Help Me :)

[sunny lutino]

Hi,

I'm a proud owner of a 25-day-old lutino ringneck and currently I'm keeping him in a carton box. Where I got him from, I was told to put him in a cage when he starts spreading his wings. Well, today when I went to lift him up from the box, he spread his wings and started to flap them, however to no success because he remained in my hands.

I don't know if putting him in a cage at such an early age is a good idea because he still does not know how to stand on his both feet on a flat surface, let alone on a perch. Please help because I don't want him to be unhappy and I'm very fond of him even though he's only been at mine for 3 days.

Also, what type of cage is required? I thought about buying him a parrot stand where I could chain one of his feet and let him run free over there. I've seen ringnecks be kept like that in petshops but I don't know if its for travelling purposes. But I don't think that it is enough, do you? I don't want to keep him in a cage so is a parrot stand a good alternative? Sorry for asking a lot of questions.

Thanks a lot!
Lea (owner) & Sunny the lutino ringneck

[sunny lutino]

anyone?

[dog_glenn123]

Hi there,
they dont leave the nest until around 6 weeks of age so leave it as is until 45+ days.
then introduce into the cage with something currently in the box.
there are different ways to house them somr people have play stand for the day and cage of a night.

there are open top cages you can use that have play stand at th top.

please dont chain it to the stand.

ta glenn

[ellieelectrons]

Hi

I don't know a lot about hand raising birds as our two were already hand raised before we brought them home.

I think our first was about six weeks old when we brought her home. At that time the breeder was bringing the chicks out during the day in a box with no top. It was like a box for fruit from the fruit store. It didn't have a lid. The purpose of the box was to keep the chicks together so they wouldn't stray to the edge of the table and fall off. I'm sorry but I don't know if she was keeping them in a box or a cage at that point in time. I do know that when we brought her home she was weaned and she was fine in her cage.

With regard to your other questions I may be more help. My understanding of current thinking on keeping birds is that you should get your bird a cage, as big a cage as you can afford and have room for. You should also have out of cage play spaces for them. I think in many countries now, keeping a parrot with its leg chained is not recommended and is seen as cruel although I do realize that different cultures probably view this practice differently. Any way, that's my opinions for what it's worth.

Congrats on your little guy. He sounds goregous.

Ellie.

[sunny lutino]

Ok, thanks a lot for replying back

[ellieelectrons]

http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =3&t=11956

Here is a link to pics of our cage setup.

Ellie.

[sunny lutino]

hey,

Ok then i'll leave him in his box until he is 6 weeks old and I'll see from there ..

I think in many countries now, keeping a parrot with its leg chained is not recommended and is seen as cruel although I do realize that different cultures probably view this practice differently.

I thought so, but I thought I'd ask as I've seen one being kept like that in a pet shop. I don't think he'll be happy with a chained leg that's why I asked for your opinion.

Thanks a lot

Your cage setup looks wonderful, I just wish I had space and time to build him a marvellous one like you have, however I'm still a student. You really should be proud of how you made it, and your babies look happy too I especially love your shower perches

[ellieelectrons]

Yes. Birds can be expensive creatures! It's amazing what some people are able to make themselves when it comes to bird toys & gyms.

Ellie.

[tlouiselle]

Our Sky is about 9 weeks old now. He was 4 weeks old when we brought him home. Be careful with a cage because he can lose heat and his feet can get hurt on the wires. I saw one who had a torn tendon from the wire on a cage because it didn't know how to properly walk on it. We kept a light on Sky to keep him warm (I was told to keep it on until he was fully feathered). You will notice when he is ready to start perching on things. I placed some stable log perches on the bottom of his cage for him to practice gripping and balance. Once he was ready I moved him into a small cage but took out the wire bottom. Once he had better balance and experience I put a perch very low in his cage so that if he fell he would not fall far.

A stand is a goot thing for him when he is old enough. I would put plenty of toys to keep him occupied since they are curious and love to play (a little kid can not sit in a chair all day with nothing to do I know for a fact our Sky would sit still unless he has something to play with). PLEASE do not chain his foot. As a baby you can teach him to hang out on the stand by himself. Sky will sit on his stand if he is sleepy and wants his "alone time", but if he doesn't want to he flutters down and runs over to me to sit on my lap (we let his wings grow out so that he could learn how to fly but then I clipped a few of the feathers on each wing because he was beginning to think he was the king here and could go where ever he wanted). So I would make sure to place the stand in a room where he can be near you because he will want your company

Good luck and enjoy your new baby!!!