Newbie needs educating

[CozmoCreepers]

Hi All,

My name is Cozmo, I live in Essex in the UK, am in my early 30's and am animal mad.

My hubby and I met at college studying Animal Care, so it was always inevitable that we would fill our house with animals. 2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 tortoise, 2 rabbits, 13 guineas (we're ex breeders) 2x marine aquariums and 1x tropical aquarium. We love our fur/scaly family

For a long time now we debated getting an owl, as I have always had a liking for them, however, they really are specialist and while I think we could give one a really loving home, thats not really what they need, and our experience with birds is limited. I grew up with budgies (as my grandmother always had them), so have a little experience, but recently I have been following Bowie the Lutino Ringneck Parakeet and been doing a lot of research.

With a little juggling of space in the house, we could fit a really nice cage. Only I have a lot of questions, so thought it best to join to get the information from the people who know.

Look forward to chatting

 

[RavensGryf]

Welcome! Sounds like you have quite a zoo . Do you have an idea yet on what kind of parrot you might be interested in? Any specifics you'd like to give to help members give you suggestions? Lots of friendly advice here too .

 

[CozmoCreepers]

Hi RavensGryf! Thanks I'd like an Indian Ringneck, cannot decide on Green, Blue or Yellow, they are all so beautiful!

I was also considering getting two, but not sure if thats a good idea for a first timer like me. Just because we work (though I am looking to leave full time employment to work from home in the near future...going to set up a pet sitting service), and don't want the bird to be lonely. Thought I'm not sure what size cage to get if I get two.

 

[RavensGryf]

Any color of Ringnecks are gorgeous I agree!

Personally, I'd get one to start with, not two. This species is known to be a little more 'flighty' in that they tend to be hands off birds, and they tend to go wild more easily than many species. Consistent handling, training and interaction will keep the bird bonded to you. If they aren't super tame to begin with, and they have another IRN buddy, chances are they'll bond more closely to each other than humans.

You can get two but in separate cages, but still IMHO I'd get only one to start with. If you have taming or behavioral troubles with both, that can get overwhelming if you're new with birds. Good luck! I love all the colors, but especially love the yellow (lutino).

 

[CozmoCreepers]

Thanks a lot! Will stick to one. I'm fascinated with dog training, so looking forward to training a bird.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Welcome! Indian ringnecks are wonderful, I absolutely love them And I totally agree with Julie - having an IRN myself, I don't think I could handle more than one without forming a strong bond with them individually first. And not to break hearts, but Bowie is not a good representative of IRN's. Many of them do not enjoy being handled overly much, and often do prefer bird company over human company. They like to be on or near you, but rarely do they like to just sit there and be pet like Bowie often is in his very short videos.

Start with one and see how you manage. They are exceptionally intelligent birds that require lots of out of cage time, interaction, and training. Otherwise they become antsy and almost neurotic, pacing their cages and in my case with Shiko, he'll chatter non-stop. I have him in a "32 x "26 x 54" cage, which I'm starting to feel is too small for him because of his energy levels. He can figure out puzzles and foraging toys easily, and he often learns a trick within a day if I spend the time training him. He's also very energetic, and if he wasn't flighted I could only image the havoc he would create from pent up energy. I would say he spends at least 4 hours a day out of the cage, and total flight time would probably near 30 minutes of that minimum 4 hours. About 1 hour of that is direct interaction with him... he's a very demanding bird for one that is so very small, but I attribute that to their amazing intelligence!

They are most definitely wonderful birds, but be prepared for a bird with high energy levels and intellectual needs that may not enjoy being touched or cuddled for quite some time. Let us know when you make a decision on colour! There's so many to choose from, and they're all so beautiful

 

[CozmoCreepers]

Thanks Dinosrawr.

What cages are ideal for these birds? I'd read 3x2x4ft but can't find any to those specifications.

 

[Dinosrawr]

No problem! And sorry, I somewhat measured my cage for Shiko wrong. It's 3 feet high of interior living space, 4 feet long, and two feet deep. So it's basically the cage that's been recommended. If you're curious about what it looks like, here's my thread from when I was getting Shiko:

http://www.parrotforums.com/showthread.php?t=42692

I do love the cage, though we took the play top off because the crate made it too dark and he never used it anyways. Originally I wanted a dome top, but Amazon kept messing up my order It's a Prevue Hendryx cage. I'm not positive if they have them over in the UK, but I would check Amazon. I gave the UK Amazon a quick glance and I've seen quite a few cages that would definitely do. And to add to that, seed guards are not worth it! I totally thought they were great, and then I realized they just made a bigger mess and made it harder to clean the cages.

 

[Allee]

I can't add a thing to the wonderful advice you've been given. Just wanted to say Hello and Welcome to the forum. Enjoy the search for your new family member.

 

[gracebowen]

My house has 3 red eared sliders, 3 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, 1 fat tailed gecko and my parakeet Ace.

 

[CozmoCreepers]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the advice.

Would this do? This is the nearest thing I can find to the measurements:

Skyline Angel Parrot Cage Play Top Antique

 

[Dinosrawr]

I think that cage is okay. Shiko hops from perch to perch all across his cage quite often, and he uses only the upper part of his cage and stays away from the bottom, which is where most of the space in that cage is. But it definitely seems like the best option on that website. Is it possible to find a double flight cage near you?

 

[CozmoCreepers]

May I ask why a double flight cage?

 

[Dinosrawr]

The length of the enclosure is perfect for how active they can be. They're known to be pretty pacy birds, so the more space they have to go horizontally the better. Vertical space turns into wasted space because then they only use a small fraction of their cage because they like to be up high. So the longer the cage, the more space they have the move around up high.

 

[Grraarrgghh]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the advice.

Would this do? This is the nearest thing I can find to the measurements:

Skyline Angel Parrot Cage Play Top Antique

2cm bar spacing (a little over 3/4") could be a bit large for an IRN, as their skull size has a bit of a slimmer profile. I've generally seen 1.5cm (5/8") recommended, but a 1.25cm (1/2") would be good as well.

Definitely don't want birdy to get stuck!