IndianRingNeck.com

Can I ask for your experiences of when your Alexs' started to talk?

Mines 6 months now, I hand reared from 3 weeks so he's my best pal (which as an Alex is a mixed blessing...he'll sit cuddling but all he really wants is to chew the objects I use the most...1k in damage so far).

He repeats both the 'up and down' wolf whistles I use to call him over and sometimes during the babbling he doesn't actually make words.

The net suggests they start to talk at about 1yr...is this about right? There are internet myths of birds who can talk before they are weaned..possible in theory I suppose.

I'm doing 'repeat 3 clear phrases' and I'm associating my words with good stuff.......but I'm at work for s few hours during the day and he sits with the IRN and has started copying her IRN whooping. This really annoyed me tbh, although IRN babbling is a nice noise it won't help the Alex to talk.

My next step will be to leave the 2 of them with a CD playing on loop with some phrases. I know this sounds a bit clinical but its their nature to mimic and it won't hurt.

Thanks

Ian

p.s. My Alex (Nepalese) has had half of his ring since born, its black/grey and quite thick, stops atthe top of his wings. As this isn't a sex ring, is it possible he's a girl?

1 year is about the average that IRNs and Alex's begin to talk, although some talk way before that, and some after that. I believe yours will begin to talk pretty soon if he's already do his little practice grumble.

Do you have pictures? I've never heard of a ring from birth, and I assume it's not the one to sex them with, so it's possible it might be a girl.

Mika started babbling when he was about 6months and started talking clearly not long after, now he doesn't shut up.
Are you able to get some pics of the ring? unless he is a different mutation the ring should be black with red.

There seems to be a real knack to knowing the times when you have the birds full attention and the speech training is having most effect against when they are distracted and just want to chew things up.

The neck ring:

Usual chilli fights (she hides hers then steals his); good contrast of the ring



and a clearer photo, the ring has been there since he was a few weeks old



I understand breeders can pretty much tell sexes from head and body shape?

Thanks

Ian

He seems to have a bit more black coloring on his feathers than normal (it may be the lighting in the pics) but he also has more black on the beak than normal for a bird that age.
What is in his diet? is it seeds, pellets ect?

On an average day he will eat:

About a cup of mixed seed (normally Trill parrot food or equivalent)

3 different types of fruit/veg, varying every couple of days

Rusks/baby biscuits

Fruit juice

plus whatever table food he can scrounge from me.

His beak was originally much darker, it's only just started reddening as his eyes began to clear (a month or so ago, age 5mths). Is the dark a bad thing?

It is very strange for him to have this ring from birth and I wonder weather or not one of his parents is not a full and Is part moustache parrot ad here both sexes get the ring right from birth and it may be a throw back
but I may be wrong
also the dark besk ain't an issue they all start with a dark besk that lightens up with age