DO NOT attempt to tame an adult ringneck. Honestly it’s cruel. Their brains are sooooo different and 99% of them just WILL NOT ever be tame if they aren’t tame as weanlings EVEN if hand raised.
I’m dealing with a situation right now or someone who wanted a baby from me, but I didn’t end up having one for her, so she bought a baby from another breeder who was “hand raised just needs a chance to learn to trust you”. She has had this bird for MONTHS, has done everything right, and made almost no progress and we are talking about a hand raised baby.
If a ringneck won’t step up eagerly for humans as an adult you WILL NOT GET THERE. I know I’m coming off strong here but it absolutely infuriated me when people subject untamable birds to the terror of forced human interaction. These are not conures or Amazons that can be expected to make progress and become tame over time, they just ARE NOT. I get this question all the time because lots of people (not saying this is what you are doing) want to get a cheap ringneck and they think they can tame it because they have tamed other birds in the past.
The reality is, 99% of the time, if you buy a non tame ringneck that is what you will always have. These birds then get passed around from home to home as each family gives up on them, and it’s heartbreaking.
On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to find an adult tame ringneck for adoption. They are just not available. Why? Because if you get to that stage, lay the right foundation, spend the time early on, they are just amazing pets! And they tend to lack a lot of the negative behaviors of other parrots; no one is dumping their tame Ringnecks.
The reason so many are available wild is because most “breeders” don’t specialize in IRNs. They just saw the demand and added a few pair to their breeding stock. The don’t know the unique aspects and don’t bother to learn, don’t lay the right foundation, and don’t educate the new owners, and the bird doesn’t get what he or she needs in order to build a healthy relationship with humans for
how to measure ring size.
Adopting untame Ringnecks is great. The HUMANE way to do this is with a large aviary so you can enjoy them and they can enjoy life without the daily terror of you being close enough to feed and water them, let alone clean the cage!