Can a 2 year old ringneck still be tamed?

[bridgetchicken]

Can a 2 year old female african ringneck parrot that spent its life in an outdoor aviary be tamed to sit on the shoulder? Any advice? Would a harness help train the parrot to sit on the shoulder of a person?

I don't believe in wing clipping and that is why I want to use the harness instead. Wing clipping is cruel.

 

[Zeeby]

Yes, it can absolutely be tamed, just offer it tasty treats with your hand and spend plenty of time around it. I wouldn't recommend using the harness until it trusts you tho. I totally agree with the wing clipping, birds should be allowed to fly.

 

[Cottonoid]

I think yes it's possible

I also have a 2 year old untame African Ringneck I talk to everyone I met that has had or worked with ringnecks, and the general consensus is that it just takes longer than it might with a different species.

My parrot Cotton has lived with me for 6 months now. At first he would move away the second I came in the room. Now he'll take walnuts from my fingers: )

He still does NOT want to be touched but he definitely trusts me and doesn't move away from me any more unless he thinks I'm going to try to touch him.

Have you read about clicker and target training? This can be a really great way to establish communication about what you want and what she'll get. Cotton has been very stubborn about targeting this so far but he enjoys the hands off training we have done, so we'll get there.

I've heard from several people that taking a year for basic targeting or treats is not at all unusual, so hang in there.

With Cotton I started by using a separate little metal bowl on the door of his cage, only for treats. This way if we're working on something I can say "yes!" or use a clicker and drop the treat in the bowl, back away, and let him get the treat.

My goal with Cotton this coming year is to get him to target into his travel cage so we can go outside next summer. I don't know that he'll ever choose to step up on my hand but he might onto my arm or a perch.

I have to admit I love how stubborn my little man is; he is ALWAYS studying me and will take advantage of me if I let him - like he'll always pretend he won't take a treat from me, waiting to see if I drop it instead. So I kind of feel like the general idea that ringnecks become untame again is because they're so good at training us

Welcome to the forums!

I would love pictures if you have them; as you can tell I get super excited when I "meet" another ARN person!!

Denise and Cotton

 

[SailBoat]

Not that long ago, near all Parrots were Imported and thus Wild and most had a true fear of Humans and hands. With time and effort, they became loving members of their family. Most Parrots will automatically gravitate to the shoulder as they are natural perches and tend to be a steady place to hangout.

It is important to remember that the shoulder should be a reward location that is well earned as you must have a high level of trust in your Parrot. Remember, you have limited vision as to what your Parrot is doing and its emotional state. It is one of the most common locations in which Humans receive seriously dangerous bites from. Only Trusted feathered friends should be on your shoulder.

Fully agree with the above regarding a harness. Commonly requires a real comfort /trust with be handled by you before even attempting.