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Help with my Blue ringneck

HelpBella

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
10/23/21
Messages
2
Just got a female blue ringneck , approx 1 year old. She is warming up to me but keeps coming over to me nipping whatever she can get a hold of. She will fly right over to me and pull on my hair, ears , she even nipped my forehead . She will take food from my hand but keeps trying to get around the treat to nip my fingers. I don’t think she was ever taught to “step up” either . Everything I read is about me stepping away if she is trying to bite . What do you do when she comes to you ? Please help
 

fashionfobie

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Welcome to the forum.

My first point of advice is to take a step back. If she is biting, that is a behaviour that must be curbed. The best way to do this is to get better at reading her body language and avoid upsetting her to the point of biting.

However when you say nip I want to ensure I have a better understanding of what you mean. Birds do use their beaks to interact with the world. This is especially true for parrots who use their beak to play, climb and test things. It isn't uncommon for a parrot to push a surface with their beak before they step on to it, especially if it is something new. So if she is using her beak in a curious way, this isn't a bad thing. However if she is biting or intentionally causing you pain then it is time to reevaluate.

The main goal is to never give her an opportunity to bite. It sounds like you need to consider training as starting from step one. This means you start by working on trust building. Reward her when she approaches you and make yourself a safe, stressfree and interesting person. If she bites, don't pick her up yet. Just work on being calm and rewarding her with a treat when you are near her. You can place the treat in her bowl, you don't need to hand it to her yet. You are slowly trying to build trust. As you do this pay extra attention to her body language. Parrots show their discomfort in very slight ways, if she expresses any discomfort step away and let her know you respect her needs.

The last piece of advice to to ensure you give her lots of fun toys and encourage her to entertain herself. As example, she has a foraging foot toy and when she is working at it, you are reading a book or doing your own nonscary activity. You work towards building a flock bond. You do not want to be viewed as a mate if you can avoid it, this will only lead to more confusion and frustration for her.

I think my advice was all over the place and sorta general advice, but I tried to give some tips that may help you. Please post more specific details so we can figure out how best to help. Ringnecks are highly intelligent birds who are generally independently minded, they love doing activities with their flock but being a little more hands off will help you build trust, especially in the beginning. Hands off doesn't mean she can't be out of the cage, nor does it mean you aren't spending time with her, it means you aren't physically trying to engage with her all the time and show her that you are just a fun flock mate/ friend who also likes doing activities.
 

HelpBella

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
10/23/21
Messages
2
Welcome to the forum.

My first point of advice is to take a step back. If she is biting, that is a behaviour that must be curbed. The best way to do this is to get better at reading her body language and avoid upsetting her to the point of biting.

However when you say nip I want to ensure I have a better understanding of what you mean. Birds do use their beaks to interact with the world. This is especially true for parrots who use their beak to play, climb and test things. It isn't uncommon for a parrot to push a surface with their beak before they step on to it, especially if it is something new. So if she is using her beak in a curious way, this isn't a bad thing. However if she is biting or intentionally causing you pain then it is time to reevaluate.

The main goal is to never give her an opportunity to bite. It sounds like you need to consider training as starting from step one. This means you start by working on trust building. Reward her when she approaches you and make yourself a safe, stressfree and interesting person. If she bites, don't pick her up yet. Just work on being calm and rewarding her with a treat when you are near her. You can place the treat in her bowl, you don't need to hand it to her yet. You are slowly trying to build trust. As you do this pay extra attention to her body language. Parrots show their discomfort in very slight ways, if she expresses any discomfort step away and let her know you respect her needs.

The last piece of advice to to ensure you give her lots of fun toys and encourage her to entertain herself. As example, she has a foraging foot toy and when she is working at it, you are reading a book or doing your own nonscary activity. You work towards building a flock bond. You do not want to be viewed as a mate if you can avoid it, this will only lead to more confusion and frustration for her.

I think my advice was all over the place and sorta general advice, but I tried to give some tips that may help you. Please post more specific details so we can figure out how best to help. Ringnecks are highly intelligent birds who are generally independently minded, they love doing activities with their flock but being a little more hands off will help you build trust, especially in the beginning. Hands off doesn't mean she can't be out of the cage, nor does it mean you aren't spending time with her, it means you aren't physically trying to engage with her all the time and show her that you are just a fun flock mate/ friend who also likes doing activities.
Thanks for all the advice
Today went better, she was more interactive with me. She kept flying over to me and starts pulling on my hair. She is gentle until she gets near my ears then she bites me. I am trying to figure out what “treats” to use for good behaviour. I am waiting on a clicker to help with training but treats are a real issue for me . I haven’t found a
I spent a lot of time sitting in a chair by her cage talking to her and just hanging out. She let me pet her for a minute for the first time today. I was able to put a stick into the cage without her flipping out but I still can’t get her to step up.
her bites hurt and at times has drawn blood but she also nips at times that seem like she doesn’t want to hurt me.
 

fashionfobie

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Location
Qld, Australia
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Natalie
It sounds like you have made progress.

For treats it doesn't need to be complicated, my plummie likes pine nuts a lot.

I would avoid petting. You may see people online handling their ringnecks, including petting their heads etc. In reality this is the type of physical contact left for mates/ intimate relationships. You do not need to pet your bird to have a meaningful relationship and you want to stay in the friend zone. I would do your best to resist it and just focus on activities. My Plumhead parrot is never touched by me, except on his feet for step up. Since he knows I respect that his space he has come to trust me immensely. He will run around overtop of me, fly to me and play games with me... I have never pet him. Even when his cute fluffy little face is so tempting to scritch, I never do it. My parrot appreciates this, he isn't a species that allopreens (to groom another bird). Touch is overrated and isn't as important as you may think for bird friendships. My dog however loves getting pats, so I save them all up for him.
 
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