Ask Lafeber

Question:

February 7, 2019

Getting a friend for my cockatiel


Hi, i have a female bird who is about 6yrs old,i was wondering if i should get her a friend,if not another cockatiel,maybe a budgie.I would keep them in separate cages and maybe introduce them slowly when they are out on top of their cage. If after some time maybe then co-habitate them,what do you think? Would my cockatiel become untame if new bird was here?


Answer:

Hi Rose,

Adding another bird in its own cage is fine and can provide some companionship for your cockatiel. At the very least they will generally chirp back and forth. However, when birds live in the same cage they tend to bond with each other and will become less tame or not tame at all. A bird will almost always choose another bird over a human – it’s just their natural instinct. Young birds will have flock mates but once they are old enough, they bond with one bird and don’t have other birds as “friends”. So the same goes with not wanting a human if they bond with another bird. Even if they are the same sex, chances are they will not remain tame enough to handle if they share a cage.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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