Ask Lafeber

Should I get another conure?

Hi! I have a green cheeked conure who’s been with me for about 8 years now. He’s pretty well behaved, I’d say. He seems quite happy. Currently, he’s the only pet in our family. We had two dogs before though, who have since passed and we’re getting a new puppy in a few months. My conure is mostly bonded to me and my mother, he hates my father (used to love him but just switched on him). I will be taking care of the new dog a lot, since I’m at home most often (I study and work from home almost every day). This got me thinking that maybe my conure would want a friend to keep him company. I fear that otherwise, he might get jealous of the dog and angry at me. I’d also like to see my bird play with another bird. I thought about getting a second bird a few other times, but decided against it because I don’t want a young baby bird again.

Now, I’ve seen a listing of a conure online who’s the same age as my conure. And I thought that would maybe make a good match? Ideally I’d be able to house them in the same cage after a few months or so. I’d like some advice, would you recommend getting a new bird or not?

Hi Bente,

Pet birds are very different than a domestic pet like a dog or cat. Our pet birds are still wild animals, except they are domestically raised. So they have most of their wild instincts and behaviors. Where two dogs play with each other, parrots interact in order to find a mate. In the wild, many live in flocks for protection, but only juveniles have interaction with other young flock members. Once they have a mate, they stick with their mate and do not “play” with other birds. If you get another bird, they will probably vocalize back and forth. But there is no guarantee that they will get along. And if you do cage them together, you will likely lose your bird as a pet. When you cage birds together, even if they are the same sex, they will usually form a mate bond and they will lose interest in humans and revert to being wild. Birds will almost always choose another bird over a human. You can keep them in separate cages, and let them interact when they are out of the cage. But unless you no longer want to handle your bird, I would not let them share a cage. It is also just as likely that your bird will simply be jealous of another bird. I never recommend getting a 2nd bird for the purpose of being a companion to the current pet bird. If you want a 2nd bird for yourself, this is fine, and maybe the two will get along. But if you get it just for your bird, and they don’t get along, you now have two jealous birds who both need attention. As far as the puppy goes, yes, your conure will be jealous. But attention can be balanced – many bird owners add other pets. You just need to make time for both pets. You have already had dogs around him before, so adding a puppy isn’t going to be a huge adjustment for him as long as you still make time to handle him.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda