New to the parrot world

Hello, I am Rachel! I am 17 and about a month ago I bought a female Indian Ringneck. She is a blue pallid and is currently going through her first molt. Her name is Daenerys. My father owned a pair of lovebirds when I was younger but they were never tamed. I want to get more involved in the parrot and learn everyone's tips.

Hi Rachel,
welcome


I like your username.
Nice and fierce.

Welcome!

Grandma????? At 17??????

lol

As promised, some basics for you. I'm sure some Ringneck folks will be along soon.





Here's some reading on bonding for you.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html


Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns. I don't know where you are, but here are some links. I only have USA info...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.

What's the diet? That's critical for health. Too many are kept on seeds or other poor-nutrition things. They need veggies, legumes, grains... pellets are a good staple. Here's what I use.
Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

Since you're a new parront, I'll just drop a note about avoiding teflon pans, which are lethal to birds if even slightly over-heated.

Welcome Rachel and Daenerys!

Daenerys - Mother of Dragons

If Daenerys is the mother of dragons, then that makes the OP a "Grandmother".

You would have to watch the Game of Thrones to get the reference. (is it winter yet? )


A ringneck isn't really considered a good first bird, but I must admit, the blues, even blue pallids, are gorgeous! Welcome Rachel and Daenerys!

Welcome! LOVE your username and her name! Is she DNA sexed just to be sure she's not the Father of dragons!?

So she's a youngster? Was she hand reared? I don't entirely agree with MonicaMC above, or at least I do in that conures or cockateils seem to be the most popular first parrots, so IRNs aren't the most popular, but for no good reason as far as I know! They definitely have the reputation for remaining quite "wild" without hand rearing and very regular interactions with people. Even with a few days of no interaction. They do often seem to be re-homed, I think probably because they're bought by people or families (due to their looks and size) who don't have the time to interact with them and they stay or become caged little wild things.

However, they don't need complex diets and aren't susceptible to any unusual, nasty conditions or need any weird environmental equipment. They're beautiful and a lovely size and they have a nice lifespan. They are very shrill, but not as loud as other birds and o don't think they're very prone to plucking, although I know they can. I don't think they're particularly nippy or feisty when they're tame. They don't have terrible hormonal changes like some species.

Can you tell I'm a fan?!

With good care and extra effort to keep interacting with them they make lovely birds. Having a hand reared baby will make things easier, but even a parent reared youngster or an older bird is going to be tame-able, although possibly not 100%.

I think we'd all like some pictures!!!

Welcome little grandmother of dragons

Welcome to you both!

WELCOME!

Do not use any cleaners besides vinegar+water or something avian safe like the yellow variety of F10 SC...bleach, windex, air fresheners, lysol etc can ALL kill birds due to their VERY sensitive respiratory systems. They need a lot of oxygen to fly etc, so do not even try to compare them to mammals.

Look out for Teflon/PTFOA/PTFE in HIDDEN places (curling irons, blow-dryers, drip trays, straighteners, humidifiers, irons, ironing boards, space heaters, hot-rollers, bake-in-a-bag meals, microwave popcorn bag coatings , self-cleaning ovens, rice-cookers, air poppers/fryers etc)---many items that heat have Teflon coatings inside and they still give off fumes.
Do not use perfume, hairspray, Sharpies, scented products like candles etc ...even essential oils can kill..PERFUMED ANYTHING=BAD, when scentless things can kill. Burning oil/food is also very dangerous.
Ensure that your bird has enough sleep (10-14 hours)--this impacts immunity and behavior. This means that your bird will need a fairly consistent wake-up and bedtime.
Avoid feeding too much fat or protein. A few seeds mixed in = okay, but pellets and fresh veg are a daily "must".
Wash water dishes daily and make sure no soap residue remains.
Find a CAV (CERTIFIED AVIAN VET) ASAP and get a CBC blood panel, gram stain and cloaca swab to rule out very basic issues.
Research sick birds and know that they are ABSOLUTE pros at hiding illness (weakness gets them killed in the wild)
Spend a lot of time socializing and providing enrichment for your bird, but do not start what you cannot roughly sustain.

NO JUNK FOOD/DAIRY/CHOCOLATE/ALCOHOL/SALT ETC (a teeny tiny bit of salt won't kill if it is like once a week, but remember how small birds are compared to humans and food labels)

Research ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and bird behavior in order to avoid reinforcing bad behaviors by mistake!


RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH AND PREPARE TO BE BITTEN-- baby birds are sweet compared to those going through young-adulthood etc.