Psittacula krameri manillensis or its more common name, the Indian Ring-necked Parakeet is the most commonly kept of the four recognized sub-species of Ring-necked Parakeets, also called Rose-ringed Parakeets. They have a wide range in the wild and are found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and into Burma. They are also found in Sri Lanka and across a wide area of central and northeastern Africa as well as southeastern China. 

The Indian Ring-necked Parakeet is a long, broad chested, elegant bird that is generally 18”-20” from the top of its head to the tip of its incredible tail. Although they are found in a huge variety of colors in captivity, this birds wild color is predominantly green with a yellowish hue through the underparts. The nape shows a blue suffusion that can at times extend to the crown. The central tail feathers are blue, with yellowish green tips. The upper bill is dark red with a black tip, while the lower bill is mainly black. At maturity cocks (not hens) acquire a ring, which consists of a thin black band that runs from the cere to the eyes and a broader black band that extends from the lower mandible, becoming thinner on the sides of the neck where it mixes with the rose-pink collar that encircles the hindneck. 
  
In captivity this strong flying bird needs as much excercise room as possible to breed successfully. I keep my breeding prs in 4’ x 4’ x 8’ flight cages during the breeding season and move them into 10’x 10’ x 12’ flights the rest of the year. Feeding these birds is easy as they are generally quite accepting of most new foods. I give mine a good balanced seed mixture (small hookbill and Cockatiel), clean, fresh drinking water and a wide variety of supplemental foods. Supplemental foods are offered at least 4 times a week and include: apples, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, figs, grapes, bananas, carrots, corn, squash, kale, chard and a bean/ brown rice mixture that I serve on whole wheat bread. 

Maturity and breeding can occur with hens as young as 1 year old and cocks as young as 2 years of age. I have never had a 1 year old cock breed successfully. Breeding in southern California generally takes place between the middle of January and the beginning of June. A variety of nest-boxes will be accepted and used by Ringnecks, but I use a 10” x 10” x 30” box with about 4” of pine shavings.  

After a long and dramatic courtship involving weeks of the male feeding the hen, dancing, bowing, eye-flashing and hopefully copulation, between 4-6 eggs will be deposited in the box (1 every other day).  The hen will typically incubate the eggs alone while being fed at the entrance to the box by the male. Incubation lasts approximately 23 days and the chicks fledge from the box around the sixth week. Both parents will continue to feed the young birds for another 2-3 weeks. 

 If you allow the pair to wean their own chicks you will generally get one clutch per season. If you want to increase production, you must either foster the eggs or young chicks or pull the chicks for hand rearing. To give yourself the best chance at a second clutch, pull the babies as young as you are comfortable feeding them, but not older than 2 weeks. Do not worry about Ringnecks becoming imprinted through the hand-feeding process. As long as you are raising  two or more babies together, you will find that there is a competitive nature in young Ringnecks that drives them to independence, of each other and of you, at an early age. As soon as the young Ringnecks are weaned, I put them outside in 3’x 3’x 6’ cages to develop strength.   

Here is a list of the Primary and Secondary mutations that I am hoping to produce this year. Some are linked to photographs of my breeders or their offspring. I hope to continue adding  pictures until all of the mutations are represented. If you have questions about genetics please visit the genetics page. If you have further questions about Ringneck care and breeding or about price and availability please call or email me anytime. 

*linked to a photo. 
 
Green 
*Blue  
*Turquoise 
Lutino 
*Albino 
Cream-ino 
*Grey-green 
*Grey 
*Turquoisegrey 
*Cinnamon 
*Cinnamon Blue 
*Cinnamon Turquoise 
Cinnamon Grey (Silver) 
Cinnamon Turquoisegrey 
Fallow 
*Fallow Grey-green 
*Fallow Blue 
Fallow Turquoise 
Fallow Turquoisegrey 
Lacewing 
*Blue Lacewing 
*Grey-green Lacewing  
Grey Lacewing 
*Turquoise Lacewing 
*Turquoisegrey Lacewing  
*Yellowheaded (red-eyed)  
Yellowheaded Grey-green (red-eyed) 
Whiteheaded Blue (red-eyed) 
Whiteheaded Grey (red-eyed) 
Creamheaded Turquoise (red-eyed) 
Creamheaded Turquoisegrey (red-eyed) 
Yellowheaded-Yellowtailed  
Yellowheaded-Yellowtailed Grey-green  
Whiteheaded-Whitetailed Blue 
Whiteheaded-Whitetailed Grey 
Creamheaded-Whitetailed Turquoise 
Creamheaded-Whitetailed Turquoisegrey 
*Dark Green 
*Cobalt