Julie

I went to pick up my son today, and usually I put Gomez (my new 4 month old male Eclectus parrot) in his cage when I leave but I forgot. When I came home, Gomez was in Dante's (my male CAG) cage and they were both inside on separate perches but nobody was puffy and they seemed just fine. Dante is pretty bonded, but Gomez is new and I'm afraid that if I let them hang out in Dante's cage that he may not bond with me and that would be sad to have birds that I couldn't play with or pet for the next 60 years. If there is a chance they would bond and still like people, that would be cool, but my concern is Gomez and him being so new and preferring to attach to Dante. I was told that if they turn on me that there is no way to separate them because they will both be mad at me. I have no idea what to do. My gut instincts tell me to keep them separate until Gomez is older and I can reassess. Is it possible to keep them separate and just put them on a neutral perch occasionally? I really need to know what to do because I will be really upset if Dante want's nothing to do with me if he bonds with Gomez. I love both of them, but I've had Dante for almost two years and that would suck for me. Help!! Julie

It was actually sort of a joke; it's a cute video though. I'll watch it to give me hope when/if things are rocky. They'll both be loved regardless.

Actually I'm getting a male Eclectus (when he's weaned) on December 1. I'm showing my African Grey how well they will get along.

I keep showing this to Dante (my African Grey) and saying "See?" in a cheery voice.

Wild African Greys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnOx178Z64&feature=related

Amazing to see how parrots live in the wild. This was on PBS the other night (also a great video for parrots to watch). It was called "Parrots in the Land of Oz" and showed wild parrots in Australia. Amazing footage. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/parrots-in-the-land-of-oz/introduction/712/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWZpXuJ4-Ys

Thanks, I'm feeling better now. It just threw me that somebody I knew waited so long to say something. What everybody is saying helps a lot and was essentially the plan I was planning on following. I'm just going to have the expectation that everything will work out, use common sense, use the resources here, and I'll go from there. Both birds will have plenty of love and attention and my son is here to help and is excited about Gomez's arrival.

Thank you Baxter's Mom. You made me feel SO MUCH better. I'm glad I have somebody to talk to that has the same species pairing. Julie

Thanks! I posted pictures on my photo album. I tried to upload pictures but they didn't work. Julie

Nice to be here. I hate starting my arrival with an issue, but I really need some direction. I have an African Grey Parrot Dante, who I have had for a year and a half (since he was a baby). I recently got a male Eclectus, Gomez, who is a baby and will be coming home after he is weaned/fledged on December 1. I have a friend who has 6 small birds and hasn't said a word about any doubts about Gomez until tonight. She says Dante will be possessive and jealous and she doesn't know what I will do. I was completely unnerved by the end of the conversation. I've spoken to many people about the transition and they have said to make sure Dante feels secure and that he is fed first, spoken to first, kept higher up, etc. I've heard that an African Grey and Eclectus are a good match. I'm not planning on housing them in the same cage but in separate cages in the living room. One thing I am concerned about though is that Dante is never shut in his cage becaue he always stays on it. I got him a large boing the other day because he was climbing up the curtains to look outside and fell. The boing was great since he could climb up it and look outside and not fall. Today he climbed from the boing to the curtain rod and now feels he's king of the curtain rod. I'm scared that he has too much space and might climb on Gomez's cage or be overly territorial and feel like the entire house is his even though he just stays on his cage, now the window, and he sleeps in my bedroom. I don't know how he'll react to me putting him in his cage and closing the door at this point. I'm in a complete state of panic which I know isn't good for either bird. What do I do to make this transition as easy as possible? Help, Please. Julie<br><br>Post edited by: Julie, at: 2008/10/29 05:14