Adding a second bird
Robert J. Granvin
or other good bonding bird, adding a second bird can cause a lot of
negative results - from the birds bonding with each other, losing you
_two_ pets, jealousy, even physical violence. So I never added a second
bird in fear of the negative aspects.
I've been "babysitting" a parakeet now for about a week. This is the
first "intrusion" my tiel has known in all of her three years. What
I've found is that the introduction of another bird to actually be
beneficial, in this case.
The parakeet likes my tiel's larger, much more playfully equipped cage
a whole lot better than hers. I open up both doors, and my 'tiel goes
for the cage top. The keet goes straight for the tiels cage to play
(and get to the better food, the swing, bells, cuttlebone and other fun
stuff... Much to the 'tiel's chagrin, I think... :-)
I kinda feel a little sorry for my tiel... The parakeet clearly wants to
be friends. He follows her around all the time and goes everywhere the
tiel goes. Even flies chase when the tiel goes airborne.
The tiel, on the other hand, acts a little more like a 16 year old with
a new license who has to drag a little sister around with his friends.
:-)
The second bird has given my tiel some verbal company during the day, plus
made her a better "pet" when I'm around. I realize she's positioning for
favors and exhibiting a little jealously, but that comes off as her being
more affectionate and has a stronger interest to follow me around and keep
tabs on me, as it were. This is a good thing, because she has been
developing some very annoying habits and screams to get attention. Even
the ploy to ignore her doesn't work. It just encourages her to try
harder. Since the keet arrived, she has dropped all those tactics
completely. The tiel is even getting interested in food other than seed
because the keet seems to have no problems with it, and a cockatiel will
never let a parakeet one up itself (though this parakeet knows how to open
the door... Just not how to prop it up so she can get out, yet. She uses
it right now as a "door knocker." When she raises and drops the door a
lot, it means she wants out... Right up there with my sister's cat who
learned to knock on a door when it wanted in... With it's forehead... :-)
So at least in this case, if anyone is contemplating the addition of a second
bird, the results may be positive. It's worth trying a birdysitting job for
a week or two to test the waters.
If nothing else, they're really damn amusing. :-)
"Hi! You don't exist. Hi! You don't exist. Hi! You don't..."
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Robert J. Granvin School of Statistics
r...@umnstat.stat.umn.edu University of Minnesota
GRECO Gianfranco
Given that my spectacled hen is near that age, I am currently looking for a
mate for her with limited success... ( actually, I can't find a male spectacled
anywhere!!)
Anyways, when and if I do get him, any ideas on how I could introduce them to
one another? Someone suggested that I keep them in separate cages for a while
until they get used to eachother.
Any suggestions from people who have been in my position??
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