IndianRingNeck.com

Hi everyone, im new to the site. You all have such beautiful birds!
I got my first IRN a month ago, a lutino named lutino . He/she is 5 months old now and doesnt mind sitting on my shoulder, but if i go to pat him/her it either tries to fly away (is clipped) or bites my hands and wont let go! Even if i offer food it still goes to bite my fingers instead. Do you think it just doesnt like being touched, or it doesnt trust me yet? How can i get it to like being petted?
I hope to put a picture up in the next few days.
Compared to other IRNs i have seen, he/she seems quiet small. When do they reach full size?
Also compared to other lutinos i have seen, he/she has really bright yellow colourings. Could this mean a male? or must i wait 2-3 years .
Thank you if you can answer my questions.

You have to wait I'm afraid. The ring is the only real way to tell them apart other than DNA testing of course. But you can be lucky and guess correctly :p

You still have a long way to go to earn your birds trust. It trusts your shoulder and your face but not your hands unfortunatly alot of birds are like this. I have one too

Take little steps and move your hands very slowly. Put treats down in front of the bird. Look at your birds body language to see how close you can get before scaring them. After a while (may take days or weeks) leave the food closer and closer until your bird will take it from your hand. Keep working on that until you feel ready to try a step up for the treat. Ringnecks take a LOT of work, but they get there in the end.

yep i would say at least 6 months before your baby is at ease with you. You will see changes every week as you work with your fid to gain trust. Take it slow, but spend alot of time, talk alot as you do things, so they get familiar with voice commands, they can be very beneficial to allow your IRN to know what you are doing before you do it and at the same time will pick up words and begin to talk.

Remember time and patience is the key to these babies and before long you will be like the rest of us and trying to find a way to keep you baby off you .. lol

Exactly...patience...it's the key. Don't rush the baby...just show him that you can be trusted that you aren't going to eat him. Find a treat that he loves, use it as a reward for stepping up, allowing you to handle him...

Dani

Welcome.

I too am taming my baby 7 month old. It can be hard at times. Even frustrating. But I know having patience and being persistent will provail. And of course a lil help from here!

Cant wait to see pics.

Lauren

Showing your bird that you eat the same treats and they arent poisoned or anything helps too. You wouldnt walk out into the bush and pick berrys off a tree and eat them unless you saw someone else do it and were sure it was safe. It might help your baby to trust the treats your offering a bit more

Thanks guys, keep your advice and comments coming!
Good news,lutino now lets me handfeed him/her,yay! Im still not allowed to pet him/her without being bitten though.
Does anyone know why he/she might be small though? or is it just cos he/she is young.

it could be, but in my experience, the lutino seems to be a much smaller, skinnier sleeker bird all round compared to the other colour strains.