Hi SG,
My main concern, with your bird being a senior and female, would be that having a mature male around could potentially trigger her hormones and cause her to lay eggs. I would greatly limit any interaction between them. It also sounds like you are thinking of this as a temporary situation, possibly in the hopes of helping his feather destructive behavior. Going to yet another home might have the opposite effect. And if he hasn’t had any medical testing, the feather issue may not be due to the changes in his life. Some feather destructive behavior seems to be triggered by a change or trauma, but more often it has an underlying medical cause. And once any plucking begins, it can become a medical case even if it started due to a behavior issue. This is what makes the disorder so complex and hard to treat or manage. I feel like if you decide to take him, you should plan for this to be permanent. If it does help him stop the feather damage, then giving him back could result in him doing this all over again. It is a very hard decision for you. Also, if these birds were both at your bird sitter’s, and got along there, it could be an entirely different situation to bring a new bird into your bird’s home. Once you are part of the equation, there is likely to be a lot of jealousy. Your bird may not appreciate an “intruder”. People add new birds to their homes all the time, but it always comes with an adjustment period. You need to be able to provide attention to both of them separately. It’s best to look at this as adding a second bird, without any expectations of the feather issue improving or the two birds getting along.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
