Destructive bird - Clip or lock him up?

Hello friends,
I'm after some advice.

I have a 1 yo Indian Ringneck. I live in a small 1 bedroom flat but the bird is only locked in the cage at night, otherwise, he is flying free in the living room/kitchen area all day. It's been good so far since he only ever flew to his designated spots. The people I got him from clipped his wings, so for most of the time he couldn't fly properly, and seemed content with fluttering from perch to perch.

Now his wings have fully grown back, and it's a delight to see him fly like a bird should! I swore I will not ever clip him/let him be clipped again.

But now he has started to destroy furniture and vandalise a bit when he is home alone (I have already removed everything that is not birdproof and can be removed. And he has a lot of toys that he is allowed to play with.
If it was my furniture I would not care so much. But I'm renting and the landlord won't be happy to see his new chairs all gnawed apart.

What should I do? I don't want to clip him again! But I also don't want to leave him locked inside the cage whenever he is home alone. He is not used to that and his cage is a cage, not an aviary, so not big enough to fly in it.

I was thinking about building him a big enough cage/small aviary, but it seems like a bad idea because the house is so small and I am actually thinking of moving away from here this year.
I wanted to take the bird with me and potentially see if he would like to have an opposite-sex same-species bird partner once I get to my new destination.
But if there would be two of them, I would definitely need an aviary for them. They're like little kids, I can't have an eye on them all the time :34:

If anyone has some advice or idea what is the best thing I can do for my bird in this situation, please let me know. Thanks!

Hi

I’m glad this has worked out for you so far, but I hear so many horror stories of birds being killed by something the owner couldn’t predict because they were left alone. I strongly suggest using the cage while you are at work. Being loose when you are gone is quite unsafe. I know you have done it successfully for some time, but many people also choose not to wear their seat belts for years with no ill effects until it kills them.

If you use PVC pipe, an aviary can actually be quite affordable to build, actually; much less than a larger bird cage such as for a macaw.

Please do NOT get your bird a female to keep him company. Female Ringnecks often kill other birds if housed in the same cage, and it’s really better to only add a bird if YOU want another one, not if you think your existing bird wants them.


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I second the above advice in that you definitely want to stop allowing your bird to be out free flying in your apartment when you are not there. It's just asking for trouble (an injury, getting caught somewhere, eating something he shouldn't, etc.) as good as your intentions are to want him to be free as wild birds are, it's just not safe nor good if you want to keep poop off your furniture.

It's far less cruel to keep him caged rather then finding him dead somewhere in your apartment and wondering what happened. I used to follow this 'free roam budgie' on instagram and as free as he was he ended up passing away shortly after I started following him because he ingested parts of the metal screen door, and he suffered greatly. So as much as his owners wanted him to be free this freedom ultimately was the way he passed away, probably would still be alive if the owners kept him caged while not with him but some people only learn the hard way.

Ultimately the cage is the safe place and should be used anytime you cannot watch your bird.

I also agree with above

You don't want your bird free flying while your gone in you apartment. To many dangerous stuff around like cords, metal, small stuff and they will destroy what they can as well. Plus he can get stuck, or injured and no one there to help him. Lock him up while your gone will be a much safer bet.

Would you leave a 2 or 3 year old child locked in a room totally unsupervised all day? It's kind of the same thing with parrots. They are very intelligent and inquisitive and easily bored. So far it seems you have been super lucky that nothing bad has happened aside from some chewed furniture. As hard as it is to do, keeping them caged when you aren't there is for their safety.

Getting a companion bird of any species or gender can cause more issues too. There is a chance that they will bond with each other and not really be all that interested in you any more. They could totally dislike each other, as is the case with my two conures, and injure each other. Of course there is the chance that they will get along fine but not bond to each other and stay human focused.

Agree with everything said above. I used not to cage my birds when I was a kid. My 2nd ever bird, a sweet budgie hen named Kitten, died when she was chewing on the top of a paper towel roll, fell down into the tube, and struggled until she broke her neck. I was at school when it happened and was devastated when I got home. PLEASE cage your bird when you cannot supervise him! They are tragically good at finding ways to injure themselves or worse on things that otherwise you would think would be safe!!

Thanks guys, I appreciate your input and information!

Birdie will definitely stay in the cage whenever he is home alone from now on. I've been doing it like that for the last couple of days, and even though it's new to him he seems pretty ok with it. Good thing is that I mostly work from home and he's only ever locked in for a few hours.

Since I will likely be moving away from here this year, it's not the right moment to build an aviary (even if I had the space). I hope I can build one for him - possibly even outside on a terrace etc. - when I get to the new place.

Not until that all has worked out I would consider a second bird. I know it's very possible that they won't like each other and my bird may potentially be happier alone. Ideally, I would like to "let him try out" a few other birds and see if they get along. If they change their minds, and I have an outdoors aviary, I can still separate them because there will be enough space.

Does that sound alright? How about moving an indoors-bird to the outdoors? I know that feral populations of ringnecks thrive in Germany and London, so he can get used to the temperatures, is that so?

Glad to hear he is now caged when you aren't there.

I would advise against getting several 'try out' birds to see if any get along with your bird. Imagine the confusion they would feel when you decide to take some back! Think of your bird as a child (we here think of our birds as kids) so wouldn't it be very unfair to bring more kids into the environment instead of picking one YOU want and having a proper introduction? Only getting a bird because YOU want one is a good idea, don't get one because your other bird may be lonely.

When you have them outside, I will say they go more wild, so you may not be able to handle them if you don't interact every single day with them. Just something to think about.

I think another bird for HIM it's not the best idea. If you want another bird for YOU down the road, that's another story, just keep in mind that if they do get along really well, they may both decide they'd rather hang out with each other instead of you.

Birds can adapt to the temperatures in your part of the world, but you would need to provide shelter, a heat source in the coldest months, ensure his water was heated enough so it couldn't freeze, etc.

A simpler idea maybe would be to have the larger, aviary type enclosure inside, and maybe just a large cage outside so that when you are outside her could be out there with you enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

Even just a travel cage can work to bring him outside with you when you sit in the garden.

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Hi, My ringneck is always locked up when i am not home but he knows what he is allowed to play with and what he cant play with. When he used to play with what he shouldnt i would sternly tell him no, it would distract him for a couple seconds and maybe i would have to repeat it a few times but he got the hint that if i say no, it means, find another toy! Its a great system!

Neither clip nor put inside cage.


Just find alternative things, like wooden parrot toys, to channel your bird's energy onto instead. Give him within your living space, as large a cage as you can, and change his chew-toys often.