When i first picked up my ringneck, this site was very helpful to me in having a very large amount of information that i use to better understand and make progress with my new ringneck.
so i wanted to leave an update, just in case one day someone reads it and it can help them, like so many others here have helped me.
So over the past week i have been ensuring i have physical contact with Mario.
letting him out of the cage, practicing step up, and just generally getting him used to my company.
when i first bought him, he would bite me, not hard, but just enough to let me know he was uncomfortable.
and he would also fly and flap around the house, it was difficult to put him back in his cage, and pretty much not allow much physical contact at all.
So i had his wings clipped, not just for that reason, but also because my little cockatiel actually flew away a few days prior, and i didn't want a repeat occurrence. as it was pretty saddening.
so for the first few days, i made sure he had some seeds in his cage's bowl, i would take him out and let him sit next to me and my partner while we both watched TV, and every now and then, i would slowly move my hand towards him (from below) until he got comfortable with it, and started letting me pet his belly.
after another day or so, he started letting me pet his head, back, wings, let me kiss him, so it was a very quick progression.
and now he happily climbs up my arm and perches himself on my shoulders. though, i think he is still a little bit timid of my fingers (Which is why i just grabbed a stick from outside and use that every time i put him in and out of his cage, as he is more willing to jump onto that than my hand - so its still a work in progress)
for the first few days, he wouldn't really chirp much, and didn't seem interested in any fruit or veg i left him.
so what i decided to do was take out the seeds from his cage for a couple of hours (like 3 - and no, i wasn't trying to deprive him, just trying to build up a little hunger)
and then put in a mixture of the following:
passion fruit, strawberries, carrot, pear, kiwi fruit, and some apple, chopped up into bits, and mixed together.
The passion fruit kind of made it into a paste, but it smelled VERY delicious. and once i put that into his cage, he started munching away. he seemed to really enjoy it.
so it was progress none the less. and he almost finished the lot - over night (It was a decent amount)
now, the one thing i was having issue with, but was resolved when i changed his food from seeds to a bit of fruit, was i could never get him to eat or take any seeds from my hands.
once i gave him the fruit, the next day i offered him some treats (Sunflower seeds) while he was out and just chilling, and he happily took them and ate them from my hand.
and thus begins the clicker training.
i started this properly today, click, reward, click, reward.
we had 2 sessions, about 10 minutes in length each.
and he seems to be getting the hang of it.
and that's pretty much the update things are going well, and he is also becoming much more chirpy, started making some different noises today, aside from his screeches haha. im hoping it was him starting to try and talk. as he was sounding like he was trying to do something.
Well, ill post another update in a few days, and share our progress
Thanks for reading.