New Violet Coming Soon.

[MosbyGCC]

I get to pick up my First IRN in two weeks. (He is being weaned atm) I have two GCC and and very excited to add to our family. I have his quarantine room all set up, and to be honest I think I would be too scared to let the different species out at the same time. My two GCC are older rescue and crusty little birds (I still love them).
As this is my first Baby bird I am looking on the site for any and all advice IRN and baby bird.

Nice to meet you all.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome! Your IRN baby is just precious. And your conure pic is cute!

 

[Newbie GCC]

Welcome! IRN are beautiful birds!

 

[Sophia101]

Hello and congrats on your new baby. What a BEAUTIFUL boy? If only they bred cool colors down here. I don't trust the shipping and the prices are out of control! Anyways just warning you now, this is going to be a long post. I got my male IRN Kiwi about 6 months ago. He was 7 months old. (Now 1 year, 1 month) He is a normal green and starting to get a shadow ring! I have never owned a larger parrot and was warned a million times about IRN's as first big birds. My first thought was GCC and I had one all picked out from a breeder nearby, sadly they sold before I got my housemates to agree to another bird. I had always wanted an IRN but thought they were very complicated birds, too complicating for my liking. But when I saw a couple young IRN's and a sun conure in need of help, I decided to help out and take one of the little green boys. Kiwi is the fastest learner I have ever met. Although he hated skin for the longest time, usually I can get him to step up onto fingers without complications. In the beginning he was a bit of a disappointment for my high standards. His previous owner had lied, he was not hand tamed, no wings clipped (not that I wanted them clipped) and may have been abused in his past. He bit me with a vengeance but once I earned his trust he was a charm, and easy to train. It has been a mere 6 months and he steps up, takes treats gently, hangs upside down, lays on his back (if he is on a bed) and gives me loving kisses. If I am in the room, he won't leave my side. He loves to please and will go to anyone, with some coaxing. I have had the best experiences with him. Now he does have his problems, such as screaming all day if I want to take my other birds out. I now have to cover him when they are out, which I hate to do but it is a must. He has never liked my other birds and nips and scares them every time I have tried to get them together. I suggest that you read the good, the bad, and the ugly about IRN's. I would love to chat more especially once you get your baby. Feel free to message me with questions or just to chat about the birds.

~Sophia~

 

[MandaExotics]

Like Sophia's IRN, mine doesn't really like my other bird (or any other animal) either. Mine however is very food motivated, I'm surprised what skills she picks up being so small.

 

[Sophia101]

Like Sophia's IRN, mine doesn't really like my other bird (or any other animal) either. Mine however is very food motivated, I'm surprised what skills she picks up being so small.

Haha same with Kiwi. If I get out the treat bag he flies to my stomach and hangs on until I make him do a trick for a treat. He also hates my dogs. He has only seen my smaller fraidy cat one who runs at the slightest touch. Only for moments at a time and in a safe environment to prevent accidents.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

That is one beautiful baby! If the breeder hasn't already informed you then the following article would be a good read for you. Hopefully any other people on AA will chime in with their experiences in raising the baby IRN. A good percentage of ring necks go through what is called a "bluffing stage" and frequently starts at weaning from the formula. They'll pin their eyes at you, display a threatening posture at your approach and quite often will bite. Read this article and any other article you can find by doing a search for "Bluffing stage of Indian ringnecks. It's helpful to understand the traits that come with the species so you don't have any surprises or disappointments in your new bird… and good luck!
Indian Ringneck Bluffing | IndianRingneck.com

 

[RachaelR]

So cute! My sister's IRN was a rehome and flighty. It was sad that he couldn't calm down. But man are they pretty! And I love their little voice!

 

[Monica]

On the contrary, @Mockinbirdiva, I believe "bluffing" is a major form of communication, and the behavior should not be ignored! The stickied topic on bluffing was recently brought up, and Barbara Heidenreich shortly after created a blog post about bluffing after InTheAir had asked about bluffing in parrots.

Indian Ringneck Bluffing | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
Barbara's Force Free Animal Training Talk: Do Animals Bluff?

Worth reading!




MosbyGCC, welcome to AA and congrats on your new addition! I *LOVE* the violet mutations! If you haven't already, I would highly recommend to look into Positive Reinforcement Training, Clicker Training, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and the ABC's of Behavior (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence).

Barbara Heidenreich, Lara Joseph, Susan Friedman, Hillary Hankey, Steve Martin, Kelly Ballance.... all these people have a lot of great information if you need any help finding training info!


Ringnecks are different than conures and generally tend to be more independent beings, but they can also make wonderful companions!

 

[zoo mom]

What a beautiful baby. Congrats.

 

[QBird]

the colours look lovely already it will be nice to see him when he is fully feathered and with you

 

[camelotshadow]

Very pretty Congrats

 

[CheekyBeaks]

@InTheAir is fantastic with her IRNs and should be able to offer some great advice for getting off to a great start. IRNs need to be handled well and regularly to stay tame. Personally not my favourite species but they can make great companions for the right person who is willing to put in the work

 

[CheekyBeaks]

Another thing I will mention is to make sure your new bub is fully weaned, if the pic in your post is him now he looks to be about 4-5 weeks old if so in 2 weeks time he will only be 6-7 weeks old which is too young for an IRN to be ready, realistically an IRN would be ready for his/her new home at 10-12 weeks old.
Also I personally don't believe the bluffing theory, every behaviour is a clear communication and should not be ignored, there is no bluff at all.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

On the contrary, @Mockinbirdiva, I believe "bluffing" is a major form of communication, and the behavior should not be ignored! The stickied topic on bluffing was recently brought up, and Barbara Heidenreich shortly after created a blog post about bluffing after InTheAir had asked about bluffing in parrots.

Monica,
I did read Barbara's post as you suggested and I do agree "bluffing" is a major form of communication. Ringnecks do exhibit this behavior when weaning and fledging and often follow through with a bite whether it is a soft nip or a full on bite if the handler continues trying to pick them up or touch. They should not be forced to step up or endure handling if that is not their desire. So many people who are new to birds or certain species have missed critical information that would aid in understanding behavior and how to work with those issues should they arise. Often times the end result is a bird with aggressive traits, an owner that doesn't understand why they behave this way, may give up any kind of relationship
and rehome. I didn't come across Barbara's post in my search so thanks for pointing that out. The end goal is to help, inform and see a successful relationship bloom. They certainly can make wonderful companions.

 

[MosbyGCC]

CheekyBeaks: That is an old photo. He is 8 weeks old now. That was the first photo the breeder sent me, and I am in love with it. The other media he has sent me are Videos, and I don't know how to post them on here yet

Thanks for all the positive support. I volunteer at a large parrot shelter (The birds are large, the Centre has 26 atm) and use Positive reinforcement there and at home. My Green Cheek Moe is 16 and was taught in his old home that biting is fun. Since I have got him we have learned how to step up, turn, wave, go in a tunnel, go home, and fetch. I have had him since September 2014.

I have been doing lots of research on IRN's prior to getting one. I am very excited to get my new boy, but Darwin won't be coming home till after he is fully weaned. Thanks for all the support.

 

[MosbyGCC]

Two of the lovely birds I get to work with at Parrot Partner in Smith Falls.

I love large birds, But just as with other peoples kids I like them best when I do not have one full time.

 

[InTheAir]

Congrats. I have a violet mutation also.

Neither of my irns have ever been nippy, I've had them both since they were 12 weeks old.

One reason I hate the "bluffing" idea is because it is always spouted out to new irn owners on social media straight away and encourages the less thoughtful owner to blame the bird for any bites that occur, instead of doing some much needed self reflection.
I also wrote to a couple other notable trainers to ask their opinions on bluffing and all of them said the same thing as Barbara. Hillary Hankey has raised flighted Alexandrines and said she had never seen such a stage in their development either.
I am trying to put more info together and will share it when I am done.

I personally find irns very quick, which is great but also has the flip side that the bird may have communicated many warnings that it is uncomfortable in the space of a second which doesn't give me a lot of time to react!

@Sophia101 if you start a new thread on screaming we may be able to come up with some ideas that may help.

 

[MosbyGCC]

Darwin has been at home now for a bit and is doing great. He is a little love bug (on his terms) I have read a lot about and met some IRN before I got him. I have not been bitten yet, but I am very good at reading his signals. If he looks like he will not cooperate I offer food and that gets him more motivated to step up, or enter the cage ect.

 

[Sophia101]

He is beautiful! Can't wait to hear more stories and see more pics of him! Congrats.