IRN Pair- Help?

[Miguel.w]

Hello everyone I've been looking everywhere to find adoptable or re-home-able (is that a word?) birds. I have found an ad on Craigslist, where the person was selling a pair of tame, four month-old IRNs, with their cage and everything. And at a reasonable price . She's asking 300 for a green and yellow. My parents have considered adopting them, but what worries me is that they may bond with each other instead of me. I was thinking of separating them in two different cages, but I'm not sure how they will react. If I keep them both in the same cage, I thought about letting one out for a bit, have some bonding time (approx. 10-20min for the first few weeks/months) Then taking the other one out, doing the same. Any suggestions would be extremely appreciated.

 

[Tim]

If they're babies, it should be pretty easy. They'll be wanting to make new friends, explore their surroundings, try new things. If they're caged together now, they may resist being caged separately, but you should still be able to bond with them individually. I feel like IRNs like a lot of ambient attention as opposed to direct attention, anyway--I'm sure some IRN owners can add to that question.

 

[sunnysmom]

I agree with Tim.

I don't know if I'd separate them. Also, are you saying taking them out 10 minutes a day total? They need way more out of the cage time than that- or did you just mean 10 minutes separately?

@cassiesdad ?

 

[Miguel.w]

I agree with Tim.

I don't know if I'd separate them. Also, are you saying taking them out 10 minutes a day total? They need way more out of the cage time than that- or did you just mean 10 minutes separately?

@cassiesdad ?

Oh no, I meant 10-20 min at a time seperately, a few times a day, as one-on-one bonding time for the first few weeks.

 

[cassiesdad]

These are young birds for sure. Being caged together, they will develop a flock bond with each other quickly- if they haven't done so already. Hopefully, they are the same sex- otherwise you probably will have an egg situation down the line. If you adopt these birds, have them sexed as soon as you can.
The more socialization time you can give these two now, the better...and even if you give them a lot of socialization, be prepared that they might prefer the natural order of things- bonding with each other, rather than with a human. I don't think you can put a time frame on how much intense interaction is enough for any bird. 10-20 minutes a bird a day doesn't sound like much, in particular, with young birds.

IRNs are very intelligent and very curious about everything...you must give them a challenging environment to keep them from getting bored. As @Tim said, they sometimes enjoy ambient attention almost as much as direct attention...and they usually are not as cuddly or "hands-on" as other species.

@InTheAir ...thoughts?

 

[Jaguar]

Having a parrot whose life revolves around you is a VERY difficult routine to keep up for the 30+ years that they live. I would really reconsider trying to stop them bonding to each other. It's a huge load off your shoulders for them to have each other should things change in your life (and they likely will). You can still maintain a "just friends" relationship - that way, you'll get to enjoy spending time and interacting with them, without necessarily having to structure your life around their needs.

 

[Tim]

^^that SO much! I am so happy we got two right away! They entertain each other, play, talk to each other. They still like us, and interact with us, but they LOVE each other!

 

[InTheAir]

There is no point in seperating tame ringnecks, they can still be bonded and friends with you! Provide reinforcement for hanging out with you and they will stay friendly. I know quite a few people with pairs that are tame. I like having 2 because they are less dependent on me for attention, yet are still easy to train and like to hang out with me. They are still lots of work and require lots of foraging puzzles, toys and fresh branches to keep them entertained when they are caged.

Like someone said above, it would be best if they are the same gender especially if they are related. Besides the egg issue, hormonal female ringnecks with a mate can be really scary man eaters. Mine is only a bit inclined to take offense at thoughtless actions (like putting your hand in her cage) for 3 months a year, but I have met some that are worse.

 

[Miguel.w]

Thanks all, you have been very helpful. Unfortunately, the owner just sold the birds to someone else everything hapens for a reaspn, right?