Dante is a ridiculously handsome blue pallid Indian Ringneck who has a heart of pure gold. He is the only non-conure bird who can enunciate and talk up a storm. Dante can also sing high notes and mimic sun conure screams with little to no effort. Contrary to his immaculate image and striking good looks, Dante is a complete goofball and class clown. He loves to strut around and make sure he has his toes in everyone’s business. After his initial adjustment period, Dante was set on a mission to become Chewie’s BFF. It took him many years, but with his ringneck stubbornness and persistence, he eventually won over Chewie’s trust. It’s true that Chewie plays a huge role in Dante’s identity but that doesn’t mean he defines Dante as an individual. Dante has WAY more to share with the world other than his ties to Chewie.
Dante joined the family in June 2013, when he was barely 3 months old. He was clenching on to the corner of a cage that was shared with his sister, among many other bird cages. Dante was being sold as a breeding bird and was labeled ‘wild’ since he was never handled nor handfed as a baby. In 2013, lacewing (pallid) ringnecks were rare and still in early development, and those with no cosmetic blemishes were even rarer. His price tag was high and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a wild bird. I wasn’t sure how Chewie would react, or if things were going to get out of control. I had wanted a ringneck, and this one did seem docile, and it did seem like a nice idea for Chewie to have a friend… but there were so many other uncertainties that left me indecisive. After much contemplation, Dante was in his tiny temporary cage and on his way with us back home.
Dante came with A LOT of issues. His health was failing, and there was little hope for him to fully recover from his enlarged liver and anemic state. To make matters worse, the breeder had weaned him prematurely and had him on an all-seed diet. Between quarantining him, feeding his meds multiple times a day, trying to convince him to stop starving, and shuffling him to the vet every other day, I was fearful I was going to lose Dante before he could even grow up. Poor Dante was a quiet and timid baby while he was being cared for and didn’t put up much fight.
After months of recovery, Dante’s health finally stabilized. And despite my initial worries, Dante was growing up to become a very friendly bird. Unlike typical ringnecks, Dante had only one episode of bluffing and decided it didn’t fit his personality. Dante truly doesn’t have a mean bone in him. When his quarantine was over and Chewie was interacting with him, the pecking order in the house was established almost immediately: Chewie made sure that Dante understood who was boss. I roll my eyes at this because I still think Dante let Chewie have his way. Not just the pecking order, Dante is kind-hearted and lets Chewie and Baby have almost anything they desire. Dante exhibits very little selfishness and is always concerned about what he can do for others (even the dog!).
If Chewie excels at conceptual training, Dante is a genius at practical survival. His instinctual senses are off the chart and he is able to utilize every bit of his body to locate or identify what he wants. Dante is a flexible thinker and abides by no rules. He loves pushing boundaries and crossing lines. Because of these qualities he proves to be an extremely quick and creative problem solver. We joke about this all the time, but if Dante were to be out in the wild, he would have zero problems surviving.
The only downside of Dante is when he flicks on his psycho side. Rare, but there are times when Dante loses it and goes full-on-bat-shiz-crazy psycho mode. At that point there’s no stopping him and we all have to hold our breath and wait until he comes back to his friendly self.
x Birdmom
- Name: Dante
- Breed: Indian Ringneck / Rose-ringed parakeet
- Mutation: Blue pallid (lacewing)
- Sex: DNA’d Male
- Hatch Date: March 23, 2013
- Gotcha Date: June 23, 2013
- Born: East LA, Los Angeles, CA
- Original name given: n/a
- Origin of current name: Dante Alighieri – the great Italian poet (re: Divine Comedy)
- Nicknames: Danpy, Blanco
- Handfed: No, he came as a wild baby
- Plumage: White with powder blue on wings and back, charcoal-colored ring
- Favorite food: Arugula, brown rice, corn chips
- Least favorite food: Pellets
- Current diet: Roudy Bush, Zupreem natural, some organic human food
- Food drive: Extremely high
- Play drive: High
- Favorite toys: Scooter, his cat balls, basketball hoop, and rope perches
- FOMO level: Moderate
- Entertainment level: High
- Cleanliness: What cleanliness? Dante is gross
- Nest drive: Low
- Suspicion level: Moderate
- Adaptability: Moderate
- Routine-driven: Low
- Human Dependency: Very very low
- Survival Skills: Extremely High
- Social skills: Moderate
- Good with strangers: Yes
- Training Skills: Moderate
- Tolerance: High
- Agility: High
- Noise level: High
- Talking ability: Very good
- Favorite words: Come here, step up, Chewie, make sense?, hey what’s up?!
- Territorial drive: n/a
- Nesting drive: n/a
- Aggressiveness: Moderate (only when triggered)
- Flighted: Yes
- Music: Jazz, Opera, Easy singalong songs
- Shower vs. Bath: Shower
- Favorite activities: Following Chewie around, basketball, shower
- Bonded human: #1 interest was/is always Chewie
- Dante’s Apple Music Playlist: Click Here