My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

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Really
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My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

Hi people :) I just got my first IRN (also my first parrot except budgies) from a pet shop. The pet shop tells me it is a male at 2-4 months old. What can you say about this, looking at the below photos?

Also Im told that it was bred in Czech. It has two collars around its feet but I have yet to have a chance of looking over them close :D



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Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
sanjays mummi
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by sanjays mummi »

What do you mean by "parrots are the cichlids of the bird world?". Lovely little bird, but unless he/she was DNA sexed and the results given to you, you cannot tell what gender your bird is at this age. Nor is it possible to confirm the age, looking at your pics, I would hazard it is still a chickster,
Wessel Gordon
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Wessel Gordon »

I agree with Sanjays Mummi that it's still a young bird but exactly how young/old is hard to tell. Guessing the sex is even harder.

I'm just wondering on what the petshop based their guess on that it's a male at such a young age.
Really
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

sanjays mummi wrote:What do you mean by "parrots are the cichlids of the bird world?". Lovely little bird, but unless he/she was DNA sexed and the results given to you, you cannot tell what gender your bird is at this age. Nor is it possible to confirm the age, looking at your pics, I would hazard it is still a chickster,
Wessel Gordon wrote:I agree with Sanjays Mummi that it's still a young bird but exactly how young/old is hard to tell. Guessing the sex is even harder.

I'm just wondering on what the petshop based their guess on that it's a male at such a young age.


Well I am a big fan of the fish family Cichlidae, especially american species'. Considering their socialness, tameability and higher intelligence, they easily remind me of the parrots, which is another family I love :D

Umm thats bad news. The pet shop guy spoke very confidently about its age & sex. He based his age guess on the black regions at the beak. About sex he pointed out the washed out ring line at the neck, though even I felt that it was a long shot, considering females having that too.

I guess the collars can help me somehow :roll:
Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
sanjays mummi
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by sanjays mummi »

Hens have black around the beak!, you're not the first and won't be the last to be given spurious information, so now you must play the waiting game, even if the collar and tie never appear, you won't love your little friend any the less.
Wessel Gordon
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Wessel Gordon »

Really,

Do not let that slight ring around the bird's neck fool you in the slightest way possible. My oldest female which is blue has a visible blue ring around her neck from a very young age. The ring confused me to the extent that I had her sexed twice by two different avian vets (I was assuming vets are only human and can make mistakes)...both tests showed she's female and in the mean time she laid a few clutches of infertile eggs so the issue of her sex isn't in any doubt at all.
Really
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

Wessel Gordon wrote:Really,

Do not let that slight ring around the bird's neck fool you in the slightest way possible. My oldest female which is blue has a visible blue ring around her neck from a very young age. The ring confused me to the extent that I had her sexed twice by two different avian vets (I was assuming vets are only human and can make mistakes)...both tests showed she's female and in the mean time she laid a few clutches of infertile eggs so the issue of her sex isn't in any doubt at all.

I see, then the sex issue is postponed for me now. The age issue remains and it is important cuz it will affect the taming process. Obviously I want to tame it ASAP :D
Knowing the age will also help me about when to expect the sexual traits to appear.
Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
sanjays mummi
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by sanjays mummi »

He/she looks young enough to tame, but even an older bird can be tamed with patience. According to the owners on this forum, males can develop their collar at eighteen months, though it can sometimes take longer, That would indicate the age of maturity.For now, just relax and enjoy your little friend.
Really
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

OK. I also have a tame budgie (the guy at my avatar). Do you guys think it is safe to introduce the budgie to the IRN? They will be free in a room and I will be supervising.
Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
sanjays mummi
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by sanjays mummi »

No, definitely not, firstly they need to settle in, and that means putting their cages next to each other and allowing them out one at a time, eventually they will probably land near the others cage and look inquisitively at the caged bird, maybe in time they will be able to socialise outside their cages, but don't put budgie at risk, an IRN can kill a budgie pdq.
MissK
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by MissK »

Don't forget that when one bird lands on the other bird's cage, the bird inside may bite the toes of the bird outside. It's easy to see an IRN could remove a Budgie's toe, but as well a Budgie's bite could become infected and cause the IRN to lose a toe or worse.
-MissK
Really
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

MissK wrote:Don't forget that when one bird lands on the other bird's cage, the bird inside may bite the toes of the bird outside. It's easy to see an IRN could remove a Budgie's toe, but as well a Budgie's bite could become infected and cause the IRN to lose a toe or worse.


What you guys saying is very depressing :o Looks like there will never be a "friendly playtime" with these guys. Cant argue with logic and safety.

In the meantime I shall upload some new photos and ask several Qs about the IRN.

First the show-off photos :) This guy really likes cucumber. He steals the budgie's cucumbers :D



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New clear photo. If it gives you an idea about the age & sex feel free to tell me :)

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And the Qs:

1. A pet store sold this to me as "mineral stone". The IRN already has a cuttlefish bone in its cage. Unfortunately I cant conduct a lab analysis on this thing, so do you think the IRN needs this kind of thing?


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2. For the digestion sand, I added the sand that I use for budgie. Below photo is for size comparison. Do you think it is suitable for the IRN? And what is the ideal method to provide it to the bird? Currently I add a teaspoonful every time I replace the food.

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3. Below is the staple food Im using. It is labeled as "parakeet food". What do you think, should I change it?

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4. Since my IRN is a young bird, I want it to grow into adulthood healthily, making sure the required nutrition is provided. So what do you recommend as supplements?
Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
InTheAir
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by InTheAir »

I recommend you find a good quality pellet, I use Roudybush but I have no idea on what is available in your country.
Also feed lots of vegetables and some fruit. nuts and seeds can be used as treats.
Here is some basic info
http://www.brisbanebirdvet.com.au/LinkC ... 3&mid=4644
http://www.brisbanebirdvet.com.au/LinkC ... 3&mid=4644
http://www.brisbanebirdvet.com.au/LinkC ... 3&mid=4644
MissK
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by MissK »

I don't think it is the case that your birds can never have time out together. Personally, I was not willing to take any chances, but your IRN is just a baby. He may grow up to love your Budgie, and they may well be able to share time. It's just that IF something goes badly, the consequences could be rather severe. For example, my two IRNs don't squabble. They are fairly evenly matched, but I would separate them if there was trouble. Likewise, if there is never any squabble between your Budgie and Ringneck, you might decide that together time under close supervision is acceptable. I can't say I might not one day reach that place myself. I would say don't allow any beak wrestling of any kind.
-MissK
Really
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

Thanks for the replies guys. But my 1st and 2nd Qs remain unanswered :) What can you say?

And a new Q:

5. I and the IRN live in the 41th parallel (north hemisphere). In the winter the lowest possible temp. is -10 Celsius (14 F). The IRN's cage is in the balcony which is closable but without any heating. So I would say it would be 1-2 degrees warmer than outside, and no rain, air current or wind will be present around the cage. So what do you think, can the bird be housed in such conditions? If not, at what point should I take the cage inside?
Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
Really
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by Really »

Really wrote:Thanks for the replies guys. But my 1st and 2nd Qs remain unanswered :) What can you say?

And a new Q:

5. I and the IRN live in the 41th parallel (north hemisphere). In the winter the lowest possible temp. is -10 Celsius (14 F). The IRN's cage is in the balcony which is closable but without any heating. So I would say it would be 1-2 degrees warmer than outside, and no rain, air current or wind will be present around the cage. So what do you think, can the bird be housed in such conditions? If not, at what point should I take the cage inside?

Nobody interested? :roll:
Parrots are the cichlids of the bird world
InTheAir
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by InTheAir »

I live in the subtropics, my problem is keeping things cool enough for half of the year!

What did you think of the links I provided?
sanjays mummi
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Re: My first IRN - comment on age & sex please

Post by sanjays mummi »

I live in the UK, I cannot possibly answer!, but as IRN's come from Asia/Africa, yet colonise here in the UK, they must be acclimatised to varying degrees in temperature, Personally I would not leave them outside in extremes of temperature either way, especially if they are static and cannot seek out heat or cold.
There is an excellent book, A Guide to Asiatic Parrots, by Sid and Jack Smith, which you may find useful.
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