Ask Lafeber

Getting a second bird

My cocktail is a six month old male super friendly and talks to us but was thinking of getting it a friend? What are your thoughts should it be a male or female

Hi Jennifer,
If you get another bird, it should be as a pet for you, not because you think your bird needs a bird companion. Your bird doesn’t need a “friend”, you are the companion for your bird. If you were to put another bird in the same cage, the birds would be likely to bond and no longer want human companionship. A lot of people think their bird needs another bird for a friend, but with birds, they end up bonding as mates, even if they are the same sex. It’s not like with a domestic dog – those were bred as companions for man, and while they enjoy each other’s company, 2 dogs will still be good pets. Pet birds are a wild species, so we are replacing another bird as their companion. Once they have a bird as a companion, they almost always choose a bird over a person. So since your bird is a tame pet, I would not get another one unless you plan to keep it in a different cage and play with the birds separately.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda