new indian ringneck

[draggun]

hi there,

i was wondering if anyone had some general advice about the behavior of indian ringnecks....i checked out a couple websites, but its always good to here from some other sources.

i currently have three quakers and two cockatiels(all adopted), and i am adopting a turquoise blue indian ringneck from the ft. lauderdale wildcare center. i believe its a female because it has a slight marking around the neck. she seems very ,very shy to come out of the cage, but when i turned my back, she crept out quietly. she stepped up on me and seems to really like the caretaker that works there. she is a plucker (no skin is showing however). they are bringing her home on friday along with her big cage and i just want to know how to deal with the situation correctly.

should i be "quiet" and let her get adjusted for a couple of days to her new surroundings and new flock members or should i try to "play/handle" her asap? i dont want to frighten her, but i want her to know she is safe and now has a permanent home. my husband is home during the workweek while i'm at work. i just want her to feel welcomed without scaring her or stressing her out too much. i want the transition to be as smooth as possible. please, any information would certainly help. i appreciate it

[Sivin]

Hi Draggun and welcome to the forum,
I don't know anything about Indian Ringnecks and I'm sure someone knowledgeable will reply shortly but I thought I would put my two cents in while you're waiting. Since this will be a new member of your flock you will want to quarantine her for at least 30 days, both for the safety of your current flock and her own health. Hopefully you can do this in a quiet portion of your house.

If possible, it would be nice to keep a radio going with soft music or chatter to keep her company. Be quiet and soft spoken around her and if she gets jittery back off just a bit, but let her see that you belong there, as does she.

At the end of the quarantine period you can gradually introduce her to the other birds, but by then I'll bet she will have been squawking back and forth with them anyway.

My experience is with cockatiels and budgies. Good luck to you and please post a picture when you can.

Sivin

[draggun]

Hi Sivin,

Thank you so much for your reply, it means a great deal. I really appreciate the wonderful advice. I will definately post pictures as soon as i can

Draggun

[kerryandgoofy]

Welcome to the board, hope to hear much more from you!

Indian Ringnecks come in MANY beautiful mutations. It was only a short 15/20 years ago when the blue mutation appeared and was selling for $3,000.00. Now one is lucky to get $150 for a blue hand fed bird. It takes a special person to enjoy them because their natural call tends to be rather shrill. These birds take 2 years to reach sexual maturity, that is when the male’s ring will come in around the neck. Hens don’t have one. This birds are much larger than their cousins the African Ringnecks, who also have a few color mutations.

Hand fed ringnecks can make good pets, BUT they tend to revert quickly to a wild state if they are not played with everyday. These birds can learn to talk to some degree, but it will never be as clear as the African Grey speech.

The life span of these birds is about 30 years.

Kerry

[henryswife]

Hi draggun,
And welcome to the board. Hope to hear from you often and pics. would be great.
I didn't reply the other day because I wanted Kerry who has more knowledge about ringnecks than I do to reply, we only have budgies. (6)

Sivins advice was very helpfull with any new bird you get.

Again, wecome to the site, and hope all goes well with your new birdie. Sounds like a very pretty one, and like Kerry said 'they can be loud' you should hear ours in the morning! Don't need an alarm clock in our house! LOL Alice