I have had Jade my male ringneck for about a year now. We have come a long way, actually when we brought him home he was a she but has since gotten the ring around his neck. Everyone in our four person family can hold and handle Jade but I feed, clean and care for him most so he is bonding to me primarily. My problem is that he doesn't really ever want to be sitting on me. He will always step up but the first chance he gets he flys away from me, even if it means landing on our cat who could care less about him. So he lands and I walk over and he gladly steps back up on my hand till I take a couple of steps and then he flys off again, so I walk over, he steps up, I walk, he flys away and this can go on and on till I get tired (20 mintues/an hour) and put him back in his cage. My theory is he'll get tired and will evenually just stay sitting on me. Well it hasn't work yet. He won't sit on my shoulder for more then a few mintues before taking off.
Help
help with bonding
Moderator: Mods
Re: help with bonding
Hey rica1313,
First, let me apologize as I missed this post! Sometimes I am so busy that I forget to check the forum!
Sounds like you have a feisty little fellow on your hand. Let's back up a bit first--I am assuming his wings are grown as it sounds like that in your current post--is that correct? If so, I know you might not agree with this, but the wings need to be clipped.
Clipping the wings is such a crucial thing when taming, as it really helps the ringneck to become more dependent on you and settle down. Once the wings have been clipped the bird will start to abandon its "fight of flight" mentality. This procedure also helps your little guy understand he cannot go where he wishes; hopefully allowing him to settle down.
I keep my pet ringnecks’ wings clipped as they become quite different once the wings have grown out. Some develop attitudes and others become more independent—that’s fine if that’s what you’re looking for in a bird—but you are not
. Once the wings have been clipped properly, you need to start a positive reinforcement program--this simply means offering treats for desired behaviors. If your ringneck refuses to eat from your hands do a search on the forum about conditioning him to accept treats. If you are confident the bird is eating treats from you, then proceed on towards the taming process.
The process simply begins by making if favorable for the bird to step up on you. Gently place your hand under his belly and ask him to step up. He might not understand this in the beginning; however, continually doing this will allow him to understand what you mean. If the bird steps up offer a treat. It might take some time but that's quite okay.
Don't force the bird to do anything he does not want to do and make him feel uncomfortable as this is a positive reinforcement program. Do this daily and many times. Eventually, your little guy will start to associate stepping up as rewarding and enjoyable. Once this has been achieved, pat yourself on the back and take a deep breath as you two have done a lot of hard work and come a long way.
Now it's time to push your bird further. Only time, take him to an unfamiliar room and start positive reinforcement actives such as waving, turning around, etc... The more you work with your bird, the more he'll become tame. It takes time and patience but the rewards are well worth the effort! There is nothing more enjoyable then having a green feathered parasite who refuses to leave
Just be patient and don't rush things. Believe me--you have 20+ years to go and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve. Hope this helps and please keep us updated!
Best Wishes
,
IMRAN-C
First, let me apologize as I missed this post! Sometimes I am so busy that I forget to check the forum!
Sounds like you have a feisty little fellow on your hand. Let's back up a bit first--I am assuming his wings are grown as it sounds like that in your current post--is that correct? If so, I know you might not agree with this, but the wings need to be clipped.
Clipping the wings is such a crucial thing when taming, as it really helps the ringneck to become more dependent on you and settle down. Once the wings have been clipped the bird will start to abandon its "fight of flight" mentality. This procedure also helps your little guy understand he cannot go where he wishes; hopefully allowing him to settle down.
I keep my pet ringnecks’ wings clipped as they become quite different once the wings have grown out. Some develop attitudes and others become more independent—that’s fine if that’s what you’re looking for in a bird—but you are not
. Once the wings have been clipped properly, you need to start a positive reinforcement program--this simply means offering treats for desired behaviors. If your ringneck refuses to eat from your hands do a search on the forum about conditioning him to accept treats. If you are confident the bird is eating treats from you, then proceed on towards the taming process.The process simply begins by making if favorable for the bird to step up on you. Gently place your hand under his belly and ask him to step up. He might not understand this in the beginning; however, continually doing this will allow him to understand what you mean. If the bird steps up offer a treat. It might take some time but that's quite okay.
Don't force the bird to do anything he does not want to do and make him feel uncomfortable as this is a positive reinforcement program. Do this daily and many times. Eventually, your little guy will start to associate stepping up as rewarding and enjoyable. Once this has been achieved, pat yourself on the back and take a deep breath as you two have done a lot of hard work and come a long way.
Now it's time to push your bird further. Only time, take him to an unfamiliar room and start positive reinforcement actives such as waving, turning around, etc... The more you work with your bird, the more he'll become tame. It takes time and patience but the rewards are well worth the effort! There is nothing more enjoyable then having a green feathered parasite who refuses to leave
Just be patient and don't rush things. Believe me--you have 20+ years to go and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve. Hope this helps and please keep us updated!
Best Wishes
,IMRAN-C
Re: help with bonding
Hi again,
Thanks so much for the reply. We are well on the way and I'm sure we are as far as we are because Jade had his wings clipped when we brought him home. (over a year ago) We will clip again and see if that helps him want to sit longer on us. He is really a friendly little guy and will take treats from anyone's hand in or out of the cage... he it totally food modivated, even on the odd occasion landing close by on the chair to see if he can mooch a treat off your plate but once he has scored one he will fly back to the safety of his cage to eat it. While we had a few months of biting that has since passed I am happy to say that he never did bite hard enough to not be able to just ignore the nip. He will always step up no matter where he is but as I said will just flys off if he gets the chance. I will clip his wings again and see if that helps.
Thanks
Thanks so much for the reply. We are well on the way and I'm sure we are as far as we are because Jade had his wings clipped when we brought him home. (over a year ago) We will clip again and see if that helps him want to sit longer on us. He is really a friendly little guy and will take treats from anyone's hand in or out of the cage... he it totally food modivated, even on the odd occasion landing close by on the chair to see if he can mooch a treat off your plate but once he has scored one he will fly back to the safety of his cage to eat it. While we had a few months of biting that has since passed I am happy to say that he never did bite hard enough to not be able to just ignore the nip. He will always step up no matter where he is but as I said will just flys off if he gets the chance. I will clip his wings again and see if that helps.
Thanks