Hi new here

[MightyMidget]

I joined because I'm getting my first Indian Ringneck just after Christmas once its fully weaned . I would like to learn more about them and training parrots.

I grew up with birds budgies and cockatiels my mum bred a few clutches of each and I bred budgies for one season and hand-raised a few. So I'm not entirely new to birds as pets.
The bird I am getting a is a hand-raised cinnamon albino hen I will be naming her Enya.

I have a cage coming in the next few days its huge for an IRN 3 foot long 2 foot deep and 4 foot high without legs. With its legs its going to be taller than me . . .not that being taller than me is any great challenge and I have a smaller night cage here already.
I'm an insomniac so the night cage will go in my bedroom where Enya can sleep without the crazy human keeping her up.

I'm also spending more than is decent at the Parrot Rescue Center on toys and a few treats and I'm making natural perches from Eucalyptus branches. Just ordered a aviator harness off ebay that should arrive just before I get Enya.

Birds not even weaned yet and its already spoilt rotten oh well it will be in good company with my 11 year old Border Collie X Fox Terrier, Stimsons Python and 2 rescued Chickens. The animals get fed better than the humans around here.

I'm also looking after my Mums 2 Budgies and her 2 Canaries long term while she is in the city with her very sick partner he had a stroke and it looks like he has brain cancer so it could be months before they are home . I have changed the stupid wooden dowel, too thin chewed branches and plastic crap perches in both cages for thicker Eucalyptus branches the birds seem happier. The 2 Budgies get to have short flights in my hallway each day.The Canaries fly a bit in their cage.
All my mums birds are on a seed based diet I'm trying to change this to veg fruit and passwell crumbles. The Canaries will eat seed, spinach, egg, kale, broccoli, corn and apple no crumbles yet, but I'm not too concerned because they at least try most foods offered. The Budgies so far will only eat broccoli and seed plus a tiny amount of spinach they won't even look at the crumbles yet the stubborn little . . .darlings .
Any tips to get 2 not so tame Budgies to eat new foods would be greatly appreciated. Caesar doesn't bite just nibbles and will sit on my hand. Opps bites like he thinks humans are food it sure made catching him to renovate the cage fun forgot how much those little beaks hurt, but even he will sit on my hand after flying in my hallway.

Sorry about the novel length intro
I hope to learn lots here and to make many new friends.

[liz]

Welcome to the forum.
You are really excited and now you have me excited for you.
Have you volunteered at the parrot rescue. That would be the best place to learn hands on about IRNs.
Since he is a baby, don't try to make him do anything before he comes to you. Give him warm soft food (something I just learned) but no eggs.
Wiser members will come on and give you actual help.
Liz

[MightyMidget]

thanks for the welcome

I would love to volunteer with a parrot rescue but i live in a small country town pop of around 7500 closest parrot rescue would be in the capital city Perth that is 295 km or 183 miles away and I already volunteer with the State Emergency Service and can get called out at any time. This time of year we mainly help with filling water bomber planes and looking for missing people.

Thanks for the tip about warm soft food didn't know about that I had already planned on letting her set the pace when come to being social and getting to know me. I'm lucky that her breeder is one of my best friends who lives in Perth so I have lifetime support with Enya. My friend's mum is bringing Enya to me after spending christmas with her grandkids as I don't drive and my friends mum lives in Manjimup and Enya will be fully weaned by then good timing me thinks.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum. Please discountinue feeding the birds spinach, it's very high in oxalates and not good for them. You can feed them all types of lettuces except iceberg, broccoli, kale, chicory, escarole, dandelion, all cabbages, including nappa, bok choy, carrot greens, chard, etc.

[MightyMidget]

thanks I will stop feeding spinach and feed some other leafy greens like use suggested I know the canaries will eat baby kale the budgies are stubborn and only like broccoli and seed bad lol

[liz]

You will be very surprised at how they take to warm grain. Maggie, Cagney & Lacy and Lola are new to my family and were only on a seed diet. They call me in the morning to get their grain and want it first. Then they will go to fruit and veggie. I was surprised when Pajarita told me in the DIET thread. It works. They rarely eat seed now.