IndianRingNeck.com

hello new to breeding altho not new to ringnecks , and already a member of this site just forgot my old username lol .
we have just purchased a bonded pair of blue irn's from a pet shop which came with a largeish size Montana cage and stand also they gave us a new nest box which says cockatiel box on it altho it is pretty large and has ladders on the inside we have put woodshavings in up to the ladders and some of the nesting material you can buy which feels like hair , will this be ok for then to nest in ?
(all for £200 )
we have had then 24hours and there in our bedroom as we have 3 kids and downstairs can get very loud .
we are a bit sceptical about the pet shop owners telling us the truth about these birds about whta eggs they produce etc etc , the male has started to go in the box and pokes his head out then the female goes to the food dish then appears to be giving the male the food through the hole then she does a head bop and goes back and forth on the pearch strecthing out her body upwards , is this a good sign ?
I would guess so ??
I have seen hand reared blue irn's for sale at the pet shop about 2 years ago maybe less , the pet shop have told me the breed just in a different cage in the shop so there use to noise and ppl altho there deffo not tame .
will they breed if there in our bedroom ?
what age do they stop breeding ?
and adivce at all would be great cheers

Hi Phil

How old are they and does the male have his ring yet?

I'm asking because the behavior you described for the female strikes me as a lot more "male-like". But if I'm wrong I'll gladly stand corrected by anyone else.

Wessel

yes the male 100% as the black and white ring , and the female does not , they also spend a lot of time cuddling and soft chriping to each other ,
I know the female does do the male behavior I know from our tame male we used to have he used to display for me and lovesick on my fingers .
I wonder if the female as just copied the male because theyv been breeding in a indoor cage for so long ...
what age do they stop layin eggs?
the male as started to take strands of nesting material out of the nest too

Unfortunately I'm not sure when they stop laying eggs, but it will be linked to if it's breeding season where you are and the age of the birds. Maybe more experienced breeders can give an educated estimate to what age a female is usable for breeding purposes.

And yes, they should breed in your bedroom if they find a comfortable spot and a sufficiently large cage and they aren't disturbed too much, such as the kids running up to the cage every five minutes so I suggest you monitor the kids activity-and noise-level around the birds once they get down to the business of breeding.

I have a pair in an aviary that's busy incubating eggs but due to several complicated reasons I can't inspect the nest myself. The female spends 99% of her time incubating the eggs and won't even move out of the nest if I change the food or water since she's used to my routine. However, if a visitor is with me and we approach the aviary she will stand guard over it with her body half in/half out of the nest and will stay there till the "intruder in her eyes" left. So sticking to the same routine as much as possible is also important during breeding season. My routine is usually "change the food and water and disappear" usually without even saying a word...since the bird are familiar with the sounds I make as I approach I'm not seen as a threat by the female and she simply goes on with her business.

I'm surprised that they show interest in the nestbox already but since they're a bonded pair they prefer to just go on with business as usual; however don't be disappointed if there's no chicks this season since they might take awhile to adjust.

Wessel