Adding to the family?

[kave70]

I need some advice, thoughts on adding another grey to our family. Sam has only been here for four months and I think he is beginning to show his true personality. He definitely prefers my husband and tolerates the rest of us. I have heard of a young (2-3 yr) female that is in a shelter for adoption. They said she is friendly, and seems to prefer women.

Is it too soon for us to consider adding another fid? Would it be wise to pick a different breed? Or would it be ok to stick with Greys?

Would a male/female combination be smarter? Or could it pose more issues?

My thought is that we have the time, room, love for another and if it would benefit another bird and Sam, I'm totally for it. I don't want to make an impulsive decision though and would love to hear what you all think.

 

Thanks,

Karen and Sam

[Luvparrots]

There is no guarantee that any parrots/birds will like each other or whether they will get along. Who knows why they like one parront over another. I have three, Ana Grey, 3, is my smallest (TAG) and has been with me the longest since she was 4 months old. Louie is a re-homed BF Amazon whom I have had in my home for a year and he is 3 years old. My largest is my 7 1/2 month of CAG, Sterling, he is my most gentle with me anyway. He use to take a lot of gruff from Ana Grey and Louie but has recently become the "bully' . The vet did say when she saw him at 5 months old that he was a "big one" and the other two were in for a rude awakening. She was certain Sterling had to be older until I reminded her to look at his eyes which were a dark black color (sign of a youngster). My two other parrots are learning to give ground to Sterling. So I guess it all depends on what you and your husband are willing to put up with and the adjustments you are willing to make if your greys do not like each other. I am retired so I have all the time in the world to put up with my three rascals. Kudos to you for looking into re-homing a grey.

[birdhouse]

One, I'll always applaud anyone for looking to adopt an older grey or any other breed. But you didn't mention what type...? So one of the first things that popped into my mind was would there be a possibility that there would be hormonal or mating issues here. In which case, there may also be less bonding w/the parronts, as well. So that would probably be something to consider before you go any further.

 

Two, and this is absolutely just my opinion, I'd say wait & enjoy Sam a while longer. I'm sure he'd tell you he deserves it. But it will allow the whole flock more time to develop a relationship w/each other. Also, it will give you a better understanding of how one grey fits into your lives before you sign up for another & particularly what direction Sam looks like he's taking.

 

Greys can be real slow movers when it comes to unpacking their baggage. Sam was very afraid when he moved in. So that might mean that he's still got a good bit of personality that you haven't yet discovered. Which might be an important factor for future adoptions.

[Barbara2]

Be careful if you are getting the bird as a bond for yourself. We rehomed a Senegal and the female owner warned us that "he" (turns out it's a "she") did not like men. This woman had raised this bird from a young chick and hand fed "her". She then got engaged and the Sennie did not like this intruder. Once in our house our "Rocky" definitely preferred the men in the house. My daughter and I were chopped liver. Just a thought.

[kave70]

I'm going to take this great advice and wait, and just enjoy the progress Sam is making. I've checked with the shelter and they say there is plenty of interest in her, so I'm sure she'll find a forever home, very quickly.

I needed to hear some sound words, as those cute little beaks tug at my heart strings and all logic is lost :-)

 

Much thanks from Karen and Sam

[danmcq]

I'm going to take this great advice and wait, and just enjoy the progress Sam is making.

 

You recieved great advice from all. It's good to hear you thought about the pros and cons and decided to just let Sam settle in a little more before condsidering adding another grey to the mix.