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I have a female Indian Ringneck, and got her a male companion recently. She is not hand tamed, and neither is he. They are both mature birds. he has had a mate in the past, but she died. She laid eggs a couple of months back, before I got the male. I let her sit on them until she abandoned them on her own. Don`t care if they breed, just don`t like to keep single birds. So, I have had their cages right up against each other, with their favorite roosting perches only seperated by wire. I have had them in this setup for a few weeks. So, today I put them both together in a 4 x 2 foot cage. She is being a crabby witch. They are either at opposite end of the cage, or , if he gets too close, she chases him off. She has got a hold of him by his tail and wing feathers, but has`nt drawn blood as of yet. I do feel sorry for the male, because he is being harassed. Its not constant, right now they are both sleeping about two feet apart. But I have been observing them for hours, and I need a break. Is it safe to walk away and leave them alone?
My question is....how long should I allow this to go on? I realize that pairs being set up for the first time, often squabble for a while. When can I be certain that this union is a no go? Thanks.

I don't know if ringnecks are the same as Cockatiels but I have always found the males to be more aggresive. I always found it best to put the male in the females cage. This slowed down his brutish behaviour and gave them a better chance to get to know each other. It sounds to me however that you hen is the aggresive one so if I were you I would remove her back to her old cage. for a few days then replace her in with him. It may give him a chance to feel at home in the new cage and give her the feeling that she is in his territory and should tread lightly for a while.

When I put them together, I removed both from their own cages and placed them in a large cage....that was new to the both of them. I did this to prevent territorial issues. I know that female IRN`s can be quite aggresive towards males, and have even been known to kill them. As the day went on, she seemed to chase him a bit less (maybe she was getting tired...lol). They even sat two feet apart and napped. I will just keep them together and see if the chasing improves over the next few days. thay have been together all day today, and there was no bloodshed. So, perhaps the situation is already improving.

Well, its been five days. She sits on her side of the cage, he sits on his side. They pretty much ignore each other....until the male accidently passes to close to the female....and she will go after him. She will chase him around a few minutes, bite him if she gets close enuf, and then things settle now for a while. There has been a few pulled feathers, but no blood drawn. It sure does`nt look like a love connection is happening here. Very dissapointing. Still trying to find information on how long I should leave them together before I can be sure they are not going to be a couple.

Hi:

I do know that Indian Ringnecks do not form the close bond that other species do. They do not normally sit close together, mutual preen, etc as much as other species. Sitting apart is not uncommon even for bonded, proven pairs. Females are the aggressors - you are correct. I've also heard that females don't establish a bond with a male until they are ready to nest or thinking about nesting. If there is no blood shed I'd probably leave them together for another week or so as long as he is able to eat and she is not hoarding the food dishes. You might also try emailing one of the breeders who advertises their chicks in the upatsix handfed babies & pets forum to see what their experiences have been.

Good luck

Sally
Idaho