Ask Lafeber

Question:

August 24, 2020

How to get my birds to like each other


Hi there ,

I have a green cheek Conure (cheeky )who is about 12, we think he is a male. He has some fears about finger which I am training , cheeky is getting much better with hand, he gets alone with other birds. He has meet and stayed with a Alexandria parrot (Lui, he does not live with us) who was about 2 and they got on great.

I got a 7 month old cobalt blue Indian ringneck, (tango ) I think she is a female due to the marking( no black ring ) . Tango was introduced to cheeky and the Alexandria parrot. Tango did not get alone with lui.
I have homed Tango and cheeky together,
Tango Chases cheeky around the cage and launches toward cheeky if he is on a perch she wants, no blood or big nips towards cheeky. Cheeky dose not fight back nor have been hurt.

Cheeky try’s to shares a perch or even share food with tango, however tango does not like it.

I would love for them to get alone.
How do I get tango to share and get alone with cheeky.
Should I home them separate? Is there any training I could do to get them to bond?

Is there any steps I should try


Answer:

Hi Tyler,

I would not cage these birds together. A lot of people think that birds will naturally want to be with other birds and get along, but this is simply not the case and goes against nature. Cheeky and Tango may have been bred in captivity, but these two species come from different continents. Yes, sometimes different species can get along. But more often they do not, and there are dangers associated with putting different species together. Tango is young, and this is why she or he – it can take 2 years for an Indian Ringneck’s markings to appear – has only warned Cheeky. Tango is a much larger bird with a significantly larger and stronger beak, and as she gets older, the chance of her hurting or killing Cheeky is greater. The Alexandrine’s beak is even larger and more powerful. All it would take is one real bite to kill Cheeky. Birds may seem to be getting along, but it is never a good idea to mix birds of different sizes. The larger bird can always easily kill the smaller one without even meaning to. They do not always know their own strength. They would not mix like this in the wild, even if they came from the same place.

If your birds are pets,  they only need you as a companion. Playdates with friend’s birds are not a good idea. Not only is there the biting danger, but different birds may carry diseases that they can pass on to your bird. Your friend’s bird may not be affected by the disease, but it could be something that could kill your bird. In the wild, birds do not have other birds as friends or playmates. They live in flocks for protection from predators, but that is the extent of the relationship. Each bird has a mate and only has physical contact with the mate. In captivity, if you want your birds to remain tame, each bird needs to have its own cage. When you cage two birds together, they will generally end up bonding and will no longer want to be handled by humans. You are trying to make progress with Cheeky, so the last thing you should do is have him share a cage with another bird. And Tango is clearly bonded to humans and has no interest in sharing a cage with Cheeky. Both birds are going to get more and more stressed the longer they are forced to share a cage, and again, the risk to Cheeky gets higher as Tango gets older. Let each bird have their own cage and space and handle each bird separately. Having them out together will usually result in jealousy and fighting since both are bonded to you.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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