IndianRingNeck.com

Hi there, I've posted here a long time ago... I have an 8 year old female IRN named Monty (named before we discovered her sex) She seems to always have been 'my bird' if you understand what I mean... as she exhibits strange behaviour when I come anywhere near her (light chirping, arching her back, and a loud squawk whenever I enter the room) I am the only one she allows to touch her in any way shape or form, and she can be very aggressive to anybody that isn't me, when the mood takes her.

Recently myself and my fiancée bought her a red 'babble ball'... which is basically a solid red plastic ball suspended from a chain that hangs inside her cage, and whenever she hits the ball with enough force, it makes various animal and human noises... we thought it would be a nice treat for her.

How wrong we were!

As time went on she began to exhibit the same behaviour towards the ball as she exhibited towards me, she would rub against the ball and tweet at it, but also became very aggressive when approached, or if we tried to touch the ball, she'd try to lunge at us. Getting the ball out was a nightmare! it took 2 of us to do it, my fiancée would distract her while I attempted to get the ball out. I managed to get the ball out, but unfortunately Monty managed to get out too... she saw that I had the ball in my hand and let out such a screech, then swooped at me like a bird of prey, the one and only time she has ever attacked me and drawn blood. We got her back in the cage but needless to say the ball has been put in 'storage'.

Can anyone give me any clue as to why she may be doing this? any help would be appreciated...

Many thanks, Kris

Hi Kris. It sounds like Monty might have been thinking you'd make a nice mate, but then ditched you in favour of the noisy ball. Getting rid of the ball may thrust you back into favour, but try not to be the rebound relationship. There is plenty written here about avoiding that, and you can use SEARCH to find it. Also, why not let Monty out to fly in the safely secured house on purpose? It's good for her!

Sanjay has a babble ball, he loves beating the **** out of it!, it doesn't babble when it hangs up, so it's on his roof garden,

She gets out of her cage, we let her out on a regular basis... we leave it open and she comes in and out as she pleases, I'll be sitting on the sofa and she'll land on my lap, as far as I go then she has me wrapped around her little finger... (or wing, or whatever)

It's just the babble ball brings out the little green demon inside of her...

I was really disappointed in the babble ball, the one we got only worked if you bashed it really hard on a solid surface

Check out this link: http://pamelaclarkonline.com/uploads/Ho ... havior.pdf

Here is a link about energy values of some common foods: http://www.scas.org.au/html/fresh_food_nutrients.html

I think the first place to start is looking into diet and housing conditions and making whatever adjustments are needed, then you can start changing the relationships that both you and your partner have with the bird.
if you are in the northern hemisphere it would be *that* time of year now (I think).

It's that time of the year here!

And here!, I think Sanjay must be asexual or a slow maturer, I read these posts quite nonplussed by it all!, lol!

sanjays mummi wrote:And here!, I think Sanjay must be asexual or a slow maturer, I read these posts quite nonplussed by it all!, lol!

You're so lucky! You must be providing the right conditions to discourage breeding. Any tips?

Unfortunately no, whatever I've got "right" is purely by accident!.

I really like this time of year because I'm so fond of Rocky carrying on. He doesn't seem fussed by it and he gets more exercise dancing around, for sure. His feeding toys behaviour never really got off the ground this year. He and Sinbad are in Sinny's cage right now, carrying on and giving the foot toys a workout. There doesn't seem to be any crankiness. Things will be so quiet so soon. I enjoy they extra activity while it's here.

The only difference in Sanjay at this time of year, is his being more toonful, Like me he seems to enjoy the sunnier days, and the lighter mornings and evenings.