Ask Lafeber

Pet cockatiel

I work and was thinking about getting another bird for company for Ozzie ..will this affect our friendship?? Ozzie is a hand raised cockatiel?? The other bird is not

Hi,

Ozzie might enjoy having another bird in the house, but not in the same cage. If Ozzie is your pet, you would not want to add another bird to his cage. He might not even like it, but if he does, they will bond and lose interest in you. You have to remember that you are his companion. Birds do seem to enjoy having other birds around, but when it comes to handling another bird, you will have to deal with jealousy. If you do get another cockatiel, I recommend another male. Otherwise you will end up dealing with egg laying if you get a female. Another thought is to get a pair of budgies or even a pair of finches. This gives some sense of having a flock, without the physical contact and without losing Ozzie’s affections. The idea of getting small bird pairs is so that they have one another, Ozzie can have other birds to see and hear, but again, you would remain his companion.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda