Thinking of getting a ringneck?

[kimberleyanddarren]

Hi All,

I am considering getting a ringneck however i need to do a lot more research before i make a commitment. I have read lots of information on them, but i find its never the same as talking to real owners.

Does anyone have any important information they wished they had known? Hints & tips? etc.

Thanks in advance!
Kimberley

[Jonathan W]

Haha! Can't believe that I haven't made a topic like this myself! I'll definitely keep this topic in my books ;)

[Melika]

They are smarter than I gave them credit for. I wish I had instituted foraging earlier.

They are moody when they want to be. Key word being "they". You cannot dictate your bird's mood.

Birds are NOT dogs. At all. In any way, not training, behavior, willingness to please. None of it. Dog training does not apply.

A bird is offended if you turn your back on them- they know what it means. They do it to you. XD

Your relationship with your bird today will be completely different a few years down the road- for good or bad is up to you and your willingness to adapt.

[ellieelectrons]

I would agree with all of Melika's comments.

Having a tame companion parrot is a lot of work - I had no idea how much work it was going to be before we brought our Janey home. It takes a lot of time and patience and smarts to form a bond with your bird and there can be ongoing problems that you have to work through with them (eg. you may have read my thread on the problems we have had with Janey trying to get inside our dryer and washing machine to nest and how she chewed through an electrical cable and could have killed herself).

It is also very rewarding but they are hard work... and they can be noisy and all birds are messy.

Ellie.

[sanjays mummi]

Not like dogs?, they are just as intelligent, equally as noisy, on a par with capricious eating habits, and not messy through choice.

[ellieelectrons]

I think Melika was meaning that dogs have a disposition of wanting to please you if you are the "master". Birds don't seem to have the same hierarchical social structures & aren't "pleasers" by nature.

Ellie.

[ellieelectrons]

The other thing I didn't have a grasp on is how strong their natural instincts are. I've had a few problems with nesting behaviors with my female.

Ellie.

[sanjays mummi]

I love a feisty independent intelligent pet. That is why our dogs were GSDs' and Samoyeds. I think it demeans an animal if it has to grovel to its' owner. If someone cannot bond with an IRN maybe they need a polyester pet

[Melika]

Ellie is correct in that I was referring to a dog's willingness to please. In the dog world, this term would never be confused with a 'groveling' dog. For that matter, Samoyeds and GSDs are very well-known for the willingness to please their human(s).

I am a dog person. I always have a dog, worked at an animal shelter and assisted in training there, love my dogs, understand my dog(s) and the motivation behind their actions. My second language is dog body language. Dogs simply make sense to me.

When I got Hane and couldn't figure him out, I realised I was applying my sense of Dog to him. It doesn't work. They aren't motivated by the same things. I had to try and learn parrot. Still working on it. They are FAR more complicated.

[sanjays mummi]

We were in dogs for over 30 yrs, the only thing a Samoyed will work for is food, no reward no co operation. They are almost impossible to heel train. That is not a breed eager to please it's owner, and the reason we devoted those decades to the breed. But this is an IRN forum and I digress. Sanjay will not do anything for nothing.

[BryanJohnny]

Patience is key. You will get frustrated many times, but they get better everyday.
I handfed my pair of IRN's and it was like raising a newborn. They make noises every few hours to eat.
I suggest you buy a baby indian ringneck. It might seem like a pain (Weaning, taming etc.), but it's the best way to learn about your bird's behavior.

[sanjays mummi]

I did buy a baby IRN, he was 8 wks. I have done my share of weaning baby animals over the years.

[Melika]

Hi All,

I am considering getting a ringneck however i need to do a lot more research before i make a commitment. I have read lots of information on them, but i find its never the same as talking to real owners.

Does anyone have any important information they wished they had known? Hints & tips? etc.

Thanks in advance!
Kimberley

Tips:
Calculate your expenses beforehand. Shop around for a large cage (BIG cages already assembled go for cheap on the last day of bird fairs- wish I had known that). Put together a toy list with prices and totals, a variety of toys of differing materials and enough toys to switch them out and change the arrangement at least once a month. A variety of perches (one Sandy Perch is useful). Get your cage and all toys well before you bring the bird home.

IF you are hand-feeding and have never done that before, make sure the breeder shows you how and you are comfortable with it. There is no need to hand-feed. There is no extra special bond just by hand-feeding. A well socialized, abundance-weaned bird is all that is important.

Find a local avian vet. Not everyone gets their birds checked up yearly (some really bad avian diseases can be so easily transmitted I wouldn't want to take mine to a vet and expose it either) but if you have at least one visit and a file open then your vet has something to compare if you ever DO need to go for something.