How to Breed Ringneck Parrots

Ringneck parrots, also known as Indian ringneck parrots, are striking, medium-sized birds with feathers that are usually blue, green or yellow. As their name implies, male parrots have a brightly colored ring around their necks. Females also have a ring, but it's paler. Compared to other parrot species, ringneck parrots are relatively easy to breed. However, ringneck parrots are very intelligent and require constant care and behavior training, and breeding them can sometimes be tricky because of their finicky nature.

Things You'll Need

  • Nesting box
  • Wood shavings or other bedding material
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select a pair of healthy birds to breed. Always select birds with good genetic histories and no health issues or undesired traits.

    • 2

      Separate your breeding pair of ringnecks from other pairs. Ringneck parrots don't mate for life and will often lose interest or attempt to swap partners if they can see other birds.

    • 3

      Keep your breeding pair together in one aviary, letting them get to know each other.

    • 4

      Watch your birds carefully. If your female is not interested in mating yet, she may harm the male. You can solve this problem by clipping her wings.

    • 5

      Begin feeding your ringneck parrots a diet rich in calcium and vitamins several weeks before you plan to breed them.

    • 6

      Breed your ringneck parrots. Ringneck parrots tend to breed in the winter, between December and February. However, cold weather can sometimes cause problems with the eggs, so if you want to breed your birds in warmer weather, don't put a nesting box into the aviary until springtime.

    • 7

      Give your bird a nesting box. This box can be wooden or metal, and you can either make it or buy it. It should be about 10 inches long by 10 inches wide and at least 20 inches deep. Putting this box in the aviary will encourage them to breed.

    • 8

      Fill the nesting box with a bedding material such as wood shavings.

    • 9

      Wait for your ringneck parrots to breed. Once the nesting box is in the aviary, and it has reached the wintertime breeding season, ringneck parrots should naturally breed on their own.

    • 10

      Allow the parents to incubate the eggs.

    • 11

      Watch the parents to make sure they are feeding and caring for the chicks after they hatch. Ringneck parrots are very sociable and, unlike many other parrot types, ringneck parrot chicks don't need to be hand-fed and reared by humans in order to become pets. However, like other parrots, ringnecks will occasionally abandon their eggs, in which case you will have to take over.