IndianRingNeck.com

Hello all.

I don't own an IRN, but I have an opportunity to adopt a lovely 3 year old lutino, so I am here in search of info.

I made a post in the general comment section, so if anyone has experience trying to get ringnecks and conures to get along, feel free to answer!

Thanks,

NanDaddy

Hello! And a big welcome to this board. We are of course IRN owners but any questions you have on any birds ask away. IRNs (Indian Ringnecks) are not as friendly or cuddly as conures but they sure are great companions. As you can see by my avatar I own an ablino named Princess, Prinny for short, and she is spoiled rotten. If you do get the lutino they will take over your life. They can be handfuls and at times make you want to scream but everything you have to do from taking bites all the way to cleaning their cages is worth every second of it. I wouldn't trade Prinny for any bird. This board is the best source of info out there and sadly one of the ONLY out there. Any questions please ask and if you ever need to talk feel free to e-mail me at Sundance8503@yahoo.com

Dani and Prinny

Perhaps we should shift the debate to adopting older birds.

You need to know what you are getting into. I learned via experience.

Shall we? Or is your heart set on that particular bird? I am all for adopting older birds that NEED a good home but NEVER would I chose an older bird for any other reason, now what I have had the experience. Although I love my Peek-a-Boo girl, she is a head-case.

Birds are like ol men, set in their ways. The bird will come to you with a concrete personality, demands s/he is use to that you may not be willing to fullfill (such as Peek-a-Boo wanting 24/7 shoulder time... AINT GONNA HAPPEN) and a temperment you may find intimadating.

Do you know this bird? Will the bird allow you to handle him/her? Most importantly, do you know the birds HISTORY.

One must always question 'Hrm... now why would someone WANT to get rid of this bird?' I was too stupid to have considered that to find the reason was that if Peek-a-Boo wasnt on my shoulder she screamed constantly. NOT FUN! But she is now broke from that and I am broke from ever getting a bird older than 6 months.

That is where I stand on this issue... NEXT

I personally havent had any experience in that area, but you seem to have covered everything Mikaela

There's an almost overwhealming ammount of info already covered here, so I know you're busy with that. ^^

But Mikaela raised some good issues. It's a very good idea to visit any bird you would like to adopt- mine were sort of dropped off, lol. Sometimes with birds, what you see the first time isn't really what you're gonna get.

Amen, the first time I saw Peek-a-Boo she was the prettiest, sweetest girl in the world. Of course, she was on her owners shoulder and went straight to mine. Little did she know, that was all going to change very quickly.

I dont think she stopped screaming because she learned I wasnt going to give her 24/7 shoulder time. I think she stopped because she lost her voice. Either way, I dont care, as long as she stopped.

A bird can cause some MAJOR family problems, ask around.

Can cause housing problems too. Had I been in an apartment when I got Boo, I would have FOR SURE been evicted.

These are all things one must think about. A bird needs to be place AS FEW times as possible.

Also, this is a 30 year commitment

Thanks for the responses. All good points.

I have not yet met the bird in question, and my heart is in no way set on it. I was told by a student of mine that his neighbor is looking for a home for his lutino IRN. I figured I would do some research on the bird before contacting them.

We do, however, want to get another bird, whether the IRN in question or a different bird entirely. My Nanday grew up with tiels, but we had to find homes for them when we moved into a MUCH smaller appartment. Now we're in a larger house again, and looking to get Magellan some avian companionship

I understand that older birds can be a challange, especially if they were spoiled (ie: Peek-a-Boo) or neglected (the opposite problem). I have no problem working with loud and headstrong birds. (Nanday. Nuff said.) Getting a baby would be nice, true, but I know there are alot of birds out there that need homes. (Someone took mine in when I needed them to...)

I have no common wall neighbors, and if any of them were sensitive enough to care, Magellan's good morning serenade would have caused them to comment already. I don't forsee any family problems, as my wife is all for it. In fact, she is hoping the new bird will bond to her as strongly as the Magellabird bonded to me. (He only puts up with my wife when he wants something.... sigh). We'll be keeping the new bird, whatever we get, in her office/sewing room for that reason.

Trust me, I understand the committment. I got Magellan when he was 7 months old. He's now pushing 10 years old, and still a youngster. One of my dreams is having a military macaw. Now THERE is a lifetime commitment.

Thanks again for all the comments.

(Yeesh, I've written a book. Thanks to anyone who got this far!)

Please know that a 'tiel is on the completely different end of the spectrum that an IRN, in all respects.

IRNs are known to be:
very unfriendly, at first
very active and destructive
very intelligent (equivalent to a 2-5 yr old child)
very everything that is different than a 'tiel

The best way I can descibe it is, and I have one, a 'tiel is like a stuffed animal that eats compared to an Indian Ringneck.

If you arent set on that bird NO WAY would I adopt it, unless it NEEDS you. Ringecks that are hand-raised by you are hard enough to tame much less one that may have a history of different homes. I too speak on this from experience as I adopted a 2.5 yr old. Dont get me wrong, she is beautiful and I love her but she has been through alot and will probably never be an anxiety free bird. Bless her heart. Nonetheless, she needed and deserved a good home and has one.

Dont deny yourself the opportunity of having a mentally healthy ringneck. Buy as young as you feel comfortable with, younger the better. You have no strings to this bird so you dont have to feel bad.

Ringnecks that are mentally healthy are great. To ensure that, you MUST be the first owner. I will never get another bird over 4 months old. Learn vicariously though me!

Again, I love my Peek-a-Boo, ya'll know that. But she does have her problems. Due to those problems she has been past on from one to another. She is home now and wont be going anywhere, wish there was someway I could make sure she knew that.