Hi!
We recently got another cockatiel, to make two in the same cage. They get along, but we can’t seem to get our new one to bond to us.
Our first one is completely tame(5years)
Our new one doesn’t bite, but runs away from me and is timid.
I would love your advice. Thank you!
Hi Nancy,
The best thing to do is to keep each bird in their own cage. When you cage two birds together, they will almost always bond, and stop being tame at some point. This is a common mistake owners make, by getting a companion for their tame bird. You are the companion when you have a tame bird. It’s not in a bird’s nature to have multiple companions or mates, and when given the choice, birds will generally choose another bird. If you want to be able to bond with the new bird, and keep your current bird tame, then they should not be caged together. In the wild, they live in flocks for protection, but as far as contact, adult birds only have one mate. So when sharing a cage, two birds will form a mate bond, even if they are the same sex. Another potential problem you have is caging a young bird with a much older bird. Your 5 year old is sexually mature. If the new bird is young, it’s not a good idea to have it with a mature bird. If the new bird is a female, then she is likely to try to lay eggs when she isn’t old enough. This can result in egg binding which is often fatal. If the mature bird wants to mate and the young bird isn’t receptive, the mature bird can get aggressive and attack the young bird. So even if you still want them to share a cage, you need to split them up until the new bird is at least 2 years old. And again, if you want them both to be tame pets, then they should always be kept in separate cages. They can interact outside of the cages, but not share a cage. Once they are separated, the new bird will see you handling the older bird, and this can help the new bird trust you. He is likely to come around as long as you are patient and spend time just talking to him, and letting him see you handle the older bird. I’ll also give you the link to our taming and behavior pages to give you more information on working with the new bird.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
