My ringneck is afraid of everyone except me

[annalese]

Hi all! i haven’t been on the forum since i first got my indian ringneck. He is now about 3 months shy of being 2 years old and is doing amazing with me. i love him more than anything and he talks up an absolute storm and learns new phrases super fast! He can be moody sometimes, but that’s normal. he doesn’t like physical attention either. the only issues i have with him is that he doesn’t get along with my cockatiel and is very afraid of any person other than me. if anyone approaches his cage he will scream, and if anyone puts his hand in his cage he screams and flies around the cage in terror. what steps can i take to get him more comfortable with strangers? occasionally i will have him step up on to me and then i’ll put him on someone else’s hand, but he instantly flies away from them. he does accept treats from strangers.

With my cockatiel he will go after her/him every time they are out together so i no longer have them out together. if he gets the chance he will fly on top of her cage and pluck her/his feathers out. (she allows this for reasons i don’t understand, when he sits on her cage she goes right up to him and puts her head down like she’s asking for scratches)

note: his cage has always been in my room

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

Well, I have no expertise, just some sympathy and an observation. My wife used to make a huge effort to keep her bird socialized to other people. It was easier when we were in New Mexico where pet parrots and parrot people are so common and she had lots of help. Anyway, in rent years it's really a one-bird-one-person situation. It's definitely better to have a tame bird for vet visits, etc., but my wife is big on saying that sometimes you do your best but then just accept your bird. I know you will get a lot of good advice here. So I would say, follow it all as well as you can and then just be proud knowing you did your best. And good for you for trying so hard. Honestly, he sounds a lot nicer than my wife's little beast.

 

[annalese]

Thank you!

An update: I’ve been out of town for a week now and i’m currently on my way home. We have a few friends house sitting and taking care of all of our pets- including birds. My cockatiel Ginger is a social butterfly and loves attention from everyone so my friends have been getting her out every day and hanging out with her. They tried with Atlas for the whole week but like i said, he would flip. Just last night he allowed them to take him out of his cage and he hung out with them for a good while with no problems! I guess it just took a bit of persistence and getting used to for him He also probably realized that he better start being nice if he wanted to hang out outside of his cage!

 

[noodles123]

lots of parrots take a REALLY long time and a lot of persistence when it comes to new people and things...Yes, they sometimes just love certain people, but they usually will grow to tolerate them at the very least if given bonding opportunities.

For instance, I moved into a new (but very old) house with my cockatoo. She HATED the hallway because it was dark and had a semi-intricate wood staircase and a chandelier (I KNEW SHE WOULD HATE IT). Literally hissed and ran when she saw it initially....plus, she HATES all stairs. Anyway, after months of doing (quite literally) a few steps at a time on the stairs/in hall, YESTERDAY, we went all the way up and she was okay, but this started in October and she already is super comfortable with me, as I have had her a long time. My point is, baby steps, persistence and extreme patience = very important. Don't give up.