Need some advice, unsure what to do or where to start...

[MarcMallow]

Hi guys, just want to give some backstory before I go on.

So I got my Ringeck, Wiggles, about 2 months ago. My mom and I were speaking with a seller about getting a male blue ringneck that was relatively young. The seller explained that she needs to blood test her newest ringnecks to check their gender. I had everything ready for him and was told it'd be roughly a week before we could get one. The seller and my mom spoke and she mentioned that her friend who was a breeder had a 3 year old ringneck she was looking to sell which fit what we were looking for. My mom then surprised me by bringing home this guy a week earlier than what I was expecting. He is super timid and skittish and just downright terrified of people and hands. He doesn't respond to treats as a motivator and his fear overcomes any sort of desire for treats. I was doing everything I could to help him adjust. I did tons of research before and after having him on how to tame him. Unfortunately, nothing was really working and I still wasn't sure if what I was doing was right. Ideally we want to interact with him, play with him, possibly teach him to talk since I know his species could get around to talking. One day I was out shopping for him and grabbed him a mirror which at the time I did not know was bad. He loved the mirror so much and I though he was happy with the amount of singing he was doing. Then I discovered that mirrors are actually not that great for birds so I removed them as quickly as possible. It took him a bit to get around to chirping again but I haven't heard him sing much since. Fast forward to this week and things are not going great. I noticed at the beginning of the month his beak looked like it has some kind of decay or erosion. I made an appointment with the vet and went in 2 days ago for an inspection and bloodwork and all that stuff. Got a call back yesterday and was told that he has liver disease and that might be the source of his beak issue. Was told that he isn't 3, he's closer to 15, so that was disappointing. They also recommended that they clip his wings because he could hurt himself with his erratic behavior and that he'd win against me everytime when it comes to taming. Although I was super reluctant to clip I understood that it had to be done. After a day of being handled by me and the vets (toweling) he doesn't seem very happy. No chirps, no running to the left and right of his perch while he eats, just sitting in the same spot. I try to sit by his cage frequently throughout the day but now he seems even more afraid of me although he did take millet from my hand through the bars of the cage, so that's something i guess.

TLDR: got a new birdy who is super scared and untame, doesn't respond well to treats, bad time at the vet and got clipped

Now my question is, what should I do to tame him? I really don't want him clipped again so I want to make the most of the time that he is clipped. I've been sitting by his cage everyday and speaking to him but he doesn't seem to care. Any attempt to do anything else like hand feeding directly causes him to freak out. Fear overcomes wanting treats so that's been really difficult. Target training has been a bit hard too because he has actually gone for the target (when im not holding it) but the click scares him. Now that he's clipped I want him to spend more time outside the cage exploring my room (under supervision of course). And ultimately, I want him to be happy. I can tell he hasn't had the best life since he was most likely fed only seeds by the breeder he belonged to. I've also been considering getting another ringneck, a younger one like originally planned, who might make a good friend for him. I do fear that they could fight or something else could happen so I do want to wait for wiggles to be tame first, if he ever is. Getting another bird is another can of worms to open so I have that idea on the backburner for now. What I'm ultimately asking is a plan to follow to tame this guy and show him I mean no harm. I would greatly appreciate all advice given, thanks!

 

[Gigibirds]

Yikes, getting the wing trim really could have put down his confidence! I would not suggest that next time, although I understand the idea.
You can use a different noise if the click from the target training scares him.
Don't get another bird if you want to tame Wiggles. It sounds like he is going to be a lot of work, and that would slow down the taming process soooooo much.
I would just say spend as much time with him as you can. Sit by his cage, read out loud to him, play music, offer him treats, etc. (It's great that he will eat millet from your hand by the way! You definitely want to keep on doing that!)

Stay really calm and be patient. Taming a bird can take ages, and you don't want to rush it and scare them. Good luck!

 

[MarcMallow]

Yikes, getting the wing trim really could have put down his confidence! I would not suggest that next time, although I understand the idea.
You can use a different noise if the click from the target training scares him.
Don't get another bird if you want to tame Wiggles. It sounds like he is going to be a lot of work, and that would slow down the taming process soooooo much.
I would just say spend as much time with him as you can. Sit by his cage, read out loud to him, play music, offer him treats, etc. (It's great that he will eat millet from your hand by the way! You definitely want to keep on doing that!)

Stay really calm and be patient. Taming a bird can take ages, and you don't want to rush it and scare them. Good luck!

Thank you for the advice. I really, really did not want to get him clipped, but the vet said it would be better this way. Really don’t want to do it again after this. Will give your suggestions a try. Thanks!

edit: Forgot to mention, I can totally spend a ton of time around him just sitting by his cage, but what should I do if he starts getting scared? Should I back off for a bit and come back?

 

[macawpower58]

A 15 year old bird may never turn into what you were wishing for.
Not to say you can't live many years happily together, but on his terms, not your.
Start over, and try and gain his trust. Not touchy feely trust, just trust you're safe.
No touching for now. lots of talking to him. Try and get him to relax.
You want his seeing you, to be rewarding in some way.
Whether it's treats, song, talk or just quiet companionship.
See if he likes the radio. Some birds really love music.
He may someday want more contact with you, but for now work on making him (not yourself) happy and comfortable.

 

[MarcMallow]

A 15 year old bird may never turn into what you were wishing for.
Not to say you can't live many years happily together, but on his terms, not your.
Start over, and try and gain his trust. Not touchy feely trust, just trust you're safe.
No touching for now. lots of talking to him. Try and get him to relax.
You want his seeing you, to be rewarding in some way.
Whether it's treats, song, talk or just quiet companionship.
See if he likes the radio. Some birds really love music.
He may someday want more contact with you, but for now work on making him (not yourself) happy and comfortable.

For sure. My main priority right now is to give him a better life than whatever he had before. If he comes around to being friendly that's great, but as long as he's happy, I'm happy.