do only child African Greys want an African Grey companion?

[Elizabeth]

I have a 21 year old AG named Howard. Someone recently offered me an 8 year old AG to keep him company as he is often alone, and the current owner doesn't want her anymore. But Howard has been an only bird his whole life, and is not socialized with other birds. The only reason I would even remotely consider this is if it would make Howard happier. It has been suggested that we put the two birds' cages next to each other for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

[Morana]

Before you put them together be sure that the bird you are bringing has a clean bill of health.

[Joe Bachi]

I am no expert on this matter, but according to what I've read on this forum, I don't think it's a good idea.

A lot of members here complain that their AG is very territorial when there are other birds with them.

I might be wrong though

Hope that kind of helped

Regards

Joe

[birdhouse]

I've had this discussion w/myself on a number of occasions. On one hand, I'd say probably. They're too hard wired to be flock creatures. On the other hand I think they can become so adjusted to their artificial environment that those instincts shift pretty completely to whoever's lovable in their world.

 

Nature vs nurture. I think it finally comes down to individual personalities.

 

Is there a way that you can let Howard interact w/this other bird before making a decision? Maybe he can answer the question for you.

 

But even if Howard does take to this other bird it may still get complicated. So that's one thing to consider.

 

The other is what type of commitment are you willing to make toward the other bird. Because they deserve to be loved for themselves & not just be a stable pony for Howard.

[Talon]

Based on my experience with my birds, i think being a flock creature is ingrained in them. They at the very least will tolerate each other if not become friends and playmates. My birds tolerate each other, won't preen each other, but will play chase while flying around the house.

[Greywings]

Quarantine first, then allow visual meeting right now you are your birds flock so a new bird could be either accepted or rejected or ignored. Not really any way to tell what the reaction would be. I live with 4 Greys in our house right now I do some fostering. Pookie CAG 22 yrs gets along better with my Elanora Too than any of the Greys. Whisper CAG is bird aggressive and only like me, Smartee chases all the other birds but is soo very laid back with people and Smokey Joe is very jealous and only likes my middle son. You cannot predict ahead of time and often they change their minds anyway.

[Dave007]

I have a 21 year old AG named Howard. Someone recently offered me an 8 year old AG to keep him company as he is often alone, and the current owner doesn't want her anymore. But Howard has been an only bird his whole life, and is not socialized with other birds. The only reason I would even remotely consider this is if it would make Howard happier. It has been suggested that we put the two birds' cages next to each other for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

 

It's very possible and easy to do as long as you know some ground rules. One is that you're getting the bird to function as company for your bird which in many situations, it doesn't work, then it's bad idea. If you're getting this other bird to give it a home, then it's a wonderful idea.

As long as you realize that there's a possibility that they many not care for each other or simply ignore each other, then it's a wonderful idea. As long as you realize that each bird needs it's own cage, it's a wonderful idea. As long as you treat your present bird as the *1 bird, then it's a wonderful idea. A new bird won't know what it's like to be the #1 bird in a new environment so there's never a problem. If a new bird isn't *socialized*, that only means that the bird isn't *socialized* *with people, not another bird. If you realize that, then it's a great idea. As long as you realize that the new bird will arrive with it's own personality, then,it's a great idea.You need to stick to that personality.

I've done it and they were both adult birds with many serious problems. Both are in with another adult bird that had no problems at all. Do they like each other? They eventualally accepted each other. Do they need to be separated? To this day, they all have their own cages. The cages can be put together but don't expect to see drastic changes as far as liking each other. That only happens when they're together. It's a bit difficult to get everything in order but as long as you understand that, it's a wonderful idea. Others have done the exact same thing and have had great results

 

[Luvparrots]

I have three parrots who are all under the age of 4. My greys have been with me since they were weaned. One is a TAG and one is a CAG. My Blue Front Amazon is a re-home. They are not friends and are always challenging each other for "top gun". They chase each other a lot and I have to watch them constantly. I had an older male eclectus who I know was at least 10 1/2 years old when I first re-homed him. My TAG would dive bomb him and really made life miserable for him so for his happiness, I gave him to a young man who is my next door neighbor. The best thing I ever did was give sweet Sully to a loving new parront. I got my parrots because I wanted them for me not for companionship for my other parrots. As far has each of my parrots is concerned they would be happiest as an only parrot. Each is a happy and secure birdie in their own right.

 

So if you want to re-home this new grey, I would take advantage of bringing him into your home for a "trial run" to see if your older grey would remain as happy as he apparently is now.

 

If you would, I would love to see some pictures of Howard and hear more about him.

[thenabrd]

i realize i don't have 2 greys, so i can't speak to that. however, we've had athena our peach front conure since she was weaned. she's almost 9 years old now. we rehomed kallie almost a year ago, she was 2 1/2 at the time. athena had always been on only bird, kallie had been 1 of 3 birds in her old home. we weren't sure how athena would do with another bird, but we went ahead with the rehome. here are a few things we did. i took video of athena to play for kallie when we'd visit her before bringing her home. i'd video kallie to play for athena to get her used to seeing and hearing kallie. we also got kallie's travel cage a month or so before bringing her home. we put this in the living room with us and i found a life size picture of an african grey and put it in the travel cage. i know there is no comparison between a picture and a live bird, but we did this to get athena used to us interacting with another "bird". we'd talk to the picture, approach that cage, etc, after we'd interacted with athena first, so she'd see she was still the "top bird".

 

athena is the 1st bird. she's feed first, cage cleaned first, out of cage first, etc. that's all she's known. kallie didn't have that concept coming to our home. on rare occasion, we do interact with kallie first, just to see if athena can and will "share" being 1st. sometimes she does fine, other times, not so well and we adjust accordingly.

 

kallie was vet checked on the way home to our house, so we didn't have to quarantine. she'd never been in a car or to a vet (he made house calls for the previous owner who was elderly), so we just got all the trauma out of the way in one fell swoop. we set up kallie's cage as close as possible to how it was at her old house, take pictures so you can do that, it will help in the long run.

 

there were some tense moments. athena went into "alarm bird" mode a few times and so did kallie. but with patience and calm handling i believe it is a workable situation. we don't let them out at the same time, the size difference is too much and athena has never been a confident flyer to be able to escape if she needed to. if you're able to have some time to visit this bird, video it and see how your bird reacts to that and do what you can to help prepare your bird, it may work out. your bird will need a bit of extra love and attention in the beginning, but that's normal.

 

almost a year into this i think we've done well. the girls watch each other alot. kallie would rather "talk" in athena at this point than in her own voice. i don't know if that's normal or not, but it almost seems that kallie looks up to athena in some way.

[birdhouse]

Found myself thinking about what I posted & thought maybe I should clarify a little. I may be wrong, but what I read into OP is

 

...that this is a grey owner of 21 yrs who should have more than a little basic parrot knowledge, such as health & handling precautions.

 

...that Howard has been w/her most or all of his life.

 

...that the new bird was someone who is to some degree known, at least as far as general health & living conditions.

 

In which case, I believe letting the 2 birds visit could help tremendously, here.

 

When I can, I take my fids on "play dates". Their friends are single birds who are obviously known to me. I think it's very beneficial for them to socialize w/their own kind even though they live w/a flock of other types of birds.

 

Like anything else, there are potential risks. But w/intelligent precautions, I think the benefits outweigh them. I see yet another side of my guys on these trips.

 

I think Howard may benefit from some time w/another grey, whether or not he eventually lives w/her. Best case, he may show just how social he actually is & give some idea of what he'd think of adding to his flock.

 

Maybe more important is this will allow the other bird the opportunity to do the same thing. I just don't feel it's fair to give her a trial run & risk having her rejected & returned then rehomed again. This could potentially be hugely traumatic for her.

 

I sincerely applaud your commitment to Howard's happiness & certainly encourage it. I would just like to think that any other fid will get all the same love & consideration.

Edited December 3, 2011 by birdhouse

[Elizabeth]

Yes, I have had Howard since he was weaned. While he has always been an only bird, he has two canine siblings, a borzoi and a whippet who he enjoys ordering around and who he is not the least bit afraid of. Howard is cautiously curious about both dogs and people. But the one time I took him on a play date with another AG a few years ago it was a disaster: he started to cry and waddled back to me as fast as he could repeatedly. That was the only other contact he has had with a parrot since he was a baby.

 

Trying to arrange a few visits is hard, as the other bird is a few hundred miles away. But you are right again, the current owner is a friend of a friend. Because I work a lot and sometimes travel, Howard is often alone, and my friend thought that his life might be enriched by having a constant companion. Howard is very attached to me - in fact, he is sitting on my shoulder preening as I write this - and I suspect would be very protective of his quality time with me and hence jealous of an interloper. But if - and it is an if - the two birds really got along, maybe it would be good for both. On the other hand, I do see your point about the other parrot being traumatized if rejected.

 

Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I will try to post a couple of pictures of Howard and respond to other posts over the weekend.

[Luvparrots]

Looking forward to seeing some pictures of Howard.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Your bird, may possibly love the new bird.Give it a try. Leave the cages open, next to each other. Let them decide. Leave the adoption, conditional.Birds decide, if it works out. Not us. Nancy

[Morana]

I'm still under the impression that you are looking just a companion for Howard and ,IMO, that is the wrong reason in so many ways. You are not viewing this from other birds perspective , nor from your own. First, the other bird is equally important as Howard. It has feelings and is intelligent and she will be hurt if things don't go as you wish them to go. The biggest question is what if they don't hit it off? You said it yourself- you work a lot and sometimes travel, Howard is often alone so that means that when you are home you have fairly little time to give to Howard and then what about the other bird? If Howard doesn't like new bird, and you really don't have that much time for one, let alone two birds, what will become of a new one? Will you keep it although you can't offer her your best or will you traumatize her again by looking for a new home for her? It is a huge decision in my point of view. If Howard is alone much, teach him how to forage, buy/make him lots of toys to keep him preoccupied. Turn on the radio/tv when you are gone but don't do this lightly. A innocent bird, or two will suffer and you right along with them. Adopting another bird because the first one is bored is not a good enough reason to risk all that chaos and pain. You need to be sure what you can offer to that other parrot (regardless of Howard) and decide weather you can provide loving, fulfilling life for that creature. Also, IMO, two birds without enough toys and amusement are still just two birds bored to death ( but this time in pair). I don't see that helping situation even if they get along just fine. What will they do?-talk about weather all day (while you are gone)? Sorry to be blunt, but maybe the real issue here is that you have a bit of a guilty conscience because of working long hours and if that is the case, you'll have the double of amount of it with two birds. You need to deal with that first and do it separately. IMO, the only reason to acquire new bird is to give her a better home if in need of one, or if you have enough love, time and motivation, that is to say, big enough heart to make two birds equally happy.

[Morana]

Oh, and of course I forgot to mention... Two birds mean double the cost of food, toys, problem when traveling/going on vacation, two bills for vet, two regularly vet checkups if everything is just fine and two birds to think about when you get old and have to think of finding new home for them before you leave this world... +Don't forget simple things like bathing, double the mess in the house, double the avian lighting, carriers in case of emergency, two different routines, preferences,.. and things like that..;-)

[Elizabeth]

I don't know that Howard is bored or unhappy. He doesn't piuck out his feathers or show any of the standard signs of boredom or depression. He engages not just with the dogs but also with a bewildering variety of wild birds throughout the day: he does many different bird calls. He overall has a good life. I hadn't considered getting him a companion, but was recently confronted with this offer. It seems that the owner is determined to give up the bird after 8 years because she now has both a cat and a dog with strong prey drive that are going after it. It is hard therefore to know what other choices this bird has. Howard and it might be very happy together, even with limited person time (because yes you are right, there's only so much to give.) At any rate without some reasonable way to see if they would enjoy each other's company, which as previously noted is quite difficult to do logistically, I do agree with you that it is too risky. I don't agree that the two birds could just be bored together, even if they got along. What do they do in the wild?

[Morana]

What do they do in the wild?

Play chess! Lol

No, I'm kidding, I'm sorry..;-) I just couldn't help it.. :-P But you can't compare birds in the wild. They do not sit in the cage! They move, look for food all day long. They are on the lookout because of the various predators,...

 

Well, this little piece of information you just gave colors this situation a bit differently.. So, there is a bird in need of a home..

I didn't mean that Howard was necessary bored or unhappy- that was my impression because it seemed like you want to get another bird solely for that purpose.

Still, there is so much to consider. I'm strongly against taking a bird on a trial run because the bird might get hurt. For me it is take it or leave it type of situation.

Can you ask that person what does she intend to do with the bird? Why doesn't she just keep the dog and a cat away from the bird?

[Elizabeth]

I honestly don't know why she doesn't think that she can get the dog and cat under control. Howard and our Borzoi (a really big hunting dog) get on very well together. All I know is that she has made the decision to give up the parrot. Howard is very social with dogs and people and I think he would like more of a pack to interact with more of the time. As you say though, no way to know whether he would like that particular AG or vice-versa :-( So it is probably not practical.

[birdhouse]

None of us lives in a perfect world & lots of us have multiple fids. Unless they totally seem to ignor each other, their relationships all have their ups & downs. And btw, they never truly ignore anyone. Everyone & everything seems to hold some interest for a parrot.

 

It's stop sounding like your concern for Howard is your only motivation. Do you feel like you would like to & could handle having another grey? Because it's sounding like her situation has gotten to you. Or maybe I should say this opportunity has made you re-evaluate things a little.

 

Can you love her for who she is? Do you think you're ready to make a commitment to work thru the inevitable challenges & make her part of your family?

 

You have 2 dogs. You seem to have been thru this process in the past. What drove you to actually adopt your second dog & how is this different? How did you make this decision then?