Say Hello To Geraldine & Cricket

[FoxersArtist]

Geraldine is a beautiful Alexandrine Parakeet, one of my favorite among the Psittacula family. Part of what charms me so much about these guys is that they have bright, curious personalities and a great big red shnaz! Like the great billed parrot, Alex's have such a large upper mandible in proportion to the body that it just seems unreal to me - like some kind of caricature. Cricket is a very shy male indian ringneck parakeet who came down from another part of the state a few weeks ago.

Geraldine and Cricket have a lot of things in common, though they did not come from the same home. Cricket became a quick buy at a saturday morning yard sale when he owners no longer had interest in keeping him. Cage and all went to a very well meaning lady who had always wanted a parrot but did not know the first thing about them. Cricket is unsocialized and will need a lot of care to learn that people are not going to hurt him. His new owner became too overwhelmed and decided to give him up when she realized that she did not have what it takes to fix his issues. Cricket was placed on craigslist, practically free of charge and we jumped at the opportunity to help stop the cycle of being passed around for little Cricket. We are looking forward to making a lot of progress with the little guy, but it will have to be on his terms.

Geraldine was also passed from home to home. The first we know of her past, ahe lived in a home where the family became frustrated that they could not handle her. They were having a hard time keeping up with their bills so they traded Geraldine for some plumbing services. The plumber was really interested in Geraldine, but did not really have experience with birds. He thought his kids might like to play with her. His family quickly lost interest in their new bird when they realized that parrots bite and the family gave the Alex to a friend of the family. This fellow has experience with birds and has a senegal at home whom he loves a spoils. Unfortunately, his home is in Canada, even though he travels to the US often to manage a business he has here in Albuquerque. He decided to turn Geraldine into an office bird and everyone in his office was quickly taken by her. Fortunately, the office ladies who took care of Geraldine quickly became worried about Geraldine's wellbeing when no one was around - after 5 pm and on the weekends. They petitioned their boss to allow them to find the bird a new home and though he was hesitant, we invited him out to visit our facility and he decided that this would be a really good opportunity for Geraldine. We went to pick her up at the office yesterday and I knew I would fall in love when I first saw her. Like many psittacula, Jeraldine is cage possessive and appears to be a lot meaner than she really is. Still, the cage aggression was enough to deter a number of owners who just could not get past that big honky beak! Geraldine reluctantly stepped up for me once home and allowed me to give her a little snuggle. Getting her out today was just as easy and she has been hanging out on a play perch, enjoying some goodies such as melon, raw pea pods, a little bit of cheese, some rice cake with peanut butter, etc. she is a fantastic eater. Geraldine will likely need very little work in order to be successfully adopted out into a family who understands that a cage aggressive parrot is not an untame parrot. Hopefully we can work with her enough here to help her to be less possessive of her space, so that others do not see her as such a scary bird! Geraldine is full of life and spirit and is very curious. No toy should go unexamined and no food should be turned up without at least a little taste. Oh, and have a mentioned that I just love the way these little parrots sound! Even the loud vocalizations are enchanting to me for some reason. Geraldine is a real treasure and we are very excited to have her.

We put cricket in a macaw cage for now so he can work on strengthening his somewhat flabby muscles. Here's Cricket:


Geraldine, pigging out and nervously allowing a little cuddle. She reminds me of a younger version of Patagonian Sheba:








Enjoy! :)
-Anna

[safarichick101]

are indian ringnecks (and other Psittacula) known for being loud/good beginner birds. I'm interested in getting my first bird and something draws me 2 them. Don't know what it is...

[Emmilyy]

They're so cute! I'm sorry about their past's, but i'm glad they've got you to help them!

[FoxersArtist]

Whether or not one of these stunning birds is right for you depends a great deal upon your personality and your environment. Ringnecks can be very loud and they can nip or bite and draw blood. Many of them become possessive of their cage or play areas and will bite unassuming owners relentlessly to test your willpower! Owners must not be afraid of them and must presist otherwise the relationship will be lost. They are certainly not the easiest first bird to have but they are one that I suggest as a first bird to owners who seem to have an advanced grasp on the complex needs of parrots, or at least put proper boundaries in place while still having very little fear. They are small and therefore easier to work with but they do have extremely compact beaks which lends to a big bite for such a small beak. I would suggest going to a local store, bird club, breeder, or rescue to visit some of the ringnecks that others have. They can be extremely loving, loyal, sweet and are very smart. When they learn to talk, they have one of the clearest voices of most species. They tend to be good eaters and have fewer chances of plucking or becoming severely depressed. They self entertain well and are not terribly demanding, though they do need daily out of cage time to remain tame. Psittacula are very stubborn and it is quite difficult to tame one down once they have become wild. If you should choose one of these, I would not suggest that you buy or adopt one with behavioral problems as this may be too much for a first time owner.
-Anna

[hollyhawkz]

They are both very good looking fids. Poor Geraldine, she sure has spent a lot of time alone. It looks like she will adjust quickly to getting all loved up!

[debbielabella]

happy they found you Anna! I'm sure they will blossom and find their forever homes.

[kellywess]

Alexandrines have sweet little voices. They are very attractive birds.

[tvymola]

They are lucky to have found their way to you. Anna I am amazed at how quickly you are able to bring out the best in these forgotten birds. You truly have a gift.

[Ringneckmom]

Anna - very well said. They are wonderful birds but you do have to be as stubborn as they are. Most of my guys are cage agressive (with the exception of the girls) but they will step up and come out with no problems.

They adore food of pretty much any kind so you have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't eat something they shouldn't like your chocolate ice cream. LOL
They are also very curious and have to be in the middle of things at all times.


That Cricket is just a cutie pie! Either he is molting right now or just getting in his full ring so would be about 2 and a half to 3 years old.

Good luck with him Anna - I hope you are able to get him socialized and find him a good home with at least one more ringie - they do love to have friends.

[expressmailtome]

They are very lucky!

Matt