Meet Betty

[Marnies' mom]

hello!
i know its not the best name for such a pretty girl but she is named after Betty Boop a cartoon character i used to like as a child. i really wanted to change it but she responds to it and says her name, so Betty she is.
i have found this site to be most interesting since i brought my IRN home a week ago today.. she is 18mos old "hand tame and talking" the seller said.
i know she has been here but a week but how do we "handle her everyday" when we can't get near her? i am afraid as each day passes she will revert back to her wildness.
i realize this is all new to her so i guess i need to give her more time to get used to us? she will sit and quietly talk and make kissy noises but lunges if i put my hand in there. she is not noisy at all which is a good thing.
when she is out of her cage she mostly sits on top with her back to me facing the wall. almost like she is shunning me. i did clip her wings after she was here a few days because everytime i went near her she would just fly off and there was no chance for any interaction. now she stays put and will jump down to the carpet once in a while. i put a big branch up against her cage so she has a way back up but she made like she couldn't climb up it and just sat there like she was stuck. so i wrapped it with yarn so she could get an easy grip and now she is afraid of the yarn! geeeesh!
she is starting to play with the toys i have provided so she must feel more relaxed than she was. also she seems to like being wrapped in a towel, she clucks kisses and says hi betty and will let me pet her head if she is in a towel. so do i just towel her everyday to get her used to me and know i can be trusted not to hurt her?
the video of Marnie and the bunny is my all time favorite and has made the IRN my favorite bird. it has been my dream to own one like that ever since i seeing the video. when i saw the ad for a "hand tame, very sweet, talking IRN with a large vocabulary" i just had to have her and drove 4 hrs to go get her. she does seem to be sweet and says Hi Betty and whistles and kisses so i am hoping i can fine tune her into my dream bird.
but i have to be able to get near her first.
overall she is a very quiet bird with occaisional out bursts, but nothing compared to my Moustache parrakeet, or the amazon we had.
the moustache, Pandora, was so loud and ear piercing my husband begged me to rehome her so i finally did. i am happy with my IRN Betty so far but i am afraid she is regressing back from not being handled. i don't want to push as i don't want to be bitten.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

AWWW Betty is a BeautyIf she seems to like being toweled,then that is how I would handle Her until she gets more used to You,and comfortable in Your home.You say that she was Hand tame-was she hand fed? You could try making some warn oatmeal(plain) or scrambled eggs,or even warm cooked sweet potato to feed her with a spoon,or by hand to also get her to Bond with You!

 

[Anne & Gang]

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwshe is stunning

 

[April]

Congratz on adopting her,Im sorry that you had to rehomed your Stachie.

 

[Renae]

Betty is very pretty, congratulations on your new Ringneck. It sounds like she hasn’t quite settled in yet, some can take longer then others before they are totally comfortable in their new environment.

Here are a few articles to read through, one article is about clicker training which is something I would recommend doing:

Indian Ringneck Bluffing (Juvenile Biting)

Taming Your Pet Birds

Communicate with your Bird

Alternatives to Breaking Parrots: Reducing Aggression and Fear through Learning

Kibibi's InfoSuperFlyway - Let's Do Some Click'n - Introduction to Clicker Training

Good luck, I am sure Betty will come around, just give it time and a lot of patience. Ringnecks are really great birds!

 

[MollyMouse]

Congrats she is a beauty

 

[Anfsurfer]

Congratulations! Betty is just beautiful!

I purchased both of my Ringnecks from online breeders. Napoleon's ad said he was sweet and hand tame. The pics the guy sent me were in a large outdoor aviary with other Ringnecks. I found it hard to believe the bird was tame and ALMOST asked him to send me a pic of him on his hand, but decided to trust him.

Well...when Napoleon arrived, he was a MONSTER! I was terrified of him. I couldn't even get him out of the travel carrier! I had to open the carrier and leave it on the kitchen floor with the door open. 20 minutes later I saw him come out and I threw a towel over him and put him in his cage.
I was so scared of him and depressed. I didn't let him out of the cage for 4 days and called the bird store and asked if they would take him.

Then I decided how unfair it was to him to just give up. It was so hard, but I swore I was going to make friends with this bird. I made three goals for him and I that I wanted to accomplish...and in order. They were...

1. Get him to take food out of my hand while he's in the cage.
2. Get him to come up to me on the floor and take food out of my hand
3. Teach him to step up, and stay on my hand.

I accomplished all in a week and a half. He has been the SWEETEST bird ever since. The first two goals are pretty self explanitory. But how I accomplished the third...

Napoleon would run and jump from me whenever I would approach him. If I put my hand in front of him he would scream bloody murder and try to bite me. Well he would always run to this dead end short hallway to the garage and pace back and forth in front of the closed door.

I laid down on my stomach and strecthed my arms out with palms face up in his pacing path. So he would walk over my hands over and over while pacing. I would be talking to him during this as well in a soft voice.
Then, after a while....just as he started to step on my hand I would say "Step Up" in a strong voice, and when he got on my hand I would raise it an inch off the ground and say "Good Boy" in a high voice. You cannot believe how he would stop and stare, then jump off and continue pacing. He really knew he was doing something good. Three days of doing this for a half hour each day, and I was able to carry him back to his cage without jumping off. I will note that I NEVER cornered him...he was always free to walk pass me on the floor back into the kitchen, and he did sometimes. I would not move until he was passed me, then I would approch him on the kitchen floor and he would run back to the dead end and pace.

I'm sorry to write all of this...I'm just sharing so JUST MAYBE you can take something from this to help you with Betty. I know how you feel...I was there too.

 

[Marnies' mom]

thank you for your long post! don't be sorry, it was very encouraging and has given me renewed hope that she will come around.
i am still learning her body language and she will take food from me, so thats a start.
yes i have to say i miss my "Stache" she was a funny girl and very smart.
if it was just me, she would have stayed, i didn't mind her noise at all, it was loud and crazy, that was just her way, but he lives here too.
she has a great home though and i take comfort in that. i have gotten several updates and hope to be able to visit her someday. her new mom has a male Moustache and has looked a long time for a female buddy for him. funny how they don't speak the same language, he "talks" and says words, she kackles and yaks, must be pretty funny at her house.

 

[Sparkles]

Ringo, my IRN, wasn't hand tame, she was raised by her parrot parents and when I bought her and took her home, she was as wild as they get. She'll be 3 in 2 months and she's now the sweetest bird I know. IRN's take time and effort and love. That's about it. Ringo will step up to me,my mum, my boyfriend, my dad and probably any human that asks her or bribes her with a Nutriberrie. When she wants scritches, she'll put her had down and make cute sounds. I work with her daily, that's the only secret I have...you need to show Betty that she can trust you, not other way around. Do clicker training to teach her to step up, aword her when you can be near her and she doesn't lunge at you. Trust is something you build in time and rewords for your patience and love for Betty will come. I don't thing she went back to her wild side, I think that she's affraid and doesn't trust humans and she's protecting her self now.

 

[Chicklette]

Chiquita, my IRN had no human interaction (only to give food and water) what so ever and was never let out of the cage. Now she is all over me, climbing on me and giving me kisses. At first when i got her I gave her a couple days to settle in. I just talked to her softly and let her adjust. Then with a treat I would keep my hand in the cage, I would do this through the day. Finally in a weeks time she took it and then the process began. Just give her some time to adjust. All new birds are quiet and sleep a lot when they are new. Then they start to settle in and become more relaxed. You have to play with IRN's every single day or they regress. They need tons of attention and love.

 

[waterfaller1]

Congrats on your new fid Betty! She is beautiful!

 

[Pumpkin]

Congrats! She's beautiful.

 

[Ranyart]

Betty is beautiful ! Like everyone says time and patience is the key. So sad about your moustache. I guess it goes to show that every birdie is truly an individual. My Schubert is a very quiet bird, speaking more in words than squawks. I'm glad your girl got a good home. I can't wait to see you post your progress with Ms. Betty. Good luck!

 

[carkam]

She is beautiful!! Love her coloring!