Ringneck not drinking much water

[simones]

Hi everyone, am new to this forum! Just purchased an IRN 10 days ago and he is now 8 weeks old! he is a lovely blue colour with turquoise wings. He seems to not have a problem with eating, however it appears that he isn't drinking much water at all! I'm really worried that he's not getting enough water...if i fill up his water cup, it appears that he must only have a few sips a day! Is there any way to encourage him to drink more water, or does he not really need much?

Also, sometimes he will lunge at a scrunched up piece of paper towel...is this normal? he also is cranky sometimes when we try to get him to step up a couple of hours before his bedtime to play with him...does this mean he has just had enough of playtime? we normally play with him out of the cage for at least an hour or two. Thanks for any advice! Simone.

[Chicklette]

Birds do not drink as much water as humans. A lot of time they will dunk their food in the water and that is anther way they get moisture into them. Boomer and Chiquita only get a drink about two times a day however, we don’t watch them all the time so I think when we leave they may get a drink then too. If he is not drinking at all I would get a check up from the vets.

Oh yes, they will lungs ate ANYTHING. They can be pretty demanding birds and also aggressive. They are not the snuggly type. They are independent birds but I love them. There great, always doing something nutty and making me laugh.

IRN’s can be very cranky birds at times, so yes, this is also normal. Maybe he has had enough, I don’t know. I leave the cage door open and Chiquita comes and goes as she pleases. She also has dramatic mood swings so this is typical. I just laugh when they are in a bad mood. It’s so funny. There overly dramatic.

Everything is normal with what your IRN is doing.

[Greycloud]

You might consider changing the times that you want to play. When birds are quieting down for the night they want to settle and be left alone. Try playing just a little bit earlier. Lure him into his cage with a special treat. Show him the treat and put it in his food bowl.

[simones]

thank you for the advice :) i saw him yesterday dipping his beak into the water cup a few times, which relieved me!

[rewki]

First of all Welcome to BirdBoard, Remember that since you have him for only about two weeks you have to give him time to adjust to his new surroundings. You should shpritz your bird with water as well to get him into the habit of preening himself, it is important for them to have some daily moisture, but IRNs prefer early morning for this ritual. Never in the evening, a bird should not go to sleep with wet or damp feathers.
Good luck and why don't you come on over to the Ringneck section, the door is always open.

Rebecca in Israel