New owner here to say hello

[mindovamatter]

Good morning guys,after spending quite a while deciding on getting a bird,this weekend i picked up a pair of IRN's, I say picked up but it actually felt like more of a rescue mission as i found them in the back of a so called "pet shop" in a tiny cage that i wouldn't deem fit for a finch never mind 2 IRN's, after seeing them i simply could not leave them there! i purchased the largest cage i could afford (hopefully someone will assure me that it is big enough) and got them home,whilst in the store they were both huddled in a corner,no movement,no noise! I have had them home and in the their new home for just over a day now and they are both eating,drinking and climbing around,1 of them likes to make a noise but the other has only mumbled a few times. I was told they are roughly 8mths old but have the feeling they may be older,both are quite timid and will move to the back of the cage if you approach. I will be searching the forum but any tips on getting them tame,how long before letting them out etc would be appreciated

[MissK]

Hi and welcome. Congratulations on your new pair!

[mindovamatter]

this is the cage i have

[SunniDai]

Congrats on your new fids! Judging from that gorgeous ring, I would put the green one at least no less than three to four years. And that is a great cage
Dana

[mindovamatter]

good to know the cage is ok, and yes i had thought they were older than claimed

[MissK]

Complaint zone: Why can't sellers just say they don't know if they don't know. Why must they assume only a baby will sell? Why don't they display their birds in huge cages and sell them too? Why? Why? Why?

My dream pet seller: "This one? Why, he's an Indian Ringneck! Isn't he beautiful, and so smart! He'll be with you for years and years, if you do your homework and take excellent care of him. We've got a book on Ringnecks here in our research section. A baby? Nah, he's an adult now - you can tell by that ring around his neck. Age? We don't really know. The vet says he could be anywhere between five and fifteen. Too old? No, there's nothing wrong with taking an adult. For one thing, you know right off if you've got a boy or a girl. Sometimes an adult will already have some great skills. Watch him step up for me. He'll transfer to you if you offer him this carrot.... Now move your finger like this... I taught him to wave like that. Biting? Sure, some parrots bite but it's not to do with their age. Usually a person has done something to upset him by accident. His name? Kinison. We named him after Sam because he's smart and funny, but he can really do some screaming when he wants to. How loud? Well, it varies and people have different opinions. Why don't you come by when we open tomorrow and you can hear him do it. Talk? He says a few things but there's no telling if he will ever learn more. Price? He costs a couple hundred dollars, but we do require a two week reservation. We use a wait list in case somebody changes their mind. It helps weed out the folks who might just buy on impulse and then regret it. And it gives you a chance to set up the cage and do some reading. You can even read our copy of the reference books, if you sit at that table. That one? No, that's for a smaller bird. You need a cage like one of these -- but remember he will need some time out of it every day. He'll need exercise and mental stimulation, and he needs to understand the world doesn't stop at the door of his cage. And he needs lots of toys like these and these. Too many? Actually, I love customers asking questions about our animals. How else are you going to make the right choice?"

[mindovamatter]

well said!! and i would of loved the purchase to go like that but sadly it was quite the opposite. the age doesn't bother me as i was never going to leave them in such horrible conditions! They are in their forever home now and i will do my best to give them the life they deserve. My kids love them to bits and talk to them constantly so hopefully we will see some positive reactions soon

[SunniDai]

Ya, when we rescued Oscar and Luna, we were told that they were probably around a year old. By my math, the first time I had seen them, they were not babies, and it had been at least a year since I first saw them! Then when we got them home, Oscar began getting his ring about a month later. If the owner would have been more honest, I would have known that they had been kept together in a cage for way longer than just a year and had never been touched for that long.
I have found that you can also tell by their eyes. Younger baby birds haven't developed the whole pinning thing, so their eyes are black black black.
Anyway, enjoy your fids
Dana

[AJPeter]

To answer MissK as to why pet shop owners do not tell the truth and the are are two answers, in our shop we sold a large number a of animals birds and fish, but quite often we took animals in part excahnge, or becasue their owners could no long look after them and we/I felt that prostpective buyers did not want to take on animal that was older because of ingrained bad habits, or somebody's personality stamped on the amimal.
Our animals and birds were in cages that were cleaned every day, but l have to admit l used shoddy tactics to shift older animals, l would tout an over weight rabbit that had seen better days by saying "Say Goodbye, he's going to the butchers this afternoon" Some one was bound to take it. If they did not then the owners son would let it loose on the local common
and l think the butcher would have been better to starvation and a fox!
Working in a pet shop you/I became very callous over the animals, you cannot love them because when they are sold it would break your heart. Space is a big problem the owner's son cramed 200 baby gold fish into one tank and they all died
but quite often we had different breeds in the same cage, and one thing l learnt is that you cannot put two hamsters in a cage together as the will fight to the death. Where as baby birds are okay in cages but as become adult there are problems galore!