IRN Questions?

[frogfoot]

Hello! I am curious about IRNs as a species... I know each bird is an individual, and I have read a lot about them on the internet (never had the pleasure of meeting one in person). I think they are so beautiful and the cutest talkers!

My question is that two things I consistently hear is that
1. they are not as demanding in terms of companionship/good for people who work long hours
2. they have a tendency to revert back to wildness if not handled.

So how can these two both be true? They seem to be contradictory. I expect to be working 9-5 pretty soon, which is why I thought and IRN might be a good fit for me. I would still handle him as much as possible, of course. If I am swamped for a day or two and he doesn't get his out-of-cage time, will he be just completely wild when I get back? I am curious. How long does it take for the "wildness" to set in? And can you re-tame them?

Those of you with IRNs, how are they in terms of demand for attention?

 

[InTheAir]

Hi,

My birds have never gone a day without human interaction since they moved in, so I don't know know about them reverting to wild. I do know that I have taught my birds some tricks ages ago and then tried the same tricks again about 6 months later, with no practice in between and they still did the tricks fine first try. This does lead me to think that they have a pretty good memory. Perhaps it is more a question of how the bird is motivated to interact with people or not.

One of my ringnecks was parent raised, in an aviary. The other was hand raised. Both require a lot of attention and entertainment, but the handraised boy can be quite intense. If you stay still he will sit on your shoulder pretty much all day. If you are moving around too he will "help" you with your tasks, and where you get one ringneck the other soon follows. I spend a LOT of time every day setting up foraging and browse for them so I can get work done without "helpers".

I'm probably a bit extreme on the parrots rights side of things, but I can't grasp the idea of getting a single highly intelligent, flock dependant pet and working full time! I think parrots should have company because that is what they are adapted for. 2 males are usually a good combo with ringnecks. Our 2 (male and female) are all over us like a rash whenever we get home them after leaving them alone for a few hours.
Also, parrots are highly intelligent and complex little things. They need time out of the cage to fly around, they need heaps to do to keep their minds busy. If they are understimulated they can develop all sorts of problem behaviors from screaming to pulling out their feathers or mutilating themselves. Many ringneck owners who don't put a lot of effort into learning how to read and handle their birds seem to find that their birds bite a lot.
One of our neighbours actually murdered their ringneck last year because it wouldn't stop screaming, they left it in a cage all the time with nothing to do and didn't handle it because it was a bit nippy. They "didn't have time" to give it foraging activities. It was loud, we could hear it yelling when we were inside our house and they are a house away from us.
I would strongly recommend that you consider a different type of pet to a parrot if you have limited time to spend with it. Parrots are not easy pets!

 

[Sophia101]

I have had Kiwi for almost 9 months. I have left him alone for a couple days at a time. Often to go on vacation or visit family. They are not nearly as clingy as some birds. As long as you can love him daily. It really depends on how often you plan to be gone. I don't want to tell you not to get anything but if you aren't going to be around every day they really aren't the best idea. I go to school everyday and as long as I come home and give him attention everyday he doesn't go wild. I also spend my weekends playing with and training him.

 

[frogfoot]

Hi,

One of our neighbours actually murdered their ringneck last year because it wouldn't stop screaming, they left it in a cage all the time with nothing to do and didn't handle it because it was a bit nippy. They "didn't have time" to give it foraging activities.

Oh my god... that is so freaking awful, I can hardly wrap my mind around it.

 

[frogfoot]

Thanks for your replies! Sophia, I think my schedule will be similar to yours. I am currently a grad student so I spend a lot of time at home, I'm just trying to look into the future. I will be working full-time, but I will def be home every night to love on my birdie. I don't plan to travel a lot for work, but again looking ahead to family vacations and stuff... my friend has a quaker parrot who is a sweetie but very cage-aggressive, and she recently took a weekend off and her lil quaker didn't get any out of cage time the entire weekend because her boyfriend was afraid of taking him out of his cage. She didn't know about this until she came back! So I'm just trying to cover worst case scenario.

 

[Kimberla]

I have 3 cockatoos and work full time. If everyone that works full time was not able to take care of a parrot, there would a lot less homes for rescue birds. My guys may not get out to play every day, but that doesn't make me a bad parront. They have fresh food, new foot toys, new hanging toys and lots of entertainment every day. One of my guys came with the neurotic habit of circling in his cage. He still does it sometimes, but it better by a ton that it was. I would not want to scare someone away from having a bird because they can't be with them all or most of the time. Birds can adapt most of the time. Most of them can be taught that they can play alone and it is ok.

 

[frogfoot]

Thank you!! Has anyone ever been around both quakers and IRNs? How would you compare the noise levels of the two species? I have lived with a quaker and I think he is loud, but definitely bearable.

 

[InTheAir]

Kimberla, I didn't say that no one who works full time should have birds, I was referring to a single bird being kept in isolation while the owner works full time and possibly doesn't have time every day to give it attention. That doesn't seem like the idea set up for a parrot, which is a naturally gregarious creature.
There was a study done fairly recently on African Greys that is interesting, it found that social isolation leads to shortening of the telomeres which indicates social stress.
The long and the short of telomeres: Loneliness impacts DNA repair, parrot study shows -- ScienceDaily

Hesper, indian ringnecks can be pretty loud for their size. I'm not sure how loud quakers are but @ZoeyFredrik has both.

 

[Sophia101]

Their are a few Quaker's in my pet store and they make about the same amount of noise but very different pitch. IRN's have sharp ear piercing screams when they aren't given enough attention or when they aren't getting what they want. Much higher pitch than a Quaker. If I can do it you surely can. As long as you can love him/her every night. Even if on occasion you have to leave. If I leave for a couple days when I come back Kiwi will cuddle on me and of course give me his "how dare you" nip.

 

[frogfoot]

Thanks for all the info! The comparison to a quaker's noise level helps put it into perspective for me. What is the general consensus on wing clipping for IRNs? I have heard them described as a flighty species, so I'm wondering if wing-clipping would have the effect of calming them down or increasing their anxiety/phobic behavior. Provided, of course, that they are given lots of toys and enrichment and one-on-one playtime so they still get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

Are your birds clipped? What are they like if they are left flighted? How destructive are they to your home? Do they have a tendency to get out of control (i.e. flying out of reach and biting when it's time to go back to the cage)? Honest answers please! I wanna know the worst that's out there before bringing one home.

As a note, I used to be staunchly against wing clipping, but then I lost my flighted rock pebbler girl when I was at work one day. My well-meaning father opened the door and she just squeezed through the crack and flew away. I had hand-raised her from a baby. So I don't want to go through that heartache again.

 

[Sophia101]

Ahh sorry to hear about you girl. Kiwi is fully flighted. Never been clipped. Some days I think about it but I don't think anyone could hold him down long enough for me to clip them. He loves to fly when he's out. He flies as often as he can so I think you could definitely would call them a flighty species. He will chew any wood he can. He is terrified to leave my room. When I bring him out with me he grips me as hard as he can and cuddles into my neck. They get very attached to places, people, and things. If they are properly trained they won't bite. Although I spent all my time training him to come when called. He HATES to go back into his cage. He cries and whines when he is in their and flies away when I try to put him in. He hasn't bitten when trying to put him back in though.

 

[InTheAir]

My birds have never been clipped. We train them using positive reinforcement and make the cage a rewarding place to be they are pretty easy mostly. I have done lots of training exercises with them like going into the cage where they get a treat and then they come straight out if they want to.
I think that if the bird is a bit flighty that is a good reason to leave it's wings intact. Being allowed to make choices is great for their confidence. Sapphire is not very confident with strangers so she just zooms off to watch them from a distance when they arrive. If she likes the look of them she flies over to check them out. If she was clipped and couldn't get away from strangers who approached her, she would probably bite them as that is the second line of self defense.
A Guide To Asiatic Parrots says "Another reason for not advocating an Asiactic Parrot for a pet, is their need to fly. If housed in a small cage, as is the case with most pet birds, it would be a cruel life for a bird that in the wild makes frequent use of its wings and is accustomed to great activity." Though that could probably apply to all birds that are naturally flighted.

Ours do take chunks out of the cornices when the mood is upon them. We actually tried telling Nila off for doing it, before we learnt better ways of training, and he will do it to get attention sometimes. Sapphire copies him. Lowering curtain rails helped. They have also attempted to turn a wardrobe into a nest box by chewing the wooden frame. My friend has a hen who was clipped and nesty who did way worse damage, got behind the drier and chewed through the cord, which shorted the house fuse but the bird was fine. Parrots need supervision clipped or flighted.
We have multiple perches, play stands and swings hanging around the house for the birds to play on and the biggest cages we could find.

Here is a ringneck contact call, it is not very pleasant.

 

[frogfoot]

Thank you for your responses!!! The stories and videos help me to understand what life is like with a ringneck! Weirdly, I think I can handle that call, as long as it's not constant throughout the day.
What is confusing to me is that on one website I'll read that IRNs are independent and can entertain themselves, and then on another website I'll read that they need MORE of your attention than other parrots just to keep them tame. And another website will say that they are naturally an aggressive and testy species so you should expect some of that throughout their whole lives, whereas on another website they'll say that this is just a stage that they'll grow out of, and they are generally very sweet birds... Hard to sort out what's fact and what's myth...

 

[Sophia101]

Haha I think IRN's just aren't studied enough. People who own them each have different experiences because they are each different owners. If you properly care for them they will be a loving friend forever. I had Kiwi when he bit and was nippy but I loved him and did things with him anyways and now he's the sweet boy I love today. Just never give up and you will have the friend you are searching for. I am not saying everyone is a bad owner but it depends on how they were raised as chicks, where they were bought and how the new owner trained and played with them. How much time they spend with their pet, etc. Their is no way to know how they will act. It's a crap shoot no matter which way you go. I got my boy off craigslist and he was nippy and unfriendly but I spent time with him and now he is a lovey boy but won't let me pet him. Maybe one day. Another person I know did all the right things, got hers from a breeder and got him everything but didn't spend enough time training him and he became nippy. She was shocked but when she got more time he became friendly and hand tame. It really is all you.

 

[JLcribber]

I know each bird is an individual, and I have read a lot about them on the internet (never had the pleasure of meeting one in person). I think they are so beautiful and the cutest talkers!

The first thing you need to do is stop reading about them and get some face to face exposure to one. Everything posted is just conjecture until you do because they "are" individuals. You are the most important factor in this. It can be literally any kind of species. Your understanding/husbandry skills is going to be what determines the bird you will ultimately have.

 

[frogfoot]

The first thing you need to do is stop reading about them and get some face to face exposure to one. Everything posted is just conjecture until you do because they "are" individuals. You are the most important factor in this. It can be literally any kind of species. Your understanding/husbandry skills is going to be what determines the bird you will ultimately have.

Aha yes, that is a very good point!! I would so love to meet some tame pet ringnecks!! Does anyone here happen to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area?

I get the impression that reading about birds is like reading about what it's like to have kids... you can't really expect that your own kids are going to be like other people's kids, and you can't make generalizations like "Oh, all boys are going to be rowdy and like toy cars, girls will like to play dress-up". And also, reading too many horror stories will make you think "My goodness, why would anyone want to have kids? They are expensive, annoying, loud, demanding, and messy, maybe even dangerous." But then for some reason, after you have kids yourself, you love them and realize that it's all worth it.

 

[cassiesdad]

Like @Sophia101 said, I think IRNs aren't really studied enough. Our 24 year old IRN Titan is a wonderful guy- and he has his own personality. Like most IRNs, Titan is not a cuddle-bug, and prefers to hang out on your shoulder. He loves attention,and sometimes is demanding of it. He is trusting of strangers, and has made countless trips to schools, nursing homes, etc as a therapy animal.
I realize he is an individual-every IRN is different. Like @JLcribber said, it's what you bring "to the table" when you share your life with an avian that will prove most important to that bird...

 

[JLcribber]

Aha yes, that is a very good point!! I would so love to meet some tame pet ringnecks!! Does anyone here happen to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area?

I get the impression that reading about birds is like reading about what it's like to have kids... you can't really expect that your own kids are going to be like other people's kids, and you can't make generalizations like "Oh, all boys are going to be rowdy and like toy cars, girls will like to play dress-up". And also, reading too many horror stories will make you think "My goodness, why would anyone want to have kids? They are expensive, annoying, loud, demanding, and messy, maybe even dangerous." But then for some reason, after you have kids yourself, you love them and realize that it's all worth it.

Bingo.

 

[frogfoot]

Like @Sophia101 said, I think IRNs aren't really studied enough. Our 24 year old IRN Titan is a wonderful guy- and he has his own personality. Like most IRNs, Titan is not a cuddle-bug, and prefers to hang out on your shoulder. He loves attention,and sometimes is demanding of it. He is trusting of strangers, and has made countless trips to schools, nursing homes, etc as a therapy animal.
I realize he is an individual-every IRN is different. Like @JLcribber said, it's what you bring "to the table" when you share your life with an avian that will prove most important to that bird...

That's amazing that Titan was able to do therapy visits!!! I'm actually going to school right now to be a physical therapist, and I'd love love love to be able to therapy visits with my future feather baby. Did you have him all 24 years? If you don't mind, I would love to hear about how you raised him, and his history. Did he go through a bluffing stage, and how did you deal with it? Thanks ^_^

 

[cassiesdad]

That's amazing that Titan was able to do therapy visits!!! I'm actually going to school right now to be a physical therapist, and I'd love love love to be able to therapy visits with my future feather baby. Did you have him all 24 years? If you don't mind, I would love to hear about how you raised him, and his history. Did he go through a bluffing stage, and how did you deal with it? Thanks ^_^

I'll send you a PM...