So we accidentally adopted a Ringneck!

[EmZee]

Person A had a Ringneck. She gave the bird to her uncle, person B. B's landlord found out about the bird, and said it had to go, immediately. B gave it to his sister, C.

C mentioned this to me, last week, and was I think feeling me out as to whether we might be interested in adopting; she'd had to downsize her parakeet flock due to allergies.

So yesterday, C called me, very upset, and asked if we could pretty please take the bird - she is very sensitive to noise (a medical condition), and found the bird's noise to be intolerable. Rio joined us within 2 hours.

This poor fellow is now on his 4th home in as many weeks (as far as I can tell; I don't know how long he was with A and B). We know NOTHING about his history - C did not know. I asked C to talk to A to find out whatever she could - as these are long-living birds and we'll need to plan for the long term. He does have a leg band, but until we can get to handle him, we can't read that, and of course I gather it's not a reliable way to identify the breeder.

He is in a large-ish cage, though not one he can really fly in. The long term plan is for him to be free-flying - we have two budgies, but person C also has budgies and she said they got along just fine, and that Rio flies quite well.

He seems to be eating okay. He arrived with a half bowlful of a seed mixture and nothing else, so I ran out last night and got one bag of something similar (from Zupreem, I think) and some Roudybush pellets; I have some Harrison's on order from Amazon. He went right for his refilled bowl of the mix; I offered the pellets in a separate bowl (with a little of the mix) and I don't know if he's eaten any of that yet. He ate some of a slice of apple, about half of a grape, showed no interest in the two baby carrots I put in the cage, and I don't think he touched the greens I put out for him either. No interest in the millet I put in there, either - possibly because it immediately fell to the bottom of the cage. He did approach a new toy I put in the cage - I caught him standing with one foot on the toy (a swing) and another on an older toy.

He's not terribly excited about us. He backs to the corner of the cage whenever I need to reach in there (for food or toy placement). This afternoon, I made a point of sitting on a low chair right in front of his cage and reading, while periodically talking to him. He went to the far corner - but stood on one foot, and just eyed me with suspicion / curiosity. He periodically clicked his beak a little, while making a very, very faint clucking / squawking sound. He also alternated looking at me with one eye versus the other, and occasionally straight on. He just generally seemed more relaxed. He has emitted the occasional piercing CHIRP, which I know Ringnecks are known for. My son has been in the room with him, watching TV all afternoon, and periodically whistling (with some response, as far as I can tell). It'd be kind of cool if Rio bonds to him - since given the lifespan and our ages, we have to consider what happens to the bird when we aren't around. I'm debating moving his cage up to my office (I work from home) which would be great during the work day - but not so great on the weekends. Maybe if we get him hand trained we can have a cage in each spot.

The budgies, so far, seem utterly uninterested - they have not even landed on the cage.

I guess I just need general advice on how best to get him tame enough that we can let him free-fly, without risking his getting into mischief somewhere else in the house. I'd like it if we could reliably put him back in the cage at night - something we wound up giving up on with the budgies (though they always return either to their cage, or the PVC play tree I built for them). And how long should we plan on keeping him in the cage full time? I want to make sure he knows that's his safe spot, and right now the poor birdy is likely pretty traumatized.

 

[Teckechick]

Give him lots of time to adjust! He has been through a lot in a very short period of time. I would start by just sitting next to his cage and talking to him or reading to him for at least a few weeks. Drop a treat or favorite food in his bowl on occasion but don’t hover.
Once he settles in a bit you could start to work on clicker/station training. You can start that while he is in the cage and getting use to you.

Clicker Training Classroom

Free Training Resources

 

[EmZee]

Thanks! I'll definitely look into clicker training. I feel bad keeping him cooped up in a cage for a long time, but I really want him to consider that the best place to be. Given what little I know about him, he seems likely to be the sort to go all over the house (the budgies largely stay in the family room).

I tried offering him a sliver of apple this morning by poking it through the bars of his cage; he went to the back and let out loud "THERE'S A PREDATOR" warning chirps every few seconds until I desisted. But when I put the apple inside the cage, closed the door, and sat down just outside, he came right to it. When he dropped it and I reached in and put it back up on the platform, he came right back to it. He doesn't seem to go for food on the bottom of the cage - totally ignores the millet I put in there, ditto the little bowl of veggies.

Finally got a good photo of him. He's a grayish blue - in some light he looks more blue, in other light he looks more gray. His face is slightly bluer than his body.

 

[haze]

Wow, he's so pretty! Sounds like he's pretty lucky to have finally found a place to settle down. I hope you'll continue posting updates on his progress with adjusting.

 

[EmZee]

My son tried to cover his cage last night, thinking he might find it soothing. He FREAKED when my son approached with a large towel. I don't know if this was just "this is something new and therefore terrifying", or "something like that happened before and really scared me". Needless to say, we desisted. I really hope we're able to find out more about his background.

We have a lot of bird-proofing to do before we let him out of the cage. The budgies just hang out on their bird tree or their cage, or one of the windows, they never land on furniture - but we think Rio will be more venturesome - and there are a lot of things that could be destroyed and/or harm him.

in the meantime, we're persisting with talking to him and whistling at / with him. He's starting to make different sounds, which is fun (nothing speechlike, just different chirps / whistles). In a few days, I will start with holding a hand in the cage, hold a treat for a few minutes before depositing the treat on something so he can eat it.

 

[EmZee]

Naughty boy - the cage he's in has an upper door which is held closed only by a metal tab that has to be rotated out of the way. Rio apparently figured that out during the night - my husband came downstairs this morning and found Rio, and the two budgies (Rick and Morty) all hanging out on the play tree.

Rick and Morty went back into their cage, so I closed them in, figuring it might be easier to tempt Rio if they weren't in the way. We had JUST started clicker training last night: since he still panics if we get close, I'd been putting the bit of apple (or a square of Chex cereal) in a specific spot in the cage then clicking, and he was kind of getting the idea. I tried holding out a piece of apple at arm's length just to let him see it, but even though my hand was at least a foot away, he freaked. So I clicked again and put the apple in the usual spot. A few minutes later, he was on the outside of his cage; some time after that he apparently went into the cage, as i found the apple slice somewhat gnawed, on the floor in front of the cage.

I'll be shopping tonight to try to find high-interest treats, since fresh sliced apple isn't all that practical. A variety of nuts, maybe a little bit of unsugared dried fruit (is sulfured fruit OK?), maybe some plain Cheerios. I'll definitely feel better if I can somewhat reliably tempt him back to his cage when needed - we learned THAT the hard way with the budgies this summer when we needed to evacuate the house suddenly (a scare with the furnace - not a fire, fortunately, but we could not catch one of the budgies).

We'll either transfer him to a different cage (had planned on getting rid of it as it does not come off its base) which is more secure, or simply wire the easily-defeated door closed.

 

[Tyrion]

Beautiful

 

[Emma&pico]

He’s so gorgeous and so lucky you took him in poor boys had a fair share of house moves lately

did you get him back into his cage @Vmax i think it was suggested a perch on the door to the cage taught my lovebirds to go there for a treat and after a few times I shut the door into cage they go on the perch no hands works for both my hand tame pico who will not go back in cage another way and my hands off indie

sunflower seeds are a big hit pumpkin seeds sesame seeds and dried chilles dried papaya pieces
I should imagine if he try’s the millet it will be a hit can you not tie some of cage higher up ?

Sounds like you are doing amazing job just keep trying the whistles chatting going slow at his pace sure once he’s settled he will warm up

 

[EmZee]

Not too much progress in getting Rio to be less afraid of us. My son has been spending a lot of time in the family room, whistling at Rio - and Rio seems to be imitating one or two of the whistles. We've also decided that one specific whistle is what his most recent owner said was his saying his name - it does sound a bit like "Rio". I suggested my son start doing a "wolf whistle", as if Rio does that, it'll definitely be an imitation, rather than a random whistle.

He's still terrified of hands - we have not been able to get him to take a treat from us. I fastened a bowl just inside the cage door, and that's where we put things like his fresh veg, and his Nutriberries. He bolts to the back of the cage when I open the door. I always use the clicker when I put the Nutriberries in the bowl (usually just one at a time), and he comes running as soon as I close the door and back away a little bit. I think we're a long way away from his being willing to take something from my hand. I thought about using a long-handled spoon or something, but am worried that the spoon would be just as scary.

He's still 100% caged, which I'd like to change soon. We are in the process of rearranging the family room to put a slightly larger cage next to the budgies' cage, along one wall - I suspect the transfer will be a challenge. I'm thinking I might just put a bunch of toys and food in the bigger cage, and open the doors to both and put them really close. I want to keep him in the cage through Thanksgiving as we'll have guests, and it's just easier to not worry about him getting anywhere dangerous. I don't know if letting him free, before he's clicker trained, is a good idea or not - but the poor fellow just doesn't have room to fly in any cage we own.

I put a few little foraging toys on a rope in his cage the other day, with treats in each. He got to most of them, but the tiny "croc" shoe stumped him until he figured he could shred it!

I'm kicking myself: I went to Whole Foods today to get our thanksgiving turkey, and I had meant to look in the bulk foods section to see if they had any bird-friendly dried fruits (all the ones at the grocery store had sugar etc.) to try as treats - but I forgot!. I've got some pumpkin seeds to try, and I need to buy some sunflower seeds. In-shell, I assume? He has eaten millet, just not on the bottom of the cage, so I need to put something in there to hang up a piece (the budgie cage, I just use a binder clip).

 

[fashionfobie]

Thank you for giving Rio a fair chance. Poor little dude! From his colouration you can know he is at least 2-3 years old, but possibly older.

Hand fear is common with mishandled IRN. It may take years to earn hand trust. My tips are to agree as a family how everyone will move their hands and arms around him. If he starts seeing that all hands are moving in the same way it may help him see that they are predictable and not as scary. So for example, when anyone reaches toward Rio (Rio's space), will it be palm down or palm up, or will it be so that thumbs are up towards the sky or tucked into the hand? These little nuances are something we don't think about, but for a parrot– especially one in fear– each time a hand is in a new shape it is almost a new scary hand. Consistency will help earn trust. Another hand tip is to keep your hand motions slow and lower than his head. If you reach from above down towards him that can be scary (almost like a predator)... if you move from below upward he has a better view of what is going on. My last hand related tip is to accept that scritches will not be part of the friendship. Touch is very intimate for IRN, usually reserved between mates. With my own asitaitic parrot I NEVER try to touch his head, because I want and respect that he will stay in the friend zone. I'm not saying you were expecting to touch his head, but it is just a tip .

In terms of snacks my plummie can't resist pine nuts, maybe those can be a high reward treat for approaching the cage, or even fresh apple slices When you approach the cage you do not need to give the treat to Rio. Start by just setting it in his bowl and let him get it on his own. Over time you can slowly work towards handing it to him.. but give him a few months of just observing you... oh hey these humans aren't so bad. They respect me and leave delicious snacks for me.

 

[FinchORI]

My son tried to cover his cage last night, thinking he might find it soothing. He FREAKED when my son approached with a large towel.

My best friend has budgies, and the first night she tried to cover them they freaked out and panicked. She waited a couple weeks/days until they were settled in and now they love being covered every night. I understand this situation is totally different due to his background, but maybe giving him some more time to settle in and learn his surroundings would help. Good luck with your new bird!

 

[EmZee]

We got him into the larger cage - as planned, by opening the doors to both, and placing them face to face. Once he moved, we closed the door and moved the other cage away.

We did start letting him out after Thanksgiving. He mostly just hangs out on the "play tree" (a structure I built with PVC pipes, with lots of toys etc.). He will not approach us, and will back away if a hand gets too close, but if he sees me with a treat, he watches me carefully and goes for it as soon as my hand moves away. Yesterday, he saw me putting treats in his cage, and immediately transited from the play tree, across the budgie cage, and into his own to get the goodies.

So, at least he's learning that we bring good things to eat.

We use the clicker every time we put a treat out for him. I'd like to be able to sit still for a long time, hold a treat, and click as soon as he approaches my hand, but that might be a while yet. I thought I'd get a floor-standing perch with a seed cup on it, and start out with that next to his cage, then gradually move it closer to where we sit once he's used to coming to it for a treat.

He has not tried to go any further than the family room, so far, which is a relief. The budgies almost never go out of the family room either. The one worrisome behavior is that he got onto a picture frame and seemed to be pecking at it (the budgies never bothered). It's had to discourage him without waiving a hand - and I don't want to encourage hand fear! Any suggestions?

He's getting along okay-ish with the budgies. My husband thought he saw him peck at one of them, but the closest I've seen is more of a "get away from me, brat" than any kind of real aggression. If I put millet on the play tree, he'll come along and grab it, and the budgies back off; I'll give THEM a piece elsewhere, and Rio will decide that is better than his - and drop his on the floor. Just like a toddler learning "the dropping game" .

I just found out his age: 2 years and 3 months - so about August 2020. I'm glad my son has been spending so much time whistling and talking to him, as my son will likely inherit him some day!

I bought a bunch of different things from nuts dot com, to try to figure out what his "high value" treats might be. The diced papaya was a huge hit (though I know that must be limited, as it's got sugar added); he tried the sunflower seeds but I don't know if he ate any; the pumpkin seeds in shell have been ignored so far. I also offered him dried apple and dried mango, which were both ignored. So far, the nutriberries are the most reliable treats to get his attention.

I got a recording the other day of his various vocalizations. I played it, prior to forwarding to my daughter, and Rio got VERY upset and yelled his "THERE'S A PREDATOR" chirp. I don't know if he thought there was a dangerous creature, or if he was trying to connect with "the other bird". I stopped the playback quickly.

We're pretty sure he's mimicking one of my son's whistles. No "speech" yet; I have a couple of phrases I repeat (Hi Rio, Hi Pretty Boy) but I know it's hit or miss whether they speak. One of his whistles might be his attempt at "Rio" - it's hard to tell.

 

[fashionfobie]

It sounds like you are making some progress.

IRN can have more fruit then budgies, giving him mango or papaya are great options! You can also offer a lot more veggies: chillis, great beans, silverbeet, Bok Choy ... The list goes on. You will likely find once Rio get familiar with the offerings he will be a good eater and try lots of fresh stuff. As a rough rule I try to offer a minimum of 7 different kinds of produce each day, but usually more.

In terms of the picture frame, you will likely need to remove it from the room. IRN chew wood, and a lot of it. You may want to buy more wooden parrot toys to give an outlet for this healthy behaviour. A happy IRN will leave a pile of shredded wood in their wake. Don't do anything with your hands that are negative experiences (which it sounds like you already have a good instinct on) but you don't know why he is afraid of hands. And you want to change hands to something positive.

I will add that as he gets more comfortable he may explore every and all rooms of the home. I would also keep him away from your budgies until you can handle him and a potential dangerous situation better. The budgies can watch him via their cages, but I wouldn't let them out together.

 

[EmZee]

A freestanding perch just arrived - it has food cups, and a tray underneath to catch spills. The plan at the moment is, once it's put together, to start putting treats in that alone, and when we can sit near it - to encourage him to go to the perch. Then we can move it, gradually, closer to where we like to sit - and maybe rest a hand on the thing when offering treats. I stumbled across a different thread here, also about an IRN, trying to get teach the bird to take food from his human's hand (I don't think there was a followup on whether it ever worked, though). In that thread, I think the bird would let his human touch him - so she was a step ahead of us.

Things like target training will have to wait until he lets me put a hand (or other object) anywhere near him - the times I've offered something on a long-handled spoon, he won't even approach the spoon.

It'll be a long, slow process, I know. At least I feel like he's pretty well settled in now. He's definitely vocalizing more (and with more different sounds) than he did at first. I'm going to encourage my son to focus on one or two human phrases versus whistling, since I'm convinced Rio is mimicking some of my son's whistles.

 

[Urchinia]

Thank you for sharing your progress. I just brought home a 7 year old IRN on Sunday and I am his third home, from what I understand. He was with a family last but previous to that it sounds like he wasn't in the greatest environment. He seems to be warming up to us a little more every day but he still screams at me when I talk to him and it's going to take a LOT of work to get him to want to be close to me.

If I have any success with winning him over, I will let you know what worked for us. I feel like it will be a long journey ahead!

 

[MnGuy]

A freestanding perch just arrived - it has food cups, and a tray underneath to catch spills. The plan at the moment is, once it's put together, to start putting treats in that alone, and when we can sit near it - to encourage him to go to the perch. Then we can move it, gradually, closer to where we like to sit - and maybe rest a hand on the thing when offering treats. I stumbled across a different thread here, also about an IRN, trying to get teach the bird to take food from his human's hand (I don't think there was a followup on whether it ever worked, though). In that thread, I think the bird would let his human touch him - so she was a step ahead of us.

Things like target training will have to wait until he lets me put a hand (or other object) anywhere near him - the times I've offered something on a long-handled spoon, he won't even approach the spoon.

It'll be a long, slow process, I know. At least I feel like he's pretty well settled in now. He's definitely vocalizing more (and with more different sounds) than he did at first. I'm going to encourage my son to focus on one or two human phrases versus whistling, since I'm convinced Rio is mimicking some of my son's whistles.

Instead of offering treats on a long-handled spoon, which can look scary to a bird, I'd set up a special treat bowl in his cage. Set up a chair nearby, drop a treat in the treat bowl, and then just sit there and talk to him, read aloud and sit in his company.

Keep doing this every day and over time move the chair closer and closer to the treat bowl until you're right next to it. When he's reliably eating his treat at the treat bowl next to you, start offering it with your fingers through the cage bar instead of dropping it in the bowl.

Keep offering it with your fingers and then try offering it with your hand in the cage itself.

I adopted a 7-year-old ringneck a few months ago and took this approach with him. I have to admit that he did already come tamed, but he was still very wary of me for a few months.

Good luck!