new here advice needed please :)

mattbeckyruby

New member
May 25, 2012
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hello im new here as have no idea what im doing as yet, im after some advice from anyone who knows about ringnecks
we bought our first ringneck nearly 3 weeks ago its not tame at all likes to bite and flys around the cage if we go by it, the man we bought him from said its was a male and was 9 months old, weve tryed talking and whistling to it but its not intrested so we read about wing clipping and decided to give it ago but when we got to the pet shop the owner took one look at it and said its a female around 18months old then went on to say well never tame her due to age and never being handled, he also said shes only good for breeding now (which we didnt want to do) so im just wondering what people this does this advice sound right? or has anyone tamed a ringneck of this age? tia
 

henpecked

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Dec 12, 2010
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Jake YNA 1970,Kia Panama amazon1975, both i removed from nest and left siblings, Forever Home to,Stacie (YN hen),Mickie (RLA male),Blinkie (YNA hen),Kong (Panama hen),Rescue Zons;Nitro,Echo,Rocky,Rub
Hey and welcome to the forum. In the future,wether a baby or rehome, go with a bird who is attracted to you. It's hogwash that you can't tame an 18 month old IRN. It may never be a cuddle bug, but with knowledge , patience, and time you can tame it down. Clipping MAY be necessary to get it out of the cage where you can work with it, but for now i would figure out what it's favorite treat is and only feed it ONLY from your hand. Offer the treat several times a day,if he shy's away,fine.Don't chase him around,let him come to you. I realize this is just a short answer but there's lots of threads dealing with this on the forum. Good luck and read some threads,ask questions when you have them. PS find a better vet.
 
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wenz2712

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There is no reason at all that you cannot Tame your Ringneck. All she needs is a bit of time and patience! Sit with her and keep talking to her and offer her treats! Try to get her to step up onto you.. If you find she will not do this at the moment without biting, then you could try getting her to step up onto a stick! Good luck with her and Welcome to the Forum :)
 

mtdoramike

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Jan 18, 2011
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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
Welcome to the forums. What a bunch of hogwash the petshop guy told you. Let me guess, he also tried to sell you another bird?

You can tame the bird down, but it will take a lot of time, patience and bandaids for the numerous punture wounds to your hands. The first this you HAVE to do is locate a bird groomer who isn't associated with a petshop. Have the birds wings clipped, nails trimmed and the beak tip dulled down a bit. This will help with being able to get started handling the bird. You will still get bit, but not as badly as if the beak was shape as a needle.

Once the bird groomer is finished with the grooming, the bird is usually very passive and scared. This is your opportunity to start a bonding process by consoling and hopefully holding the bird.

Now once the wings are clipped, you can start to interact with the bird by getting him/her used to your hand by slowly introducing your hand to her holding a treat like a peanut or whatever you have found that she likes to eat the most. Now, if she bites you, you must remember not to react to the bite. I know it's a hard thing to do, but if she realizes that she gets a reaction out of you, she will continue to punish you with her beak.

Spend lots of time socializing with her like reading a book to her, sit next to her cage, talk to her.

Now that this has been stated, I must also advice you that this is the time to decide if you are up for the task or not. If not, then this would be the time to consider rehoming the bird before you get to attached and look for a bird that has been well socialized. If you opt for the latter, remember, you get what you pay for. I would steer clear of Craigslist, Ebay classifieds and such. Most birds posted on these sites have been cage bound or breeders and aren't overly friendly or socialized.

I would locate a breeder locally, who can help you locate a good well socialized bird that can become a family pet and companion and has been hand raised. Will it cost you, you betcha, but you will start out with a quality bird that will be a lot easier to associate with then one that has been cage bound and ignored for months if not years.
 
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mattbeckyruby

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May 25, 2012
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thanks for all your advice i think i will get her wings clipped and see if that helps hopefully she wont hate us forever lol
 

suebee

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Jan 13, 2011
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have faith :) another member had a rather aggressive ringneck, and they get on fine now, patiance being the key lo good luck an welcome

oh an we lurve pics
 

Mozzie

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Hi and welcome to the forum!! You will find lots of good information and very nice people here!! I don't know anything about ringnecks, so I will leave it to the folks that do. I am sure you will get a lot of good advice.
 

Ria

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Indian Ringneck: Damien

RIP: Dempsey & Winston
Hi, that member was me. I was in an absolute panic over it all, I thought Damien would never be happy with me. I really do suggest giving the bird some quiet space, and calm. and to only approach her outside of her cage. Because her cage is the only place she feels safe at the moment, only when she is calm can you slowly get closer.

Damien would get out of his cage, and fly straight up onto the curtain pole, because that;s where he felt safe(and boss of me), don't let her get into that habit or you will never get her down, clip her wings immediately, don't worry they will grow back, it's just to calm her down and to protect her!

I cannot be certain you can ever really stop the biting, or potential screaming when she is in her cage, very territorial birds, lol. But what can say is, when Damien was clipped and I got him a perch in the bathroom he is like a completely different bird, when he is out of his comfort zone... he's only got me to rely on, but when we are in his comfort zone he is exactly as you described your bird. but all that took 6-7 months of me just leaving him alone, only talking outside of the cage, giving him space. It's long time, but that's what it took to get me where I am now.

I can only handle Damien inside my room with a towel, but in the bathroom or kitchen or hall, I don' need a towel he will just step on my arm, weird right?

I don't really know if Damien is a girl or a boy too, but I am not overly bothered by that now, but some say the gender of the bird can determine who they like more, boys or girls. Damien doesn't like women... he prefers men I think, well from what I can tell, he tolerates me, but hates my mother, loved my ex boyfriend. So maybe find out if your bird may be more comfortable with a male or female more, that way you might be able to make some quicker progress.

Sorry I don't know if that helps, it was just experience. May I ask about her cage? Damien came to me in a very very small cage, in fact I use that cage now to house my finches, thats how small it was, and that contributed to his stress a huge amount, so if her cage is a good size that will help, give her time!

All the best though, ringnecks are amazing pets, very smart, very cute but quite scary at the same time!! If you need anything, message me anytime! I'm no expert but I have my experiences with Damien that might help x
 
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mattbeckyruby

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May 25, 2012
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Hi, that member was me. I was in an absolute panic over it all, I thought Damien would never be happy with me. I really do suggest giving the bird some quiet space, and calm. and to only approach her outside of her cage. Because her cage is the only place she feels safe at the moment, only when she is calm can you slowly get closer.

Damien would get out of his cage, and fly straight up onto the curtain pole, because that;s where he felt safe(and boss of me), don't let her get into that habit or you will never get her down, clip her wings immediately, don't worry they will grow back, it's just to calm her down and to protect her!

I cannot be certain you can ever really stop the biting, or potential screaming when she is in her cage, very territorial birds, lol. But what can say is, when Damien was clipped and I got him a perch in the bathroom he is like a completely different bird, when he is out of his comfort zone... he's only got me to rely on, but when we are in his comfort zone he is exactly as you described your bird. but all that took 6-7 months of me just leaving him alone, only talking outside of the cage, giving him space. It's long time, but that's what it took to get me where I am now.

I can only handle Damien inside my room with a towel, but in the bathroom or kitchen or hall, I don' need a towel he will just step on my arm, weird right?

I don't really know if Damien is a girl or a boy too, but I am not overly bothered by that now, but some say the gender of the bird can determine who they like more, boys or girls. Damien doesn't like women... he prefers men I think, well from what I can tell, he tolerates me, but hates my mother, loved my ex boyfriend. So maybe find out if your bird may be more comfortable with a male or female more, that way you might be able to make some quicker progress.

Sorry I don't know if that helps, it was just experience. May I ask about her cage? Damien came to me in a very very small cage, in fact I use that cage now to house my finches, thats how small it was, and that contributed to his stress a huge amount, so if her cage is a good size that will help, give her time!

All the best though, ringnecks are amazing pets, very smart, very cute but quite scary at the same time!! If you need anything, message me anytime! I'm no expert but I have my experiences with Damien that might help x
hi thanks for your advice her cage is a large full size parrot one we got the bigger one so that we wouldnt have to change it, it is proving to be hard work lol
 

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