We rescued an IRN 9 months ago, and I now it's hard to imagine life without him.
The Good
These guys are packed full of unique personality. They are curious, persistent, and just generally happy birds. The happy squeaks Habibi makes are enough to make you fall in love in a heartbeat. Unlike most parakeets, ours LOVES to cuddle. We can watch entire movies with him sitting on my husband's chest and stroking him. They don't require a specialized diet like the Lory's do, and while they have impressive beak strength I haven't found them to be particularly destructive. Habibi is very intelligent, enough so that he will test us to see if he can get a treat without doing what we want. He lives in our living room along with our 3 budgies and young alexandrine. They aren't exactly buddies, but they leave one another alone for the most part. It took time for he and I to develop a relationship as he bonded with my husband instead. After about 3 months he finally let me pick him up and cuddle him without my husband having to be in close proximity. I'm not sure IRN's are particularly trusting birds. But they bring so much joy to your life once you gain that trust.
The Bad
Ringnecks can be ridiculously persistent. And moody! Sometimes we never figure out what it is Habibi wants or is upset about; the big three ways of appeasing him are usually 1. Food 2. Toys 3. Cuddles. Sometimes he just gets pissy because we aren't doing what he wants fast enough! They can be really stubborn. Habibi knows how to step up, and to fly to us when we say "come". He knows this, and will make a move to do so, but then change his mind and squawk at you to bring the treat to him instead of the other way around. If he decides something is his, including the poop on the ground, he makes a point of screaming when you try to clean it up. There are also certain areas of the house he has claimed, which means I have to be careful which shelf I place my phone on if I don't want it knocked onto the floor XD When we first got him, he made a point of flipping over his food dish, water dish, and every other container he could move. Honestly, most of these things are just funny, but I think it's still good for you to know about them.
The Ugly
Sonic death ray. Tinnitus is a genuine concern. My husband and I live in an apartment, which means we are especially nervous about loud noises. The first time we brought Habibi home, he screamed for 5 days with only the occasional break. Please understand that I am not exaggerating. I have never heard an animal shriek like that. When he is on your shoulder and decides to complain, it feels like a needle striking your ear drum. But you have to remember that just like with babies, they have no other way of communicating with you. Habibi does his best to tell us exactly what is up, but we won't always get it right. They also are emotional creatures which means that not every action will make sense! IRN's can be excruciatingly loud when they are angry. And incredibly loud when they are happy too! But those happy sounds make me look forward to getting home after work.
Ringnecks are all around awesome. As long as you remember that they are basically feathered toddlers, you will do just fine.
Habibi isn't a pet, he's my companion. A flawed fantastic companion.