Hello and Introducing Sunny

Let us know a little about yourself! Tell us about your birds and why you are here.

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SunnyBird
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:54 am

Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by SunnyBird »

Hi there. We got our first Ring neck in April this year. She is now approx 1 year old. She is a lovely yellow, hence the name Sunny! She took a little while to start making some sounds, but now makes the most gorgeous chirping clicking and sometimes schreeching sounds! Sometimes she sounds like a squeaky toy. Very sweet. My husband built her cage and it's lovely, and it also has a little breeding box/house for her, which she unfortunately retreats to as soon as we come close to her cage. She hasn't come to us yet, and we haven't clipped her wings yet. I wasn't sure if this had to be done before letting her out of the cage in the house? Her cage is in our tv room /lounge, and she loves watching TV with us in the evenings. The dogs and cat have no idea what she is and why she gets to be inside all the time, but they're totally fine with her being there :) Any advice to get her to not be so timid when we come to her? I'd love her to come out the cage and be happy to sit on our hand etc. Thank you
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by InTheAir »

Hi,

have a look over these links, I found them very helpful when we got a young parent raised ringneck.

http://learningparrots.com/blog/trainin ... ing-trust/
http://learningparrots.com/blog/trainin ... l-parrots/

I don't clip my birds wings. Obviously, this means you have to be careful to bird proof your house and make sure you don't leave doors or windows open. Being flighted also gives the bird a better chance of staying out of harms way if your other animals get into the room she is in.
Do you think the dog or cat are contributing to her fear? My birds are very scared of a cat that sometimes comes through our patio, but not very scared of the one that lives next door as long as it is not climbing the flyscreens or staring at them.


Regards,

Claire
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by MissK »

My birds don't seem to care at all about the dogs. However, once in a rare while one of them will surprise me by being out. At those times I am extra glad that I keep the dogs out of that room when I'm not supervising.

If I were designing Sunny's life I would get her out of that cage right away (other pets secured someplace else), and provide her incentive to return to it. If I got to tell you what to do, I would say don't clip the wings at all.
-MissK
AJPeter
Posts: 2534
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 3:17 pm
Location: Birmingham England
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Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by AJPeter »

I agree with MissK and Claire birds need to be fully flighted.
SunnyBird
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:54 am

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by SunnyBird »

Hi. Thank you for the advice. I agree I also think not to clip her wings. And yes she's definitely not worried about the dogs at all! :D what I would love to know how to do is how to actually get her out of her cage when we open it. And how to get her back in? What pointers can anyone advise in that regard? I can easily open the door but she won't come out...
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by MissK »

Try sliced apple, pear, grapes, nuts of various types or fave toys.
-MissK
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by MissK »

Sometimes if i just really have to get Rocky someplace, I steal and shake MR FROGGIE! I am not encouraged to have Mr Froggie on most days, so you can see how putting him in danger might get Rocky's attention.
-MissK
Willow2112
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 12:28 am

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by Willow2112 »

Welcome!
anymore5678
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:41 am

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by anymore5678 »

What pointers can anyone advise in that regard?
BirdLover80
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:50 am

Re: Hello and Introducing Sunny

Post by BirdLover80 »

It's scared of you while inside of it's cage because it thinks of you as a predator. Birds, like almost all animals, have to build trust with you. While as owners we'd like this to be a fast process, building trust with bird can be a time consuming effort. The key is patience, patience, patience.

The first thing I'd do if I were you is approach the cage while the bird's calm and gently talk to it. IRNs are flock birds and enjoy being sociable. Hearing the sound of your voice will most likely calm the bird down. Simply talking to our feathered friends is the start of the bonding process. Don't run up to the cage, make quick jerky movements while talking to your bird, or anything else that would otherwise startle or frighten it.

Once your bird is no longer afraid of you approaching the cage, you can move on to the next step. The next step involves you placing your hand inside the cage so the bird can acknowledge that your hand is not something that's going to harm them. While your hand is inside the cage, DO NOT try to poke at the bird, corner it, or anything along those lines. Just let your hand rest so your bird can see it's not a threat to itself or its environment. Repeat this step a few times a day for a few minutes at a time but don't overdo it. Too much and it could stress your bird out. Also, you should be the only one doing these first two steps. Once you have formed a close bond with it, then you can introduce your bird to other members of the family. Doing so will guarantee a much easier transition from one family member to the next. Positive results from these two steps can take time. There's really no time table on when you'll achieve results. It can take a day, a few weeks, or a couple of years, dependent upon on how much time you put into it.

Once your bird is no longer afraid of you approaching the cage or your hands, you can then easily teach it to come out of its cage, perch atop your finger, and whatever else you'd like it to do. Patience is your friend. They key is diligence and putting the time in to properly bond with your bird. If it's not bonded with you, the chances of you getting it to do what you want are very slim. Would you do anything a stranger told you to do with a simple command? No, probably not.

As for clipping its wings, that's your own personal choice. You don't HAVE to clip its wings in order for it to come out of its cage. Most owners clip the flight feathers because if you're constantly trying to catch the bird, training it is going to be near impossible. Another reason for wing clipping is that birds that are flighted are at a much greater risk of an accident. All it takes is one hard crash into a wall, window, whatever, and your bird can break a limb, injure a blood feather, or worst of all, its neck. Birds that are young or inexperienced fliers are at greater risk. I personally choose not to clip any of my birds wings, but again, its my personal preference. I don't think its a cruel practice really, I just think its a bit unnatural. Birds have feathers for a reason, to fly!

Anywho, let me know how the training goes. :)
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