tips and help

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jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

tips and help

Post by jimmyjack »

hi,

ive recently taken in a blue indian ringneck that has been badly mistreated by its previous owner. im not sure whether it is a female or possibly a juvie male, but has a grey/dull black ring around its neck with very faint pink on the back of the neck.
ive done a bunch of reading and research into looking after him (ive assumed), but was wondering as to any advice you can give me into helping care and rehabilitate him, and taming him/getting him to retrust and enjoy our company.

cheers
xx_sheena_xx
Posts: 748
Joined: Sat May 03, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: Victoria, Australia

Re: tips and help

Post by xx_sheena_xx »

first of all congrats on your new IRN
sounds like a male to me
heaps of fruit and veggies are good for them
toys to play with
try sitting near your bird and eating around him, also try talking to him
it may take a long time to get your IRN to trust you as you are not his first owner
my ringneck is not tame but at the moment i get her out with a small blanket and hold her in that for at least half an hour everyday
i have been doing this for less then a week and she has already shown some progress
every new thing your IRN lets you do is a huge step! my ringneck has just stepped up onto my hand that has a blacket on it but to me thats a huge step conpaired to running away
taming him will take a lot of time and patience but once he trusts you he will love you and it will be wroth it :)
good luck and let us know how you go

p.s pics would be great if you can get some
jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

Re: tips and help

Post by jimmyjack »

thank you!
well im skeptical of the towel-wrapping method. im worried it could lead him to distrusting me? im curious as ive read a bit in the forums about it, but what do level of progress do you achieve from it? does it encourage them to be in your hands? do they feel comfort from being wrapped up, or does it just prevent them from fleeing?

we've had alot of progress in the past week or so. at first, we could go within 1 - 1 & 1/2 metres of the cage, now he will readily eat from our hands, and i play a 'catch the stick' game with him. i've been talking alot, and ive been trying chet womach's power-pause method, and have once been able to stroke his beak without a hard nip.

hes fairly happy, not too noisy, or should i say squawky - he is definately loud, but i find him mostly crying out when he hears the wild lorrikeets outside, making a great natural alarm clock. sometimes he plays games with us, bobbing about excitedly, with his wings/shoulders arched back (i assume this is playing, as it doesnt seem aggressive behaviou, if you know anymore about this id love to know what it means), but he rarely plays with his toys - his old cage had no toys and was disconnected from people, so i think he became quite unfamiliar with those sort of things. A few of the toys he had he seemed quite frightened of and i had to take them out. i also play some 'natural wilderness' soundtracks when hes home alone to prevent boredom and any more inhibited behaviour?
pinkdevil
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Location: Central West NSW Australia
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Re: tips and help

Post by pinkdevil »

Instead of store bought toys, your ringneck may take to more natural type toys better since he previously had not had toys in his old cage.
Things like pine cones, branches cut into 6 inch sizes (or whatever preference), and make a spiral ladder, bird safe stripes of leather, or even the plastic cat balls that look like golf balls.
Place treats in scrunched up paper and let him forage. :)
xx_sheena_xx
Posts: 748
Joined: Sat May 03, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: Victoria, Australia

Re: tips and help

Post by xx_sheena_xx »

having them in a towel slowly gets them used to you.
when your holding them in the towel your talking to them and patting thier head so they are getting used to you
i can now hold my ringneck in my hands and pat her without her bitting me
less than a week ago if my hand when anywhere near her she would be either running away or trying to attack me
this method may not work for you though, all birds are different
some people hold millet spray in their hand so that their bird has to step onto their hand to eat it (this wouldnt work for me because mine doesnt eat millet spray)
you just have to find what works for you and your bird and keep at it and never give up
smallworld
Posts: 296
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:30 pm

Re: tips and help

Post by smallworld »

Sheena is right about the toweling method. It is a method I'd recommend and one that I practise with all our new birds. However, if you're reluctant, then its better not to try. I recommended it to someone on this forum before and not only was the person unable to follow through, it was all complains as to why it didnt work.

As the bird was badly mistreated, maybe trimming isnt such a good idea. It might break the trust. Try approaching the cage everyday, talking, whistling, singing but dont stare at them for too long. The bird might think of you as a predator. You could also (sounds crazy) but talk to yourself when you're in the room or sing without looking at the bird. Then try, the slow approach with treats (their favorite food of any kind), in your hand. Move your hand closer until you see her getting uncomfy. Then stop, hold still and wait. Take a chair, it will take time and you may want to sit. Dont expect it to work on the first time.

Living rooms are the best spot to build trust, as people tend to spend the biggest part of their time at home there. The result is that the bird will be able to observe you. Keep a schedule, birds are creatures of habit and they like that. Also quite a few people have asked questions like this. So if you scroll through this section, you'd be able to pick up more tips.

Good Luck
jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

Re: tips and help

Post by jimmyjack »

well ive had some progress so far. thanks for all your advice - unfortunately towel was not one of them, and i have the wounds to prove it! haha, though i have found it is the most stress free method to get him back in the cage when hes been out a while.

so ive been slowly approaching by hand, and trying to reduce that boundary. he's started letting us brush his chest and behind his head (though it takes a few minutes of attempting before he allows it) and will now readily jump onto my arm for a treat especially corn! he jumps off as soon as hes finished, though i still consider this a breakthrough.

as we're out most of the day, ive been having music running for him, or sound effects to prevent silence and boredom. and he still has no interest in toys, except ive clipped up a beanie, with wire around the opening to hold it open. ive never seen him so happy and amusing as he climbed in and kept poking his head out to check up on us! his wings are still clipped, but he's started to get a bit of flight - more falling with style - it hasnt been a problem as he usually prefers the top of his cage, or still aloft a fan on the opposite side of the room. should i consider getting this done again?
smallworld
Posts: 296
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:30 pm

Re: tips and help

Post by smallworld »

I only clip a birds wings when its new and its too wild to train or tame. I think in his case, his making progress with you and you should only clip it again, if at the end of this summer, he has reverted to his old self and refuses to interact with you. Its a gigantic amount of progress for a bird. In the words of Armstrong 'Thats one small step for man, but a giant leap for birdkind' ;)

Of course, it would make the taming alot faster and quicker, if you could spend more time with him. If you're not home on the weekdays, then dedicate your weekends. The towel method isn't for everyone but the 'approach & stop' method, has worked for you, so stick to it.

Also when returning him to his cage, instead of scooping him up with a towel, you could try using a short stick. Or get a long stick and make it shorter, so he gets closer and closer to your hand. Put the stick at his chest level and say 'step up'. This helps them learn the step up command and is also less stressful for you and the bird, when moving him from one place to another. It takes time with this as well, so dont expect him to do it the first time. But he'll get it eventually. It would help if you used a stick he knew, because most of the time, they're afraid of something new.

Good Luck!
mosschops12
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 2:39 am

Re: tips and help

Post by mosschops12 »

ive just tried twole method with budda not worked just more stress
jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

Re: tips and help

Post by jimmyjack »

okay yeah thats a great idea. ive tried getting him onto a stick before, but he more often just gets freaked out at it. i suppose thats what the term 'persistance' is for...
Callinurse
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 10:49 pm

Re: tips and help

Post by Callinurse »

yes Yes Yes for the towel method!!!

I did it before I even knew what it was. They don't resent it and actually feel safe.

I actually did it with an oven mit because of my fear of being bit by my first bird years ago. Ha ha ha.

They are more calm when in the towel but if you need more control with your hands you may try an oven mit or what else do they call them pot holder. I hope I am using the right words.

My sister is scared of her birds. I can just pick them up with a few bites here and there but she uses the towel (just a hand towel or kitchen towel size) and it calms them down and she can pet their head. That is the start.

Have fun, I just love this board!!!

Calli
smallworld
Posts: 296
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:30 pm

Re: tips and help

Post by smallworld »

Ok what you can do is, use a perch. Our perches are natural branches, for their ergonomic property and natural look, so when I need to use a stick for training, I just take one of those tiny branches out. So they are used to it and know its nothing to be afraid of.

If you dont use branches, take a stick and leave it next to the cage for a few days, so he gets used to it and can observe it.

Take a long one at first, about the length of your lower arm. Then when he steps up and gets used to it, after a few days, you could shave a couple of inches off. You'll see that it works. For us, its usually less than a month, for them to step up on our finger.

@callinurse, welcome to the forum :)
jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

Re: tips and help

Post by jimmyjack »

ohok. long stick. thats a good measurement thanks. i was thinking 'long' like a metre or so.

well, after quick progress, we've been a bit stagnant for a few weeks. no new developments. does anything for food, though still cautiously jumps on our hand and hops off as soon as the foods gone. so im thinking of starting the towel method and seeing how that goes?

here are a couple of photos of the lil guy/girl. would love to know if you can!

Image

Image
smallworld
Posts: 296
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:30 pm

Re: tips and help

Post by smallworld »

I find the color of his feet interesting. I do not buy mutation birds because of the weak genetics but for the most of what I've seen, they have grey or pinkish feet. Are his feet a yellowish brown? Were they always like that?

I've never used the towel method, after a couple of weeks. I always choose one method and stick with that for the duration of the training. 2 reasons for that is: birds like a constant schedule and I dont want to break any kind of trust I've already established. So thats my take on it. Hopefully somebody else on the forum, tried it on a bird that was already used to them and have had success.

Dont worry about the 2 weeks of no progress. Keep in mind they tend to be playful and very stubborn. So you got to let him work at his own pace. For your part, you could just keep at your end of the training, constantly. Dont show frustration or irritation, they tend to pick up on that.

We like to play kiss kiss with our birds. My wife came up with that idea. You say kiss kiss and put a sun flower seed in between your lips or some treat they like and pecker out at them :lol: They tend to reach for the seed and take it. The first few times, they might miss and bite the wrong thing. So just a warning here, it could be really painful. After awhile, they'd do it even without a seed. In the case of Echo, our IRN, he normally gives us a kiss when we go out. Not always but mostly when he's in the mood. Sometimes he actually licks your lower lip. Since birds arent that salivary, its alright I guess. :D

Good Luck
jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

Re: tips and help

Post by jimmyjack »

his feet yes do have a yellowish/light brown tinge to them. i had no idea about foot colour!

ha yes he's taken a swipe at my lip before. fortunately ive got a mop of a fringe, and he tends to prefer pulling my hair through his beak...except for that one time :roll: but thats a good technique, havent tried with the seed reward!
flolypops
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:49 am

Re: tips and help

Post by flolypops »

Thanks for giving these tips. It is very helpful to me. I have read all and I followed all information which you have mentioned here. Really, these are very good tips.
xx_sheena_xx
Posts: 748
Joined: Sat May 03, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: Victoria, Australia

Re: tips and help

Post by xx_sheena_xx »

you doing really well!
iv got a ringneck that i have had since december and she still is not tame :lol:
alenshowbrizz
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:49 am

Re: tips and help

Post by alenshowbrizz »

jimmyjack wrote:ohok. long stick. thats a good measurement thanks. i was thinking 'long' like a metre or so.

well, after quick progress, we've been a bit stagnant for a few weeks. no new developments. does anything for food, though still cautiously jumps on our hand and hops off as soon as the foods gone. so im thinking of starting the towel method and seeing how that goes?

here are a couple of photos of the lil guy/girl. would love to know if you can!

Image

Image

Hey jimmyjack very nice bird man. I really like your ringneck photos.
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