You might find that if she does have a "mate", it will replace you. That doesn't happen 100% of the time but its common.
Thanks for the heads up.
She is not tame and while I am working on taming her that is one of the reasons why I want a male cage mate for her. I will tame both as pets but more in the way of being their pet caregiver and not as a 'pseudo-mate'.
I imagine if the male is an untame adult ringneck parakeet he will take much time to tame too. The female I have is not tame and while I've had her only 3 weeks now the taming process is slow even though I spend up to 20 visits to her cage a day and 3 hours a day offering her food and moving very carefully around her cage. She has to be tamed as she is a danger to herself the way she trashes about in her untame state now when her cage has to be cleaned & such pet caregiver activities.
Tomorrow will be the 1st day I try to get her to perch directly on my finger and eat after 3 weeks. One can't chase a bird like that around in the cage or hurry it. Then I will be able to take her out of her cage so she won't feel terrorized when I clean the cage.
And if she isn't tame by the next time I need to clean the cage I'll just start luring out of her cage with food from now on when I clean the cage and then back into the cage with food after the cage is clean. She'll go in and out without my assistance.
This bird is so scared and flighty that even my budgie 10' away in another cage flying about is enough to make her wince and flee sometimes and yet if I leave her cage open she will leave the cage and go to their cage and roost on top but not go in. So somehow, unexpected quick movement detected in her is setting off a 'predator alert' that does her more harm as a pet in a cage than good. I know I can tame her to trust me as I'm making good progress now. A male IRN though, should be equipped with the natural birds sounds and behaviors to become friends with her quick & easy but I'll have to wait and see.
In a non-'large aviary' situation, a pet IRN should not be kept in an untame state as it's cruel to let a bird cower their whole life. That's why I'm making so much effort taming her, over 20 hours a week. I'll be replacing her cage although that won't solve the 'predator alert sudden movement' problem and I'll get her a rolling parrot stand too instead of a cage so she can safely obey that 'sudden movement predator alert' instinct and harmless flee until she see's it's not a actually a danger. The rolling stand will also be a good way to teach her tricks once she's tame.
Tame or not tame - she may not have the ability in her to resist the 'sudden predator alert' instinct and so I have to make living adjustments for her based on that. I'm not talking a bird that is completely tame but that doesn't want to socialize with people here. Those sort of birds behave differently.
I partly wonder, her being a lutino, if her sight isn't overly sensitive. She does see though that is for sure. That is a problem with lutino and albino creatures in general.
Thanks again.