Indian ring neck behaviour

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hayleysmyrnios
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:52 pm

Indian ring neck behaviour

Post by hayleysmyrnios »

Hey guys!
My name is Hayley and I have a 1 year old a Indian ringneck named Lui.
I hand reared Lui and have had a few troubles with him.
Lui is very distant and I can't seem to make a relationship with him. I get him out everyday, he is always happy to sit there but doesn't really have any interest in playing or being near me, he just sits there and chews.
I have a healthy diet for him and a big cage.
He talks all morning and all day pretty much but has never spoken while I'm in front of him.
He will only talk to me through closed doors or when he can't see me.
Also he won't ever take food from my hand. He runs away and flaps his wings. I can't hand feed him.
When he bites I let him be, but he doesn't seem to want to cuddle or be patted.
Is this different? Can I change this behaviour? Or is this just my bird.
I'm so new to these forums so please bare with me.
Thanks!
SilverGull
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:51 pm

Re: Indian ring neck behaviour

Post by SilverGull »

I'm certainly not the most qualified here, but I'm in a similar situation, and have been seeing real progress.

I'm a few months into building a relationship with a parent reared one-year-old whose only experience with humans before me was having the seed bowl filled, and then suddenly being caught and moved to a small cage to be sold. Although I chose this one specifically because he seemed curious about us, earning Cirrus's trust has required more patience and devotion than I knew I was capable of before I brought him home. From there, we've reached the point where he'll initiate conversations with me and continue to respond when I'm standing in plain sight; he doesn't freak out when I open the door or remove the tray for cleaning; and he will immediately investigate anything new I put in the cage, under the assumption that it WILL be something he likes. And I owe most of this to the advice I received on my first post, and other posts I've read around the forum, which led me to try something incredibly difficult: back off.

If Lui isn't ready to eat from your hand, stop trying. Whatever the reason, he doesn't feel secure enough to be that vulnerable around you right now. Work up to it slowly by putting a treat near him and then walking as far away as it takes for him to eat it. Give him privacy while he takes it (apple is good for this because you can hear the crunch without making him think you're staring). Wait until he seems comfortable and ready, then repeat. Maybe, in a few months, just putting it down will be enough, but making him uncomfortable right now will only set you back. If Cirrus eats from my hand by this time next year I'll be thrilled, but I absolutely won't risk our relationship and his ability to feel safe in our home just to force a false gesture of intimacy. We're on our way to being friends now, and he no longer seems to mind if I watch him eat, but that hinges on my respecting his personal space.

Consensus appears to be that ringnecks are very rarely tactile. It is perfectly normal that your bird isn't interested in cuddles. Not trying to touch you isn't itself a bad sign. (I find it helpful to think of ringnecks being, to standard human sensibilities, somewhere on the autism spectrum; plenty of potential for affection, but less obvious than in, say, a conure, because it's not likely to ever manifest in the bird being all over you.) If he's running away, however, keep in mind that you're a giant to a little bird like this, and let him. Step away yourself, even. Putting extra space between you on purpose could signal to him that even though you're scary, you're not trying to be. It can also help him to realise that he can control your behaviour and that you don't want to do things he doesn't like.

How do you get Lui out of the cage? Does he have control over whether he leaves his safe space, or is getting him out what makes him bite you? The few times I've had no choice but to grab Cirrus, it's set his trust in me back weeks. I'm slowly teaching Cirrus to push the edges of his comfort zone, by adding perches that lead through the open door and putting treats at the end of them, and today witnessed his incredible victory - he reached his whole head out into the wide unknown, and retreated straight back into the cage with his prize. And I am so proud of him. I would be more concerned about getting him out if he hadn't figured out how to exercise his wings inside the cage, but it doesn't sound as if Lui is doing much either when he's out with you; maybe it would be useful to reevaluate what he's getting out of out-of-cage time, and compare it with letting him stay in the cage, where he probably feels more secure. (Ignore what I just said if he asks to be let out. Choice is important.)

As for speaking, do you talk while you're in the room? Consider where you stand when you're in there, and how close you can be before Lui starts showing distress, then try to stay a little further away than that. One thing you could do is play the radio quietly, so he has an example of something that won't fall silent when you pass through, and can see that it changes nothing. Right now his behaviour is self-reinforcing: he sees you, he goes quiet, he doesn't get hurt. He doesn't yet understand that you would never hurt him, no matter what he does; so prove to him that you are making that promise, and prove to him that you mean it.

It will be slow going, but you will know that you've earned every scrap of the trust that he gives you.

Hope this helps.
hayleysmyrnios
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:52 pm

Re: Indian ring neck behaviour

Post by hayleysmyrnios »

Wow thank you so much for your advice it has helped a lot. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt or anything but if it's patience I need then I will wait.
He's ggradually improving, for example every morning I open his cage door to clean or feed him and I leave it open for him to let himself out and he enjoys it he let's himself out and has a chat but as soon as I look it him he goes quit. I talk to him through a window while I'm cooking but I don't look at him, I catch him looking at me though so he knows it's me he's talking to.
I'm guessing I just need more time, he's only young anyway but he should learn to trust more.
He's been brought up around my cat and dog and they all are gentle with each other
Except another dog came around and ran off with lui in his mouth. As soon as I got home after hearing what had happened he ran up to me and snuggled me. I know he feels safe with me which is progress. (He's completely fine now, after the dog inciden . He still continues to climb all over my dog)
Thank you so much for your help! Such great advice.
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