IndianRingNeck.com

Hi all,


I hope this post finds you and your loved ones in good health.


I own a blue indian ringneck called Rio and I had him when he was 4 weeks old and has been with me for the last 6 weeks or so. This is my 1st indian ringneck so all of this is new to me and my family.

Recently Rio took it's first flight (about 4 days ago) and he's getting better at it every day obviously we now had to put him in a cage and this is where the problem lies. He does not like the cage AT ALL! When putting him in he grabs to the door with his feet and beak and tries to push out. When we put him in he constantly goes up and down in the cage, jumping and tries to force him self out and when EVENTUALLY he calms down, he just sits steady and moves around occasionally. There's plenty off food and water in the cage so he can eat and drink whenever he wants. I still feed him formula at night.

Is this a normal thing that these wonderfull birds hate cages? Has anyone else experienced this problem? If yes what can I do? I need him to be happy in there and eventually I'd like him to go by himself in the cage when he pleases. At the moment the cage is hell for him he simply does not want to stay in it. All he wants is to stay on our shoulders all day long, but unfortunately for obvious reasons we can not keep him out all day.

Any help and suggestions would be really appreceated!

Thanks and regards

Ian

Where would he sleep at night before the cage? If its a sort of nesting box, can it be placed in the cage? Also try to cover three sides of the cage when placing him in it so he doesn't feel overwhelmed. Start working on the reward system with him. Lure him into the cage with a small piece of food he really loves. Praise him and take him back out. Do this over and over during the day. Get him to realize that going "home" means a treat in the end. Hope that helps

Just in case this was overlooked, be sure to place the cage against a solid wall or (as suggested) cover some of it. If the bird feels like he's just trapped out in the open with no place to hide it would make him quite uneasy.

-MissK

When placing bird in cage, place hand on top of head at top of beak, he won't see the cage opening.

"Hooding" is not a great idea in my opinion. It can lead to a bird with trust and aggression issues. A bird should always be allowed to see what's coming at him. Earning your birds trust and allowing him to slowly become accustomed to his cage will benefit you and your bird in the long run.