Questions from a newbie (many)!

[Guest]

Greetings from Greece
I recently bought an indian ringneck as a present for my girlfriend and she really likes her (I assume it is a female, since she doesn't have the black ring on her neck).
I noticed that she has a yellow-orange ring on her right leg with some numbers and letters written on... Does anyone have a clue what those letters mean? (could it be some information about the bird's age, sex, etc.?). How can I learn more about this?

Lara (the IRN) is still very shy and afraid (We have her for a week now) but not as much as she was when we first took her. I hope that with time, she will get to know us!

I have a question regarding food... Shoud we keep the seed feeder always on the cage, so that she can eat whenever she likes, or it is best to put it only during some periods of time through the day?

Lara makes some screams in the morning and before night, but I think that this is quite normal for parrots. Apart from these screams, my girlfriend once heard her making some "quiet" sounds, not screams, when nobody was in the room. She heard those noises while she was in the next room! Could this be an attempt of speaking??

I would like to thank everyone in this forum for their great advice, since this is the only place with adequate information about these birds!

PS: I played at Lara the sounds from http://www.indianringneck.com/sounds/ and she went like crazy!! She started screaming too since she thought that another ringneck was in the house!

[Misty_Anikin]

Congrats on your new IRN Laura!

Yes, the orange band on her foot is put on by the breeder. It usually indicates the birth info. I'm not sure what other information can be obtained from it. I don't believe they sex the bird though. However if your bird is mature (about 2 years old) the ring would be noticeable by then. Males have a dark ring and females usually have a VERY LIGHT or NO ring at all.

You should be able to get information about the orange band from where you purchased the bird.

As with any IRN, it takes time for them to get use to their new home, just make sure to give her LOTS of attention when you can and be calm to help ease her in. If she lets you handle her, pick her up as often as you can! This will help her bond with you two more than anything else. Soon she will want to be with you both all the time! They are the sweetest little birds I love mine so much!!!

YES!! Keep her seeds in her cage so she can eat whenever she is hungry. Also make sure you change her seeds every day or so. The seed bowl can look full but when they crack them open it's just leftover shell. ALSO give her fresh fruits and vegetables they love all kinds so try what you want. Just NEVER any AVACADO or CHOCOLATE.

You are right. Parrots normally make loud noises during these times. My IRN makes all kinds of noises or "quiet sounds" and has ever since I got him. It very well could be her way of practicing to talk. They also do this when they are sleepy and when you pet them or scratch their head. My IRN talks up a storm!!! The only word I can make out clearly is "HELLO" for sure and he imitates my bad whistle! He is about 8 months now and he has been practicing saying hello for a few months. The best way to help your little bird start talking is TALK TO HER! Some birds can take up to 2 years to talk, just depends on the bird and environment. Hope this helps!

[arouklas]

Thank you very much Misty_Anikin for the reply!

Today, Lara had her first bath! I don't know if she enjoyed the bath, however I am sure she was very pleased while we were drying her with the hair dryer!!
We also left her a liitle outside her cage. She doesn't like it when we are near her, so we left the cage door open and gave her no attention. After 20 minutes she went out of the cage and climbed on top of it. She spent awile treating her wings and body... and after about 1 hour she opened her wings and flyed!!! She landed on the air condition which is the highest spot of the room and stayed there.
We left her there thinking that when she was bored she would return to her cage, but no luck... after some time she started screaming and the only cause I could think was that she wanted to play. So I went close to her and as soon I was getting closer she flew away to another spot of the room! We did this for a few times and finally managed to get her in her cage!

We are still trying to find the best way to make her not being afraid of us... any good suggestions are welcome!

Apart from the seeds we are giving her fruits (so far banana and orange) and some peanuts on special occasions. But she only gets some bites of the fruit and nothing more. Most of the fruit is thrown down.

The only game she let us play is eye blinking and I have to say that she is really cute when she is closing her eyes! Have you got any other suggestions for games at this early stage?

I have also noticed that when she is eating or playing with a toy she pins her eyes. What does it mean?

Thanks again for the great help that all members of the forum provide!