your birds tricks to keep them occupied as well.. for example playing basketball, roller skating and stuff like that!
all is very cute!
It helps to build up alot of trust between you and your bird and eventually all those negative behaviours fall away :)

hope that helps..
Sami
Haifa
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Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:08 am

Post by Haifa »

How exactly does this clicker training work? Also, how long does it usually take the bird to actually adapt to it?

Thanks
Tweets
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Post by Tweets »

check out the web site. It gives you all the details.
you cant predict how long it takes a bird to do something.. You just have to keep on, until they do catch on..
They are very intelligent animals
Sami
Mikaela
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Post by Mikaela »

Never any punsihment? Then how are they to know what IS and IS NOT appropriate. When India is a bad girl and I put her in her cage, she knows whats going on. Only problem is, she clings to the door and makes cute baby sounds and I HAVE to let her back out. I don't know how well I am doing with her but it appears she has me trained pretty well.
IMR4N
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Post by IMR4N »

I must disagree with the statement made by tweet that "IRN's are not affectionate loving birds.. They don’t like to be scratched and petted " I had an IRN that loved to be petted, stroked and have her belly rubbed. I no longer have her because I did have to give her up before I came back to the UK. But it is just a matter of gaining there trust. I mean I have even seen a 3 year old IRN ask to be petted by my friend and it was the first time we had both seen her and because of that experience he know owns one. Now just to clarify this place where we saw her was n sort of like a bird hotel I went to pick up my IRN from there and then we saw the other one.

Its just a matter of gaining there trust; it is much easier to gain the trust of an older (tameish) bird than it is to do so with a young one. Let me explain the older birds know the differences between friendly behaviour and threatening behaviour, where as the younger birds are still leaning to understand.

Sorry for blabbing but I feel that statement was not true so I felt I had to rectify the mistake.
Haifa
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Post by Haifa »

Hi everyone,

Yes so its been a couple of weeks since i have had my ringneck kiwi, and kiwi is doing better. Not as social as i would like him to be , but he comes out of his cage, mumbles and sings all day which is really good. I'm working towards getting him to stop being so flighty so when i wake up and when i come home ill usually pick kiwi up and just hold him in my hand, keeping him close to my body. He is not very fond of my other family members when they approach the cage, but he doesn't do anything to me. I hope that with time kiwi will be more social and learn to looooove

Thanks
greeny
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Post by greeny »

I find that each ringneck is very different. My male bird, does not like to be held or petted, but he loves to sit on my shoulder and enjoys being with me. He's just not a "touchy" bird. My young female is so touchy. You can hold her and hug her and pet her. She enjoys this. So each one is unique, though I do think most ringnecks are not so touchy.

Give your bird time. My male bird is the best pet in the world, but it took a couple years (!) for him to become the great bird he is now.
skibum
Posts: 173
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:50 pm
Location: New Zealand

My Max sounds like Kiwi

Post by skibum »

I got Max in early February and he/she was 4-5 months old - the older end of the taming scale apparently - which is about right as they breed in October/November here in NZ.

Max fought like the proverbial when I got him (him for now) and when I moved him into his new big cage he bit for the first and only time. But after quite a short time and joint custody of him with my neighbour so he was never alone during the day, he was very friendly - but to an extent.

My neighbour used to do the old 'tough love' thing and pat Max and cuddle him but now, nearly 7 months later, he still doesn't particularly like it. He has to be in a very docile mood to accept a pat on the back, although he will accept stroking of his beak and breast. Often when I pick him up after work from the neighbours he comes running to me.

However, more recently he has been decidedly less 'cuddly' and won't let me anywhere near him for a pat on the back, and runs hell for leather up my arm to get away. Every time I put my hand near his beak he lunges at it - doesn't bite though - and hisses.

This is a bit weird as he still will sit on my hand for hours cleaning and sleeping in the evening, although that too has got less in recent days.

Does anyone have any clues? Is it because Spring is upon us and he is getting urges and therefore moody?
Should I persist in trying to cuddle and pat him, or should I just stick with the interaction I currently have? I don't want to scare him off.

Stuart
vortmax

Post by vortmax »

Mikaela wrote: Only problem is, she clings to the door and makes cute baby sounds and I HAVE to let her back out.


don't do this. All it does is renforce that begging behavior.

I'll try and keep this as generic as I can.

Birds learn through simple cause and effect relationships. Everything that happens either causes something else or is caused by something. If they do do something and get a treat for it, and it happens enough, they start to do that action more and more, because the outcome is always something good.

There are two methods that work wonders for training a bird. These are positive renforcement and negative renforcement.

Positive renforcement means you add renforcement for something the bird does. This is how birds learn to talk (and scream). They say something clever, what do you do. Run up and give them attention and try and get them to say it again. You are giving them something they like after they do a specific action. You can use this to target and bring out behaviors that you like.

Negative renforcement means you remove renforcement for an action you don't like. Say your bird is screaming and you want him to stop. He's most likley trying to get your attention. If you go to him and let him out or even yell at him to stop, you are giving in and giving him attention (see above). If instead you completely ignore it, the behavior loses it's importance and fades away.

So you can bring out what you like by rewarding it with attention and treats and dissapate bad behavior by ignoring it.

Another helpfull tactic is redirecting. This is especially usefull with biting and screaming. If your bird is a bighter, you can try ignoring it (which is hard) in hopes he learns that biting gets no response and is thus pointless. If you don't start this young while his bites are soft, however, it can become quite painfull. Another tactic I like to use is redirecting him to something else. I teach body parts. Toes and Beak are the big ones. Using positive renforcement techniques I teach him that when I say toes that he needs to give me his foot and when I say beak that he needs to mouth my finger. Yes I teach him to bite on command (softly). If you can train him to perform an action, you can control when he does it and stop it. If he gets nippy, I just ask for his beak and his toes. His hard bites immediatly become soft as he starts looking for his treat and he lifts his foot to show me his toes.

There are 2 other methods involving punishment. These are positive and negative punishment. NEVER use these methods on a bird (or any animal). While they may seem effective, they also serve to destroy trust between you and your bird. You want him to behave because he wants to and wants to please you, not because he's afraid of what you'll do to him if you don't.

Just remember to be patient and consistant. It does take time and it will take longer if you cave in or suddenly change the rules or routine.
Mikaela
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Post by Mikaela »

Thanks Vortmax:

Although I didnt like hearing much of what you said, I appreciate you calling me on it. It is true, I am a sucker for her. She runs my life. I have to get it out of my head that being in a cage is horrid. Thereby, allowing myself to let her spend time alone when she is in a foul mood.

She knows the command "go home" and will go to her cage and climb a rope to get in. When she is being nippy she may just be tired or tired of being messed with. So, in a sweet voice I am going to start telling her to "go home" when she is a bad girl. Then I wont feel as guilty. In reality, she loves her cage. The door is always open and she comes and goes from it all day.
vortmax

Post by vortmax »

think of it this way. Her cage isn't a bad place. She has toys and food and she can entertain herself. If she has her alone time and doesn't spend every waking minute with you, then those times she gets to visit and play with you will be that much more rewarding and she'll love them even more. You can even still have her out a lot. Just make sure you let her out when you want her to come out. Not when she deems it fit, and it is tough. Just stick to it and once you see the outcome, you'll understand completely.
Mikaela
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Post by Mikaela »

In van, down by the river heh... that's cool
waasif786
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Location: england

Post by waasif786 »

Hi
i am, a new user of this website. i have just bought a 5 month old IRN. It is a green male. It is very quiet and does not chirp alot. Can someone tell me what may be wrong?

Also he bites when you try to grab him to put him back into the cage or even when you try to handle him. What should i do?

thanks :wink:
waasif
IMR4N
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Post by IMR4N »

hey bro

welcome to the site. i cant say why he is so quiet but my IRN was also very shy to start with and didn’t call much. try playing some IRN sounds to him he may call to that. as for biting he is bound to bite u when u go to "GRAB" him as you say. you need to take your time with him.

handling
let him settle down and maybe clipping his wings. just to be safe. there are websites that tell you how to clip properly (But going to a vet is also an option) they don’t always know how to do it properly. it is usually the first 6 primary flight feathers.
[/u]
waasif786
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2005 4:57 am
Location: england

Post by waasif786 »

Hi
Thanks alot for the welcome

how shall i clip the wings. Do you have a website that can tell or show how to do the clipping or how its done.

Cheers
Waasif
IMR4N
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Post by IMR4N »

below are 2 links

so i was reading 1 of your other posts i take it oyur pakistani? mitu is a very popular name in pakistan. where abouts in pakistan are you from? if you dont mind me asking.

http://www.petparrot.com/ParrotCareWingClipping.htmhttp://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww25ev.htm
waasif786
Posts: 6
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Location: england

Post by waasif786 »

Hi
There is nothing to mind about . i am from jhelum pakistan. but originally i am from england uk.

I understand by reading your username you are a pakistani as well. Where are you from. Also before i forget thanks for the link. :D

Waasif
IMR4N
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Post by IMR4N »

hey sorry for the late post.

im from nartopa, Attock in packistan. and i to am from england. the link was my pleasure. hope it helped.
ScarletKnight
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animals

Post by ScarletKnight »

i agree with imran. Socialization is the key weather you own a pitbill or a zebra finch. you have to get them used to u. not by fear by gettign their trust. Irn are liek a 2 yr old you have to mold them to what you and the bird feels comforatble with. my aunt irn tiger is most cuddlest bird you will ever meet. his nest brother kairi my bird is scared of me so it works a lil different but lil by little you cna get a bird u want jsut have to have paicence and time.
indian ringneck

Post by indian ringneck »

I'll soon have a page up here about taming IRNs.
http://members.dodo.com.au/~johanp/indi ... aming.HTML
skye
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Post by skye »

I have 4 ringnecks and only one of mine were hard to tame thats because I brought it 4 months old, its took along time too get my respect but the other 3 ringnecks I got when they were 2 weeks old and i have absolute no problems, they are fearless, accept anyone and let me do anything too them. I believe its because they looked up at me as there mother, thats why I i truelly believe if you really really want a tame bird you should get one at a very young age.
graham
Jade
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Post by Jade »

Both of my handraised males (Chook and Chuckles) love being petted. They love being rubbed around the ears and eyes and around their beaks. Only Chuckles likes a tummy tickle though. Sunny, my female hand reard IRN doesn't like alot of interaction at all. Sometimes she has a bit of a head rub but only on her terms when she wants it.
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