Hello All!

[mattcoffs]

Hey guys!
My name's Matt, and i'm a proud new owner of a 10 week old green ringneck

Firstly, what a great website and kudos to those who run it! It helped me in deciding to buy one of these funny little parrots!!!

A little about me. I'm 25, from a small town called Coffs Harbour, in Australia. I always had pets up until a couple of years ago. I'd had a couple of budgies and a beautiful black labrador called Jake.
Jake was the family pet. We had him for 13years. He was the best dog you could ever ask for, he knew exactly when to play, to be cheeky, he knew when he did something naughty, he knew when you were sad and would come and rest his head on your lap. He never grew up around toddlers, but when he was with them he went from a clumsy excitable adolescent to a calm, cool and collected big brother! Just amazing. Unfortunately, he had bad arthritis and got sick from a paralysis tick and was just too old to fight it. We lost him in 2009, the same year as i moved out of home.

I still can't think of him without my eyes watering up. I think it made it a little worse i was out of home and didn't get to say goodbye to him - i'm an only child, and he was the closest i had to a brother. No, he was my brother. My parents took him to the vet and he was getting better, but all of a sudden he took a turn for the worse and couldn't fight anymore. I've always had a special bond especially with canines - they just seem to really like me and i have the biggest soft spot for them! What does this have to do with Indian Ringnecks you ask?

Well, i live in an apartment. For a little while now i've been missing having that bond with an animal, i think it's healthy for the soul. Also, unfortunately my mother was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer about six months ago, which i guess has me pretty emotionally up and down... So last week i decided to look into getting a pet that (hopefully) won't get me into trouble with my body corporate (i'm an owner, but the rules are NO PETS! Buuut, rules were made to be broken) to have that special animal bonding again.

So we got home, and i introduced him(or her, but i'll just say him) to his cage. From day 1 he was a bit of a nipper! My hands and arms were looking like i'd been running through the jungle for weeks a few days ago. But i'm proud, and happy to say that in six days - he's almost completely stopped! He will step onto my finger, shoulder, arm no problems now (he didn't like hands/fingers at first) and will hang out happily.
He's preening my arm, facial hair and hair - lets me scratch him under the chin and on his back. He is even letting me touch and hold his beak (gently, of course) and is also everyday letting me touch his wings etc more and more!

I must say i was a little worried i'd made the wrong decision the first few days when i was bleeding so much! But, after every bite hard enough to draw blood or hurt, i would put him straight in his cage and either leave the room - or put his cage in a room and shut the door. I was amazed that he learned in days not to bite so hard!

All in all i'm happy with how far we've come in only 6 days!

I have a couple of very quick questions though. He doesn't seem very interested in playing with toys! Is this normal for 10 weeks? He has a rope/block toy hanging in his cage but he only climbs to the top of it to sleep! Even out of the cage, he's more interested in sitting on my shoulder and doing nothing than playing with toys! He will play with paper a little, but doesn't really shred it up. Just kind of nibbles and then drops it!

My second question. His claws are pretty sharp, they leave my hands a little scratched and raw after playing with him out of the cage. Today, i got a cement perch from the pet store, that is kind of this shape ~~~ with thick and thin parts (it says t's for medium to large birds for filing nails and beaks). Its a light grey colour.

While he was out of the cage today i introduced it to him. He is totally freaked by it. He has not reacted to ANYTHING in my house like this. I mean, he will sit on my shoulder while i play electric/acoustic guitar and not even be phased - and they must be a weird looking thing to a little young birdie! He will sit on it f i put a tea towel over it, but if i reveal only a couple of centimetres of it he'll flutter away awkwardly with his clipped wings and crash land somewhere... I even tried putting it in his cage and then putting him t=in there and uncovering it, but the noises he made were nothing i've ever heard... Just pure terror!

So i took it away and comforted him and now i don't know what to do... He is literally more scared of it than anything in my whole house! The only thing i could think of s maybe he thinks it's a snake/lizard or something???

How should i go about getting him to use it without breaking his trust?

I appreciate your help! And sorry if this post is massive! I'll promise to keep it brief after this

Matt

[mattcoffs]

It won't let me add a picture of him sorry guys, it says offsite links are too "spamy" for a new user

[mattcoffs]

Oh, and I should say i was very impressed today as i'm normally at work but had the day off, and i fell asleep on the lounge lying flat on my back with Sam sitting on my chest (pecs area). 45 minutes later i woke, and he was still sitting there quietly and chilled out. He could've taken the opportunity to come up and bite my nose, lip, eye or whatever he wanted but he just sat in the same spot and chilled with me!
I thought that was nice

[Azure]

Hello and welcome Matt!

Imran, the admin, is trying to stop the large amount of spam that has happened over the website so had to put that in. I think it was 15 posts and you would be able to link.

I wish your mother good luck and may she recover. Lossing your pet/brother would also have been hard, but you do not seem to "wither away" with such unfortunate events, keep up the good work and surely Jake will be proud of you. He will be waiting for you and watching you as always.

Now on another note, I'm glad to hear that you are coping so well with a fussy bird! Sometimes people give up too easily, good thing you're not! The IRN just might not be interested in the style of toys you have given (like some people rather play with a ball than a toy car or computer). A good idea that has been going around is foraging. The basic idea is that you put some treats in a thin carton box filled with shedded newspaper. Then hang it up, it may take some hints at first but then your bird may/will love shredding the box for food, just for the fun of shredding (like how many people love popping bubble wrap... )

For the perch, keep him on a normal perch and hold the cement one far away. Slowly bring it closer until he starts freaking out and stop, go back a bit. Stay there for a while and feed a treat (with the cement perch away from him). Then try again, and slowly it should get closer without the bird being scared away, until you can finally make it step onto it. This method is usually used to train birds not to fear or bite hands but it might work for the cement perch.

Hope it provides some ideas,

[ellieelectrons]

Hi Matt

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you are doing really well.

I have a couple of very quick questions though. He doesn't seem very interested in playing with toys! Is this normal for 10 weeks? He has a rope/block toy hanging in his cage but he only climbs to the top of it to sleep! Even out of the cage, he's more interested in sitting on my shoulder and doing nothing than playing with toys! He will play with paper a little, but doesn't really shred it up. Just kind of nibbles and then drops it!

My guys didn't really discover their toys at first. I remember Charlie (who was probably about 10 weeks when we got him) didn't even know what was and wasn't food at that age. I'd give him fruit and veg on a kabob and he wouldn't even try to eat it. Now, he devours everything in sight... and a vege kabob is no challenge to him at all! He didn't interact with any toys at all. I'd say it took him about a month to really get used to his new surroundings.

So i took it away and comforted him and now i don't know what to do... He is literally more scared of it than anything in my whole house! The only thing i could think of s maybe he thinks it's a snake/lizard or something???

I doubt this will be the last time you see this reaction from him. IRNs are generally neo-phobes (scared of anything new)... try leaving it out on a table near his cage for a couple of days before putting it in his cage. I remember being really excited to give Janey a millet spray one day. I excitedly shoved it in her face, thinking she'd be all excited... well, it completely freaked her out!!! She didn't know what it was at all... Now, if I shoved a millet spray in her face, she'd be over the moon... but it takes a while for them to learn to trust things and figure them out. Just try introducing it gradually and be sensitive. I think some animal trainers may say you comforting the bird when they are scared of something could possibly encourage that "being scared" behaviour... but I really don't know... I would want to comfort my bird too... and probably would be inclined to do it... but I'm a softie too!

With toys, you can put a toy in one place and they might not pay any attention to it but then moving it to another spot and they'll think it's the best thing ever... so you never can tell. There's a good article about how to select toys here:
http://www.myparrotshop.com.au/selectin ... o_123.html

I'm glad Azure mentioned foraging. I'm a huge advocate for foraging - I'm sure people get bored with me advocating for it... but it is truly the biggest thing to make a difference to our relationship with our parrots. Here is the list of links I usually pass around about foraging when appropriate - feel free to read or not:
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... 01&p=69400
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =4&t=13466
http://www.parrotenrichment.com/ - this site has some free ebooks to download

I'm also an Only child, so I understand what you're saying about pets being important to you. Our birds are the first pets I've had since moving out of home over 16 years ago! They're hard work but they've really enriched my life!

Good luck and best wishes!

Ellie.

[mattcoffs]

Thanks guys!
I might just be a paranoid new parent, but today he's been sitting on me and lifting one foot at a time up under his feathers and standing on the other. But he's been alternating between feet... Any ideas why this would be?

[ellieelectrons]

That means he feels really comfortable & relaxed. So that's definitely a good thing. A bird won't stand on one leg unless they feel comfortable. When they stand on one foot, they are able to warm their other leg... they change legs to warm the other one!

Ellie.

[mattcoffs]

Thanks! That's awesome!

After reading some posts on this forum i'm thinking i must be lucky to have made so much progress in only a week! I must've found a nice bird.

He was the only one at the store out of about 6-7 that followed me around the cage so i picked him for it

[ellieelectrons]

He was the only one at the store out of about 6-7 that followed me around the cage so i picked him for it

That's always a good sign.

As they mature their behaviours can change so be prepared for that. Some notice very little difference and others notice more. It depends on the individual personalities of the bird and on the way you interact with them. What you are doing now is laying the groundwork for the future.

Best wishes!

Ellie.

[ellieelectrons]

He was the only one at the store out of about 6-7 that followed me around the cage so i picked him for it

I saw a handraised baby Sun Conure at the local pet store that was a bit like that.... Oooo, I wanted to bring him/her home... but I couldn't figure out how to explain it to my husband as I hadn't gone there to buy a bird... and boy, can those birds vocalise!

Ellie.

[spdbalshaw]

Hi Matt,

Just read your post and was pleased to see someone who seems to be in the exact same situation as myself. I just got my first IRN about a month ago when he was 8-10 weeks old and he was hand-raised from a breeder, and very friendly from day one. Unlike your bird, i didnt really have any issues with him biting, the only time he would seem to get a bit nippy was when i let him on my shoulder. I have read that allowing them up on your shoulder can lead to dominance issues later and that you should prevent this at least initially until the pecking order of your home is established (obviously you dont want your bird to think he is the boss). I certainly noticed an attitude change when he was up there, so for now he is he is only allowed to sit below my shoulders on my arm or hand. I'm not saying you should do the same, as this is entirely your choice, and there are argument for and against on this topic. I just thought it was relevant as when i first got him all he wanted to do was get onto my shoulder and chill and he wasnt interested in anything else.

I wouldnt worry to much about him not being interested in his toys, as i am sure with a bit of patience and variance this will come. I have a couple of wooden/rope sort of toys and to start he didnt want a bar of them, so i tried moving them around in his cage, and i found that when they were near his food and water bowls he was forced to at least brush past them when he wanted something to eat, and eventually this led to him giving them a bit of a nibble on the way past and now he loves to chew them and hang of of them upside down and all. (I would only suggest putting them near his food if he is eating fine, as you dont want to discourage his eating and have him starve)

I would also suggest trying some foraging tricks, which might help him to realise that new things arent always so bad and scary. I stick pieces of fresh fruit in the cages of his bar, and while i am not sure whether he eats them or just loves tearing them to shred, either way he seems to have fun doing it, going by the mess he makes.

Also his favourite treat is peanuts, so before i go to work i would put a full peanut still in its shell in his food bowl until he realised if he broke it open he got his favourite treat, after that i moved on to wrapping a peanut (in shell) in paper, so he had to unwrap it, to get it, and now i stuff the ends of a toilet roll with newspaper and place a peanut in the middle for him to find.

Not sure if these will work with him playing with his toys, but they are certainly great strategies to keep him occupied when you arent home, and i am thinking once he starts finding his favourite treats in random objects, he will be much more curious to explore new things in his cage.

As for his sand perch that he hates, i have one of these in my cage however i had it from day one, and it was the first perch he went to when i put him in the cage, so i havent had the same problem as you. I think once again this is just a case of being patient and taking baby steps to get him used to it. Maybe try and place the perch on the outside of his cage for a couple of days to give him time to get used to it, without it invading his territory to much.

Anyway i hope at least one thing in this ridiculous long post might help you have some luck, although it does sound as though you are doing great anyway. I was over paranoid the first week or two as well as they seem so fragile being so young, but you soon realise that they are a lot hardier than they look and you will stop worrying and just enjoy having their company.

All the best Shem.

[ellieelectrons]

Hi Shem

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you are progressing really well with your bird. Good job!

Ellie.

[mattcoffs]

Hey guys, well here's a bit of an update.

Sam and i are turning into good friends i think He's pretty chilled out, and i've succesfully trained him out of 90% of biting. He is very excited to preen me, but sometimes i think he gets a little over excited and gives my ear/lip/arm a nip. He especially thinks it's fun to bite moles off of my skin (to my discontent!) But the isolation treatment is working!

Half an hour in the cage by himself and in only a few days he started to get it! Very happy about that!

Wow he's a messy eater! Bird ownership means much more house cleaning... This i didn't really think about! Lucky he's cute!

I think i got lucky, he seems happy to sit by himself and chill out, or just sit with me and relax. A few times i've fallen asleep with him out of the cage (a perfect time to peck out my eyes if he wanted.. hehehe) but i've awoken to him in the same spot, either sleeping or preening!

He's pretty quiet so far, he makes little squeaks here and there and contact calls early morning/late afternoon when the lorikeets outside are squawking... To combat this in the morning, i leave him in the room he sleeps (which is dark) for a little longer in the mornings. (as i'm not supposed to have any pet, i don't want to have to find him a new home just as we start bonding!)

He so far isn't much interested by toys, he'll play with paper for about 5 minutes but thats about it. He's more interested in licking and trying to bite my beer glass or wine glass. I don't supose i should share those with him though!

Still terrified by the concrete perch. I've had it within a metre of his cage in sight for about a week and still no change, he might let me put him a little closer to it than at first - but still freaked out.

Another quick question i have... His wings are clipped, but he can fly around my place. He seems to lose height reasonably quick though. Having never owned a bird with clipped wings, how much can they actually fly?? When should i have them re-clipped?

And because our relationship is new, he'll let me touch his wings only to a point. Should i look at getting a breeder/vet to clip them until he fully trusts me? I don't want to jeopardize our friendship yet! Also i should note i've been touching his wings a little more each day, and he is getting better with me touching them but i can't extend them while holding him yet.

Thanks guys
What a great place this is!

Matt