My partner works at a Pet Store and it's owners have raised and handled birds for many years (African Greys, IRNs, finches, Macaws, she even has a pet IRN that is not for sale that sits in the store) He approached one of the owners and told her of my situation with the IRN I received a few days ago. Basically she was neglected and not shown any attention. I want to be able to handle her though.
The owner of the shop says we could not have picked a worse bird to attempt to re-tame as once they are wild they basically stay wild until they realize that they need or want you.
She is very independent.
So she said that the best approach in this situation is to get her out of her cage and from there attempt to work with her.
She said that we should very gently remove her with a towel and hold her close to us and carry her around with us daily to show her that we are not here to harm her. And then when she responds positively, reward her with her favorite treats.
Good Approach?
Bad Approach?
Taming question
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kyria
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There has been alot of talk lately on wapping birds to tame them. I peronally have had no experience with it and am not sure how it would work, but it could be a good approach. getting her out and away from her cage to tame her is a must, as their cage is their private haven and they will hide away in there to avoid you.
Plenty of contact and seeing you all the time is a must, for her to begin to understand that you are not there to hurt her. favorite treats work well.
Remember this is going to take months, 6 months plus, she will show signs slowly, it won't happen quickly. Trust takes a long! time, especially with wild abused birds.
IRN are a difficult one to re-tame, but it isn't impossible, if you are willing to spend the time and have the patience.
A few Tips;
They are generally scared of:-
hats
shadows
sudden movements
brooms
and alot of the time red clothing
hands to begin with (use closed fists and slow movements)
The respond well to:-
kissing sounds
clicking sounds
gentle whistling
Don't worry too much if she seems scared, as she learns that each time
she was frightened you didn't hurt her she will gain more and more trust.
They are right with the treats also, treating birds is a huge part of taming and training.
Good Luck !
Plenty of contact and seeing you all the time is a must, for her to begin to understand that you are not there to hurt her. favorite treats work well.
Remember this is going to take months, 6 months plus, she will show signs slowly, it won't happen quickly. Trust takes a long! time, especially with wild abused birds.
IRN are a difficult one to re-tame, but it isn't impossible, if you are willing to spend the time and have the patience.
A few Tips;
They are generally scared of:-
hats
shadows
sudden movements
brooms
and alot of the time red clothing
hands to begin with (use closed fists and slow movements)
The respond well to:-
kissing sounds
clicking sounds
gentle whistling
Don't worry too much if she seems scared, as she learns that each time
she was frightened you didn't hurt her she will gain more and more trust.
They are right with the treats also, treating birds is a huge part of taming and training.
Good Luck !
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}
-----------
God Bless
To be honest with you, any parrot that has not been introduced to human interaction will be difficult to tame. Ringnecks are like any other parrot and if you wish to tame them, it’s going to take a lot of time and trust on the bird’s part. What I might suggest is to place your ringneck in a busy location where human interaction is high. This will help her adjust to humans. Then start a positive reinforcement routine. This will work wonders without stressing your bird and help her understand you are not there to harm here. I have provided a link for lots of resources on the subject. 
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/acres/9154/
Best Wishes and please keep us updated on the process,
Imran Chaduhry
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/acres/9154/
Best Wishes and please keep us updated on the process,
Imran Chaduhry
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mickeyflip
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 3:49 am
- Location: QLD, Australia
I'm not sure that the towel would be a great idea. I know a lot of people do it and it works for them but I personally wouldn't use it on my birdy.
Most birds don't like the towel thing, and if it knows that you're the one putting it in the towel and then you walk around with it in the towel it might just begin to associate you with the scary towel.
Is the bird completely afraid of you? ie. does she freak out when you come close to the cage? If so, find out what food it loves the most, and use that as rewards for calm behaviour. Stand near the cage and wait for her to relax. Once her shoulders go back down and she seems to have calmed down a bit, say "good girl!" or whatever you want her to learn is her praise word, and put something yummy in her cage and leave her alone for a while.
Keep doing that until she isn't worried about you coming over to the cage and associates you with positive things, like her favourite treat. After you've gotten that far you can start offering treats from your hand. When she steps closer to you (even if just a smidge), say "good girl!" and eventually only reward her for coming closer and closer to your hand. When she eats from your hand you can start getting closer to touching her in the cage etc.
This is something I learned from Chet Womach's system. I've bought the Taming, Training and Tricks DVDs and they are really quite good. Our IRN Radar was already fairly tame when we got him but it's full of little tips and tricks that have helped us get him even more friendly and affectionate.
If you have any questions about his methods I'd be happy to help you out
Once again I don't want to straight out say that the towel idea is no good! I'm sure it definitely works for some!
Most birds don't like the towel thing, and if it knows that you're the one putting it in the towel and then you walk around with it in the towel it might just begin to associate you with the scary towel.
Is the bird completely afraid of you? ie. does she freak out when you come close to the cage? If so, find out what food it loves the most, and use that as rewards for calm behaviour. Stand near the cage and wait for her to relax. Once her shoulders go back down and she seems to have calmed down a bit, say "good girl!" or whatever you want her to learn is her praise word, and put something yummy in her cage and leave her alone for a while.
Keep doing that until she isn't worried about you coming over to the cage and associates you with positive things, like her favourite treat. After you've gotten that far you can start offering treats from your hand. When she steps closer to you (even if just a smidge), say "good girl!" and eventually only reward her for coming closer and closer to your hand. When she eats from your hand you can start getting closer to touching her in the cage etc.
This is something I learned from Chet Womach's system. I've bought the Taming, Training and Tricks DVDs and they are really quite good. Our IRN Radar was already fairly tame when we got him but it's full of little tips and tricks that have helped us get him even more friendly and affectionate.
If you have any questions about his methods I'd be happy to help you out
Once again I don't want to straight out say that the towel idea is no good! I'm sure it definitely works for some!