Indian Ringneck Parrot is scared!

[ringneck_35]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and looking to get help from some other parrot owners, here is the issue.

We purchased out parrot 14 months ago, and at first he was very scared, but we thought we would give him time to adjust to new surroundings and new people, however, 14 months later, he is still the same. We are trying to gain his trust etc but he just escapes and hides under the dining table until the coast is clear.

What is the best course of action for me? How do I get him to be friendly with us?

Many Thanks

[Wolf]

If we are to be of any help we are going to need information about this birds environment. As often as we get this type of request with the same amount of info ,I need to work out a list. Sorry about that, you just made me realize something and I thank you for this.

Anyway : How many people are you speaking of?
Tell me about your birds cage, How big is it? What kind of perches does he have and how many are in cage? Where is it placed? Near a window or not? Does he have any toys in his cage? What kind and how many?
Be as specific as possible: What interaction does he have with you? others? How often? How long each time? Does he seem to prefer any one person over another? Are there any other animals in house? If so, how many and what kinds? How much natural light does he get? Artificial light? What times does he get up and go to sleep? How often is he left alone and for how long?
What do you give him to eat? Of that what does he actually eat? Is he fed meals or is it there all the time for him? Treats, does he get treats and if so what kind and how often?
I know that this is a lot but all of these things will affect your birds behavior and that is what we are about here, the birds. Also what do you do when you try to interact with him?
This covers about everything you will most probably be asked about while we are trying to figure out what is happening with your bird. In the meantime, this is breeding season, in the northern hemisphere so this also comes into play with what is going on. I agree that it sounds like he is afraid of something, but the $64,000 question is what and why. Some of it may have to do with breeding behavior in that he may be looking for nest site. Do you know for sure that he is a he?
Looking forward to hearing from you again soon. Also welcome to the forums,, we hope that you enjoy your stay.

[ringneck_35]

Hi Wolfie, Thanks for the speedy reply . What I will do is get a few pictures of him/her and the cage, and I will also get some pictures of the environment that he lives in and upload them here or email them across to you, also i will go through everything you mentioned to give you a better idea.

Thanks

[Wolf]

Great, pics are always a real benefit. Please I am Wolf not wolfie.

Thank you for answering as quickly as you did and for offering pictures.

[Pajarita]

Yes, pictures and more details will definitely help but it seems to me that you have a parent-raised bird there and, although I have no personal experience on this, for what I have read, when you are dealing with an African or Indian ringneck, if they are parent-raised, it's almost impossible to make them bond to people. Even the hand-raised need daily, schedule, expert handling or they revert to their wild ways...

[tinker9696]

list I use when doing consults
1) diet..as well as treats?
2) cage size
3) cage placement
4) hours of sleep
5) lighting
6) out of cage time
7) does bird step up on command
8) bathing
9) family dynamic
10) what is your typical reaction when bird exhibits unwanted behavior? biting, screaming etc
these are just some of 21..need to start somewhere.

[ringneck_35]

Hi, apologies Wolf, I skimmed through your name and assumed it said Wolfie ha ha! Sorry!

I'm having issues uploading some photos, is there any chance one of you can PM me your email address where I can send you some pictures and if you can kindly upload them here so other can have a look that would be wonderful!

The cage where the parrot spends most of his time, there are 2 perches at different levels, and theres 3 baskets/containers attached to the cage, one has fresh daily water put in, the second two are food, these are the normal parrot treats you get from the pet store, in addition to that, once or twice a day, we put in 3-4 slices of apples in for him/her which he/she enjoys very much. When the weather is good outside, we out his cage outside in the garden and leave his/her cage door open where he can climb to the top of the cage. We also have chickens (6) in our back yard which roam the garden freely and they hang around next to the parrot cage, they don't have an issue with the parrot nor does the parrot have any problems with the chickens, there have been moments where the parrot has come out of the cage and stood right next to the chickens with ease and no problems.

When the weather is miserable outside, we leave him inside and leave the cage right next to the window (french doors) so he has a good view of the outdoors. During the day, he stays outside or next to the french doors dependind on the weather. When it gets dark outside, we move his cage from there and bring him to the living room where we re-fill his water/food and give him his apple.

In terms of bathing, he helps himself to it, he won't let us near him, so outside theres trays with water for the chickens where he takes his bath.

If i have missed anything out, please let me know and I will add.

Many thanks people

[Wolf]

I think that I know what your problem is with your bird. Chickens!! I think that in an attempt to be nice to your ringneck by providing it company (chickens ) that you have created your own problem and your bird is in all likelihood reverting to its wild state.
Assuming that I am correct, you have a long slow road ahead of you, if you are to remedy this situation. You will have to begin all over with taming and socializing your bird. I don't know if you will need to isolate it entirely from your chickens or not, you will have to work on retaming your ringneck and watch it to see if this will be needed or not. Personally I would not have put it with chickens to begin with due to the possibility of disease transference from the chickens to the parrot, same with parasites from the chickens.
So anyway, begin anew with spending lots of time talking with the parrot, while being in as close proximity as he will allow, with the offering of the occasional treat. I would do this with the parrot in his cage until he starts taking the treats from you. I would then proceed to target training and step up. He will still need time out of the cage so unless it interferes with this re taming process, he will still have some time with his chicken friends.
I am willing to send you my e mail address if you want, but I have not yet posted any pictures on this site. I do need to learn to do it though, so am willing to give it a go.

[Pajarita]

There is also the cage... you say two perches and three bowls of fruit. No swing, no boing, no ladders, no toys, nothing to chew, nothing! Now, it might be that this is a huge cage and you just decided to put only the two perches there but if it's a cage that is only big enough for two perches, it's way too small. The smallest a cage can be will be one that can accommodate the length (head to tip of tail) of the bird 5 times in height and, in width, one that can provide 3 to 4 times the span of his wings (measure from tip of wing to the other when completely open).

The diet: bad, bad, bad. You can't feed a psittacula seeds and/or pellets, commercial treats (more seeds and, most likely, sugar added) and two slices of apple a day. It needs whole grains, pulses and a large variety of fruits, veggies and leafy greens. Apples are good because they have peptin and phytonutrients (only in the skin though) but they provide nothing else. He needs betacarotene, vit C, calcium, etc. and those are provided by a large range of produce.

Wolf is right about not been good for him to be with chickens but I doubt he has reverted because of it, I think he has wild ways because nobody ever took to the time to make him bond (or even trust) people. It's a lonely and depressing existence for a highly social bird and you really need to do something about it.

You need to improve his housing and diet and start spending time with him. Just open the cage and let him out. Place a nice perch on the outside of the cage so he can perch there comfortably. Don't ask him to step up or anything, just open the door and walk away. Talk/sing to him and spend, at the very least, 3 hours a day with him. It needs to be always at the same time so the interaction becomes part of his daily routine and, although you can break it up in two different sessions, the best times are after his breakfast and before noon (they rest at noon) and before dinner (which should be at sunset). Don't crowd him. Just spend time with him at a distance where he feels comfortable (observe his body language but don't stare at him, do it out of the corner of your eye -staring is a predator behavior and only accepted without trepidation when they trust you 100%- see if he looks tense and/or nervous) and do not attempt to approach him closer until he is relaxed at the set distance for a week (once you see him ignoring you, preening, shaking his plumage, stretching, etc), then move closer, just a bit at a time until you can sit (you can read at loud, you can watch TV, you can study or do your FB or whatever as long as you talk to him regularly and offer him a treat every now and then) next to his cage. Then start target training. If you follow these instructions and provide him with enrichment, better housing and a better diet, he will become your friend. It's inevitable because these birds are highly social and NEED company so, if you prove to him you are not a threat in any way, that you can be trusted and that you bring only good things to his life, he will reciprocate.

[Wolf]

I am sorry to not have gone into my thoughts about the chickens in more depth this morning, I was working through a haze of pain and thinking was difficult at best.
The chickens themselves are not actually the problem per se, except for the health risks. The thing with chickens is that as a general rule people don't socialize chickens and include them into their daily routine like they would with a prized pet or like they were close friends. As a result running your parrot with the chickens usually means that it is also not getting the one on one time and attention that it needs. The result is that it learns most of its behaviors from the chickens who are not socialized.
I also did not reply in answer to any other of the things in your posts, my bad. I probably should not have tried to give you any answers when in the condition I was in at the time as it is too hard to think clearly and really you deserve better than that. It was poor judgment on my part.
We, however, are in good shape despite my lack as Pajarita came to the rescue with the required information.