upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Hi. I am looking for info on ringnecks and I know nothing about them. One came in to the humane society where I work and I would like to know more about it. First, what is the difference between ringnecks? I have seen the terms asiatic ringneck, indian ringneck, and alexandrine ringneck. What is the difference and how can you tell the difference? Also, can you tell me the 'typical' behavior seen in these birds? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know much about the other breeds, but I have an Indian Ringneck. I do know that Alexanderines are MUCH bigger than the others and have red patches on their wings.

When worked with daily, they can be very good birds, but will "grow wild" if not worked with. They love to chew and I am constantly buying soft pine wood toys for mine to chew up.

At the age of about 2 they become sexually mature, males will grow a ring of feathers around the neck that are different colored than the rest of their body, coloring of this ring is bright and I believe red and black in most colorations. Correct me if I'm wrong here, I have a hen!

IRNs will go through a bluffing stage and are seen as "mean" birds because of this. They are very intelligent and need a large cage. Many will say a cockatiel sized cage is fine, but bigger is better. My hen is in a cage made for a grey. They are very active and do well with flying around the house.

My expierence is that they are one person birds, and can be very loud when voicing their oppinion!

Another site to learn at is http://www.indianringneck.com

Like anything else you can get accurate info off the internet if you're careful. I just got an moustache parakeet and found some basic information online. My understanding is that ringnecks tend to be aggressive, even with each other. I have a male and female quaker in the same cage and I"m thinking of seperating them, they tend to squabble, like most couples.

I have a blue IRN hes about 2.5 years old now and while hes not mean,(he does growl and try to scare u when you are clipping wings or something he doesnt like) he doesnt bite, he also is not very cuddly, he prefers to sit on a perch to your shoulder but is more calm with me handeling him than anyone else in the family. He is skitsh still though he was hand fed. I think its on how much socialization they had from a young age that really helps determine how much handeling they tolerate. Though there are always exceptions to the rules.
Hope it helps
Candice

Hi I have several parrots amongst them Indian Ringnecks and African Ringnecks. I do agree, my IRN Skye was adorable during the first two years. She even used to perform tricks for the delight of everyone. She suddenly turned nasty towards me, although I was the one that handraised her, and grew very attached to my hubby. The reason being that my hubby spoiled her and used to pat her while I tried to discipline her. Also, Skye turning out to be a hen and they usually get attached to the opposite sex (or so I have heard). When sweet they can be as sweet as honey, when nasty... beware as they can draw blood. An incident happened to us lately where a widowed hen was introduced to new male. She seems to like him at first but then severely attached him during the night. The male ended dead. I have heard that with hens, one has to be more careful. They are the dominant of the species and that you should never pat their backs. Reinforcement and everyday handling can help retain its docile nature.

Birdlover - Great info, but this is an old thread. I don't even know if the user is active any more.

I've been raising Indian Ringnecks for 20 years so do have experience with them. Please check out my articles on my web site at www.ringnecklady.net Then, if you have any more questions, feel free to email me at ringnecklady@msn.com and I'm happy to try to answer them.

A good place to look up information and photos of different species is at www.arndt-verlag.com Go to the bottom left side of the page and you can choose what species you wish to look up.

Ringnecks include quite a few different species in it. The most popular here in the U.S. include the Indian and African Ringnecks, Plumheads, Slatyheads, Blossumheads, Alexandrines and Derbyans. There are many more that most of us will never see but they are in other countries.

Joyce