Post by avinet on Sept 26, 2011 22:11:37 GMT 10
Introducing Sasha and Jello - a pair of lutino Indian Ringnecks!
Actually I have mentioned them a few times previously but as far as I remember I haven't actually given them their own thread, something they richly deserve
This will probably be a longish post but bear with me
Sasha is the male, now 20 years old, and the first ringneck we ever owned. He came into our shop when about 18 months old, and was such a perfect bird that he was a keeper and not a seller. Definitely the best ringneck imaginable. Never bites, loves to be cuddled, will lie on his back and have his tummy rubbed, just a perfect bird. Well almost perfect - he is prone to a bit of screeching when he thinks there is junk food in the kitchen
Actually he is a junk food addict, before I knew better, back in the dark pre-Internet days we would go to the shop every day since he was great to go on shoulders, even little kids, and one the way home I would stop and buy myself a Kit-Kat and he would eat a bit on the back of my car seat. He also loved Magnum chocolate coated ice-creams and to this day is convinced that anything wrapped in shiney crinkly paper is good tucker. He will kill for a nice chip when we have fish and chips! A case of do as I say not as I do I'm afraid, but he is 20 and very healthy!
When we wanted to get Sasha a mate there was a problem - he is a wimp of the first order. It took three tries before we found a female that he wasn't scared stiff of - Jello. Jello, also a lutino, came to us as a 3 year old female, now 19 years old, reasonably good natured, but a typical female ringneck - just keep an eye on her otherwise there may be a painful little bite if you mis-behave with her.
Sasha and Jello settled down to a happy life as members of the house flock, and turned into very good breeders, prolific in fact with up to 6 babies in a nest most years. What was really great was all the babies took after Sasha with personalities and "Sasha babies" developed quite a following with most being sold well before being weaned. They were particularly good parents since even when we took the babies for hand rearing they would continue to help us feed their babies - with the baby alternating between feeding from a spoon or their parent.
Notice I said "were" - one year they had their normal 6 babies and I had a nest of 6 blue ringnecks the same age in the aviaries, so I pulled the babies out at the same time and put them all in the same tub - 12 babies in all. The first time they came out to help feed there was an enormous double-take! Where on earth did those 6 blue ones come from? Anyway not to be daunted they decided to help with all 12 babies, and it was fascinating how they did it. Sasha would only feed the 6 yellow ones and Jello only the 6 blue ones - they refused to feed the other colour, even when that coloured baby begged for food. It was quite amazing to see.
Anyway that did them for helping feed their babies - they obviously felt "used" and in subsequent years would come and visit the babies but would only very rarely help feed - the experience of being faced with 12 babies obviously was too much for them.
Last year was the first time in many years we didn't let them breed - our shop and just closed and we needed a break from babies
This spring we weren't going to let them breed either but they had different ideas on that - but I will leave that story to a later post - time for some pictures now.
cheers,
Mike
Sasha and Jello
Sasha on his back - when he goes on his back he always preens his right foot, and all his babies also lie on their backs and preen their right foot.
Jello guarding her nest box - she is very protective of her eggs and babies while in the nestbox
Sasha feeding one of his babies watched by Jello - they would take hand rearing mix out of the cup and then feed it to the babies.
Jello feeding some of the blue babies - the yellow ringnecks are some of her babies that Sasha fed, they would ignore the the Alexandrine babies
Actually I have mentioned them a few times previously but as far as I remember I haven't actually given them their own thread, something they richly deserve
This will probably be a longish post but bear with me Sasha is the male, now 20 years old, and the first ringneck we ever owned. He came into our shop when about 18 months old, and was such a perfect bird that he was a keeper and not a seller. Definitely the best ringneck imaginable. Never bites, loves to be cuddled, will lie on his back and have his tummy rubbed, just a perfect bird. Well almost perfect - he is prone to a bit of screeching when he thinks there is junk food in the kitchen
Actually he is a junk food addict, before I knew better, back in the dark pre-Internet days we would go to the shop every day since he was great to go on shoulders, even little kids, and one the way home I would stop and buy myself a Kit-Kat and he would eat a bit on the back of my car seat. He also loved Magnum chocolate coated ice-creams and to this day is convinced that anything wrapped in shiney crinkly paper is good tucker. He will kill for a nice chip when we have fish and chips! A case of do as I say not as I do I'm afraid, but he is 20 and very healthy!
When we wanted to get Sasha a mate there was a problem - he is a wimp of the first order. It took three tries before we found a female that he wasn't scared stiff of - Jello. Jello, also a lutino, came to us as a 3 year old female, now 19 years old, reasonably good natured, but a typical female ringneck - just keep an eye on her otherwise there may be a painful little bite if you mis-behave with her.
Sasha and Jello settled down to a happy life as members of the house flock, and turned into very good breeders, prolific in fact with up to 6 babies in a nest most years. What was really great was all the babies took after Sasha with personalities and "Sasha babies" developed quite a following with most being sold well before being weaned. They were particularly good parents since even when we took the babies for hand rearing they would continue to help us feed their babies - with the baby alternating between feeding from a spoon or their parent.
Notice I said "were" - one year they had their normal 6 babies and I had a nest of 6 blue ringnecks the same age in the aviaries, so I pulled the babies out at the same time and put them all in the same tub - 12 babies in all. The first time they came out to help feed there was an enormous double-take! Where on earth did those 6 blue ones come from? Anyway not to be daunted they decided to help with all 12 babies, and it was fascinating how they did it. Sasha would only feed the 6 yellow ones and Jello only the 6 blue ones - they refused to feed the other colour, even when that coloured baby begged for food. It was quite amazing to see.
Anyway that did them for helping feed their babies - they obviously felt "used" and in subsequent years would come and visit the babies but would only very rarely help feed - the experience of being faced with 12 babies obviously was too much for them.
Last year was the first time in many years we didn't let them breed - our shop and just closed and we needed a break from babies
This spring we weren't going to let them breed either but they had different ideas on that - but I will leave that story to a later post - time for some pictures now.cheers,
Mike
Sasha and Jello
Sasha on his back - when he goes on his back he always preens his right foot, and all his babies also lie on their backs and preen their right foot.
Jello guarding her nest box - she is very protective of her eggs and babies while in the nestbox
Sasha feeding one of his babies watched by Jello - they would take hand rearing mix out of the cup and then feed it to the babies.
Jello feeding some of the blue babies - the yellow ringnecks are some of her babies that Sasha fed, they would ignore the the Alexandrine babies
So I fully expect Sasha and Jello to outlive me and be passed on to our daughter - the one with the 11 Alexandrines 
