Hello I am new!

[Feverthepiggy]

Hello, I am new to the forum, I just purchased my baby Lutino Ringneck 3 days ago. He is 5 months old, has SAME birthday as me! He is a biter and he loves food. I have been positioning him below my eye level and keep him off balance when he try to bite. It works well and he doesn't bite much now. Every chance he gets he try to climb on top of my head. Overall he is still fearful of me and he doesn't respond to me when I am talking to him unless I mimic his natural voice. Is it bad that I try to make him talk by mimic his natural voice? He is extremely responsive only to his familiar voice but completely ignore me when I speak words in a high pitch voice.

[Ariahna]

Welcome to the forum. I have an Indian Ringneck as well, but my boy is only three months old. He's my first bird. What I have discovered is that it takes a while for these birds to trust you. They require daily interaction and attention, and even "handling" to remain tame. Do you know your bird's history? Was he with a breeder or pet shop until you got him?

Another thing I noticed is that if you can get him to another room, out of sight of his cage, you will probably notice far less aggression. It is very natural for a male IRN to be aggressive while he is on his cage. Three days is not a very long time to establish trust with this bird. I would suggest opening his cage door so he can come out if he wants to, but just sit nearby talking softly to him. Also, don't do long periods of eye contact with him at first, that makes them nervous. In fact, when I first got mine, I could do just about anything in his cage as long as I wasn't looking at him. Talking softly to him whenever you are near, really helps. For some reason, soft talk is very calming for them.

You can start clicker training him to move towards you and get used to taking treats from you, and it won't be long before he will want to be out and be near you. Many of them don't like being touched, and receiving head scratches like a lot of birds do, but every bird is different. Just take your time and you'll figure out what works for the both of you.

Welcome again!

[Feverthepiggy]

Hi Ariahna, thanks for the reply. I think you also replied me at Indianringneck.com. I bought him from Bird Jungle in Scarsdale New York. He was hand fed and only eat baby formula twice a day. I noticed his feather was falling off but it is possible he is molting. He did have a patch of empty spot on his chest area, but I can't remember if he already had it when I bought him from pet store. I am going to keep a close eye on his appearance and I will def give him a spray when I get home today.

[Ariahna]

These birds LOVE water. I tried putting a shallow dish down and splashing my fingers in it but P.J. didn't take to it. I finally put him in a travel cage and took him outside and used a spray bottle. He absolutely loves his showers now. I try to do it at least 3-4 times a week, but when he starts molting I will make an effort to mist him down every day. Just be sure to allow plenty of time to dry before bedtime. That is hard when you work. I usually do it first thing when I get home around 5:30 and stay outside with him for 20-30 minutes so the heat from outside helps to dry him off.

I think you are doing great asking questions and watching him carefully. If he was in a pet store until he was five months old he may not have had many baths. Don't be surprised if he doesn't get into the first shower or two, he will probably eventually love it. By shower number three P.J was begging to be sprayed more. Here is a picture of him enjoying a shower:



Your bird is absolutely gorgeous!