IndianRingNeck.com

Wessel Gordon

Hi everyone I have 2 female IRN's and 1 male that share an aviary. The male and one of the females share a close bond with the female being very territorial about food, nestboxes etc. Recently I moved a second nestbox into the aviary and the second female took it over (as intended). That's where my ...

Wessel Gordon

I'm not sure about the mutation but the orange beak is very typical of a young IRN. The beak changes color to a deep red as it ages.

Wessel Gordon

Robin, Remove the nestbox until at least the next breeding season (late July/early August for us South Africans). If she keeps on being aggressive to the male even though the box is removed I think you have 3 options: a) Separate the male and female permanently - females are perfectly capable of kil...

Wessel Gordon

Zebra, I'm glad the issue is sorted out but just a word of warning: when the next breeding season start the father might get extremely territorial towards the juvenile which would force you to remove the juvenile. I am not saying this WILL happen but it's a possibility you will have to watch out for.

Wessel Gordon

Claire, I've had IRN's for more than 10 years and had several come and go over the years due to various reasons. Some I could stroke where-ever I wanted (NB: this particular bird I hand-reared myself so we had a close bond), others would allow me to touch a feather for a second if I got lucky, 1 or ...

Wessel Gordon

First of all: congratulations in finding him again. I lost a pair recently due to my own stupidy and haven't seen them since before Christmas so I'm not hopeful. Secondly: put a padlock on all his doors if you have to since next time he wants to taste freedom there's no guarantee of getting him back...

Wessel Gordon

OKbitsy I see this post is very old but decided to give you my opinion on ''bluffing''. As InTheAir rightly mentioned it's a self-fulfilling profhecy. I encountered what I thought was bluffing it with my very first IRN that I got from my mother during a long illness. She barely had feathers when I g...

Wessel Gordon

Unless you are willing to put up with mating behavior and/or possible breeding my suggestion would be to get another male (from experience I have to warn you that females get homonally possessive during breeding). You also have to consider the possibility that your bird will more than likely transfe...

Wessel Gordon

Shani As sanjays mummi pointed out whatever you offer him at this stage have to be very soft. It will have to be more or less the consistency of the formula I'm assuming he is still fed on. When weaning a bird what I used to do is mix a few grains of Budgie seed with their formula (to get them accus...

Wessel Gordon

Boudine If you get another ringneck a good idea will be to get another male to avoid breeding and the hormones/territorial behavior that goes with it. As for housing it with another species: I have housed Ringnecks with cockatiels and Sun Conures without any problems. The main thing to consider is h...

Wessel Gordon

Then I would say you're off to a very good start. Using two separate cages gives the birds a nice sense of ''my territory..your territory...our territory'' (if that makes sense). From what I know of birds and dogs they'll soon work out who will tolerate who in any particular space they share .

Wessel Gordon

crazybirdlady First questions first: do you have a second cage? I'll try and explain. My first bit of advice would be not to immediately house him with the cockatiels but to quarantine him until you have the ''all clear'' signal from an experienced avian vet. Either the rescue or one of your birds c...

Wessel Gordon

KCBird,

I hope I wasn't too harsh in my first response (I certainly didn't mean to put you off getting another bird). My sole purpose was to make you ask yourself one honest question with all available information: ''Why do I really want a bird?''.

Wessel Gordon

KCBird Getting any bird (especially one as intelligent as an Indian Ringneck or African Grey, for example) to do tricks or to speak a few words takes a lot of patience and probably multipied by a million times the same amount of time so to teach a bird is only for the very committed with very little...

Wessel Gordon

Really, Do not let that slight ring around the bird's neck fool you in the slightest way possible. My oldest female which is blue has a visible blue ring around her neck from a very young age. The ring confused me to the extent that I had her sexed twice by two different avian vets (I was assuming v...

Wessel Gordon

I agree with Sanjays Mummi that it's still a young bird but exactly how young/old is hard to tell. Guessing the sex is even harder.

I'm just wondering on what the petshop based their guess on that it's a male at such a young age.

Wessel Gordon

The way they sex birds in South Africa that I've witnessed is that they use an endoscope (small camera at the end of a thin tube) that they insert at the spot just below where the wings join the body. The birds are knocked out for a few minutes for the procedure so there's no pain involved that I've...

Wessel Gordon

I know even less about genetic splits. What I would suggest is that you ask the breeder if she's willing to have them sexed at your cost (at least her and any of the others you might be interested in). The only way a breeder can make that kind of prediction with a degree of certainty is if he bred b...

Wessel Gordon

Forgot to qualify my last question: if she is definitely female then there's a good chance that Frankie might react to her in a more positive way than would be the case if it was a male. After all: boys will be boys. Considering that I would suggest you have her sexed by an avian vet if it wasn't do...

Wessel Gordon

Okbitsy Since Frankie has no coping skills as you point out it might be a good idea to cage them in separate rooms for the quarantine period. Of course they will be able to hear each other and interact through IRN noises and ''language''. Once they seem to be able to communicate without getting invo...

Wessel Gordon

Thanks for the compliment, MissK.

I was simply pointing what I've learned on the forum and what I've learned by trail and error.

Wessel Gordon

I'm not convinced separating them will be the solution to stop them from breeding. Yes, they might not breed because of the separation but if they are very bonded to each other separating them might lead to other, even worse problems such as screaming and/or feather plucking. My suggestion for next ...

Wessel Gordon

Kim I think what MissK means is: do you have any experience with breeding birds of any kind? As for the unprepared consider some of the following: 1) Do you have a qualified, experienced avian vet that you can call in the event of an emergency such as when the hen becomes eggbound? I never had it ha...

Wessel Gordon

Lol.

Her being completely sober is hectic enough. She only had some water.

Wessel Gordon

I agree with MissK. The real question you have to ask yourself is: why do I want to clip her wings? Of my flock of 6 birds only my Congo AFrican Grey is clipped and that was done by a qualified avian vet. The only reason I had her wings clipped was to stop her escaping her previous cage and flying o...

Wessel Gordon

Kim, It takes roughly 22 days after the hen started incubating the eggs till the first one hatches. Once they start hatching they should hatch roughly 2 days apart. You will notice when the hen starts to incubate the eggs when she starts spending 99.99% of her time in the nest and only leaving to ea...

Wessel Gordon

Dushan, I don't believe Ruby is ''more intelligent'' than Jack. I simply think she's more curious/relaxed by nature and therefor will tend to want to go and explore things. Think of it this way: Ruby is an extrovert that settles down a lot easier in new surroundings while Jack is an introvert that t...

Wessel Gordon

hi Sharlene

Welcome to the forum.

Taking on a rescue animal regardless of species is never an easy job but I'm sure Jay will sort out his issues with your help.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Zaheer,

The fact that she occasionally takes treats from you is still progress. I have one female that will take a treat from me only when she feels like it...sometimes she'll take a treat a few days in a row and then months will go by without her showing any interest in a treat.

Just keep patient.

Wessel Gordon

hi Dinh Thanh

Welcome to the forum. Which species of parrot do you have or are you interested in? I'm asking because quite a few of the forum members have other parrots besides Indian Ringnecks.

Wessel Gordon

Zaheer, That is good progress. Keep offering her a treat like you did with the apple for at least the next couple of days until she's relaxed enough to approach your hand for the treat within a few seconds instead of minutes. Do not make any sudden adjustments to the routine for now since that might...

Wessel Gordon

Chilled Guy I'm not sure what you mean with her being big so I'm going to answer the part I understand. She will lay between 3-5 eggs (roughly 1 every two days once she started laying) but she will wait to sit on them till all the eggs have been laid. Once that's done she will stay on the eggs for a...

Wessel Gordon

I'm sure the bird will be fine in the end. I have a Congo African Grey with a deformed right foot (not broken but deformed and all the toes not where they should be) but thanks to a very dedicated breeder who hand-reared her from a very young age and her own tenacious character she doesn't let that ...

Wessel Gordon

Omar, I think you are over-reacting a bit by wanting them to bond with you so soon. To earn an intelligent animal like an IRN's trust take a lot of patience and even longer amounts of time. If you try to rush this process (by for example clipping their wings) you might end up doing the relationship ...

Wessel Gordon

I'm sorry to hear that this happened but there's only one piece of sensible advice: if there's any change in his/her condition for the worse contact the vet again immediately. If you mentioned to the vet exactly what happened and what injuries the bird seems to have I'm sure he would have given you ...

Wessel Gordon

I am not a mutation expert at all but this bird looks like a normal blue although the head in this photo looks a bit lighter than the body color which isn't consistent with ''normal'' blues I've seen. The difference might just be the lighting. As for pairing her up: the question would be is which mu...

Wessel Gordon

Omar Don't focus on taming them to the extent that they will step onto your hand or eat from your hand. a Bird is a prey creature by nature with only two options to survive: fly away and if that option isn't available it will act aggressive in an attempt to intimidate a predator. If you clip their w...

Wessel Gordon

Can you take out the extra female and the cockatiel and house them in a different cage?

Wessel Gordon

They should be. A good idea might be to give the invading hen a nest of her own in a separate cage so take care of her brooding instincts. Even if she doesn't lay any eggs it helps safeguard those you have in the other nest.

Wessel Gordon

The only trouble I ever had was when I had 1 female and 2 males in one cage during breeding season. The chosen male wanted to literally kill the competition so I had to remove the extra male. Oh, I forgot to mention the Congo African Grey that's a lot more demanding attention-wise than the flock of ...

Wessel Gordon

That seems like a sensible solution...how long has she been denying the mother access?

Wessel Gordon

I just had a closer look at the recent pic of Frankie and it does seem like he'll start showing a ring soon.

Wessel Gordon

Welcome to the forum As InTheAir stated a certain kind of shyness/timidness is normal in any bird since it more or less saves them from charging unfamiliar things and possibly ending up hurt or worse. I have a flock of 5 IRN's with a huge range of personalities. With the exception of a pair housed s...

Wessel Gordon

It could be that she got into a fight and hurt a wing or a leg. Try to catch her if you have a net and try and pinpoint the problem. If it persists get her to a vet.

Wessel Gordon

Zaheer,

Just be patient...birds can take quite awhile to get used to a new environment. Keep to your familiar routine around the cage and hes/he should settle in a few days.

Wessel Gordon

The last I heard, yes...but I'm not sure what the conditions are to get a permit or what it costs etc.

Wessel Gordon

Desiree,

Those are IRN's....ARN's are suprisingly rare in this part of Africa.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Eish indeed.

Try the following link to see some of the differences between the two:

http://animals.mom.me/difference-betwee ... -8808.html

Wessel Gordon

Just lost the second baby. I'm getting to the point where I'm about to give up with that breeding pair.

Wessel Gordon

Desiree Just keep up their normal supply of food for now plus the cuttlebone. Her starting incubating later shouldn't be a huge problem unless her nestbox gets overly hot. To help prevent this keep up a good supply of fresh water. I like to take a bottle of water out of the refrigerator in summer......

Wessel Gordon

Just spoke to my breeder friend. He has an unused incubator (apparently similar to those used for premature/weak babies) that I can borrow. We're going to pick it up tomorrow. Hopefully with that the odds are a lot higher of pulling this baby through.

Wessel Gordon

Quick update...again.

This morning I retrieved the sibling of the chick that died so I'm back to feeding a chick at 2 hour intervals.

Wessel Gordon

Have you kept an eye on how long she's been spending 99% of her time in the nestbox? It's not uncommon for me to only spot the hen only once or twice during a 7 day period while she's incubating eggs. Those short appearances is just to grab something to eat and take care of toilet needs and then she...

Wessel Gordon

Slylon MissK raises a few valid points as usual. What will help us even more is if you are able to take a video of her ''screaming'' or any behavior you find unacceptable. Preferably the video should start a few seconds before she starts the behavior so we can help identify if something triggers it ...

Wessel Gordon

I did my best. Just sad that it was sitting on my lap when it died. Then again there's always a risk of losing babies even if the mom takes care of them.

Wessel Gordon

Just keep an eye on them and you should be fine. Is it the hen's first clutch?

Unfortunately the chick I tried to hand-rear died early this morning so my day wasn't off to a good start.

Wessel Gordon

Slylon, Two questions right off the bat: 1. How long have you had the bird? 2. Did the previous owner part with it because of behavioral issues? My reason for asking how long you have had the bird is that bird (just like us humans) take some time to adapt to a new living arrangement and can take qui...

Wessel Gordon

Quick update:

The chick passed over the rainbow bridge at 6 am this morning. I'm heartbroken but I know that will pass and these past two days will count as added experience if it needs to be repeated.

Wessel Gordon

If they hatch at the end of the month the breeding season is basically over and the first chicks will be around a month old. Breeding season in South Africa start about beginning of August with the first chicks hatching end of August/beginning September. Regarding hand-rearing there's a sticky post ...

Wessel Gordon

No problem.

My apologies for spelling your name incorrectly.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

MissK I phoned an experienced breeder first thing this morning and he said to just keep doing what I'm doing after I gave him more or less a step-by-step breakdown of my feeding ritual. Since then the bird has pooped some...not much, admittedly, but definitely something. I have a theory about the la...

Wessel Gordon

hi Desiree Welcome to the forum. Breeding season is in full swing in South Africa so depending on when the eggs was laid they should hatch any day now. Keep up a constant flow of the hen's favorite treats (especially soft foods that she can easily pass on to any chicks) and of course fresh water. De...

Wessel Gordon

Sajad Try eating some of the fruits and vegetables in front of him/her and make a show of how delicious they are. Parrots are incredibly curious by nature and the odds are that Tito will want to eat what you're enjoying so much. I always keep my birds water bowls elevated and secured to the side of ...

Wessel Gordon

Desiree, I never risk touching the eggs precisely for that reason. All I do is tilt the nest a bit so I can have a better view inside. One of my other hens had a dead chick, one barely alive and two eggs so I pulled the starving chick to handrear. She has a history of not feeding her chicks so I hav...

Wessel Gordon

hi Nick

Welcome to the forum.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

So far so good.

The chick survived it's first night away from it's parents and is doing well, although it didn't pass any food all the way through it's system. It was a bit lethargic this morning but it was screaming at the top of it's little lungs when I started the last feed.

Wessel Gordon

The chick is eating OK'is...what has me worried is that it hasn't passed anything out the other end since I started feeding it. I tried to clean it's rear with gauze dampened with lukewarm water but it didn't seem to help. I will check again in 2 hours when the next feeding is due.

Wessel Gordon

The breeder I telephoned has an incubator he said I could borrow if he doesn't need it in a few days. In the meantime I'm trying my best.

Wessel Gordon

Thanks, MissK

There's still two unhatched eggs in the nest so we're going to check the nest again in a few days. If I can keep this one alive for about the next 48 hours I reckon I have much higher odds of successfully weaning it.

Wessel Gordon

This thread is very informative, thanks Melika I have a pair of IRN's that hatch their eggs but refuse to feed the babies beyond a certain age. Last year I wasn't aware of this issue so when I noticed something's wrong it was too late to save the two chicks. We checked their nest again this morning ...

Wessel Gordon

Hi everyone I checked my breeding pair's nest this morning and discovered one dead chick, one barely alive and two eggs. Needless to say I pulled the living chick for hand-rearing. The dead chick seems to have never been fed. My problem is the following: I only heard the sound of chicks on Saturday ...

Wessel Gordon

The decision of needing to intervene with the chicks was taken for me. My mom went into the aviary to check the nest. We found one dead chick, one barely alive and two unhatched eggs. Long story short: I'm sitting with a IRN chick of barely a few days old on my lap with a warm water bottle between m...

Wessel Gordon

I forgot to add this part: My relationship with IRN's started when my mom bought me Jorsie as a young chick during a long illness I had to keep my spirits up and since then various birds (mostly IRN's) came into my life, sometimes for a few months before finding a more suitable home or in most cases...

Wessel Gordon

Sounds like quite a flock, MissK. I figure I better introduce you properly to my zoo. Jorsie is my oldest IRN (originally blue if she didn't choose to remove all reachable feathers) of about 10 years old. ''Jorsie'' is a corruption of the Afrikaans word ''morsjors'' that translates loosely to someon...

Wessel Gordon

Levi When I was offered the Grey I thought about it for a day or two and discussed it with my mom whom I live with first. I wasn't sure if I would be ideal for a parrot of that size but things have turned out relatively smoothly except for an occasional annoying screaming habit on her part. The scre...

Wessel Gordon

Levi Me and the Grey's breeder have known each other for about 10 years. He normally exports his chicks but for obvious reasons he wouldn't get a good price for ''damaged goods'' so to speak so he offered her to me for free. What seems to have happened is that either of her parents accidently sat on...

Wessel Gordon

Lily looks very comfortable using you as a perch. The only bird in my flock that will get out and sit on my lap is my African Grey and only if I take hold of her over her wings and take her out. Because of her deformed right foot her balance is compromised so she prefers to sit on my lap that's a lo...

Wessel Gordon

MissK

I've said that myself several times as well but somehow I find one I can't resist or it finds me.

Wessel Gordon

I was at the outside aviary earlier that houses the IRN pair that's on a clutch of eggs. There's definitely something going on in the nest but it took me keeping completely quiet for about 5 minutes before I picked up the sounds of at least one chick in the nest...just to make sure I moved to the si...

Wessel Gordon

I'll add only one ''do'' to MissK's list: Do get to know your bird's moods...in my experience knowing at a glance when a bird feels cranky is the best way to avoid a bite. What works in your favor is that he/she is still young and you only had him a short while so in theory it should be easier to mo...

Wessel Gordon

Levi, I do have a lot of fun with my zoo (besides the birds we have 4 dogs and 2 cats). The dogs are a mix of breeds from a Miniature Pinscher, Miniature Pinscher-Chihuahua crossbreed that's my official shadow and wheelchair guard, a Maltese mutt and a Alsation/Rough Collie mix (think Rin Tin Tin an...

Wessel Gordon

R2D2 or Commander Data? Starwars and Startrek respectively.

Wessel Gordon

Levi, Maybe the difference in her behavior when she's with you compared to with your wife can be down to something as simple as the way you approach and handle her. I am confined to a wheelchair too so I know the challenges of keeping and handling birds from that perspective. My guess is that your m...

Wessel Gordon

Hmmm...a nut for a nutty bird?

Wessel Gordon

Thanks AJPeter

Now if I can only retrieve the eggs without bleeding...the hen is protective of her territory to say the least.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Kylie,

Even if it is a bonded pair you're getting I won't be too excited about their prospects this breeding season because of the new environment. Personally I would think that they'll settle down first and start raising a clutch this time next year.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

MissK a Very thorough and detailed answer as always. I can't think of anything to add. Zaheer: As MissK mentioned they tend to ''pin'' their eyes when excited but it can also be used as a warning signal that they're not in the mood to be disturbed. If you see any of your birds rapidly ''pinning'' an...

Wessel Gordon

If it was my birds I would let them settle more before attempting to tame them. Two days aren't a very long time and the change in their environment is likely to keep them unsettled for awhile. To help overcome this I would keep them together unless they start to physically attack each other. You do...

Wessel Gordon

Zaheer, Both birds are Indian Ringnecks and not African Ringnecks, based on their beak color. For more information see the below link: http://pets.thenest.com/difference-between-african-ringneck-indian-ringneck-parrots-12187.html As for age and sex: while they seem to be young (you will notice the c...

Wessel Gordon

MissK Fortunately I rarely see violence between my flock either so not sure what kind of advice to give. The only violence I ever had to deal with was between two males fighting over a female in breeding season. I ended up having to separate them out of sight of each other to save the underdog's lif...

Wessel Gordon

Hi everyone I have a roughly 10 year old hen on a clutch of 3 eggs (I just checked the nest so not sure when they were laid). In past breeding seasons none of her eggs were ever fertile/hatched so I think it's a safe bet that these won't either. How do I check if they are fertile/infertile and do I ...

Wessel Gordon

Linda, Based on what you said it seems to me that you simply had the bad luck of buying birds that were already sick (with the exception of the one that got attacked). If in future you want to buy another bird of whatever species and the breeder refuses or is reluctant to show you all his/her birds ...

Wessel Gordon

tekspek While my Banana is an African Grey and not an IRN she has definite likes and dislikes as far as music goes. Some stuff she'll ''sing'' along to happily for hours but if something she doesn't like comes on she'll let you know with a few ear-piercing screeches. So far I haven't been able to pi...

Wessel Gordon

Donna, Like MissK mentioned a wolf-whistle works well. I use it as a ''flock call'' for my 5 IRN's and my African Grey. It reassures them that while I might be out of sight for a while I'm still in touch with them...the African Grey uses it and various phrases and sounds to find out where I am in th...

Wessel Gordon

But for right now you might be back to ''want a treat, Hodel?''

Wessel Gordon

Tekspek You could also offer her small bits of other fruits during this stage. That will help you discover what her favorite treats are and incorporate it into later training. Let's say her favorite treat is a slice of apple and second is a grape. For at least an effort at the behavior you want from...

Wessel Gordon

MissK, Are you suggesting that he should get consistent results for at least a week or two to a cue (such as putting his finger before her to step up) before moving to something a bit more challenging? Tekspek, Just remember that, like humans, all birds learn new things at different rates and as Mis...

Wessel Gordon

MissK,

Very nice response...and you picked up on some stuff I missed. Having just spent 30 minutes to lure a bird back into it's cage (with a yummy treat) I know how tricky that exercise can be, lol.

Wessel Gordon

adrian, 1. It is an IRN or an Alexandrine (an Alexandrine is a bit bigger and the camera angle makes it difficult to judge the size) 2. It is a mature male since he already have a well-developed male i.e. he's at least 2 years old 3. If it's possible do not smoke in the same room as he might develop...

Wessel Gordon

Spirosdst, She looks fine to me. The difference in her beak can be down to the mutation she is. She is still a fairly young bird so maybe her beak color will change gradually to those you have seen. I can't really see anything wrong with her eyes and if she seems to be able to see well I wouldn't wo...

Wessel Gordon

Hi everyone My breeding female is sitting on a clutch of eggs that's due to hatch any day. Last year she hatched two chicks but stopped feeding them after about 10 days, unfortunately I intervened too late to save them. To prevent that from happening again I'm planning to handraise the new batch; my...

Wessel Gordon

Shiko

If I warn a visitor about any of my animals and they get hurt any way I don't feel sorry for them in the least. The way I see it is that I gave them a verbal warning and the animal gave them visible warnings not to push their luck.

Wessel Gordon

Besides the juvenile eyes MissK mentioned their beaks seems a bit too red for a very young bird. From what I've seen (depending on mutation) the beaks start out as a pinkish shade that deepens to the red as they age.

Wessel Gordon

What they are willing to accept depends on their mood but unshelled peanuts is always a favorite around here. Just be careful with that....according to some research peanuts contain a lot of fat or something which obviously isn't good for a bird in the long run. My birds get their two peanuts a day ...

Wessel Gordon

Hi dmelnick Unless the broken leg poses a serious threat or future threat (such as lingering infection) all is not lost. I have a 1 year Congo African Grey with a deformed right foot due to an injury while she was in the nest. I'm not sure about the nerve damage and it's consequences but my bird see...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Maddy and Opie Two weeks aren't that long in trying to tame a bird. I have 5 IRN's and a African Grey and depending on the bird it took me from a few weeks to a few months to convince some of them to take a treat from my hand through the bars and there's still at least two that blankly refuse to ...

Wessel Gordon

Hmmm....that second bird poses a huge problem, doesn't it? Going by the assumption it's another IRN and depending on it's sex you have to think of another name. I'm not surprised the other birds leave his food alone if there's so much other food around and besides, IRN's can be fairly food-possessiv...

Wessel Gordon

Gerhard, I'm from South Africa too. Breeding season starts roughly beginning of August so the first chicks hatch around end of August/beginning of September. My one female is currently incubating a clutch (not sure how many eggs) but she's been in the nest permanently for about two weeks now with on...

Wessel Gordon

Carlabeth, The fact that he doesn't seem bothered by your presence also makes me think he's an escaped pet. The only problem you now have is convincing the other birds that the food is meant for him and not for them. Wessel PS: I think it's wonderful that you decided to let him keep his freedom whil...

Wessel Gordon

MissK It is fascinating behavior. It just shows that birds have the ability to see or sense (I'm not entirely sure which) that we as owners/handlers might have had a wandering thought for a moment and whatever we did during that moment was not intended to threaten or harm, hence the ''warning''. Hav...

Wessel Gordon

The fact that she actually chose you as her ''perch'' for a nap is a great leap forward. It shows she's comfortable and relaxed around you. Depending on how skillful you play guitar she might start imitating the songs you play often. It's also a huge thing that she stepped up onto your hand consider...

Wessel Gordon

InTheAir, You've made a few good points. I have one female that I would describe as ''unpredictable'' when strangers comes to greet her and she's even taken blood from me on occasion but this morning when my hand was too close to her fresh food for her liking she simply opened her beak and brushed i...

Wessel Gordon

Could you perhaps share a picture of him?

It might make giving advice from our more experienced members easier.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

If your aim is to keep her entertained while you're out or busy somewhere else that works fine but obviously if you're aiming to train her to talk having the desired phrase repeated often would be better. I have a African Grey in the house (all 5 my IRN's are housed outside) for which the television...

Wessel Gordon

Congratulations on Hodel's progress. It might seem like painfully slow progress but training birds are a lot like training kids: they learn best if something fascinates them and same days are better than others. With some of my birds it took me months to convince them to take a treat from my hand an...

Wessel Gordon

It sounds like you picked an excellent breeder. My one female is incubating a clutch of eggs at the moment but due to me being in a wheelchair and her nest being high I'm not sure how many eggs there is. She doesn't even bother coming out when I change their food and water but if I stay quiet for aw...

Wessel Gordon

enderrun, Those are two beautiful birds. I agree with everything that MissK has said about entertainment etc. The only thing I would add is: considering the female is incubating eggs it's best to keep to an established routine with feeding times etc and not to disturb them out of those times. I have...

Wessel Gordon

hi Vio_Oiv I agree with what MissK said about the bird setting it's own alarm-clock so to speak. I have 6 birds (5 IRN's and an African Grey - only the Grey is inside the house) and it's impossible to hide the fact that they're around. With you working from home soon I'm assuming it's going to be ma...

Wessel Gordon

Whinney I have a pair that had their first clutch of two chicks last year. Unfortunately it turned out the female simply stopped feeding them after about 10 days so when I realized there was a problem it was too late to save the chicks. They're sitting on another clutch right now and I'm just waitin...

Wessel Gordon

MissK, Thanks for the advice. The 3 birds have been living peacefully together for a few months now and neither of the females are displaying breeding or nesting behavior. Since we're at the beginning of our IRN breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere I'm sure there would have been an indication ...

Wessel Gordon

Hi everyone I recently lost one of my IRN males due to natural causes (found him dead in the cage one morning). Since then I moved one of my other pairs in with her since she's in a much bigger cage than they were. Is it possible that the male will breed with both females or will he prefer the femal...

Wessel Gordon

If it's just the very tip at his age it sounds normal.

Wessel Gordon

Hi Chris As for the beak changing color my first question is: how old is your bird? a Ringneck's beak changes from pink/orange red (depending on the mutation) to a bright red in the first 24 months or so. If he/she is between 24 and 36 months old it might be a male, but some females does have a slig...

Wessel Gordon

Jan,

You're right...I forgot about the danger of metal poisoning and was just thinking of the "bling" factor that seems to always catch a bird's eye.

The steel washers should work so a trail run might be a good idea.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Jenica, Around my African Grey the only safe buttons seems to be the ones hanging in the cupboard...if it's within eyesight it's fair game. If I had to bet I would say a fairly large metal button (such as those you find on overalls etc) might be your safest option. They're big enough so an IRN won't...

Wessel Gordon

Jenica, I have a 6-7 month old Congo African Grey that seems completely fixated on buttons so I thought that if you take the straws, some odds and ends buttons and somehow attach it to the straw it might make a good toy. Perhaps it's a good idea to run a piece of rope up the straw(s) depending on ho...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Lynn

Welcome to the forum. Misty is gorgeous.

I'm sure if you have questions all of us would try and answer them.

Regards,

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Keep on trying to discover more treats he loves...with only a carrot you might run the risk of deficiencies. My birds love grated apples and carrots. It's hard work to prepare it but if you grate the whole lot I found they mess less and thus eat more.

Wessel Gordon

Shooni, Rule 1 of IRN training: they will do something if and when they feel like it, in other words: it's always on their terms. Being patient and consistent is a huge help in trying to train them. I agree with sanjay's mummy: two weeks aren't that long at all in IRN training. In some cases with my...

Wessel Gordon

MightyMidget Congratulations, Enya is gorgeous. I have a 12-13 month old male that looks a lot like it. If you think IRN's have talons you should try putting a Congo African Grey on your hand. I have one and it tends to sink it's nails in for a good grip so that I'm not punctured yet is a miracle. W...

Wessel Gordon

Maybe I should tone that last paragraph down to: I know he will always have "special needs" and days that he simply woke up with the wrong foot clutching the wrong perch. And he senses that I have special needs too so we bonded like two bottles of superglue in the middle of a heatwave. He tolerates ...

Wessel Gordon

Ellie, It's always a pleasure to help out. Like most of here I'm sure we have the best interest of our birds at heart and if we sometimes seem a bit rash or rude to a owner of a bird with a problem I'll bet it's a case of us being very passionate about our feathered friends. A quick off-topic remark...

Wessel Gordon

I agree with your breeder now that you mentioned that. My biggest concern about a leg injury is because I got a Congo African Grey a few months ago from a breeder friend who could not sell it due to a leg deformity and I do see when it frustrates him/her when things doesn't want to move the way he/s...

Wessel Gordon

Timmee, Do you keep the bird in a box? If so PLEASE put it in a cage suitable for an adult Indian Ringneck. If you do not have access to a cage or don't have funds available to buy one I am sure that someone closer to your area might be willing to borrow or gift you a second-hand cage. If you are wi...

Wessel Gordon

hi Ash I'm not sure when the pinning of the eyes start but in my flock I noticed that they will sometimes pin their eyes while they're savoring an especially tasty treat. When they do it while eating it seems like they do not pin their eyes as much as when they're upset but there's a definite constr...

Wessel Gordon

We have 3 dogs (Alsation/Collie mix, Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher mix, Street mutt), 2 cats, 6 IRN's and a 6 month old Congo African Grey with a deformed foot that joined the mayhem about 5 weeks ago.

Wessel Gordon

It might be that the bird is just adjusting to it's new environment. My bet is that at some point survival instinct will kick in and it will at least peck at some of the food...keep a very sharp eye on the bottom of the cage for any food that's been thrown out: if you see that you'll know for certai...

Wessel Gordon

This is just a hunch but did you change the bird's diet in any way before the vet visits? I hate to tell you this but you might need a second avian vet's opinion. I have seen quite a few serious molts but nothing near to what your bird is displaying. If you find another avian vet insist on them doin...

Wessel Gordon

or how about "teenage tantrums"?

Wessel Gordon

The only advice I can give you giving how concerned you are is to let an avian vet check him out. I do not want to scare you but birds have the ability to hide illness till it's often too late to save them so it's better to pay the vet bill and know what's wrong or that you simply overreacted. Pleas...

Wessel Gordon

Mayyad I think the bird is more insecure at the moment. You have to consider you only have had him/her for a week so it's still likely going through an adjustment period. If it was bluffing (which I personally think he/she is a bit young for) your finger wouldn't leave the cage without bleeding. Jus...

Wessel Gordon

Lollypop, I'm not an experienced breeder at all but considering the fact that the dead chick's siblings are all fine it seems that genetics didn't play a part and that it was just a bad stroke of luck for this poor guy. From reading on the internet and from several forums it seems like if you breed ...

Wessel Gordon

Kate, I don't think you're over-obsessing. From your zoo-experience I'm sure you know it's better to ask if you don't know something or if you need advice. Regretting not asking is a very nasty feeling and regret has the nasty little habit of always raising it's ugly head when it's too late to chang...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Kate Welcome to the forum. The two huge "no no's" regarding food that comes to mind immediately is avocado's and chocolates. From what I've heard avocado's more or less dissolve their insides so it's not a pretty death: there is no way I can never overstate how toxic avocado is to birds. I'm not ...

Wessel Gordon

The chicks are looking fabulous. Banana finally came home today and he's already settling in quiet well. I had to scratch his head till he fell asleep, and tonight it was the same story. He's 4-5 months old (the breeder misplaced his records and as soon as he found them he will let me know the preci...

Wessel Gordon

Dorit, Does he contract his pupils until they're the size of a pin, opens them and then pins them again really fast? Or does he puff his feathers up right before he bites? Or does he pull his head back and curls himself into a little bundle right before "striking"? All of those are warning signals t...

Wessel Gordon

I'm hazarding a guess and saying it might be a big molt but it's hard to say without the pictures.

My year old male is going through his 12-month molt and he's been looking rather shabby for a few weeks now but I'm hoping it blows over soon.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Welcome to the forum from a fellow South African. Three-four weeks is still very young (they normally wean at between 8-10 weeks). A good idea might be to try and feed him more frequently but ALWAYS just feed as much as Buddy is willing to eat at that moment. As soon as he stops eating and start fus...

Wessel Gordon

Deb, Those babies are adorable. The breeder of the CAG did send me two pics to my mobile but I haven't got a clue how to download pics to this site, unfortunately. He said the bird is a real busybody with a naughty streak and a heart of gold so it sounds like I'll have to enjoy my last few hours of ...

Wessel Gordon

Imran,

All is well that ends well.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

I had a phone call from the CAG's breeder. The original buyers missed the deadline so I'm picking it up on Friday.

Sounds like it's a very sweet natured bird but considering my lack of experience with CAG's I'm not sure yet if I should be thrilled or terrified.

Wessel Gordon

That's a huge relief.

If they don't keep it up you will have to have a serious talk with Skittles and Pepper about parental responsibilities.

Wessel Gordon

Deb,

Check my reply under "we have eggs".

You're not a worrywort. Personally I would rather worry about something like this and try to do something about it then not worry and have something bad happen. Unfortunately, as you know, I learned that the hard way with IRN babies.

Good luck.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Hi Roline

Welcome to the forum.

If you have any questions feel free to ask: there's a lot of knowledgeable owners/breeders on the forum.

Regards,

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Deb, I know that worried feeling...all of us with babies knows it, I'm sure. Unfortunately it sounds a lot like what happened with my clutch. You might have to consider the option of pulling the oldest one out of the nest completely...it's not ideal but at least it will help the odds of the chick to...

Wessel Gordon

Thanks Deb. I will let you know as soon as I hear something. I usually put my phone down and don't touch it for days but today it's attached to me like an extra limb...I can't wait for the call but it will be a huge disappointment if I don't get the bird. Considering I was declared medically unfit f...

Wessel Gordon

If I were in your position I would just give him a small treat every time he does it. That way he learns that he gets nice things from you and will bond faster (hopefully) and feeding him something small will encourage him to go and "forage" for food in his foodbowl if he's really hungry. Make sure ...

Wessel Gordon

They are cute...ugly in a way that only a mother could love at that stage, hehe. I've had a bombshell dropped on me yesterday: a bird breeder I bought one of my IRN's from called and wanted to know if I'll be interested in a hand-reared African Grey. Apparently the original buyers are stalling and f...

Wessel Gordon

They do seem to be doing very well. Does Pepper allow you to inspect the nest or do you need to distract and lock her in another room first? My breeding female was incredibly territorial about the cage and everything a certain distance beyond it while the chicks was alive. If you ignored her warning...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Welcome to the forum. I'll answer your last question first: there isn't a specific age an IRN starts to talk. Think of it this way: all humans (in theory) can sing but some people don't because they don't like to, some people like to sing but they can't really sing so they don't and then there's ...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Flygirl

Welcome to the forum.

Since you're looking for bird-crazy (or crazy because of your love for birds) people you've come to the right place.

Regards,

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

hi Deb After the dead chicks were retrieved I did thoroughly inspect them for any signs of damage but there was none. Their crops was totally empty, though, so it seems Mom fed them up to a point and then simply stopped since on the one chick you could actually see little black dots where the feathe...

Wessel Gordon

Ellie Thanks for the heads up. I did actually see that post but I wasn't sure to who to report it. Like you implied: if it's not bird-related and if you can't show the image to a kindergarden kid it doesn't belong on this site. Quick question: should we PM you if we start seeing spam as well? I noti...

Wessel Gordon

I just had a complete bummer of a day. We discovered both the chicks dead in the nest.

I'm looking at this positively as in a hard lesson learned. Next time I hear the sound of chicks from any of my nests I'm pulling them from the nest to handrear.

Wessel Gordon

The overcrowding will only be an issue if she has an exceptionally large clutch and they all hatch. I recently moved my only breeding pair into an outside aviary and gave them a choice of three nestboxes as well and she picked a smaller one that's in a more sheltered location with the result that he...

Wessel Gordon

Congratulations :D They do sound like a little squeaky toy so imagine the amplified sound of that if all four eggs hatch and Mommy Pepper telling you in no uncertain terms to leave her babies alone...IRN heaven. My babies is all doing fine although I'm still not certain if I have two or three. Judgi...

Wessel Gordon

He might be going through the bluffing stage, which is the IRN equivalent of teenage hormones (since it sounds like you're still in school I'm sure you're very familiar with that). Your best course of action is to not react to a bite. I know an IRN bite is incredibly painful and it's impossible not ...

Wessel Gordon

The weaning age really depends on the individual bird but anywhere from 8-10 weeks they start to be weaned.

Wessel Gordon

Baby Bird Sky I agree with Sanjay's mummi. At some point survival instinct will kick in (even at that age) and it will start to at least nibble on things so just make sure you give it a variety of healthy, beak-watering food and snack. I suspect the chick was hand-reared and not fully weaned yet bec...

Wessel Gordon

Hi My advice would be to stick to the usual routine (especially changing the food and water which must be changed at least twice a day - not every two days). Once they settled in and got used to the routine I'm sure nature will run it's course and you will have eggs whenever it's breeding season whe...

Wessel Gordon

Oh, I somehow missed that last sentence in your post. Sorry for that.

Wessel Gordon

That's great news...but now for the impatient wait for the sound of chicks, hehe. I just hate those last few days before an egg is due to hatch and there's always some excuse to go and do something around the cage as due date creeps closer. My babies are doing fine, although I'm still not sure if it...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Nicole Welcome to the forum. I might be completely wrong in answering your question (and if I am I will be gladly corrected) but my guess would be that the assistant warned you not to allow it since it sounds a lot like pair-bonding i.e. where the bird sees you as a desirable mate of the opposite...

Wessel Gordon

MissK, At the risk of sounding like a complete fool which labels would that be? The one reading "oh, that's a male" which is scientifically proven as female? And the one "oh, that's a female" which is surgically sexed as a male? Lol, I'm poking fun at myself because I always but always get predictio...

Wessel Gordon

Thanks for the reply anyway. Melika.

Wessel Gordon

The only way he could be so certain is if the mutation is somehow sex-linked. I know some very experienced breeders can tell by looking at an IRN at a young age what sex it is but how they do that is too complex for my simple brain. Perhaps one of our other members with years of breeding experience ...

Wessel Gordon

Hi court Welcome to the forum. You really picked a very nice IRN for your first but a word of caution: do not be fooled by that hint of a ring around it's neck. Even females of certain mutations (such as blue like yours) sometimes tend to show a visible ring from a very young age. I know that from e...

Wessel Gordon

Thank you sheyd So far all seems to be going well with the babies. The dad is exceptionally weary of anything suspicious around the aviary, including me so guess mom gave him a lecture on his duties as a dad. If mom's in the nest with them you won't hear a single sound but if she takes a short break...

Wessel Gordon

Thanks David

I spent some time around the aviary today and as small as those babies are they sure voice their disapproval if their mom leave their side, hehe. From the increasing noise and discarded eggshells on the aviary floor it does seem likely (I hope) that the third chick did hatch.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

David, First of all, I'm from South Africa and a hobby breeder not a professional so I can't answer your question about breeding season in the UK. In my case I have 3 pairs that I house together throughout the year with nestboxes in their cages/aviaries year round. My experience with that kind of se...

Wessel Gordon

Hi Deb

I discovered yesterday my one female has 2 very small chicks and an unhatched egg in her nest so I'm just as excited as you are since it's my first clutch of IRN babies as well.

Keep us up to date on how things progress.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Hi everyone I just discovered that my breeding pair has two very young chicks in their nest. Since I have mobility issues I can't get into their cage for nest inspections so not sure exactly how old they are but I would guess at most a day or two based on a photo a helper took and from when I starte...

Wessel Gordon

Just a quick update. I realized yesterday that the female is a few days over the usual 22-24 day incubation period so I asked the neighbor to check the nest. After asking him to check I spent some time around the aviary and thought I could detect the faint sound of very small chicks but wasn't sure ...

Wessel Gordon

Then they should have hatched by now but give it an extra day or two.

I just discovered I have two very young chicks with a third unhatched egg so I'm super excited since it's my first ever IRN babies.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

It's getting late in the breeding season in South Africa but she might attempt to lay again if you remove the eggs now. Do you have an idea when she laid the last egg in the clutch?

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Nalyn,

Incubation is typically between 22-24 days, give or take a day or two. How long has your hen been actively incubating her clutch?

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

hi Jessica Welcome to the forum from one zoo-keeper to another, lol. I have 3 dogs, 1 cat that thinks he's a dog, a cat and 6 IRN's (with some possible babies but I'll be sure about that later today). If you have any questions feel free to ask...there's a lot experienced owners/breeders on this foru...

Wessel Gordon

At the risk of hijacking the forum: does a IRN molt at roughly 12 months of age? I have an 11 month old IRN that's looking rather bedraggled at the moment i.e. scruffy tail, flight feathers not as grown out as I would have liked (his breeder clipped him at the age of about 2 months after a near disa...

Wessel Gordon

Janey,

If you could share with us how old he/she is and from where you are we might be able to help more but that does look like a molt to me.

Kind regards,

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

MissK,

Can I pay that $20 in 1 cent a year installments?

You're right. I did overlook that fact.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Ginzy, Considering it's Neo's 4th home (that we're aware of) and the fact that you only had her for a week I'm surprised she took to your husband so quickly. Since she's been sent from home to home she will take some time to settle down and learn that both you and your husband can be trusted. I have...

Wessel Gordon

kroden, I have thought of something else since that last post. Since she's a rescue and you have no prior history on her before your friend had her it might very well be that she has certain "triggers" for a negative response i.e. a certain movement or a loud/sharp voice. Her previous owners might h...

Wessel Gordon

MissK, Very well summed up. Kroden, I fully agree with MissK...the only thing I would add is to suggest you figure out what Hannah's favorite treat is and use it for positive reinforcement. You can start this by "rewarding" her for simply not freaking out whenever you need to change the food and wat...

Wessel Gordon

Ellie, I'm not an experienced breeder (only just started with one breeding pair) it seems like 4-5 days. I moved my breeding pair into a bigger outdoor aviary in mid to end July so I figured they won't settle down till next season but she pretty soon became territorial around her chosen nest. An ex-...

Wessel Gordon

hi Janeydoll

Welcome to the forum.

What color (mutation) is he and have you decided on a name yet?

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Hi JulieJay From what I've read incubation takes anywhere from 22-24 days so considering the fact that she's been on the eggs for 15 days I would expect chicks in the next 7-10 days. I'm not sure why she would have discarded that one egg, it could be that she sensed something wrong about it and deci...

Wessel Gordon

Does soaked and sprouted sunflower seeds have more nutrients too?

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Whinney, I hate to disappoint but from the photo's, while there is a lighter band of feathers around the neck-area, I do not see a darkening to black in those specific areas that would convince me it's a male. Either he's a late bloomer or it's indeed a female. If it was my bird I would have him/her...

Wessel Gordon

hi Whinney

As far as I know those actions aren't conclusive proof. If you can post us a picture or two of the male (especially the head and neck area) we might be able to help you more. At his age he should start showing signs of a ring anyway if it is male.

Wessel

Wessel Gordon

Unfortunately I'm not sure when they stop laying eggs, but it will be linked to if it's breeding season where you are and the age of the birds. Maybe more experienced breeders can give an educated estimate to what age a female is usable for breeding purposes. And yes, they should breed in your bedro...

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