Timneh Bully?

[bran]

Hi all! Recently I came into my living room, and I saw the most interesting thing.... Dexter my TAG was crawling aroung inside Coopers CAG cage, and Cooper was sitting on the ground looking rather sullen. Now when we talk about the size of these two.... Dexter is rather small for a TAG, and Cooper, well to be honest he is one of the largest CAG I have ever seen. Kind of brings the image of Jessica Lange and King Kong reference to mind.

 

Now when this happened, I did not panic, I quietly scurried over to the cage, told Dexter "NO" and put him in his own cage (2 feet away from Cooper's cage) I then looked down, picked up Cooper and praised him for being a good boy, and in the back of my head I am saying "thank you for not decapitating your brother"... I have seen Cooper destroy wooden perches into saw dust, and I would not like walking into bloodbath. So I have been supervising their out of cage time... and actually moved them a bit further apart. Safer than Sorry right...?

 

Last night I walked in the other room to grab my phone, Dexter was on top of his cage, and Cooper was on top of his... came back in, there was Dexter sitting on top of Cooper's cage, like some Houdini move. Poof there he was! I stood back to see their body language, there appeared to be no tension, and no agression.... There was also no sound, they just sat there, looking at one another.... and then I put Dexter back on his cage.

 

Now my questions are:

1. Is this normal "befriending" behavior?

2. Is it safe to let them "mingle" so closely?

3. Has anyone experienced this "hello" ritual before?

Edited May 5, 2011 by bran
spelling

[Spinner]

What you describe is pretty normal. The first few get-togethers can involve quite a bit of "beaking", but there usually isn't any damage done. It sounds like Dexter is wanting to get chummy with Cooper's space, and Cooper's stepping aside to let him do it. It's not unusual for the smaller bird to be more assertive than the larger (note the word assertive versus aggressive).

 

If you're letting both out at the same time, then be sure to be where you can keep an eye on them until you are comfortable they aren't harming each other. In any scenario, though, it's recommended to not let one enter the other's cage. Their individual cages should remain their haven without interference from the other. So work diligently to train them to stay out of each other's cage.

 

Oh, and I like your parrot blog. Nice mix of material that is enjoyable to read. Thanks for putting it together.

[bran]

THANKS so much for your advice and experience! I am definitely more aware of their personal spaces, and have seperated their cages a little further apart, so they won't be inclined to "visit" the other. It is very cute how they relate to one another, and seeing them study eachother.

 

Also, thanks for the nod to my blog, I am definitely trying to make it entertaining and informative. Not sure where the focus is heading, but it's nice to know that someone has read it. lol!