IRN and apples?

[jonhlane]

Hi, I've recently bought a ringneck, a lovely bird but not hand reared. I've got him to take food from my hand but I'm worried I'm giving him too much apple. He loves them, he gets very excited just by seeing some.

So, is it possible to have too much?

Thank you for your welcome and hello everyone. I'm John, from Shrewsbury UK.

 

[maverickbull]

Hi John,

A couple of quick Qs...
How old is your IRN?
How much "apple" is he getting everyday?
Is this your first bird?
What else are you feeding him?

Apple is good source of Vitamin A & C. The birds love the crunch as well. But don't forget the sugar component.... IRN is a tiny body and too much sugar is not good.

Try Almonds (not more than 2 a day) as a substitute.

There are a lot of threads that can help you get close to your bird. Have patience IRNs usually take time to trust. But are fun birds once you get to know them.

Please do check the threads on diet as well.

And post his pics for all of us

Cheers

 

[jonhlane]

Hi, sorry, I was a bit vague. I've had him for 2 months and was told he was 4 months old when I bought him.
He's blue and has a perch stand, no cage, and has the whole bungalow to explore.
It's not my first bird I've had budgies and cockatiels since I was a kid. He is the largest and most attention seeking I've had. Which is perfect for me now I live on my own. He's had about half an apple today but I do make sure he has seeds between slices.
I'll upload some pics later.
Thanks. John.

 

[maverickbull]

was in a fact finding mission of my own so missed replying to you earlier... sorry about that...

below are based on my experience... individual birds are different
6 months - he is still young you have time to befriend him... keep trying... IRNs take time to trust so don't give up soon.
Perch - since you're used to other birds trust you understand the need for multiple types & sizes of perches
attention - oh...!!! trust me IRNs are not that attention intensive... the little rascals that they are... will keep you occupied
apple - half an apple is roughly 100g and we're talking 10% of that as sugars. Your IRN currently won't even weigh 100g so giving him 10g of sugar a day is not a great idea.
Switch to Almonds (2 per day) you can cut it into smaller pieces as he starts trusting you with the Almond... that way you can spend more treat time with him
You can also give him green chilly (not more than 1 every couple of days)
Sunflower seeds - half a teaspoon a day
Diet - please check the diet links in the forum... there are a lot of good ones that can help you... IRNs are quite hormonal and a balanced diet can help you control (more like balance) it.

All the best... do keep us posted and yeah his pics please

 

[jonhlane]

This is PoopOn. He's 6 to 8 months old and a lovely, funny bird.