Hi Guys and Girls!

[Hawk24]

Hey everyone, I am new here and wanting to get a parrot for a companion. I live in Australia, NSW and finishing year 12. I have decided to get at the end of the year an Indian Ringneck or a scaly breasted lorikeet. I don't want a bird for its talking ability but as a companion which I can baby and train and bond with and have in my life for a long time. I have so many questions and I am sure all the more experienced bird keepers can answer them

[MissK]

If "babying" includes snuggling, think extra hard about the Ringneck and how you would feel if the bird never accepted you touching. Some accept it and some do not.

[Wessel Gordon]

MissK,

Excellent advice. I have a flock of 6 IRN's of which I can only touch the oldest female of about 10 years old that I hand-reared and even then it's only when Her Highness is in a very good mood. As for the others only two will approach me for treats but that's the limit of our physical interaction. The others are s trictly hands-off.
Hawk24,

If you want a companion perhaps a Sun Conure might be a species to consider. They have very bright colors, even brighter brains and a continent's worth of personality.

As MissK pointed out most IRN's aren't cuddle-buddies although they do tend to form a bond with their caregiver. In my flock every single bird has a distinct way of greeting me whenever I'm around them (maybe it's just because I supply them with their favorite foods but bribing a bird to like me is just fine in my book).

Kind regards,

Wessel

[Hawk24]

Thanks guys, haha I do not want a cuddle buddy. Rather scratch its head and belly etc. i am thinking of going for a ring neck as I have been reading they don't need as much time with an owner as say a galah who can demand attention all the time. I will handle him/her everyday for hours etc. and I am sure over the next few months I will learn a lot about how to handle and keep them. The reason I didn't go for a conure is that I have heard the noise level is a bit on the loud side in general. Every bird is different as you mentioned and I might be lucky enough to find the personality and hopefully they like me back.

First question I should ask is, once I have all the equipment and space, is it better to have 2 ringnecks as opposed to one? So they can keep each other company?
Thanks again

[Hawk24]

Sorry if I sound a little jumpy getting straight into this topic just so I don't come across the wrong way, I am likely to be at school for 6 hours a day and when I get back I will be studying or fitness training for the army next year. So I would just like a feathered companion who will perch on my shoulder or walk around my room while I do study or am home. Over time I may decide to teach the bird a few tricks and all. I love the look of ring necks and they are around the size of bird I could afford to own. I could go for a cockatiel or budgie or a conure but they do not appeal to me as much. I have had a budgie as a pet when I was little, or rather my family did but little knowledge of birds and lack of experienced didn't mix well. So now that I have a job, more time coming up and will have as much knowledge as I can possibly get...I believe I can support a parrot.

Just correct me on anything I may say wrong, always open to criticism if it leads to a positive outcome.

[InTheAir]

Hi there,

I live in queensland, we are almost neighbours by international forum standards
My boyfriend and I have 2 irns, they are great but they are not easy pets! No parrot is an easy pet!
The good side is they are super smart, like to be involved in almost everything you do, are easy to train, make you laugh constantly with their antics, ours talk.
The bad side is about the same, they are super smart so they need heaps of enrichment and things to do, they are always looking for more. They can redesign parts of your house for entertainment.
They like to be involved in everything you do, it can be really hard to do anything when they are around. Mine tried to eat my tax return and pen yesterday, today it was the power drill, a screw driver and a hand saw while I was trying to use them, until I realised the only way I'd get stuff done was to put them in their cages.
They require a lot of time out of their cages to fly around and harass ... errr... interact with you. Ultimately, most parrots are flock animals and are not made for being alone by themselves while the owners are at work or uni.
They are loud and have quite a high pitch to their voices. You can teach them to moderate it with time, patience and good training. If you live in a share house it can be really hard to get everyone to be consistent with responding to vocalisations. Sun conures are way worse in my opinion. I recommend hearing them in person before settling on a species, different people can tolerate different noises.
Here is a video I made of the worst noise making we get, to get an accurate idea of how unpleasant it can be you need to have external speakers plugged into your computer as it is louder than built in speakers can go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKEm2asxlM

They aren't always conducive to having a social life. They will be up early every morning, no matter what you did last night.
They are messy.

I think irns are pretty sensitive birds, so you must learn about body language and correct handling.

Those are some points to consider.

Regards,

Claire

[InTheAir]

Does the army let you bring pets? Our old flat mate joined the army this year and he doesn't seem to get much free time, let alone enough for a parrot.

[Wessel Gordon]

Hawk24,

If you're going to be away from your bird for hours on end having two birds is a good idea if you can afford it. The obvious downfall would be that you will have to get a cage big enough to house both birds (in my opinion it would be unkind to have two and house them apart from each other) plus the double cost of food, treats and toys.

Just beware of one possible danger if you get two: they might end up bonding with each other and not with you so your ideal of learning them tricks might fly right out the window (pardon the pun) if that's the case. Then again: my first IRN took treats from me since she was hand-reared and as the flock expanded other members (in some cases parent-reared birds) started flocking towards me for their treats as well so it's not impossible to have at least some interaction with a whole flock of birds.

And if you do decide to get two my advice for obvious reasons would be to pick either two males or two females depending on your preference. Just be absolutely 1000 % sure before you buy the birds that they are indeed the same sex. If you intend to buy from a breeder I am sure he or she would be happy to have the birds you are interested in sexed by an avian vet...it might add a bit to the purchasing price but it would eliminate any nasty surprises a few years down the line.

As for your remark about Sun Conures: they are indeed incredibly loud; you either really don't have to mind a lot of screaming right next to your ears or you must have the noise-tolerance of a boulder to successfully live with them. At one point I had a breeding pair that raised 3 chicks per clutch and if they saw something suspicious all 5 would instantly go into full vocal alert.

To get a good understanding of what kind of noise-level you can tolerate I would suggest you contact breeders of species of birds you are interested in and ask them if you can spend at least 30 minutes around their birds when the birds are at their most vocal (usually early morning or at dusk). That should give you a good indication if you will be able to live with that level of noise for the next 15-20 years.

Wessel

[Hawk24]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely look into the noise level and find a breeder as soon as I can. I am only going into the army for 1 year as part of their gap year program. Full time and I intend to raise the bird with my family. So he/she will be my bird but it would also be part of the family. Thats my solution to being away for a year without contact and why I would like to get one young. I will by that time have all the information down on how to handle and look after it for my family to properly look after it and to make sure I don't come back to a misbehaving bird (well more than can be expected haha).

I can afford 2 birds, afford to have 2 birds...well that is uncertain. I was also suggested on another forum an Alexandrine, I will say this was my first choice but the price tag and being able to find one was deterring...these are the two birds I am most interested in as a pet. The army has a waiting period for positions and I will most likely have to wait 12 months, more than enough time to form a bond and have basic training done or started. Then my family can continue to reinforce it. As for space, if I wanted to I could have a cage 1.5m width and 2m high in my bedroom as it is like a mini house/cabin. And it has plenty of room to fly.

Is there anything else about IRN's that you think I may have missed or isn't written about that I need to know? And would an Alex be a good choice in parrot should I be able to afford all its needs? Or is that a parrot for a person with more experience?
Thanks again everyone

[Hawk24]

Okay guys and girls, i have realised after more research that maybe I am jumping the gun here going straight to an Asiatic bird or any bird of that size. So I have decided to start small with a budgie . I had nothing against them it was just that an IRN or Alex was more appealing to me . Now I know that a budgie is just like any other parrot and just because it is small doesn't mean it needs less time etc. but they are more independent and don't need as much time as say an Asiatic bird. That and it is more cost effective for me when I am just out of school. As I have said on another forum, I would hate not being able to support a bird because I don't have the money to. And I am sure by starting small I will be able to appreciate having a larger bird later.
Thanks again guys for your help open my eyes and not make a foolish beginners mistake.

[InTheAir]

Budgies are cute. If you treat them as you would a bigger bird you will be amazed at how clever they are!
I saw the cutest budgie party in a pet store recently, the manager gave them a foraging tray, full of shredded paper and recycled paper kitty litter with seed sprinkled in, on the floor of the cage and they were bouncing around in it and chirping away. It was just adorable!


good luck finding a little friend.

[Hawk24]

Budgies are cute. If you treat them as you would a bigger bird you will be amazed at how clever they are!
I saw the cutest budgie party in a pet store recently, the manager gave them a foraging tray, full of shredded paper and recycled paper kitty litter with seed sprinkled in, on the floor of the cage and they were bouncing around in it and chirping away. It was just adorable!


good luck finding a little friend.

Thanks , I am looking at getting either an albino or a light blue variation . But it should be fun and I am sure my little brother will love them....I just have to make sure he knows how to handle them without making them feel frightened.
Thanks again everyone