Ringneck Parrots
Ringneck parrots or Indian Ringneck parrots are beautiful birds with bright green, blue or yellow plumage and a red ring like formation around the neck. This ring is often more prominent and more striking in the males of the species while the females have rings that are much paler in colour. Ringneck parrots make interesting pets and are known to live up to 25 years.
The most popular trait of these birds is the fact that they are highly intelligent and are able to be taught to do a number of interesting tricks. Ringneck parrots are able to talk when properly trained and also to perform complex tasks such as tying knots and stringing beads. Due to their high level of intelligence and learning ability, they have become lively companions for many people all around the world.
The first step of taming Ringneck parrots is to build their trust. Like all birds, Ringneck parrots don’t trust their owners at first. Building trust is a slow and thorough process that will result in the bird sitting on your finger, perching on your shoulder and not attempting to escape even when the cage door is left open for prolonged periods of time. Ringneck parrots thrive on the special attention given by their owners. If they are ignored for too long, they will become moody, sullen and aggressive. Therefore, an owner should always spend some extra time to pay some attention to the birds even if they are not being taught tricks. When properly trained, these lovely birds will be very loyal with decreased aggressive behavior.
Indian Ringneck parrots are found mainly in forest areas of Asia. Therefore, their diet consists mainly of various fruits such as apples, grapes, melons and oranges. When it comes to feeding these birds, it is necessary to keep in mind to always provide a clean water bowl as they tend to dunk their food in the water prior to eating.
While some people complain that Ringneck parrots are bad tempered birds with a tendency to sudden biting and loud screeching, others refer to them as loving members of the family. The personality of these birds depends on the attention and proper training they receive. As mentioned earlier, if these birds are ignored and not paid attention to regularly, they will become distanced and adopt an untrusting attitude towards owners which will result in a considerable amount of bad behavior.
Apart from talking and performing interesting tricks, Ringneck parrots are also able to be potty trained, as successfully as dogs. Due to their intelligence, they will be able to understand vocal commands and will respond to disciplining. However, disciplining Ringneck parrots have to be conducted with the removal of a certain desired action rather than punishment, which will result in aggressive behavior.
