IndianRingNeck.com

Hi there I recently bought a blue ringneck I was told it was 12/13 weeks. I read up about them and it all seemed positive but recently went to a pet store and there reaction was "what made you buy one of those ?" I said well I really liked them and love birds. At this point he went on how there rubbish talkers, hardest birds to tame and worse for biting and ripping things ! As u can imagine I'm now confuse as it contradicts everything I've heard and read about.could somebody shed some light on what the truth really is because I'm a bit confused ..... Any basic info and advice would be well appreciated .... Thanks , John

A lot of this will have to do with the individual birds, how they were raised, and how you handle him/her. (As for birds that rip up things, I vote cockatoo.)

If a IRN is raised "wild" in in aviary with other IRNs, or kept in a cage with another IRN, I do believe they are harder to tame.

As for talking, see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... KfE_8zwHec

Not every birds will talk. Not every Amazon, African Grey, nor Macaw will learn or want to talk. It really is up to the individual. Heck, the WORLD record for number of words is held by a... wait for it... Budgie! http://budgiesareawesome.blogspot.com/2 ... world.html

Biting? Perhaps this individual only experienced IRNs during the bluffing stages. Sometimes they can really bite, others simply bluff (like my Hane- though his brother did bite through this stage). The worst biters I personally ever had were 'tiels and lovebirds. Hane has never broken my skin.

I hope this gives you a sense of balance when reviewing your future with your IRN. And remember that the bird you have now will change A LOT throughout his lifetime and yours. It is an evolving relationship. Enjoy it.

Thank you I really appreciate it , it's my first bird I've tried to train and I'm going to get there ! The bird is only young so it's timid at minute but I sit every day talking to it and after another week or 2 I'm going to open it's cage and let it come out if it wants. I don't wanna rush anything ive got a lifetime thanks again ,jd
Ps any taming or talking advice is welcomes gratefully

Melika wrote:And remember that the bird you have now will change A LOT throughout his lifetime and yours. It is an evolving relationship.

I love what you've written here Melika. That is one thing that has surprised me with my IRNs.... the relationship is constantly changing... You've summed it up well there Melika. I would add that the way you react and treat your bird when these changes occur is what has the biggest effect on whether the relationship develops positively or negatively. Respect, patience, care and a little bit of smarts go a long way.

JD - check out this post, I think some of it could be useful for you.
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =7&t=15111

Please let us know if you have any particular questions.

BTW - I wouldn't advise going straight from sitting talking to your bird to letting it out as a taming mechanism. It's ok if you want to let it out so that it can fly around if it wants to or explore other places... but it's not the next step in taming. I wold get it to accept treats from your hand through the cage bars first, then try to progress to accepting treats from your hand whilst in the cage but not through the cage bars. However, there is nothing wrong with letting your bird out of the cage but it won't necessarily be the easiest way to tame your bird especially if it is flighted. The first time you do it, it's probably good to do it in the afternoon leading up to sundown. When you want it to go back, make sure there are no artificial lights on and it should go back to its cage itself. However, you may also find it sticks close to its cage any way as it feels safe there.

Ellie.

The guy who told you those lies about irn knows nothing about them. Biting? Every bird bites. Has he heard of bluffing? Rubbish talkers? Is that why my my 9 month old irn is already saying words clearly. And every bird tears things up. All in all, it's what you make of the bird, you have to teach all birds right from wrong, the proper way

By coincidence, an advisor in this months "parrots" magazine has also put IRNs in a negative light,, stating they are aviary birds and do not make good pets. And this is a so called "expert"!./

Oh please. In our days anyone who has some little insight in something is considered an 'expert'. I won't trust that 'expert' in any info he gives

sanjays mummi wrote:By coincidence, an advisor in this months "parrots" magazine has also put IRNs in a negative light,, stating they are aviary birds and do not make good pets. And this is a so called "expert"!./

Whilst there is individual variation in personalities of IRNs, I wouldn't say that they are necessarily the easiest companion parrots although I'm sure there are some breeds that would be worse. I do think people should know what they are getting into before bringing one home.

I love my two little guys to bits, I work really hard to be what they need me to be and would do anything for them, I can't imagine my life without them now, they enrich it so much --- but they are most definitely hard work, Janey possibly more so than Charlie. The rewards are worth it but I must admit I didn't go in knowing that much about the breed in particular.

Ellie.

I have had, and do have, several breeds of birds and my IRN's are by far the "hardest" birds I've ever had. But I love them.

Kim