Curiosity..

[Renae]

I was going to get an IR (Indian Ringneck) for my mother for mothers day since she loves them so much. When my mother and I went into the Pet Store we go to a fair bit, someone had just walked in with one wanting to sell it to the Pet Store. It was then my mum was up at this IR's cage talking to it and it started lunging at her.. ANYWAYS, she also seen a Quaker, but I didn't have $450 to get it. (she loves them also) So I was stuck choosing between a Quaker or an IR.

I ended up getting her a Blue Quaker from a breeder. But I am just curious.. I seen IR's in the same Pet Store and they are such cute little things, they were so quiet and just sat there and either ate or played with toys. I didn't hear a peep out of any of them.. (I thought that was a good thing considering the Cockatiels that were in the same room were going ballistic)

A man who works there said that they're EXCELLENT birds, only if you get them as babies because a couple they had were adults and weren't tame at all. He continued to tell us they're one of the best talkers (along with Quakers) but they aren't all that loud.. only if you live in an apartment then you can possibly come across some loudness every now and again.

So it bring me to the questions.. (remember it's just out of curiosity - for now *cough*)

1) When looking at buying one are they a good bird to have? (this would be for family not just one person)
2) Do Females talk like Males do?
3) Do they get loud?
4) Are they birds you can take out of their cage and handle daily?
5) What's their diet?
6) Size? (what'd be the best sized cage?)
7) Is there many "behaviour problems" with IR's?

I think that's enough questions for now.. but feel free to add anything else onto any answers.

[debbielabella]

I have an Alexandrine, which is a ringneck but larger than an IRN. She is very loud when she gets going with the screeching. She does talk very well even though she is a girl, very human sounding girl with great pronounciation. They NEED to be handled daily or they can revert back to being wild. I don't know if IRNs are quieter but I read they screech more often, but hopefully someone will be able to tell you. Many people like the males better because they have the ring around their necks and the females do not but I can tell you by first hand experience my female is a great talker.

[Ringneckmom]

Both can talk IF they want to.
Ringnecks are not always screaming or anything, but they can be vocal.

They can be cage territorial when in the cage so that might explain the lunging.

I do not handle mine per se every day but they are also a part of most things that go on in the house.
I also have two in the bird room and they are actually just fine and are not "wild" even without being part of the main activity.

I think the big thing with ringnecks is that after they have been handfed and weaned - they need to still be handled and part of things and not left in a cage with no devices. If they are still handled after being weaned then they can be really nice birds. I think it is similar to how things may be in the wild where the babies will stay with parents longer than just fledging.

They are not much louder than a quaker but they can be a little more piercing.
Personally, I would rather deal with ringneck than a quaker - they just grate on my nerves bad.

They tend to do really well with families as they do not bond like a lot of birds to just one bird or human. As long as you socialize them with everyone including the kids (supervised) they should be fine. Course if someone gets bullied and shys away then it will make it a little more difficult to interact with.

I have mine in 24 x 24 cages and they do very well in them.

Diet - right now mine are on a pelleted diet with the addition of fruit and veggies and cooked mixes etc. They really like fruits and veggies or food of any kind for that matter.
They also get treats like nutriberries, birdie bread etc
They also like nuts and of course seed blends so you can give them some of that but be careful and don't do peanuts in the shell or give them a lot - they can become seed junkies.
And Yeah I agree with that guy - they are EXCELLENT birds!
I have lived in an aprtmant with them and not had any problems and at least 3 at the time.
The only problems I know of with them is that they can test you and if you are not firm and consistent then they can become nippy, but if you get a young bird that has been fed and socialized correctly then you should not have to worry about it.
And yes , they love to come out and play. The good thing is that they are independent as well so you don't have to worry about them being demanding about being in your face all the time like you would with say a cockatoo.

Course my female Cassie is a definite want to be on you 24/7 and put holes in your shirt type of girl.

What can I say - I love mine!

[asulli]

I have a female Alexandrine. She is not really loud except when she hears the microwave and thinks I am warming up her food and then she does this piercing thing that is a bit loud.

Shakti is very friendly with everyone so far, but I do handle her everyday first thing in the morning and usually play with her quite a bit in the evenings.

She will be 4 months old on the 14th and at this time does talk except every once in a while she does this laughing thing which my husband says sounds just like me or she starts what I can only identify as some of garble.

She does love when I sing to her (You are my sunshine and Twinkle Twinkle). She seems to love anything musical.

My diet is very much like RingneckMom except that Shakti does not like pellets so I grind them up and put them in cooked carrots or sweet potato.

When we first brought her home she did do the "bluffing" thing, but when she does touch me with her beak and I say "gentle" she usually does not bite down and let's go.

When she "lunges" at me inside her cage I use a wooden spoon and she will immediately step up, unless she sees me with her food bowl and she steps up immediately on my finger.

I think she is an excellent bird so far. I think a lot of her personality is due to the fact that she was hand-fed and that we try to socialize her as much as possible.

[asulli]

Sorry I meant to say that at this time she does NOT talk.....but laughs....

[Renae]

Thanks for the replies so far guys! they sound like awesome birds.