Need advice on newly bought Indian Ringnecks

[brogax]

Hi, sorry I am looking for some advice regarding the Indian Ringnecks, I bought 2 birds yesterday, we were thinking about it for a long time as my sister asked for these so I agreed to add them to our family...

Yesterday I brought them home, the breeder had 1 bedroom dedicated to his birds and they were pretty much free in the whole bedroom so I feel like the cage is really scary for them right now as they seem frightened whenever we get in the room/close to the cage.

They seem not to eat or drink I wonder if this is due to stress or maybe the setup of the cage so was hoping on receiving some advice on this....

I wen't there with my sister so she asked for a male/female, the only thing i'm worried is that they wouldn't breed and start eating/drinking right now.

Also, on the topic feather clipping should I go to a vet or its unnecessary to clip the wings and nails?

 

[SilverSage]

1) for new birds not eating and drinking place wide pie-dish style dishes on the floor of the cage, not under any perches.

2)speaking of that, in sorry but your cage is much too small for ONE IRN much less two. Please purchase two large cages, not just one because...

3) a female IRN will often turn on and kill her cage mate even if they have grown up together.

4) Why do you care if they breed? Do you have thousands of dollars on hand for the necessary equipment and expenses and hundreds of hours of studying under your belt? Are you 100% certain your birds are not related?

5) take them to the vet or a groomer to have the nails done the first time and have them show you how. Do the same for the wings IF you are going to clip them. I personally prefer to let mine fly.


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[brogax]

1) for new birds not eating and drinking place wide pie-dish style dishes on the floor of the cage, not under any perches.

2)speaking of that, in sorry but your cage is much too small for ONE IRN much less two. Please purchase two large cages, not just one because...

3) a female IRN will often turn on and kill her cage mate even if they have grown up together.

4) Why do you care if they breed? Do you have thousands of dollars on hand for the necessary equipment and expenses and hundreds of hours of studying under your belt? Are you 100% certain your birds are not related?

5) take them to the vet or a groomer to have the nails done the first time and have them show you how. Do the same for the wings IF you are going to clip them. I personally prefer to let mine fly.


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Breeding is something I want to avoid, I was looking in getting 2 males as it said they're friendlier however my sister insisted on getting a pair due to the names.


If I let the birds fly will taming them be easy ? I was researching and it said parrots with clipped wings are easier to bond with as they can't fly away but I would love that they have their freedom and are able to fly as well.

I am aware on the cage, unfortunately the seller told us that this is the perfect size for them and sold us the cage with them - I am looking for a different cage which has a divider, but for the meanwhile can I let these 2 stay together ? they're cuddling whilst they are stressed and I think its good for them ?

 

[bill_e]

notwithstanding cage size, get some kind of stand or table and get them up off the floor and they will settle in much better. Being on the floor and lower than you is probably making them nervous.

 

[SilverSage]

Ok avoiding breeding is easy especially once you separate them. If they are taking comfort in each other in the mean time then leaving them together is fine. In fact it might be fine forever, you just need to keep an eye out for the female to become aggressive.

There is this entirely silly idea on the internet that somehow keeping birds from flying makes them love you. It doesn't, it just makes them easier to control. Some birds, especially asiatic parakeets like IRNs tend to respond poorly to being clipped and can lead to aggression since the "flight" part of their "fight or flight" option has been removed. On the other hand, chasing birds around to catch them does horrible damage to the trust you are trying to build, so clipping can be a valuable SHORT TERM TOOL.

I'll give you this hint as well; with Ringneck for some reason you should avoid using your fingers, instead use your fist and flat hand when possible. Irns tend to have this weirdly specific fear of fingers.

Also, be prepared for a long road; IRNs are one of the most difficult species to tame. I honestly have no respect for anyone who sells wild IRNs to people looking for pet birds because in my experience 90% of these birds will never settle into good pets. It doesn't surprise me that someone who sells wild irns as pets would sell you an inadequate cage as well.

Don't be discouraged, we are here for you and would love to support and assist you, laugh and cry with you, share pictures, celebrate, commiserate, etc.


And I should tell you, I'm obsessed with Ringnecks; a bit of an addict, if you will!

Here's a picture of Royal, one of my boys.

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[MooshieBird]

First of all welcome, you have a lovely pair of ringnecks. As others have stated there are definite risks to having the birds in the same cage as they cannot get away from each other if one goes "Hulk" on the other. And the cage needs to be larger for just one bird. If you can't do a good play stand because of space look into getting cages with play tops.

SilverSage's advice for food plates is a good idea. Also try offering treats they may like. Eat some parrot safe fruit or vegetables in front of them and offer them some. Make sure you are feeding them the same thing the breeder did at least at first. If you switched to a new diet right at first they may not even try it.

How old are the birds, Ringnecks are not sexually dimorphic until they get at least one to three years and even then it is hard to tell if you don't know what to look for. If the birds are still young the only way to be sure of what sex they are is to have them sexed. Did the breeder do that?

You also talk about bonding and wing clipping. Having two birds means they have a good chance of bonding with each other and not you. They may bond with each other and do well with you and your family, but they may not. They may bond with you or someone in your family and hate each other. We don't really know what will happen, but having two birds will have a much higher chance of effecting bonding than un-clipped wings.

Wing clipping is a subject that in my opinion is best left up to you and your situation. Do your research, find out the pros and cons of both clipped and natural, and do what is best for your birds in your situation.