Lutino Indian Ringneck Bluffing

[Petlover91]

Hey guys, my lutino indian ringneck is 7 months old... and her (not sure about gender) bluffing is getting worst. She is a one person bird. At one stage I got control over her bluffing, showing her that I don't fear her bites. And she used to be calm whenever I wanted to pet her. But recently, she started making bully face too with those pin point eyes (as usual), and lunges at me. So again I am trying to tackle her bluffing. Someone told me not to move away my hand, and do the opposite.. So now whenever she bites, i push her back with my finger to try to dis-balance her. Still she keeps on trying hard to dominate me, though she thinks 10 times before lunging at my finger upfront. Will this tricky behavior of mine aggravate her and mess her up more.. Or will I be able to make her quit bluffing?? She likes me, I raised her up since she was 4 weeks old.. her favorite thing is to play with my cloths and she doesn't mind sitting on my finger either, but she dislikes me petting her.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Do you liked to be hugged all the time? Perhaps she just doesn't like being pet... I've had plenty of birds that don't like it. If she's doing everything else for you she probably just isn't a petting bird.

[Petlover91]

Yes, every bird has a different personality indeed.. But in this age, its possible to make her feel comfortable with it.. Once this phase passes, and I fail to make her feel comfortable, then it will become part of her personality when she matures. That's my opinion.. Though I feel I made a mistake when I didn't pet her much in her early days. When I started petting her, until then she knew the benefits of biting.. She bullies me too, to have her way. I can't feel comfortable around a bird who just looks for a excuse to bite.. Even though I love and care for her so much

[InTheAir]

Heyo,
Interesting idea.
My ringneck never bluffed, so I don't know about that stage. He will bite people who continue to pat him after he has warned them he doesn't like it though. I don't think that is bluffing, that is pointing out his veiw on the subject in his language. I don't think it's anything to do with dominance.
Our ringneck has never shown any sign he has a dominant bone in this body.
He mostly only wants to be preened by us if he has pin feathers coming thru on his head, where he can't reach. Neither my boyfriend or I want to be his bonded mate, so we understand his choice and don't try to force petting on him.
If you really need a bird you can pat, I guess you could desensitize her to petting. It probably won't make her like it, it will teach her it is a necessary evil that she must put up with. It would be a bit like my attitude to housework, I do it, but I'd rather do anything else.
It could also lead to an unhealthy pair bond in your birds' mind, which can lead to a lot of other problems. ..
Ringnecks are generally not smoochy, cuddly birds, but there are lots of other great things about them and ways to enjoy their company and interact with them.
The best way to love something is to respect what it wants, and interact in a way it feels comfortable with.


Regards,
Claire