New birds and first time owner, please help!

[barakat]

Hello All,

I brought home 2 Indian ringnecks earlier this week (Sunday) and they seem absolutely terrified of me. They are my first ever pets, let alone parrots.

They are eating okay, I have offered them mixed seeds, fruits and veges. However, whenever I approach the cage or even pass by their cage, they corner themselves. When I try to put water in, or change/put food in the containers, or even try to clean the cage, they start panicking and fluttering around. The person who sold me said they are 10 months old and tamed, however it turns out they are not and he won't take them back and I don't want to give up on them.

I have no idea what to do, please guide me how can I make these two trust me? Also if someone can suggest how long it takes for them to trust a person, that would be great? I am afraid of opening the cage door as they might smash themselves flying around or if I won't be able to bring them back in.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your beautiful Ringnecks! So sad an unscrupulous seller made false statements, but deep respect for your commitment and resolve to provide a loving home. I confess to not knowing much about Ringnecks and offer generic information.

Any parrot, particularly untamed, needs weeks or longer to feel safe. You'll need to open the cage for food, water, and cleanliness. Other times sit quietly with them, reading, singing, watching TV, etc. Ensure they received ten to twelve hours of darkness for sleeping. Depending on home it may be necessary to cover the cage for darkness. Linked thread has excellent ideas to build trust and bond: https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/tips-for-bonding-and-building-trust.49144/

Quickly revisiting the "bond" from last paragraph and challenges with pairs. Is your goal to have relationship with each or enjoy them from relative distance? No guarantee a bonded pair will become friendly with humans.

 

[ctwo]

Ringnecks are prone to going wild if not handled regularly and are not easily passed to new owners and environments, so their behavior seems normal to me. If they were tame they will likely come around again, but it will take patience and commitment. They are still relatively young and there should be no reason you could not become part of the flock.

My male IRN (then ~5 years old) came bonded with a female cockatiel and was aggressive towards me for many months - mostly cage aggression and lunging at the bars when I came around. I knew he was tamed as he naturally put a leg out when approached from the side-rear (that might be a good technique to avoid an encounter with the beak). I took it slow and let the birds do what they wanted at first. I'd always open the cage when I was around and built a play perch for them that was just outside their cage by a window. I'd put a food dish on top of the cage and other toys and a T perch to entice them to come hang out.

The IRN was more comfortable when outside of the cage, but would still occasionally bite - they are naturally fearful of hands/fingers and getting him comfortable with that was the biggest challenge. Full development of our relationship took about a year and was accelerated/enhanced by the shelter-in-place situation. Now he is clingy and will spend hours with me every day - resists leaving my shoulder - and is very good with bite pressure communication.

 

[Bluequaker2022]

They are really pretty birds. There are more experienced people to give advise then me. Just be patient and take it slow. Good luck.

 

[ctwo]

They are cute birds. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the cage looks too small. A pair of ringnecks should have a cage at least 1/2 meter cube, preferably tall format.