Hi! My.name is Tracy and this is my 1st experience with a birs

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tracy62401
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Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 12:20 pm

Hi! My.name is Tracy and this is my 1st experience with a birs

Post by tracy62401 »

:(( I have a wide range of emotions bc I picked this "breed" bc I thought they learned how to talk better than other birds (shows you how much I knew) I was told for the 1st time after buying my turquoise ring neck that they are more independent than other birds and.don't need as much interaction to be happy. This makes me sad..I'm having a few issues as you may have guessed and I need your advice and guidance.
MissK
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Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Hi! My.name is Tracy and this is my 1st experience with a birs

Post by MissK »

Hi Tracey. Congratulations on your new bird. I think what you may be finding out is that these are living creatures, and they need to be taught stuff you want from them. And they will have their own ideas and reactions. They're not like a fish you can just set up be done. It seems to be true that some Ringnecks are very independent and others are much more outgoing. The fact that your bird can be happy without you does not also mean your bird would be unhappy with you.

Ringnecks can talk, and I understand some of them are very impressive. However, they are not hatched speaking like people. They must be taught. If you want your bird to talk, then you have to teach him. Sometimes a bird (any bird capable) will pick up speech on its own. Others never do. Others respond to intentional teaching. If you want your bird to talk, you have to do some work. As you embark on that, it might be a good idea to ask yourself what a talking bird will bring to your life. The novelty of your pet saying "Hi Mama!" may be thrilling for a while, but if he never shuts up and says it all the time, it might tend to get annoying. So clarify your goals and expectations before you proceed.

As far as independence, I am wondering if what you are seeing as independence is actually a lack of tameness/training. While my birds have differing degrees of tameness, neither one is totally uninterested in me for daily happiness. One of them seeks me out when he's in the mood, and the other comes near me even though he also seems to want me to go away. He's interested, but not as comfortable once he gets there. With varying degrees of comfort with humans, both still have an interest and motivation to come near. I even think one of them is glad to see me, though he has a cage companion who he loves. So don't be unhappy if your bird doesn't NEED you. It's healthier if he doesn't, given the amounts of time you can't be there for him.

It's also important, I think, for any person who keeps a pet to clarify for themselves what it is they want this pet to do for them. If you want your bird to provide opportunity for you to learn the skill of animal training and endure the trials as well as reap the rewards, then you may get what you want. If you want your bird to stoke your ego and entertain you and your friends while you lie about eating bonbons, then you are not going to get what you want, UNLESS you go through that training work first.

I think it's regrettable that you didn't educate yourself better before you got your bird, but now that you have him, you can still catch up on your learning. As long as you treat him well and see to his basic needs, he'll probably wait for you to catch up.
-MissK
ringneck
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Re: Hi! My.name is Tracy and this is my 1st experience with a birs

Post by ringneck »

Welcome Tracy,

First, I want to welcome you to our Indian Ringneck forum. We have the best family around here. In fact, we have the largest database of questions and answers thanks to the wonderful members here. Honestly, you could spend hours and hours on end looking through all the past information. There's so much information here that all too often hours pass and I forget about the time. I truly love this little place because we are all crazy bird lovers! :p

Secondly, I want to express my opinion about ringnecks and their talking ability. I know you know it's no secret that ringnecks talk very well. After all, if you do a search on YouTube and type "ringnecks," all too often the videos showcased are these parrots talking. But, let me give you some truth as to ringnecks and their talking ability.

The chances of a ringneck talking are greatly increased if the bird has been hand fed, socialized well towards human interaction, and the bird has a strong bond with its owner. I am not saying only hand fed ringnecks talk; however, this just seems to increase the chances of the bird talking. That being said, I totally agree with MissK --every bird is an individual. Though talking might seem like a deal breaker for many people, I'm here to tell you these parrots are so much more than their talking ability. ;) I absolutely adore my female ringneck's as their love and devotion is like no other. Once the bird has formed a bond it is literally unbreakable. The funny thing is my females don't talk very much--with the exception of Devri who only says two or three words. Nonetheless, they truly are a joy to have in my life. :x

Also, my Alexandrian parrot who is supposed to be extremely gifted in the talking department hardly speaks, and I'm okay with that. I promise the talking is just the sprinkles on a cake. Once you bond with your bird and see the bird for what it is, I'm sure you'll overcome this disappointment.

I also wanted to hit up on the subject about ringnecks not being that cuddly. This too is a myth as my Archimedes, Devri, and Aya are cuddle monsters. The only one who does not like to be touched too much is Osiris. I am working with him gradually through positive reinforcement to enjoy it, but I let him set the pace. When he is in the mood to be handled, he can be such a love bug. O:-) Like people, these birds all have their own personalities. So my advice to you would be to just focus on bonding with your bird and gradually introducing other tricks. Once the bird has had enough time to settle into its routine, and you have spent many months working on tricks, the bird will most likely become bonded to you. Once this is achieved, then handling and cuddling should fall into place. \:D/

I hope this helps. :wink:

Best wishes, :)

IMRAN-C
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