three weeks, no progress
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three weeks, no progress
Hello again. I guess I am feeling a bit discouraged with Chipper. We were hoping that he would settle down more after a few weeks. I see alot of messages about the baby IRN's, but not so much about the adult bird who is not hand tamed. (we think he is about 3 years old) He really does not like our hand in the cage, yet he is not at all mean, just very nervous. When we leave him alone, he just sits on that perch, kinda of watching us sideways. We know to talk to him with our hands behind our back, but he is still nervous whenever we give him our attention. He will go and check out his treat cup when I give him fruits or veggies, likes the grapes best. He must have been fed sunflower seeds, because he picks them out first. I spray him with a warm water bottle once or twice a week, but he doesn't seem really crazy about the water. There is just no personality spark with him yet. I guess that is what bothers me the most. Poor guy. He must have been traumatized some where down the line. NO! I will not give up on him! We have not got his wings clipped yet, but it doesn't seem like he would want to come out of the cage anyway! Any advice would be appreciated. Donna
I have been working with this IRN where I work and will be buying her soon. I worked a couple days a week for about a month and have worked with her for about 20-30 min once a week for the past month. When she first came to us, she bit very hard and would not come out of the cage for anything. I attatch a perch on the outside of the cage and kept the door open and put a bowl of treats just on the other side of the cage. Although she tried to out smart me she had to come out to get the treats. I was always there(usually cleaning cages or feeding other animals). Once she came out I tried to shut the cage so she could not go back in. Sometimes this was successful and sometimes she would grab a trat and run back in befor I could stop her. If I kept her out, I used a perch to move her around and did not try to put her on my hand. she was and still is very watchful of your hands and is difficult to get out of the cage. After a month I could get her out with a perch and shortly after, my hand. However, she still tries to avoid it. She still tries to fly off of your arm if she catches you not paying attention (she's very clever). just the other day when my bf and I went to see her ,I took her her fav. toy (a cat ball w/ a bell inside). It seemed to make a difference and she even letmy bf kiss her wing twice (grrrr, he's seen her twice and likes him a lot more!). This was amazing because like I said she is very wary of your hands and really anything that comes close to touching her....so maybe if you can find a fav. toy or food and bribe yours to stay close. I work mainly w/ reptiles and in my experience w/ tham and the IRN (Fiona 
) you have to be respectful that they are not domesticated animals and you look like a predator. At the same time you have to be stubborn and not give up. Yours will learn that the human hand is a friendly hand, but he's very scared. I hope this helps....this has been my experience. Fiona and I have a long way to go and who knows how she'll react to her new envir. once I bring her home. Godd luck and Don't give up! (soory so long 
)
) you have to be respectful that they are not domesticated animals and you look like a predator. At the same time you have to be stubborn and not give up. Yours will learn that the human hand is a friendly hand, but he's very scared. I hope this helps....this has been my experience. Fiona and I have a long way to go and who knows how she'll react to her new envir. once I bring her home. Godd luck and Don't give up! (soory so long )Ah, be patient. I know it can be exciting to have a relationship with your feathered friend, but it’s going to take time. Taming is not easy and what makes taming so enduring and tricky, is that every bird is different. Every bird has a different past, and every bird has been exposed to different situations. Trying to win the trust of your little guy is hard, but you know what? Once you have accomplished this, your feathered friend will reward you with countless hours of enjoyment.
Start off by offering treats. Don’t force yourself on your bird or try to trick him/her. Doing this will only prolong your relationship. Let the bird know you are gentile and offer nothing but enjoyment. Start by dropping treats inside his food bowls every time you pass by the cage. Then walk away like nothing happened. As the bird starts to accept your presence, take bigger steps. Start by holding the treats in your fingers. As time progresses, the bird will lose fear and start to crave your attention.
You have to remember the bird sees you as a predator. Would you go up to a lion and start playing with him if you don’t know its intensions? No! LoL! Give your bird time and I promise he’ll bring years of enjoyment into your household. Remember, you got all the time to kill for a Ringneck can live at least 20 years. So be patient and take things one step at a time.
For now, don’t make direct eye contact, sudden movements, or loud noises.
Hope this gives you a little reassurance.
Best wishes and keep us updated!
Imran Chaudhry
Start off by offering treats. Don’t force yourself on your bird or try to trick him/her. Doing this will only prolong your relationship. Let the bird know you are gentile and offer nothing but enjoyment. Start by dropping treats inside his food bowls every time you pass by the cage. Then walk away like nothing happened. As the bird starts to accept your presence, take bigger steps. Start by holding the treats in your fingers. As time progresses, the bird will lose fear and start to crave your attention.
You have to remember the bird sees you as a predator. Would you go up to a lion and start playing with him if you don’t know its intensions? No! LoL! Give your bird time and I promise he’ll bring years of enjoyment into your household. Remember, you got all the time to kill for a Ringneck can live at least 20 years. So be patient and take things one step at a time.
For now, don’t make direct eye contact, sudden movements, or loud noises.
Hope this gives you a little reassurance.
Best wishes and keep us updated!
Imran Chaudhry
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Neokireina
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Welp. hang on your flaming emails people cos what i'm going to say may not be taken well by some.
Sometimes you just have to get right in there. Get some gloves and grab your bird. Forget all the niceties. surviving a terrifying encounter with the hands of doom is sometimes a way to accustom a bird to such. Teach you bird that grabbing is not fatal, it does not hurt. Take the bird to an unfamiliar room and make yourselF the only thing that the bird recognises and make yourself the safe haven. Spend a lot of time with the bird sitting on you, talking to it and sharing treats when it's not too scared enough to take them.
even with people, you can never get past your fear until you face it.
Sometimes you just have to get right in there. Get some gloves and grab your bird. Forget all the niceties. surviving a terrifying encounter with the hands of doom is sometimes a way to accustom a bird to such. Teach you bird that grabbing is not fatal, it does not hurt. Take the bird to an unfamiliar room and make yourselF the only thing that the bird recognises and make yourself the safe haven. Spend a lot of time with the bird sitting on you, talking to it and sharing treats when it's not too scared enough to take them.
even with people, you can never get past your fear until you face it.
I think 1/2 the battle is getting them out of the cage and then you can take them to another room in "neutral territory." If he can get in his cage he will. That's HIS territory. I have seen many bird calm down a lot when you get them away from their cage. Also, once you get his wings clipped, let him flutter to the ground and then try to pick him up w/ a perch or your hand. Birds don't usually like to be on the ground...so therefore you are rescuing him and bringing him up high once more since he can't.
It took me six months to get Mazzie to trust me enough to come out of the cage when I asked, and I used a dishtowel to spook her to me before that. I could've grabbed her, but I preferred that she thought that the evil towel was going to get her and ran to me for comfort
They can take a very long time to trust you. Its worth the effort though, really. I cant even begin to count the number of bites I got from Maz when I was taming her (she was so mean that macaw breeders were afraid of her) but every one was worth it to have her the way she is now. If I even walk into the room she's cooing her love to me, ready to come snuggle and spend time just being my baby girl.
Athena
They can take a very long time to trust you. Its worth the effort though, really. I cant even begin to count the number of bites I got from Maz when I was taming her (she was so mean that macaw breeders were afraid of her) but every one was worth it to have her the way she is now. If I even walk into the room she's cooing her love to me, ready to come snuggle and spend time just being my baby girl.
Athena
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michelle999
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I have had Ringo for eight months now and at first he used to hide at the back of his cage. He will step up but only if he really has to. He will tolerate me being very close to him and he will take treats off me but i still have a long way to go.
I suppose it depends on the individual bird..... keep going your fid will come around slowly.
I suppose it depends on the individual bird..... keep going your fid will come around slowly.
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kyria
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Its a slow process, patience and consistency.
I got kai at age 11 months and it took him a good 6 months to really start to feel relaxed around us. We have had him only 8 months now and he is amazing, still flighty around new people and still unable to pet him. But he is sooo tame now.
Slow progress, gaining trust. Each time you feed him and don't hurt him, everytime you try to get close with your hands and back away not hurting him, everytime you interact with him somehow and don't hurt him shows him over time that he can trust you. Sweet talk really does work, calm sweet loving voice, commands to "Step up" will help him to understand what you are doing. Saying these things before and as you are doing them will help him to understand.
this is just an eg. - "some fruit for you, yummy , yummy !" , so soon he relates that sound to getting food. Next time you start saying this as you bring the food bowl and place it in for him, he will know what you are actually doing and not coming to hurt him.
Trust Takes Time and I would keep working every day for at least 6 months before I would start to fear that you may not be able to reach this baby.
All IRN's, actually mostly all birds for that matter, will go for sunflower seeds. If this is what he picks out, then ommit it from the diet and use it as a treat to reward him or to intice him to come to you. They really are not that good for IRN's anyway and tend to make them aggressive.
His being scared and flighty is just older untame IRN personality, don't assume he was mistreated.
His personality will come, that will take time aswell. Just like when people meet. Remember back to when you first met any of the people in your life and how after a few months, years, their true personality shone through. You and he are going to have to get to know each other over the next 35 or so years. Imagine that !
Be patient you have many happy years and in turn many frustrations ahead of you with this little darlin.
Sorry about the essay
Goodluck ! Enjoy !
I got kai at age 11 months and it took him a good 6 months to really start to feel relaxed around us. We have had him only 8 months now and he is amazing, still flighty around new people and still unable to pet him. But he is sooo tame now.
Slow progress, gaining trust. Each time you feed him and don't hurt him, everytime you try to get close with your hands and back away not hurting him, everytime you interact with him somehow and don't hurt him shows him over time that he can trust you. Sweet talk really does work, calm sweet loving voice, commands to "Step up" will help him to understand what you are doing. Saying these things before and as you are doing them will help him to understand.
this is just an eg. - "some fruit for you, yummy , yummy !" , so soon he relates that sound to getting food. Next time you start saying this as you bring the food bowl and place it in for him, he will know what you are actually doing and not coming to hurt him.
Trust Takes Time and I would keep working every day for at least 6 months before I would start to fear that you may not be able to reach this baby.
All IRN's, actually mostly all birds for that matter, will go for sunflower seeds. If this is what he picks out, then ommit it from the diet and use it as a treat to reward him or to intice him to come to you. They really are not that good for IRN's anyway and tend to make them aggressive.
His being scared and flighty is just older untame IRN personality, don't assume he was mistreated.
His personality will come, that will take time aswell. Just like when people meet. Remember back to when you first met any of the people in your life and how after a few months, years, their true personality shone through. You and he are going to have to get to know each other over the next 35 or so years. Imagine that !
Be patient you have many happy years and in turn many frustrations ahead of you with this little darlin.
Sorry about the essay
Goodluck ! Enjoy !
Angie
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Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. {Pro 10:12}
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God Bless
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Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. {Pro 10:12}
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God Bless
Gee Kireina that wouldn't happen to be my way of taming a bronco would it? It does take time and sometimes blood. I have the scars to prove it. Jordan's Coco is being an absolute cow (2yo with pmt is the best way to describe her). It's been 2 steps forward, one step back but we are getting there. Bhanu made life easy for me. Took her in the bathroom for 3 days at 15 mins each time and after she would sit on my knee and then on my hand she started spending every evening out of her cage. She still gets moody and jealous and really is a mummy girl but we deal with the snotty sessions.
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Neokireina
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whats weird is the parrots for dummies book says exactly the same as what I've said.. but i've been doing it that way for years, since before i read the book which was what a month ago, and even in the book it tells you to try training with lights out or low, which is a method I use on some bronco birds.
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Mikaela
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I have to agree with the girls... I dont take anything from Baby. Some of you would maybe consider me rough but look at him, he look, act, seem mistreated? Scared of people or hands? Nope.
Ringnecks, especially those natured like Baby MUST be shown whose boss and unfortunately that sometimes means forcefully because I'll be damned if Im going to be eaten alive by something I am trying to love.
Cant be scared of that bird, gotta show them if anyone is to be scared it'll be them if they dont act right.
By this, I mean Baby's step up stick, in his case. He HATES it. I have it handy for emergencies like when they start fighting or he gets somewhere I disapprove of and cant reach him. If He doesnt do what I want him to WHEN I want him too, I make him step up on his 'step up stick' and he gets this 'man, I feel like a punk now' look in his eyes and calms all the way down to baby-sweet.
If I didnt handle Baby the way I do... he would have been a throw away bird. He is mean, he is male. Hear him ROOOAAAR. *lil punk*
Thats how I cut mine down to size. -shrug-
Ringnecks, especially those natured like Baby MUST be shown whose boss and unfortunately that sometimes means forcefully because I'll be damned if Im going to be eaten alive by something I am trying to love.
Cant be scared of that bird, gotta show them if anyone is to be scared it'll be them if they dont act right.
By this, I mean Baby's step up stick, in his case. He HATES it. I have it handy for emergencies like when they start fighting or he gets somewhere I disapprove of and cant reach him. If He doesnt do what I want him to WHEN I want him too, I make him step up on his 'step up stick' and he gets this 'man, I feel like a punk now' look in his eyes and calms all the way down to baby-sweet.
If I didnt handle Baby the way I do... he would have been a throw away bird. He is mean, he is male. Hear him ROOOAAAR. *lil punk*
Thats how I cut mine down to size. -shrug-
*giggles at Mik* Ah well Baby is a little punk...and so is ms. Byndi but we hafta deal with them. I am lucky Prinny doesn't bite the snot out of me...she is very trusting and loving...oops, I think I'm bragging. 
I love my Prinny Prinny may be all loving and everything but Bodi is still getting used to the diea of living with me. I have to work with him extensivly...
Dani Prinny Bodi
I love my Prinny Prinny may be all loving and everything but Bodi is still getting used to the diea of living with me. I have to work with him extensivly...
Dani Prinny Bodi