Hi David,
If these birds are pets that you handle, then you should not cage them together. Indian Ringnecks are known for being hand shy, even when hand fed, and will quickly revert to being wild if not handled regularly. If you cage them together, they will most likely end up bonding with each other and will no longer be tame.
If your eventual goal is to breed them, and you have no interest in handling them, then yes, they can be caged together – in a few years. They are much too young to pair up right now. The problem is that captive raised birds tend to become sexually mature at a much younger age than they would in the wild. If they are allowed to breed when they are too young, they are not mentally developed enough to deal with the responsibilities of incubating eggs and raising chicks. The hen is also at a very high risk of becoming egg bound and dying if she starts to lay eggs when she is too young. They need a few years to fully develop physically as well as emotionally. Other issues with breeding young birds can include poor incubation practices, breaking eggs, eating the eggs, not feeding the chicks or even killing the chicks. These are all bad breeding habits that are almost impossible to break, which means the birds will never be good for breeding. So if this is your eventual goal, wait until they are 3 years old at the very minimum before letting them share a cage. Even then, do not provide a nesting box until they have bonded as a pair and have been observed mating. If you provide the box too early, and they aren’t ready, this brings about more problems. One bird may be ready to breed before the other, and this can result in aggression towards the less mature bird. So they need to be introduced in the same cage with no pressure to breed until both birds are clearly ready. Even if you are not interested in breeding them, do not let them share a cage until they are at least 3 years old, because once they share a cage, they will bond as a pair and eventually mate whether you want them to or not. You don’t have to let them raise chicks – in that case you would not provide a nesting box.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
