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The good, the bad, and the ugly about Indian Ringnecks.

Rachel Karfit

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Cassie’s Dad, yes I have. My male preens his constantly, especially the two longest feathers. He also wags his tail frequently, often when he’s happy about something. Doing so reminds him how pretty it is and he will stop and preen it... Primping goober.
Leeloo is not that fascinated with hers. She preens her tailfeathers, but not excessively like Korben. Maybe it’s a boy thing?
 

BashTinkLuna

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OST
I have been parronting an indian ringneck for almost 1 year. I can't tell much since I just have him for that short time, and he hasn't reached hormonal pphase which some people told me it's super hard phase that we both need to pass. Based on my experience this is my opinion:

THE GOOD
The most stable baby bird among those crazy caique, velcro sun conure, loud sulphur crested cockatoo, aggressive one man bird african grey, a turtle eclectus, a biter crimson bellied conure and super naughty lovebirds in my flock. To be honest, the first time Pui (my indian ringneck) came to our home, he was totally frightened, easily got spooked and didn't respond well to any call or food. We need to work hard to develop his confidence. But now, he became one of my favorite when I am super busy with my laptop. Pui will sit calmly on my shoulder, watching me doing my typing without disturbing the key pad or screaming out loud. He is just calm, stable, and independent. He hasn't bit me hard for those time we spent together. Note: my friend's indian ringneck is super aggressive in his 5 months old, while my Pui is a silent-watcher and allow random people to touch him without biting (but jump right to me if he doesn't like that person). And their smells is undeniable!!! The whole household love to sniff Pui. Smells good and calming, one of the reason why I love him as my shoulder bird.

THE BAD
I have mentioned that Pui doesn't respond good in any call or food. I don't know if it's typical of all Indian ringnecks or it's just Pui who got that personality. Pui is totally different from my sun conure which is a velcro bird, doesn't want to leave me --> which sometimes really annoys me when I have to do my work.

THE UGLY
What's the different of bad and ugly? My Pui is beautiful, not ugly :D :D
 

cassiesdad

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I have been parronting an indian ringneck for almost 1 year. I can't tell much since I just have him for that short time, and he hasn't reached hormonal pphase which some people told me it's super hard phase that we both need to pass. Based on my experience this is my opinion:

THE GOOD
The most stable baby bird among those crazy caique, velcro sun conure, loud sulphur crested cockatoo, aggressive one man bird african grey, a turtle eclectus, a biter crimson bellied conure and super naughty lovebirds in my flock. To be honest, the first time Pui (my indian ringneck) came to our home, he was totally frightened, easily got spooked and didn't respond well to any call or food. We need to work hard to develop his confidence. But now, he became one of my favorite when I am super busy with my laptop. Pui will sit calmly on my shoulder, watching me doing my typing without disturbing the key pad or screaming out loud. He is just calm, stable, and independent. He hasn't bit me hard for those time we spent together. Note: my friend's indian ringneck is super aggressive in his 5 months old, while my Pui is a silent-watcher and allow random people to touch him without biting (but jump right to me if he doesn't like that person). And their smells is undeniable!!! The whole household love to sniff Pui. Smells good and calming, one of the reason why I love him as my shoulder bird.

THE BAD
I have mentioned that Pui doesn't respond good in any call or food. I don't know if it's typical of all Indian ringnecks or it's just Pui who got that personality. Pui is totally different from my sun conure which is a velcro bird, doesn't want to leave me --> which sometimes really annoys me when I have to do my work.

THE UGLY
What's the different of bad and ugly? My Pui is beautiful, not ugly :D :D
Your description of Pui is the exact way I described Titan, our IRN. :) For 26 wonderful years, he was calm, stable, and independent. He was our first "birdie ambassador"...visiting countless schools, nursing homes, etc...bringing joy to all he met. Titan also would sit with my BIL while he was on the computer, just like Pui does with you. :)
My BIL was Titan's "best buddy" ...although anyone could interact with him. After Marty passed early last year, Titan went to Marty's church services, where he chimed right in during the hymns.

Titan passed away in February, 2017...just weeks after Marty did, and days after his 26th hatchday. I know they're together now, sitting at a computer...eating almonds together...
 

BashTinkLuna

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Your description of Pui is the exact way I described Titan, our IRN. :) For 26 wonderful years, he was calm, stable, and independent. He was our first "birdie ambassador"...visiting countless schools, nursing homes, etc...bringing joy to all he met. Titan also would sit with my BIL while he was on the computer, just like Pui does with you. :)
My BIL was Titan's "best buddy" ...although anyone could interact with him. After Marty passed early last year, Titan went to Marty's church services, where he chimed right in during the hymns.

Titan passed away in February, 2017...just weeks after Marty did, and days after his 26th hatchday. I know they're together now, sitting at a computer...eating almonds together...
I'm so sorry for Titan but he has been through a long and beautiful life. I still believe that bird is the most loyal pet. Most of them died when their owner died. I believe Titan and Marty are now somewhere over the rainbow, unseparable. Huff.. typing this put tears on my eyes. But thank you for sharing your story :)
 

Valeriaquintan

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Valeria
I have an IRN he is about 3 months old.. But recently he is been really sleepy and he is always puffing his feathers. I went to a granary and they told me to buy him antibiotics then I went to PetSmart and they told me that they have no antibiotics can someone please tell me what to do or if I should worried or that's normal...
 

cassiesdad

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I have an IRN he is about 3 months old.. But recently he is been really sleepy and he is always puffing his feathers. I went to a granary and they told me to buy him antibiotics then I went to PetSmart and they told me that they have no antibiotics can someone please tell me what to do or if I should worried or that's normal...
You need to have your little one checked out by an AV as soon as possible...
 

BashTinkLuna

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I have an IRN he is about 3 months old.. But recently he is been really sleepy and he is always puffing his feathers. I went to a granary and they told me to buy him antibiotics then I went to PetSmart and they told me that they have no antibiotics can someone please tell me what to do or if I should worried or that's normal...
Soon visit Avian Vet... try to handfeed him formula again and put under warm light or sun while waiting time to visit the vet.
 

Marvel_ous

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WELP, I think I need a ringneck after reading this thread. ANNND here I go deeper into birdie obsession :rolleyes: I wonder how much money I can make off selling handmade parrot plushes...
 

cassiesdad

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WELP, I think I need a ringneck after reading this thread.
IRNs are great birds...and sometimes they get disrespected as companion birds. I think a lot of that is due to the "non-cuddly" aspect the species has. They are intelligent birds...and have great personalities..and can become very devoted to their people. :)
 

Marvel_ous

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IRNs are great birds...and sometimes they get disrespected as companion birds. I think a lot of that is due to the "non-cuddly" aspect the species has. They are intelligent birds...and have great personalities..and can become very devoted to their people. :)
Pretty much everything I've been looking for in a companion parrot! A relatively stable personality is a bonus too. My local parrot shop has handfed mutations for I think 500-900 depending on the mutation.
 

cassiesdad

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My local parrot shop has handfed mutations for I think 500-900 depending on the mutation.
Things have definitely changed over the years.

We bought Titan, our IRN, in 1991...from a breeder who was working at one of the chain pet stores in the local mall. She was hand-feeding a clutch of three baby IRNs..two of which were already sold. We agreed to buy the last of the babies...the "runt" of the clutch.

The price...100 dollars. We definitely got our money's worth...Titan flew up to the Bridge last year, at the age of 26...:heart:
 

Marvel_ous

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Well, the shop in general is pretty expensive too, the sell normal CAGs for 3000!!:faint:

However, they do take really good care of the babies and have a huge flight Room.
 

Budgiebuds

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I have one male Indian ringneck and he bites and nips quite often but I think that's only because his previous home wasn't very good. Though he does like being stroked sometimes and he does like being talked to and held most of the time. He is also very independent compared to my other parrots
 

ornithophile18

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Honey
Merlin is a good natured bird. Not at all bitey, Ive never seen the bluffing, hes cuddly and almost too affectionate at times...dancing and regurging on me or anything that belongs to me. He can scream at times and his contact call can get a little annoying, but all in all, he is not a typical ringneck. I did alot of reading up on them when I first rescued him and thought "oh boy, Ive got a monster here" but he is absolutley not a monster. He is a smarty pants though...when I say "Merlin" he says "what?' Then I say "are you mamas bird?" He shakes his head "Yep" what a goof, hes on me right now as I type this...
Woww!
 

HeatherD

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I haven't reached the hormonal age with my female IRN yet so I might have to update this later, but I'll post what I know so far. I'm including some info I've heard from other IRN owners as well, to try to give a more complete picture of what you might experience.

The good:
Extremely intelligent, and a lot of fun! My IRN is soooo stable and what I would personally consider very easy compared to my other birds, who act more like needy toddlers haha. She has moods, but she's so freaking predictable, and easy to read if you pay attention. She will eat almost anything, learns what I'm requesting of her so quickly, and is easy to please just by putting her in her favorite area, talking to her, or giving her a treat or new chew toy. She will do the cutest things like sit on my monitor and chase my mouse cursor with her beak. It literally took me like 3 seconds to flight train her...I held up a perch and held up a treat behind it, and she flew to it lol. Now every evening, I just take out a treat bag and walk past while calling her the fly to my hand, while I'm doing other things. Almost zero effort training sessions nowadays, and so much fun. It's so cute when they get excited and their little eyes pin too :) My IRN doesn't talk yet, but if you want to hear how incredibly cute their little voices are, just search youtube for Bowie the IRN or something. (Both the males and females are capable of speaking and very good talkers apparently, although not all of them will speak obviously.) In terms of noise level, my IRN is by far my quietest bird. She made a semi-loud noise a couple of times, and I told her "no" and covered her cage for just like 10 seconds (since leaving the room wasn't a good option at the time). When she makes a softer sound, I go to her right away and praise her. She's really smart, so she learned very quickly to make softer sounds to get my attention. Other people say their IRNs are loud though, so I might've just been lucky so far. I haven't really tried to pet her yet, but after practicing a bit if I would say "boop boop" she'd let me boop her beak and pet her beak. She has let me pet the front corner of her head above her eye next to her beak too lol.

The bad:
Something to consider is that two female IRNs don't mix, and male+female pairs might not get along, so if you want two then you might consider getting male IRN. Male IRN also seem to get along better with other birds from what I've heard and seen on youtube, whereas my female IRN will lunge if my other birds get too close (even though she likes sitting near them). Those are the only things I would personally worry about when selecting a gender.
I think IRNs get a bad rep sometimes because they think a bit differently than most other parrots, and require a slightly modified approach. They are kind of like a large bird in a small body, but they can still end up puzzling experienced large bird owners. Some people think IRNs are trying to assert dominance or "test" them with aggression, and they respond by asserting dominance back or ignoring the behavior, neither of which are very helpful. If an IRN is aggressive or tries to bite, it is almost always in my experience because of extreme fear, protection of territory, or being mischievous (usually means the bird is bored lol). IRNs really just require maybe ten minutes per day of training, nothing difficult, just working on step up, targeting, or flights to build trust and confidence at first. I've met people who try to force IRNs onto hands thinking that they are biting just to be difficult/bratty, but IRNs can be really terrified of standing on hands and fingers. You might not experience this problem at all if you go with a really good breeder, but if you buy one from a bird store that grabs them out of their cage and forces step-up, it will probably take a few weeks to work through this like it did with my IRN. They can be very fearful, and my IRN's fear-response is often what I call "remember the alamo" style, where she is like, "you can eat me but I'll go down fighting!" haha. Too many people assume this is because they're mean birds, whereas usually it's just fear. You want to work on gaining trust, not "forcing them to behave" or something like that. Training methods you can 'get away with' for other species, do not work with IRNs. On the other hand, a lot of people are given this terrible advice to just "ignore" the bird's biting and negative behavior which leads them to problems. You really should just do a bit of training each day with positive reinforcement to show the bird what behavior you value, not ignore and let it run amuck like some people suggest. I think this advice came from a desire to avoid rewarding the bird's biting behavior (i.e. don't scream or the bird might think that's fun), but it got warped over time.
There are also other good ways to avoid some potential biting. My IRN is cage aggressive, and I just use a perch to get her out of the cage. Easy! I didn't try to use my hands with her at all the first week that I had her so that she would feel comfortable, but it still only took about 3 weeks to get her consistently stepping up, understanding what "no" means, and flying to me (she's so smart!!! my smartest bird). It was so much easier to train her than my pionus, but the reason I put it in "bad" is because people who are new to bird training can end up in difficult situations and get overwhelmed. I would say my IRN learns much faster than my other birds, but requires training the most. So make sure you either have bird experience or have studied bird training (I recommend either the free Morgan the Macaw youtube series or paid Family Friendly Parrot training course, since I learned a lot from those). A lot of people say IRNs are difficult to train, but what I think they mean is you need to basically know what you're doing. It might be easy to get an IRN to fly to you, but harder to figure out how to convince her that her vet carrier isn't too scary and that she shouldn't play with other bird's tails lol. Some patience is needed. They are really sweet, smart birds underneath it all, though. And also like I mentioned, if you get the bird from a wonderful breeder who socializes them carefully, you might have nothing but smooth sailing. Some people say that their IRN has never even tried to bite and is very affectionate from day one.

The ugly:
A girl posted on avian avenue recently that she had an IRN who was going through a phase where he was continually landing on her and giving a lot of bloody bites which sounds terrifying, but she was apparently able to resolve it thank goodness by adding some foraging toys and doing target training. This was a male IRN, and I've heard a few other cases where male IRN can get like this. I don't know if it's specific to males or not. My understanding is that training resolves it or prevents it from happening, although I don't have direct experience with this extreme of a circumstance. It becomes "ugly" when people trust bird sellers to inform them and aren't properly educated on what to do, which is why I wanted to write this to make sure that anyone considering an IRN will take it into account. (That particular girl seemed to have only been given advice to "ignore" and accept the bird's behavior until it passed, which was unfair to her and inadequate advice from where she purchased the bird. Luckily she got better advice from avian avenue people, and she was brave and kind enough to work through it successfully and not consider rehoming the IRN.)
Don't let this make you afraid to get an IRN, though! My IRN gave me a bloody bite at the bird store and bit off a flap of skin when the store owner encouraged me to hold her, but she's never given me another actual bite or drawn blood since then (only some "warnings"). I have a nice communication system set up with her since she's so smart. For example if she is willing to step up on my hand, she'll wiggle her foot in the air (which is so cute). Otherwise, if I *really* need her to step up and she's not offering, then I'll use a perch and let her bite that ;) I think as long as you are careful where you put your hands and you make sure to do daily training, and/or buy a well adjusted bird from a great breeder, you will avoid most of the potential problems. I haven't had any ugly with my IRN :)

If you are intimidated by IRN problems that some people experience, I've heard of people taking in rehomed birds that were already trained and they didn't have any issues. (Just keep in mind there's often a reason those birds are being rehomed, i.e. noise level, but I've heard a few really positive stories.) Or if you don't want to try that, you might consider a mustache parakeet. Everyone seems to say that mustache parakeets are less likely to bite or scream, and more likely to talk, than IRNs.

Overall, I'm so happy I have my IRN and she is wonderful. If you like the idea of large birds and you think you're ready for a small challenge, IRNs can be kind of like a big bird in a small package. Despite the potential problems, I highly recommend them as a pet.
 
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cassiesdad

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...a fine post @HeatherD. :)
I would say my IRN learns much faster than my other birds, but requires training the most.
I always say that IRNs are intelligent and independent, which backs up your statement totally...;)
 

WindGlider

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After much research and considering our lifestyle at the time, we settle on an Alexandrine for our first bird. After two weeks, I decided he was an aggressive bird and unable to be tamed. Yeah, I know, we were dummies. I dug my heels in and research, reached out to forums and in 6 months he became the center of my life. At 2 years, we had actual conversations. He exactly say things we said, but would make up his own phrases and sentences. Then, one morning, he was on my shoulder in the kitchen, one of the dogs came in from being out and slammed the door against the wall, and my love, my babybird spooked and flew out. Fast forward, we now have an IRN. I just couldn't bring myself to raise another Alexandrine as much as I adore the breed. Our IRN is now 9 months. He is a very sweet soul, but also afraid of hands, but we are making progress! He will take food from fingertips and palms, loves target training, but will only occasionally step up. Yesterday, during step up training, he came over, bit, my index finger, first time ever, stepped away, them came right back and stepped up. Stepped up two more times without incident. It wasn't until we wrapped up training that I saw was bleeding. Not sure what the bite was all about, but my ignoring it was a good thing, because he immediately stepped up, several times, as tho nothing happened. He just stepped up on my arm as I'm typing this. He's never done this before. Wow!! Ok gotta go!!!
 

cassiesdad

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Our IRN is now 9 months. He is a very sweet soul, but also afraid of hands, but we are making progress! He will take food from fingertips and palms, loves target training, but will only occasionally step up.
Sounds like a typical IRN....intelligent and independent. ;) ...and like most IRNs, it sounds like he has the aversion to human hands. It's a good thing to work in target training...how about working get him used to sticks for picking him up and moving him...that way,your hands should be far enough away not to be concerning...
 

WindGlider

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Sounds like a typical IRN....intelligent and independent. ;) ...and like most IRNs, it sounds like he has the aversion to human hands. It's a good thing to work in target training...how about working get him used to sticks for picking him up and moving him...that way,your hands should be far enough away not to be concerning...
We had to use the dowel for our alexandrine and it really helped us get over the hump. Not sure yet if we need to use it with our IRN. It was a stellar day yesterday with huge progress. It was the first time he initiated interaction with me. Spectacular!
 

cassiesdad

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