IndianRingNeck.com

Hi all - I am a novice owner of a 15 week old. Things are going fine but I just have a few questions for all the experts out there.

When we first got Atticus, he was eating the tropical mix that the pet shop supplied as well as fresh fruit & veg - no problems. He was very outgoing and cheeky - which was the main reason we chose him over the other birds. After about 4 or 5 days he began begging (I didn't know what he was doing at first - kinda freaked out) so on the advice of the pet shop I got some hand rearing mix and started giving him some a couple of times a day.

This has been the case for about 2 weeks now and his begging is getting more constant - in fact no matter how much he eats he still begs continuously. He has also become really sooky - with me in particular - I guess because I'm the one who usually feeds him. He has gone into his shell heaps - although he still bites the kids occassionally and squawks at them too, but he is just not the same. I thought it was a settling in period when he realised that he was here for good, but I don't know. My partner thinks I should stop giving him the hand rearing mix so he learns to eat his other food again and stops begging but I'm not sure whether he will be eating enough or not. I don't want him to starve! I put out a plate of different fruit & veg every day but he eats less & less of that which also has me concerned.

He spends most of his time on his playpen and basically only sleeps in his cage - is this a problem or likely to cause problems? (apart from the poo that is). At night he sits with us on the couch and munches a bit of our dinner with us which I don't mind - at least I know he's eating.

I guess my main worry is whether the begging and sooking will stop or just keep getting worse. Will he grow out of it or snap out of it on his own? I just want my cheeky little parrot back! A little help would be greatly appreciated....

I've seen many IRNs in the pet stores and they all keep begging as you pass. They bob their heads and make these screeching noises. Kiki didn't do this when I acquired her though, so I've never considered this problem.

If he eats pellets, try mixing this with his handrearing food to see what he does. Grind the pellets and put a little bit of wet handrearing mix onto the spoon (or whatever you feed him with) then feed him the pellets.


If he eats seeds don't put the seeds into his handrearing mix. Parrots don't eat the shells of seeds so this isn't the natural way which he'd eat.

You said that you do feed him fruits and vegetables. I'd say, put a little bit of the handrearing mix and spread it onto a slice of apple (or his favorite fruit or vegetable. Kiki's favorite is corn and apple). Feed it to him, now what does he do?
If he doesn't accept your offer, then mash the apple and feed it along with the handrearing mix. Does he eat it now?

Do you have a local avian veterinarian? Maybe you should arrange a checkup and let your avian vet speak to you about that.

Also, this forum contains lots of valuable information, and there's a lot of avian experts here. I've found quite a lot of answers to my questions here.
Please feel free to register to http://www.parrotalk.com/forum
It's a great parrot forum with very kind people. I'm sure you'll find an answer to your question there. There's also a good collection of IRN owners there, and i've let them know of this forum as well. Trust me, the people there are extremely kind, it's a sort of parrot community.

Hello Carrie,

Wow, sounds like you need some help! Firstly, welcome to this forum! Hope you find all your IRN needs here.

Let me start out to say—don’t panic. I am going to assume your Ringneck is around 12-16 weeks old. Some Ringnecks, after they have been weaned, resort back to being spoon or handfed. Why this happens I don’t know; however, it could be a change in the environment, a change in hand feeders, or a change in routine. Whatever it maybe, stress is probably the culprit.

Continue to feed your Ringneck, once in the morning and once before bedtime, until he or she is full. During the day offer him warm sweet potatoes or steamed vegetables, which help to encourage weaning. A little trick I learned through experience will help a lot. Most juvenile Ringnecks will not touch solid foods unless they are stimulated with hand feeding formula. You might want to offer a small amount before you offer solid foods. This works wonders for me during weaning and I never encourage weaning through starving.

Just offer different foods until your Ringneck refuses your feedings. I have never heard of a Ringneck who loved to be handfed forever. Once he feels more confident and secure with his surroundings, he’ll start to move out of his baby stage and try to be more independent. Just continue to feed until he no longer needs feeding formula. In my opinion, Ringnecks are very light eaters compared to most parrots and all babies lose weight before they take their first flight. So just monitor the weight.

If he looks healthy and is active, he is probably okay. If you feel he must see a vet, take him. It couldn’t hurt.

Hope this helps and keep us updated.

Best Wishes

I.C.