got a lot of questions

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raleej337
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:33 pm
Location: San Jose

got a lot of questions

Post by raleej337 »

I am planning on buying a ringneck in a few weeks and been researching aboput the bird. Hope to get some information from your experiences and knowledge. Before buying I'd like to know the following:
- what is the minimum cage size? bar spacing?
- how loud are they when vocalizing and how often?
- I live in an apartment and wondering if they make a lot of noise, well i have one cockatiel and sometimes he's a bit noisy but tolerable.
- do they really mimic sounds/words?
- if handfed, what age is the ideal age of the bird to be purchased?
- male v.s. female? why?
- any biting problem? (i know this behavior varies from bird to bird, but still would like to know)
- what are the common behavioral problems of this bird?
- do they need shower/bath?

so far those are my questions but if you feel you need to tell me more, please do so. I don't want to buy a pet without any knowledge about them.

thank you in advance.
julie
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:07 am
Location: nsw australia

Post by julie »

I - what is the minimum cage size? bar spacing?
not sure on the specifics but you need one that your bird cant get its head through the bars and get stuck. I would strongly advise limiting the amount of doors/openings on the cage, they are pretty clever at working out how to escape.
- how loud are they when vocalizing and how often? it depends on the bird, it is hard to say and its sometimes an environment thing to how loud they talk ect
- I live in an apartment and wondering if they make a lot of noise, well i have one cockatiel and sometimes he's a bit noisy but tolerable. cant really say as it depends on several things like the particular irn may just be noisy or if they contact call to get attention ect.

- do they really mimic sounds/words?
some wont talk at all but others once they start good luck getting them to be quiet. They mimic different accents and voices and pitch ect, things like laughing and hiccups is popular and whistling.
- if handfed, what age is the ideal age of the bird to be purchased?
the bird needs to be fully fending for itself. I personally dont have an age that I let mine go.
- male v.s. female? why?

- any biting problem? (i know this behavior varies from bird to bird, but still would like to know)
hard to answer this. I havent had any serious bites from my boys ( indie head butts rather than bite) but some people have some serious issues with the biting, it really depends on the bird and how you handle it when/if it happens
- what are the common behavioral problems of this bird?
bluffing- do a search (using search function up the top) there is heaps of threads on this topic
- do they need shower/bath?
not anymore than any other bird, some love toget drenched, some just like to bath in their water bowls
julie
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Location: nsw australia

Post by julie »

My two boys indie (Irn) and Mika (alex) are talking to the tv, Neighbours was on and someone said hello and that set off the hello conversation and now the laughing between the two of them has started too. my two are quite happy to talk to eachother which is sometimes really funny and other times a little weird.
Lauren
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Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Re: got a lot of questions

Post by Lauren »

- what is the minimum cage size? bar spacing?
I think its no wider than 1inch. I could be wrong. Just so that they cant stick their head through it and get stuck.
The bigger the cage the better!
Be careful with how the cage locks too. When my male was younger, he figured out how to escape his cage, and he'd only escape at night to kick the cockatiels out of their cage. We resorted to using a padlock. lol.

- how loud are they when vocalizing and how often?
I would have to say, IRNs are MEDIUM LOUD. How often is really an individual thing. My male doesnt vocalize as much as my female does, and she can be very LOUD especially in the morning, but my male loves his sleep ins and will even argue with her everymorning when she starts vocalizing.

- I live in an apartment and wondering if they make a lot of noise, well i have one cockatiel and sometimes he's a bit noisy but tolerable.
I lived in an apartment for a few years. Im lucky I had nice neighbours! Man downstairs was never home and we were friends with next door. I was always paranoid about the neighbours complaining. But think of it this way, birds sleep at night, usually when its dark, so noise wont be a problem at night.

- do they really mimic sounds/words?
Again, its an individual thing. Some mimic/talk well, some dont. Just dont buy a bird based on its ability to talk. My male has never been great at pronouncing words right, he tries, but comes out with mumble jumbled words lol, but my female likes to get the word right. People will say they dont learn much after maturity, but I dont agree. My male is 9 years now, since we got him a wife he has learnt alot more. They might go years without picking up anything. Then surprise you one day!

- if handfed, what age is the ideal age of the bird to be purchased?
From 8 weeks or when they are fully weaned off parents.

- male v.s. female? why?
I would have to say that every bird regardless of its sex, has its own personality traits.
Based on my male and females behaviour alone, I can only say that, my female is more of a dominant personality and my male is submissive. But that could just be because thats the dynamics of a bonded pair? as on theyre own they are very different in personality! It seems my male turns dominant when hes alone, and my female submissive when its just her and I?

- any biting problem? (i know this behavior varies from bird to bird, but still would like to know)
Birds bite, thats a fact, your going to get bitten from time to time, I dont believe you can stop this behaviour alltogether as its how they communicate. If you were small and only had your beak to say 'I dont like that!' you would use it too. You can reduce this as a serious problem though, biting as a habit is not fun. Some tips that helped me..
Understanding your birds body language, reading the 'signs' can save you some nasty bites! Know when you bird is saying 'I dont want to be touched right now'. Like us, they have there moods. They have bad days and good days.
Acting calmly once bitten. Never punish a bird for biting. Know how to calmly.. without yelling, put the bird down and walk away. Birds love a reaction. By giving them a reaction your only pleasing them. They soon learn that biting gets them nowhere and its not how to get what they want.

- what are the common behavioral problems of this bird?
Well, I think with any animal there can be behaviour problems.
From my experience..
The screetching can become a problem. Ive learnt to always shut the blinds before bed! or Lola will wake me up at dawn to tell me the sun is up and she wants out of the cage! (my male likes his sleep ins and growls at her to shut up lol) Some people cover the birds cage overnight for this reason.
My female also hates my partner so she will screetch at him to leave the room.. which has become a problem, because my partner dislikes her now, because she hasnt accepted him. Its given me alot of grief that my partner and my bird dont get along!

Right as Im typing this, I have 1 bird on my head and 1 on my shoulder, throwing a tantrum at me because they want my cake thats sitting infront of me. But they wont be getting any and they know it! LOL.

Biting can be a problem if you make it a problem. My female is a dominating girl, but funny enough, she never bites, shes all growl and lunge and throw a tantrum when shes in a bad mood but she wont bite! My male on the other hand, prefers the unpredicable silent strike of death lol (jokes .. its not that bad). Hes become too smart for me. The only time I have it coming is if I am too close during breeding season when hes protecting his wife and nest. But sometimes he'll play a game.. called 'Im so cute, kiss my beak.. AND DIE!' He'll act cute and innocent to get you closer for a kiss, he wont give me any warning, then SNAP. That is the only problem Ive had with him!

Know that many birds will give you a 'testing' bite, its common when they start to reach maturity. They might be testing your authority. As they get older, they can still do this from time to time. Your still in authority if you handle the bite correctly and not give them what they want, a reaction.

- do they need shower/bath?
Most bath themselves. Some prefer a shower (with you too lol), a lil tub of theyre own, a misting with a mister spray.. it depends on your bird.
My male likes his own tub that he puffs up and dives into. (You can use any container, just dont make it deeper than their lil legs, they cant swim.) I got those pet store bought plastic birdy baths.
My female however, insists on hogging all the shower water when Im having a shower. Because I love my hot showers, I have to turn the water down to luke warm - cold and freeze when shes in the bathroom. She will sit on my head and lean into the stream. Just when I think shes done and I can continue with my shower, she will fly back and hog more water. LOL. She goes shower crazy!
During summer, I cool them off with the mister spray. They hate being sprayed with water! But some enjoy it.
I have heard of some birds not liking bathing at all.

Oh wow. Hope its not too long. lol.
Goodluck with your decision.
"Jibby aka Gilbert" Indian Ringneck 13 years "Charlie" Rex Rabbit 1 year
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