New baby Ringneck advice - LAST PAGE UPDATE

[dan4]

So frustrating sometimes niki! But today i come home to Stuey who is a bit hungry and very friendly. I immediately opened the cage and got him to poke his head out for a treat. I changed his food, water and bottom tray which he also didn't mind

I guess he's as moody as his owner sometimes....

I need to make a Target device and bond with him some more I think

[Polarn]

The "target device" I am using is nothing more than a twig from the same tree I cut down to make perches etc for Polarn, I just took a knife and peeled off the bark to make it look a bit different from his perches... Even a wooden BBQ stick would work.
And about giving up, pleas don't, birds do take their time to adapt. I've been able for some time now (not long tho) to give Polarn treats where he sits but he wouldn't walk for them until yesterday morning. So I started the targettraining yesterday, well I've had him touching the stick to get a treat before, but never walk for it. So yesterday morning I started to really concentrate on the targettraining since he was willing to move for a treat. He was sitting inside the cage then but wasnt willing to move up and down, just along the perch. Later on yesterday he was ontop of the cage and seemed more eager to climb the sides etc to get to it. Today I have been targeting him from the top of the curtains and across the room to the wardrobes down to the bed etc. second training today I targeted him around a bit then laied down on the bed and targeted him onto my tummy, this was the first time he actually stepped on me. I then targeted him to my knee off of me onto the bed and then back etc, the session ended with him sitting on my hand and we kinda worked on getting him comfy with me lifting it up and down. He won't step up on it if I try target him onto it from the cage tho. But half burried down in a pillow so that the arm is all visible but no big hight diff between.pillows and my arm seemed to work ok, and he allowed me to raise it and put it back down, well he flew off a couple of times but then I could just target him back to the bed.

Polarn is still quite young, so I don't want to restrict his food but small prices of dried banana chips seems to get him working

Just wanted to let you know that with hard work and some dedication your buddy's fears are gonna go away. I'm working on my taming as well seeing Polarn is an aviary bird that was raised by his parents, and he has only been here a couple of weeks so far, but then a lot of research, taking every opportunity to learn something seems to help. Oh also I am quite confident that I will not have to catch Polarn again just to make sure he gets to the cage to eat and drink. He now flies back and forth quite frequently. Sometimes to eat or drink, sometimes to play with some toys. But his cage is always open, except that I close it for a couple of minutes every now and then and sometimes a little longer just to make him comfy that it will open again.

Keep working with your friend and you will soon see him getting quite close to you asking for a treat, I've learnt Polarn to shake hand, a no exhausting trick but still a chore to perform in order to get a treat.

Sorry for making the post long but one more thing, before I started the second session today (kinda what kicked off that session was Polarn finding the target stick on the nightstand walking across the bed with it standing behind my chair making a clicking sound holding the stick, so I'm pretty sure he knows what the stick is, and the clicker. So hide your stick if youre not targeting and wanna treat him, I wasn't sure what todo so I clicked treated him, picked up the stick and targeted some. And decided to keep the stick inside a locker, just so that I in the future decide on when to target. Not sure if that was the right descition, but I had to make it on the fly so that's what I did.

[dan4]

So little stuey has been getting as much attention as possible for a few evenings and I've managed to get him targetting to a point where i got him onto a perch and after a few times took him away from cage...

He did have a fly as soon as he realised he couldn't get back and is now perched on top of my 2nd cage which is empty. I can walk up to him and he is ok but wont move to Target or for a treat. He must be hungry as he hasn't had proper food for quite a few hours now. I'm not sure how il get him back in yet

[liz]

Do not withhold food.

[dan4]

Thanks but that's not entirely productive... the reason he hasn't eaten is because he's been out and I've been trying to target him. He just let me scratch his beak a little but i think he is too tired to do too much now which isnt great as hes still out of cage. Apart from trapping him in a sheet and possibly upsetting him I don't have much choice

[nikii]

hii,no dont worry,it would be upsetting him but he will forgive u soon.
it happen to me many times.when my jojo mad with me because of something(specially if i catch him) i leave him alone for like 30 min to get calm n i come back to his room pretend nothing happen,i give him fruit n he will be normal after that.
but it just my advice for u,u know ur stuey better.
oh ya,i heard ringneck parrot really likes to fly n let them in cage too much its not good for their mental heath(i belive because i see jojo very happy n really friendly when he is out) so i think let him out for more hours its not bad idea.dont worry about the food when he feels very hungry he will come back himself to his cage.

hope it help!!good luck,

[dan4]

I left it until the next morning and he still hadnt returned for food so i caught him. I notice every morning he is very upset and jumpy, ignoring him/leaving room and even covering him up make no difference. Perhaps he is upset with cage as it is very small so this morning I let him out and big cage is prepared for him now, he is on my curtains at the moment and as usual won't come down. Hopefully he will like new cage and stop all the fuss

[nikii]

yeah maybe his cage too smal.
its happen to me,my jojo always go on top of curtain n i cannot reach him.i catch him n the next morning he jump n going around his cage like crazy.(he did this protest for 1 week n its really make me headache). but finally he tired n stop.all i do is i never give him attention when he did that n always leave the room everytime he jumping around.belive it or not he can jumping around for 2 hours non stop.
finally i ask the vet near my home n she said its the way he ask me to let him out.she said to me never ever give him attention when he did that,because it will effect his behaviour in future.he will learn to become agresive everytime he wants something.i did like what she said n my jojo learn now that going crazy n screaming its not the way to get what he wants.oh ya never cover his cage when ur parrot do that,before i did that to my jojo n now he see his cover as a punishment(he puff his fur everytime he see me with his cover now n i cant make him back to normal again with his cover)
my advice it ignore it,if he stop come to him,praise him n he will jumping around again.dont say anything,leave the room.when he stop u come again.i repeat this n he never jumping around anymore because he knows i will leave the room
hope this help,good luck!!!

[dan4]

Ok ive worked out he doesnt give a crap about me being around, he's been trying to get out and screaming for 8 hours now regardless of what i do. He also has no interest in toys.

So for the experts....how the hell to you interact with a parrot who misbehaves constantly trying to escape and is too scared to reward when he acts normally?! I honestly cant see him living if he carries on like this

[nikii]

hi,maybe i couldn't help u that much but all i can say ur stuey behaviour its exactly like my alexandrine. i know its really hard n sometimes i really wanna mad at my jojo everytime he test me,but pls dont give up.time will change everything,i can say.
oh ya im just thinking of:
1) how is stuey room?maybe there is something make him scared or uncomfortable.when the first time jojo arrived in my home he was so scared of something huge n black near him.or maybe the room too crowded.
2) did u do something make him nervous?like maybe u vacuuming the room in front of him,or brooming.
3)where u put his cage?my jojo really comfort when i put his cage in the corner of the room,when he shy or nervous he will facing the wall to get calm.
4)how long u own him?i own jojo only 2 months now,n the first 1,5 month ago its like a hell for me.but now he more calm n nicer.the first week he come to my home,i cant get near his cage without he jumping around,n it takes 1 month for me only to make him sure my hand its not something dangerous that he can take everything from my hand.after 1 month i target training him,n now he tolerate me to put my hand in front of him inside the cage without he bite me.if ur stuey really scared like my jojo i think its better to move really slowly,even for target training.
5)maybe he wants misting shower,did u give him spray shower?it ever happen jojo screaming n jumping like crazy for 12 hours n i give him spray.i just realize he feel scratchy n wanted bath.

i dnt know this can help u or not,maybe somebody in this forum can give u better advice.i can say till 2 months u could pass really difficult time like me,before i was thinking to give up also.but now everything is getting better n better,im sure it will happen to u too.