Taming An Indian Ringneck

Nathan bradfield

Regular Member
Registered
Hi,
About 2 weeks ago k bought an Indian ringneck called Ri,

the owner say she was take and would come out her cage and go back in but she doesn't and they also said Rio was tamed but she is showing sign that she isn't, I a can't go near here when she is in or out the cage as she just fly away.

I have tried the perch way and the clicker way but Rio doesn't seem to be responding to the training methods.

I would like to have her be able to come to me and be able to stroke her and give her the love she wants but I am unable to that,
I have joined a few sites on Facebook and YouTube and tried everything they have been telling me but it has been unsuccessful, and now i am unsure what to do

All the advice you give me will be appreciated and I will try but please give me some advice and help as well
Many thanks Nathan
 
:welcome: from me and my flock.
Have you had a look under the Training & Behaviour Thread, lots of good advice on there. But you have not have Rio long and it often takes sometime for a bird to settled into its new home and get into a routine. I am sure others will be along with some good advice, we have a few members with IRNs too. @Roz
 
Last edited:
Hi Nathan and :welcome: to the forum.
It doesn’t sound as if your Ringneck is hand tame, unfortunately there are quite a few people selling these birds and giving false information. Don’t worry, we can help you....but it will need time and patience on your part and you need to take things slowly and in little stages and gain the trust of your bird.

Here are the links to the posts in our training section ....

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/communi...-and-parrots-who-are-fearful-of-humans.29148/

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/communi...-reliable-step-up-and-trouble-shooting.21605/

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/shaping-the-step-up-back-to-basics.21349/

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/communi...rcers-and-how-to-identify-and-use-them.29149/

Start simply...sit close to the cage, as close as the bird is Comforatable with, talk quietly, read out loud, sing a nursery rhyme get the bird used to seeing and hearing you. Next try offering a small treat through the bars of the cage, a little bit of apple, or grape, or nut. If the bird is unco fortablr, stop, and try again.
Have a read of those posts by Roz, and then come back and ask any questions.
 
:welcome: Nathan and Rio! As has been suggested you need to go much slower in introducing yourself, getting her used to you and winning her trust. You want to do everything possible not to scare her. If she is flying from you, you are going too close way too soon. The first thread suggested by TomsMum will probably be the most helpful with where you are right now. You can work with the clicker and perch later - for now work on gaining her trust just as TomsMum has suggested.
 
Roz,
Rio comes out her cage and I currently teaching her to talk I have bought nutriberrys and do you mean a city or where I am with Rio and she comes out off the cage and speaks and ok thank you I will have a look now and update you on my progress
 
That's great she comes out of her cage. Does she go back in ok? Will she take food from you yet? Perhaps she is tamer than I had originally imagined. Not sure what you mean about a city?
 
No she doesn't come back j her cage and no she won't let me give her good or treats out off my hand I struggle to get her back in
 
Hi Nathan, to be able to train Rio you need to find a reinforcer/reward to be able to reward her for doing the things you ask her to. With a new bird, especially an untame bird, there are very few reinforcers you can use. Food is often a good one because all birds have to eat. So right now, notice what she picks out of the food bowl first (those are most likely her favourite things) and work very gradually on handing those items through the bars of the cage to her. Does she eat fresh fruit and vegetables? Offering something large like a slice of apple means your hands are well away from her and therefore less scary.

Does she have a routine? ie. is she fed at the same time each day? Maybe her food bowls are slotted into the cage at roughly the same time each day? Is she fed twice a day? I would have one bowl of fresh (fruit and veggies) and one bowl of dry food (the seed or pellets she is used to). The fresh one needs to be renewed twice a day. Once she knows the routine, let her out an hour before you slot in the bowls so that she takes herself back in when she's hungry. That way you need not touch her for the time being. That's what I did with my untame Orange-winged Amazon, Ollie. Gradually I increased the time he was out of the cage and he used to fly straight back in when I slotted in his food bowls.

It will take time.

The reason why the clicker didn't work is that the clicker is a "marker" or "bridge" to say "YES, you did that right, your reward is coming!" If you don't have a reward that she will work for, the clicker is meaningless. It is the reward that is the most important part of training. So right now you need to work on being able to get close to her and for her to be able to take a treat from you.

You need to pair yourself with as many good experiences for her as you can which means not frightening her. If you have to catch her to put her back into the cage, you are pairing yourself with a bad experience. You are an aversive.... something to be feared and it will take longer to make friends with her. If she knows the food bowl routine, then let her out before she eats so that she takes herself back when she's hungry. Move slowly around her so that she begins to trust you. Sit as close as you can to her cage and just talk to her. Watch her body language - if she moves away from you, you are sitting too close, move further away. You should gradually be able to sit closer and closer, until you are close enough to offer her a favourite treat through the cage bars. You also might want to avoid direct eye contact for now which can appear threatening. I know with Ollie direct eye contact would send him hiding behind a toy.

You will need the patience of a saint! :biggrin: But it will be worth it in the end.
 
Hello and welcome, I have to say that you may of been expecting too much too soon two weeks is not long for a bird to fill settled and safe in a new home and a new carer. Unfortunately some thing you may of done may of scared Ri. Mot all is lost though as stepping back a little and allowing her to settle can work wonders. Yes you still need to allow Ri time to fly about but choose a time that you do not have to rush and before you feed her. You cannot end up chasing her this is the easiest way to frighten any bird. Roz has done some great advice in training and I cannot say that the breeder told you wrongly about how tame it was it just may be that you had approached your bird wrongly
 
Ok do I still continue to let her out off cage, but the only trouble with that is I can't get her back in and as for changing the food Dailey she is eating but the bowl is a big disk do I cut putting loads off food in and give her the same potion everyday
 
If you are finding it difficult to get her back in, I wouldn't let her out for the time being. Every time to try to catch her or towel her, it will be a bad experience for her and will destroy the trust you are trying to build. So maybe work on getting to know her through the cage bars... gradually work up to seeing if she will take an item of food through the cage bars. Also get into the routine of putting her fresh bowl in twice a day so that she knows when to expect it. Then we can review the situation in a few days.

This is the sort of fresh food I feed my parrots. I agree that it is too much! You don't have to fill the bowl up to the top. The great thing about big bowls is that you can spread things out so that she can see what is on offer. So yes, give her the same amount roughly every day, but mix things up so that the items aren't the same every day. If you find something she particularly likes like maybe apple or grapes, perhaps include those more often to keep her interested in her fresh bowl.

Try to include brightly coloured fruit and veg as these are high in beta carotene (a precursor to Vit A). Many, many captive birds are Vit A deficient. So food like sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, red and orange peppers, chillies, papaya, mango, orange melon, even pomegranate all contain lots of beta carotene. Other items you can include are grapes, apples, pears, corn on the cob, green beans, sugar snap peas, peas, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

fyaGL3w.jpg
 
During training it is better to supply a small amount of feed in a bowl in the evening but it sometimes can pay to only have water in the cage overnight. Your bird will not starve and will also settle more during the night whist it is roosting. Birds in the wild do not feed once dark as it us too dangerous owing to predator's. the exception to this us if a bird is known to pluck and then feed should be hidden in toys and this can make the bird want to get to its treats and leave its feathers alone. the first step too teaching your bird is to let her recognise that the feeding place is his safe place and keeping to regular feeding times can help. the main feed is in the morning but it is still better to let your bird out then. it will get its exercise and learn to fly with more confidence. when you place the feed into the bowl in the morning make sure that Ri can see what your are doing so knows that she has to return to the cage to eat.
 
But when I do let her out of age I struggle to get her back in and the person above says love her for a while I have bought nutriberrys to try and infuse her back into the cage but she would and then we have to wrongly out her in with by using her night blanket, and I know by doing that it gives Rio I had experience of me and I really don't want that ,
 
Take the food out overnight
Leave water in overnight
let your bird out in the morning
clean cage
prepare clean bowl of food
allowing your bird to see the food being put back in its cage
should attract a bird to go back in the cage as it will be wanting food.
birds in the wild are more active looking for something to eat in the mornings.

One tip: keep the water bowl nearest the door of the cage and the food bowl the furthest;
Do not feed your bird whilst out.
do things in stages wait until it has learnt to take food from your hands through the bars before you attempt to get it to take food from your hand whilst in the cage and start with millet keeping at its longest length at first and once confident shorten the distance it is from the hand until it get to the stage that your bird has to get on your hand to get the millet, change the food to apple or grapes once he is confident of tour hand.
 
You are welcome I Just love ringnecks and I have trained a few in my time please let me know how you progress and I will always try to advice you to get the best from your bird
 
Back
Top Bottom