Sneaky!

[Cinnyminis]

I have been doing a pretty good job of keeping Radar and Echo separated. Radar has learned he is not allowed on Echo's cage when Echo is out. Echo is afraid of Radar and yells when he gets near.

Radar has taken to stepping out with one foot and pausing to call for me to make sure I am watching before he steps out onto the cage. Also, if he is on Echo's cage and I catch him, he quickly scoots back onto the play gym looking chagrined.

Well, last night, I was in the kitchen and Radar made it all the way onto Echo's perch Echo decided to protest. By the time I got there (only a few seconds) both birds were squawking and biting at each other. I took Radar down and scolded him and put him to bed early, then reassured Echo (who is only 10 weeks old).

I thought we were past it until this morning when I let the birds out. Radar instantly went to Echo's perch several times. Moving him back to his own cage didn't help. We finally reached a point where Radar actually laid down on the ladders leading up to the perch and flattened his body down as much as he could to slowly creep up there. He was trying to be stealthy. The second Radar got within striking range, he tried to bite Echo. Needless to say, Radar was sent back INTO his cage after where he proceeded to bang and knock around things as obnoxiously as he could.

 

I am a little surprised by this behavior by Radar. Everything has been good up until now, what changed? And what can I do about it?

The picture is of him sneaking up the ladder.

Beth

[Dave007]

I have been doing a pretty good job of keeping Radar and Echo separated. Radar has learned he is not allowed on Echo's cage when Echo is out. Echo is afraid of Radar and yells when he gets near.

Radar has taken to stepping out with one foot and pausing to call for me to make sure I am watching before he steps out onto the cage. Also, if he is on Echo's cage and I catch him, he quickly scoots back onto the play gym looking chagrined.

Well, last night, I was in the kitchen and Radar made it all the way onto Echo's perch Echo decided to protest. By the time I got there (only a few seconds) both birds were squawking and biting at each other. I took Radar down and scolded him and put him to bed early, then reassured Echo (who is only 10 weeks old).

I thought we were past it until this morning when I let the birds out. Radar instantly went to Echo's perch several times. Moving him back to his own cage didn't help. We finally reached a point where Radar actually laid down on the ladders leading up to the perch and flattened his body down as much as he could to slowly creep up there. He was trying to be stealthy. The second Radar got within striking range, he tried to bite Echo. Needless to say, Radar was sent back INTO his cage after where he proceeded to bang and knock around things as obnoxiously as he could.

 

I am a little surprised by this behavior by Radar. Everything has been good up until now, what changed? And what can I do about it?

The picture is of him sneaking up the ladder.

Beth

 

I'm gonna assume that Echo who is 10 wks old was the last bird you got. Did you change habits with the 2 birds when they first got together? Did you pay more attention to the new bird because you thought you had to? After the thrill is finally gone concerning a new bird around, the older moe established bird can possibly feel threatened or very annoyed if he/she feels that he/she has become the #2 bird in the house. Did you pay alot of attention to the new bird FIRST? If so, that's no good. The establlished #1 bird has to remain that way for a long time. The established bird really doesn't care how old the young bird is. The older bird will pay attention when a bird that young has to be handfed with special formula( if that be the case).

This also goes on with adult birds. A new one comes in the house. Much fuss is given to the new bird, the other bird is watching carefully and when the time comes, the established bird lets the owner know just how he/she feels about the whole situation.

[Ray P]

Yes, they each have their own place in the flock and they hold that places as sacred.

[judygram]

Very well said Dave, No 1 bird must stay No 1 meaning first fed, first out of cage, first spoken to and so forth or that green monster appears.

[danmcq]

Dave gave great comments.

 

The bottom line is, presently you cannot trust Radar and Echo both out at the same time without close supervision. Radar is an adult grey and Echo is a baby. The two of them are going to need time to work out the pecking order (Radar will be dominant). Hopefully over time they will get along, but maybe not. You just never know.

 

However, Dave's main point of Radar being the first is important and attention to him needs to continue to be first and to echo second. I can guarantee you there is jealousy going on and Radar expects the same attention he had previously. He may still on down the road protest for example when you want to spend some personal time with echo. This will be a dynamic process you will need to figure out in real-time on the fly.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Another way to look at this, is yes, it can be jealousy, but also curiosity!I would make sure they both have their own play gym to start. Echo should not have access to play with Radars toys, and vice versa. Radar should hang out with you and be welcomed to observe Echo with another family member. Introduce them under supervision several times a day. ( gyms side by side is the goal eventually). It takes time and patience on everyone's part, but you can obtain a flock that all gets along! Eventually I went from three cages, down to two, down to one. Amazon, African grey and Sun conure. They decided to all move in together. Crazy.... but it was their choice.( I eventually left two cages to choose from).When I go to vet or groomer, I put sunconure and amazon together in bigger cage, Sophie in little cage. If I had a big one... I could put them all together, if need be. Unfortunately, our Amazon escaped several weeks ago, and we are all devestated. Hopefully we will find her soon. Nancy

[Cinnyminis]

Being the mom of 7 kids, I pretty much have down what to do when a new baby gets home. . I have made sure I speak to Radar first, open his cage first, scratch him first, and to spend extra time in the evening cuddling with him. I have no idea what happened on this particular day (yesterday) that preempted all of Radar's aggression. It continued today. His entire demeanor changed today. He was also aggressive towards me. Coincidently, we were at the vet today for issues with Echo and I discussed it with her. She said Radar has decided he is the head of the flock and is behaving accordingly. She suggested I remove all perches that are high from Radar, but allow Echo to keep his. ALso, to make sure that Radar knows that *I* am the dominant one. Maybe he was just having an off day? We shall see.

Beth

[Timbersmom]

I've never had more than one bird, so really don't know much about this. I do know that any change in Timber's environment or routine affects him. I would think having a new flockmate would qualify for a major change. There will probably be a shakedown period until everyone gets acclimatized!

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Beth... I LOVED your vets advice! Sounds good! Nancy