2 CAGS 1 cage

[donmar55]

My 2 babies are coming home in November. They are siblings and will be living together in 1 large cage. I have never had more than 1 bird living in a cage. Can anyone give me some advice on how to set up a cage for 2 birds and if there is anything I should do diffrently to make sure they are happy living togehter.

 

Thanks,

Donna:P

[Tari]

My only advice is don't do it. It well be near impossible to keep them tame and to have them bond to you.

They may also hurt each other.

[BMustee]

Yep, not good if you want them to be tame and bond with you...plus, if they are not the same sex you could be looking at inbreed babies. Not good.

[lovemyGreys]

I have two Greys that are housed together & they are siblings, they have always been together & have never been seperated.Both of them are very tame & both share a special bond with me & with eachother.

If you interact with them eachday & train them in the correct ways, eg to step up ,i dont see that you will have a problem.Neither one of my greys shows any jealously or aggression to the other.If there came a point in the future that they did i would not hesitate to provide them with their own cages, but for now they are content being together.

[lovemyGreys]

BMustee wrote:

Yep, not good if you want them to be tame and bond with you...plus, if they are not the same sex you could be looking at inbreed babies. Not good.

 

 

I spoke in length to breeders regarding these issues & there is no reasons to prove they will not be tame, you will be hard pushed to find tamer birds than my two greys.

 

As for inbreed babies the odds are the same as winning the lottery.Greys need the appropriate conditions to breed.The chances of siblings mating is very very slim & if kept as pets indoors as opposed to breeding pairs in an aviary the chances are remote.

 

I know my friend vinny has two greys they are siblings, tame & have bonded with him.They are girls.

 

Another lady has siblings from the same breeder as me from an earlier clutch the year before, she has one of each, tame & bonded to her & her husband.<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/09/18 19:09

[loviechick]

I've heard where this can be a bad thing, but yet like said above it can be a good thing, but given the right training and right circumstances! Mine are caged seperately however!

[BMustee]

I'm sure the chances aren't the best for breeding but I wouldn't want to risk it. I would feel horrible for killig eggs if it did happen. I had a cage that I kept my baby zebra finches in and two of the babies bonded and had eggs...lucky for me there was too many birds in the cage and they didn't care for the eggs. From everything I have read from you, your Greys are very much bonded with you, but I have heard very sad stories about parrots wanting nothing to do with their humans because they only wanted to be with the other parrot. I would hate for this to happen to Donmar55, and that is why I didn't think it was a good idea.

[Tari]

lovemygreys,

You have been very lucky so far and I would never recommend doing what you are doing. It rarely works out.

It well however have a better chance of working if they are not the same sex.

You can remove the eggs.

But as a breeder and pet owner I would never recommend it and think your breeder is just tring to make a sale. IMO

[lovemyGreys]

Tari wrote:

lovemygreys,

You have been very lucky so far and I would never recommend doing what you are doing. It rarely works out.

It well however have a better chance of working if they are not the same sex.

You can remove the eggs.

But as a breeder and pet owner I would never recommend it and think your breeder is just tring to make a sale. IMO

 

Tari luck may play a part, but i have made sure that my birds are well socialised, well trained,They had the best start in life from my breeder,who only has one breeding pair,is not in it for the money as she only has a few babies a year.She does it because she loves her greys, she has a warm heart & 10 rescue greys she has re homed over the years all are pets & not breeding pairs. She was not trying "to make a sale " with me, 2 eggs hatched & i followed those eggs from day one, it was my decision to have both greys, i was never pressured into buying two, at 41 i think i am capable of making my own decisions.

 

I appreciate we all have different views on this topic & i respect yours, but having two greys from babies well trained etc.. it can work & this is my personal opinion .

[danmcq]

This is a good discussion on housing 2 Parrots of the same species together from the same Clutch.

 

I brought Home 2 Grey's from 2 different Clutches at first, when we brought Dayo Home. The Clutches were only 1 week apart in birth-dates and had they been housed together there.

 

I must say, I received the same reaction from many members here. But, it was my decision, I knew I could handle it and that they were already thriving together in one Cage.

 

It ended up not working out though, as the other Grey we brought home started losing weight rapidly indicating it was not completely weaned yet.

 

During the week we returned it to the breeder to finish weaning. We realized how much time Dayo was consuming and decided it would not be fair to them if we had to divide our time. :-) So we just kept Dayo.

 

My point is, as LMG and others I know of that have successfully housed 2 Grey's in the same Cage with them remaining Tame and Loving to their owners.

 

I know I have read several articles on how terrible the risk is of housing 2 Parrots in the same Cage. Also, all the negative possibilities it COULD have IF you let it remain that way.

 

With this said. If housing them together in one Cage does not work out as they Mature. It is easy enough to purchase another cage and separate them.

 

My Opinion is, there is no guarantee it won't work out or that it will. It depends on the Parrots and the Owner. :-)

 

It would be interesting to see actual numbers on how many have tried and failed, versus how many were successful. With supporting data, a conclusion to a percent of 50/50 or 60/40 for example could be estimated.

[BMustee]

Well put Dan.

 

Like you said, it's up to the birds. My concern is more of the owner...there has not been a peep out of donmar55 sense the original post so I'm not going to bother asking him anything about past parrot ownership and the time he will spend with the Greys each day. I know everyone that I have really interacted with on these forums (Dan, LMG, dblhelix, Joe, + more...) all take care of their Greys as if they are children...so I would feel comfortable saying yes to trying it with them, and I would know that if it didn't work they would separate the birds Post Hast. We don't know these things about this person so I (the pessimist) would say no.

 

Just my thoughts though….

[lovemyGreys]

Dan as you say, i do believe two greys from the same clutch will have a higher success rate than two greys from different clutches.Usually clutches are two or more babies, they live together, play together, share food & learn from each other. They know no different they start their early life living as part of a flock, when weaned they go off to their new homes usually to be kept as a single grey.

I know here in the UK more people are taking on two greys from the same clutch, They have the advantage of keeping each other company if owners are at work,they form a special bond with each other, preening, playing & it is possible to maintain human acceptance & tameness.

I have no problem at all with greys being kept as single birds, i only speak from my own personal experience, at present all three of my greys live as a flock, are tame, have human interaction on a daily basis,etc.. But i appreciate this is not for everyone & you are quite right, this may or may not work but as you i would be intrested in the succes rate.

I think if right from an early age the greys are together you will encounter less problems than trying to introduce a second bird later on down the line as so many people ending up wanting to do.<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/09/18 21:22

[danmcq]

You bring up very good concerns regarding knowledge, time available and experience with Parrots Bmustee. I had not taken those into consideration in my response. :-)

 

LMG - That is a Key factor you hit on....Do not even consider housing 2 Greys or species together that are mature!! That is just asking for a War, IMO :-)

 

Always start out in Seperate Cages and if they like each other play well together. They just may well end up moving in together ;-) But they must decide that, not us Humans :-)

[Tari]

I am really glad you have one pair that it is working for at this time and yes you are lucky. But I still would not recommend it to anyone. Even more so to someone that is inexperienced with parrots.

I have got to get some pictures of the birds at the farm that have been hurt by mates. None of them are really bad some missing toes. A couple with the skin removed from their heads. None with beak injures but it does and can happen even after many years of being together.

And not all hurt each other.

If you don't want a close bond with your birds then go for it. And you can afford the vet bill and you are prepared to house them separate if they do hurt each other.

It is just not a good idea not my view just how it is.

[donmar55]

I spoke to the breeder who told me who recommended put them in 1 cage. I did raise the same concerns about keeping their tameness and bonding with us. She has 2 pairs of greys that are housed together and they get along well, are tame and bonded to her and her husband.

Two other people who work with her also have a pair of greys housed together and have had no problems. I do realize that they need a lot of attention and interaction with us both together and seperate. I also have a quaker and a Goffins. I had a grey who recently passed away. We spend lots of time with our birds an lavish them with attention, They are in our living room where we spend most of our time and are in the hub of lots of family activity. They spend lots of playtime out of their cages. Thry are both bonded to my husband, myself and my 2 daughters. I am going to take the recommendation of the breeder and house these 2 sibling CAGS together. Hopefully this will be succesful but if I see any problems I will separate them. I hope the fact that they have been together since being hatched and have been well socialized by the breeder that it will work out. They will not be ready ti come home untill November but we do visit them at least twice a week and spend lots of time with them. I want to thank everyone for your opinion and advice. I would welcom any input.

 

Donna

[Dave007]

Dan asked me to put a reply concerning this subject in this section but I really think he's mistaking me for someone else.

But I'll add my opinion anyway. It's based on studying and owning greys for years. I don't believe in putting 2 greys in one cage and the one main reason I feel this way concerns different phases of personality. With 2 greys, the only thing they have in common is the color of their feathers. I've seen that when 2 or more greys are put together it doesn't allow then to fully develop all their individual aspects of their personalities. One might be outgoing. One might not be. That applies to many other things too. It's well known that they have very individual personalities. Their full potential for showing those personalities is stunted when they're together. Not only does the bird not benefit from this but also the owner doesn't benefit from this.

Greys are extremely possessive and jealous type birds. That applies to CAGs and TAGs. This personality trait manifests itself as the grey gets older and bolder. 2 greys which are housed separately can bond with their owners differently. The liklihood of them bonding with each other or not bonding with each other is greatly lessened which is good for each bird. A grey who has it's own home (cage) is able to have it's own personality naturally develop and the owner of these birds will gradually see the great difference in the 2 greys as they get older and more than likely be happy with what they see. It's better to separate them when it's easy as opposed to having to separate them because of incidents that might occur. I could give other reasons but it's not really necessary.

 

So now, Dan will have to study this reply and judge whether CONFICT RESOLUTION has or has not been infringed upon. Whether he likes it or not,he already knows that I've given him his official title and he must now live up to it.<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/09/19 05:17

[judygram]

Dave I like your opinion, and you explained it very well for having a separate cage for each grey. I agree with you and I know some of the members won't agree but thats life.

 

Dan I guess he told you, you made your own bed now sleep in it.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[danmcq]

Thank You MRSpock,

 

I don't think there is any Conflict Resolution needed so far in this Topic. :-)

 

All just seem to be stating their opinions, actual experience (versus no experience and just stating what they think) in housing 2 Greys together.

 

I did not remember if you had stated previously, if you had successfully housed 2 Greys in a Cage or not. I did remember though, that you had multiple Greys and you have years of experience with them. :-)

 

As stated in my previous posts, there are no guarantees if 2 Greys in one Cage will work out or not. We still only have a few examples of owners with multiple Greys (Breeding Pairs excluded, not a good comparison).

 

My goal in this (maybe selfish?) is to get as much input from owners that have real experience with housing multiple Greys together or in separate Cages and the results. Presently we are at 1 and 1.

 

The rest of us are just stating our opinions based upon what our breeders told us (my breeder said 2 in a cage were fine) or what we have read in books and online.

 

It seems beyond the question of whether they will get along or nor, we have other considerations as well:

 

[li]Will their personalities develop as well?[/li]

 

[li]Will they Bond with the Owner as well?[/li]

 

[li]Will their Speech abilities develop as well?[/li]

 

[li]Is the risk of bodily damage worth trying it at all?[/li]

 

I hope our goal on this Topic and all Topics for that matter. Is to learn the truths about these Topics through multiple owners Who have experience and years of it. These owners may or may not have the same results, but the important thing is, they give us true results, not just opinions.

 

A Big THANK YOU, to the 2 Owners so far that have taken the time to share their experience and thoughts on this Topic with us!!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

I know there must be more out there....PLEASE SPEAK UP :-)

[BMustee]

That is so true Dan, I would also like to hear from more people with the 2 bird setup.

 

I myself have only owned one parrot at a time so my personal experience does not cover two parrots in a single cage. My expertise is with finches and those are a whole different ball game than our larger feathered friends. After reading Donmar55's response I think that he would be a good candidate for trying to house two Greys in one cage...given the past and present ownership of large parrots.

 

I would like to bring up a point of why I'm sure a lot of people want to try housing parrots together...money. Parrot cages are very expensive, I myself am saving to get one that will put me back almost 5 bills, so I can see why it would be so attractive to get just one cage. This, in my opinion, is the worst-case scenario. If the birds start to bicker that is the signal to remove one and give it it's own cage, but if you're trying to save a buck then this hypothetical person would be more likely to ignore the warning signs, which in turn could and most likely would cause serious problems like missing toes and torn skin. That is why I would pretty much always refrain from giving my endorsement for this type of living arrangement.

[danmcq]

Hi Donna,

 

Thanks for replying and giving more information on your past experience and the success your Breeder and other acquaintances have had in having 2 CAGs in one Cage and how they have Bonded with their Owners.

 

It would be great if you could ask them to join this Forum and Post their experiences Too!! :-)

 

Please keep posting often and we will look forward to hearing of the progress of your new CAG's and maybe you can post some Photo's when you get a chance.

 

Bmustee - Very good point on why some might choose to house 2 CAG's in one Cage. As you so well point out, money limitations would be the wrong reason completely. But, that is not the case in Donna's experienced reasoning and She is obviously a responsible Grey Owner.

 

We are sure getting many good post's with great information for us all to consider on this Subject!! :-)

[BMustee]

Yes, I'm sure Donna is a very good parrot owner...I posted the money issue just to bring up a point to anyone reading up on caging multiple parrots together, it wasn't directed at her. I posted that because I go have grave concerns for birds owned by people that can’t afford the proper housing.

 

This one time I was at a local pet store here in Fort Myers, FL that always has a ton for macaws and other large parrots. I overheard a guy talking with one of the staff there about getting a B&G. He then started asking about the cages they had and wanted to know how much the HUGE cage the pair of Hyacinth macaws where kept in cost. When the salesman told him it was about $1,000 the guy was like “WHAT!” He then went on to say that he was going to just keep the parrot “free-range” in the garage! That’s when I had to jump in. The sales guy and I were like “you can’t do that! The fumes would kill it.” He then went on saying that it was a new house and he wasn’t planning on putting anything in it other than the bird. In the Florida heat a garage gets well into the hundreds…with no air circulation…so I continued to tell him that it could kill a parrot and to think how he would feel after one afternoon in the garage. I really wish I could have knocked some sense into him with a broomstick, but fortunately the guy was shocked when he was told the B&G was $1,300 at that store…he left with no bird thank god.

[danmcq]

Thanks for sharing that Bmustee!!

 

You probably saved those Macaws from a horrible Death and hopefully educated that buyer and store owner on properly caging and caring for Parrots. :-)

 

Karma for you!!

[BMustee]

sweet! Back at ya'! I couldn't live with myself if I didn't step in and say something...the birds can't say that kind of thing for themselves so someone has to do it.

[lovemyGreys]

danmcq wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will their personalities develop as well ?

 

My two have individual personalities & my personal view is no their personality has not been stunted or suppressed because they are housed together,their individual personalities shine & each one is an individual & as such have their own personal identity.

 

Will they Bond with the Owner as well ?

 

My experience yes, i spend quality time everyday with all three of my greys, group time all together & they all recieve one to one time.I have a bond with all of them & they are socialized with my family.

 

 

Will their Speech abilities develop as well ?

 

Yes mine talk, they dont stop, if one learns a new word first the other one will be copying that word within a few days, they pick up words equally, neither is quicker than the other.

 

Is the risk of bodily damage worth trying it at all?

 

In my view yes there is a risk, as siblings they know no different they have always been together, but im fortunate that mine have their own room, they have favourite perches & spots they like to chill out on, they are not caged for hours, they have on average 9/10 hours a day out of cage time.

 

If in the future they were to show signs of aggression towards eachother then i would not hestitae to house them seperatley. I know at present i am fortunate & it works for me. i can only share my experiences with you.

 

Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/09/19 21:23<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/09/19 21:25

[danmcq]

This is great information LMG!!

 

Thanks for taking the time to articulate and answer to each question thoroughly. :-)

 

This Topic is becoming a very useful source of information for us and users in the future researching the same question. :-)

 

I wish more of our Grey Owners with experience in housing more than one CAG or TAG (Not Breeding Pairs)would post theirs. It would be greatly appreciated and give everyone much more insight into this.