Need help from expert IRN owners

[indianringnecks]

Hey so i bought a male 3 year old indian ringneck parrot 2 weeks and a half ago, and hes been oddly quiet and he seems to have seperation anxiety or depression i am not sure what i can do about it but i am confident something is wrong with him and I know he needs some sort of treatment but i cant be sure yet he plucker's his feathers a lot and he make's really really sad noises (ill attach a video) and he prefers to stay ontop of his cage when i let him out he runs all the way to the cage he is friendly and he doesnt bite but he seems sad he also had a friend but i didnt buy his friend because i didnt expect it wouldve mattered but i am now confident that after a bunch of research he is missing his friend i made a lot of research on solutions and i just got the same results repetitively "clean cage and toys" blah blah his cage is already clean and i got him a really nice and colorful swing but hes afriad of the swing toy that i bought him so i really want him to be happy and comfortable but i dont know what i should do so please to those expert IRN owners help a new owner please , thank you i wish you all a happy day

 

[SailBoat]

Let us start from the position of standard basic new Parrot stuff and if an expert pops in, they can work with the specifics.

- The sounds your Parrot is making is more along the lines of Hi, how are you, etc. Not hearing anything that implies anything else.

- Try sitting next to you Parrots cage and read to him in a soft comforting voice. What you read is your choice, but try to target something like the sticky thread near the top of the Amazon Forum titled: I Love Amazons,... as it contains excellent information about Amazons and the vast majorities of it applies to most all Parrots.

- Your parrot is far more interested in spending time with you and doing more of the above will help.

- Your parrot will quickly determine that you are safe to be around and approachable.

- Your parrot, most likely is not overly happy with New Stuff just showing up in his space and will likely be happier if they arrive in the general area and over several days work their way nearer.

This should get you started and likely open your eyes to the very different World of Parrots.

 

[indianringnecks]

Hey thank you so much for the reply i truly appreciate it,
but what about the toys? Hes still afraid of them!

 

[wrench13]

Like my good friend 'Boats said, new stuff is best introduced slowly to parrots. Put the toy nearby his cage for a few days before putting it in his cage. It also can help a lot if he sees you playing with the toy, making all sorts of happy sounds about how much fun the toy is. Sounds silly but this really can help a lot.

 

[indianringnecks]

Like my good friend 'Boats said, new stuff is best introduced slowly to parrots. Put the toy nearby his cage for a few days before putting it in his cage. It also can help a lot if he sees you playing with the toy, making all sorts of happy sounds about how much fun the toy is. Sounds silly but this really can help a lot.

Thats honestly a great idea, i do agree that it does sound silly but it does make sense
Btw how many do you suggest me to keep doing that till I reintroduce it to him?

Also to be honest, he seems really lonely so i was wondering if i should buy him a cockatoo friend because ringnecks are expensive so would it work to get him a ringneck friend and then a couple months after buying him a cockatoo i'd buy him another ringneck. Should i do that or is it a bad idea?

Thanks have a great day

 

[MissMac]

Hey thank you so much for the reply i truly appreciate it,
but what about the toys? Hes still afraid of them!

Sometimes it isn't that they are afraid... it's just that they don't want you watching. While I have females, I do notice that sometimes they will stop what they are doing - sort of like playing statues, and won't continue until they are sure you have stopped watching them. Weird I know but they are IRN's...

 

[HeatherG]

Thats honestly a great idea, i do agree that it does sound silly but it does make sense
Btw how many do you suggest me to keep doing that till I reintroduce it to him?

Also to be honest, he seems really lonely so i was wondering if i should buy him a cockatoo friend because ringnecks are expensive so would it work to get him a ringneck friend and then a couple months after buying him a cockatoo i'd buy him another ringneck. Should i do that or is it a bad idea?

Thanks have a great day

Do you mean a cockatiel friend? Because cockatoos are much more costly than ringnecks in most of the world.

I think you should try to make friends with your parrot, who maybe is a bit shy. Or, if you are sure he’s lonely, maybe you could buy his friend from the pet store. But I wouldn’t buy a random bird to fill a gap. You might end up with two unhappy birds who don’t like each other.

I was expecting to hear something terrible, but that noise in your video is just a “talking to himself” noise. And if you can get as close to him as the video appears then maybe he isn’t THAT shy.

 

[Cottonoid]

Welcome to the forums!

You've gotten such good advice. Your IRN is still getting used to his new home so don't worry too much yet.

My first parrot is also a ringneck, and for the first few months I was worried I was doing everything wrong. Everyone I know with a parrot will act super happy and excited and their parrot does too, where mine would run away and look at me like I had completely lost my mind.

Since getting my ringneck, I've spent time at a parrot sanctuary and watched a cockatiel in my home and recently added a Quaker parrot to my home.

After meeting a lot of different species of parrots by now, I can now tell that I just didn't understand my ringneck's personality enough at first. A lot of ringnecks are suspicious of everything - way more so than other parrots - and it can take them a lot longer to trust people. They often tend to be nervous around hands. These behaviors can be totally normal and expected in their species when kept as pets and it doesn't always mean they are unhappy.

My ringneck makes sounds when he's very happy that would probably seem sad to humans but I've gotten to know him over six months now.

I'm not at ALL an expert! But you're not alone in wondering what your parrot's behavior means

 

[indianringnecks]

Sometimes it isn't that they are afraid... it's just that they don't want you watching. While I have females, I do notice that sometimes they will stop what they are doing - sort of like playing statues, and won't continue until they are sure you have stopped watching them. Weird I know but they are IRN's...

Ohh so he doesnt want me watching him?

 

[indianringnecks]

Do you mean a cockatiel friend? Because cockatoos are much more costly than ringnecks in most of the world.

I think you should try to make friends with your parrot, who maybe is a bit shy. Or, if you are sure he’s lonely, maybe you could buy his friend from the pet store. But I wouldn’t buy a random bird to fill a gap. You might end up with two unhappy birds who don’t like each other.

I was expecting to hear something terrible, but that noise in your video is just a “talking to himself” noise. And if you can get as close to him as the video appears then maybe he isn’t THAT shy.

Hey yes i meant cocktails sorry, also today he made a much sadder noise i dont know what i can do about it i have another video which I'll attach im really worried about his health he doesnt seem like he wants to interact with me so i just gave him an apple and left him alone for a bit please help because i dont know what i can do anymore also i already went to the pet store and his friend was bought by someone else

 

[indianringnecks]

Hey yes i meant cocktails sorry, also today he made a much sadder noise i dont know what i can do about it i have another video which I'll attach im really worried about his health he doesnt seem like he wants to interact with me so i just gave him an apple and left him alone for a bit please help because i dont know what i can do anymore also i already went to the pet store and his friend was bought by someone else

Heres the other video

 

[indianringnecks]

Hey yes i meant cocktails sorry, also today he made a much sadder noise i dont know what i can do about it i have another video which I'll attach im really worried about his health he doesnt seem like he wants to interact with me so i just gave him an apple and left him alone for a bit please help because i dont know what i can do anymore also i already went to the pet store and his friend was bought by someone else

Heres the other video

Welcome to the forums!

You've gotten such good advice. Your IRN is still getting used to his new home so don't worry too much yet.

My first parrot is also a ringneck, and for the first few months I was worried I was doing everything wrong. Everyone I know with a parrot will act super happy and excited and their parrot does too, where mine would run away and look at me like I had completely lost my mind.

Since getting my ringneck, I've spent time at a parrot sanctuary and watched a cockatiel in my home and recently added a Quaker parrot to my home.

After meeting a lot of different species of parrots by now, I can now tell that I just didn't understand my ringneck's personality enough at first. A lot of ringnecks are suspicious of everything - way more so than other parrots - and it can take them a lot longer to trust people. They often tend to be nervous around hands. These behaviors can be totally normal and expected in their species when kept as pets and it doesn't always mean they are unhappy.

My ringneck makes sounds when he's very happy that would probably seem sad to humans but I've gotten to know him over six months now.

I'm not at ALL an expert! But you're not alone in wondering what your parrot's behavior means

hey thank you so much i guess i will eventually get to understand his personality and behavior some better ill keep doing my best and ill ensure that he feels comfortable and happy

 

[HeatherG]

He’s letting you rub his head which shows me he’s quite comfortable with you. He may be making those little noises because he likes you petting him. My bird makes little noises when I rub his head, too.

 

[indianringnecks]

He’s letting you rub his head which shows me he’s quite comfortable with you. He may be making those little noises because he likes you petting him. My bird makes little noises when I rub his head, too.

I hope that is the case and that he's comfortable with it, thanks for your response but should i buy him a friend but from a different species or is that a bad idea?

 

[HeatherG]

I think if he’s happy now with you, maybe you should leave things as they are. There’s a chance he might not like a new bird, or it might cause some difficulty. Two birds are twice as much food toys and vet costs. if finances are at all tight, it’s sometimes best to have one bird that is very well kept than two birds who you can’t quite afford.

Your ringneck seems to be quite friendly and happy. Enjoy your good relationship with him!

 

[wrench13]

Getting a parrot as a friend to your already problematic one is not a good idea. You get another parrot because YOU want another one. Adding to a flock can work out several different ways of which only one is the one you are trying to achieve. They could hate each other. They could love each other, to the exclusion of you. Lots of dynamics in adding to a flock.

 

[HeatherG]

Heres the other video

My Quaker just had some thanksgiving dinner and is making little squeaky noises JUST LIKE your ringneck. They may sound sad to a human but I think they are happy and content noises. Certainly Willows tummy is full and he is on my lap so I believe he’s a happy guy.

 

[indianringnecks]

I think if he’s happy now with you, maybe you should leave things as they are. There’s a chance he might not like a new bird, or it might cause some difficulty. Two birds are twice as much food toys and vet costs. if finances are at all tight, it’s sometimes best to have one bird that is very well kept than two birds who you can’t quite afford.

Your ringneck seems to be quite friendly and happy. Enjoy your good relationship with him!

Maybe you are right, although thankfully i have no financial issues and in the past i owned 4 birds at the same time
But he's gradually starting to like his toy etc which is great maybe we would get him a friend but i changed my mind for now he seems happy! Thanks for the tips and stuff

 

[indianringnecks]

Getting a parrot as a friend to your already problematic one is not a good idea. You get another parrot because YOU want another one. Adding to a flock can work out several different ways of which only one is the one you are trying to achieve. They could hate each other. They could love each other, to the exclusion of you. Lots of dynamics in adding to a flock.

I see thank you so much, i didnt see it that way i will be sure to be careful
For now i will keep him alone, but i am sure i will get him a friend but i think by at least summer or spring 2023 right now isnt the best time
Thanks for your response have a great day

 

[indianringnecks]

My Quaker just had some thanksgiving dinner and is making little squeaky noises JUST LIKE your ringneck. They may sound sad to a human but I think they are happy and content noises. Certainly Willows tummy is full and he is on my lap so I believe he’s a happy guy.

Im glad to hear that thanks for sharing! Your quaker sounds adorable