Bird to Bird Bonding

[Connie]

Can anyone out here tell me how to tell if my birds have bonded? Spanky will be 2 in March and Darla just turned 2 in August. They spend all their "out of cage" time near each other, within 2 feet anyway. They will sit on the same perch together without a fight, the odd time they will lunge beaks at each other, but no serious fighting. I've been playing with the idea of taking one side off each cage, and putting them together, but I'm not sure if they are ready for that? They don't preen each other, at least not yet.

Anyone with experience please reply.

[BMustee]

I would not put them together yet. If they are not preening and touching eachother while perched they are not "pair bonded". The lunging could be a sign that one got too close to the other, so it sounds like they pretty much just tolerate eachother more than anything else.

[danmcq]

BMustee is right on.

 

Also, neither Grey is sexually mature yet either and are not having any hormonal drive to seek a mate.

 

Like little children, they both probably Eeewwww a Boy or Eeewww a girl..YUCK :-) But we all know how that changes when hormones start flowing B)

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Connie i'm with BMustee on this one.If they are not preening,feeding eachother etc they are not a true bonded pair.It sounds as if they have accepted that there is two of them but they tolerate one & other.Many greys are very territorial over there cage, i would advise keeping them caged seperately.

[BMustee]

LOL...very well put on the Eeewwww factor Dan. :laugh:

 

I would keep letting them "tolerate" each other as you are doing but I wouldn't push them any more than that. Putting them in a cage together could result in a real battle royal.

[Dave007]

I have a different feeling about doing that. Bonding and becoming friends are two different things. Many people hope that their 2 or more parrots will become friends. If everything stays the same, that friendship will continue. Right now, they're socializing and just being birds and they're happy and content. Lunging, nipping is very natural and common with parrots. As they get older and become sexually mature, that friendship might escalate into the next step up which is bonding especially if it's a male and female. If that happens, many times a personality change will occur towards their owner.

Pet greys are quite happy when they have their own home which is their cage. Their eating times are different,their playing with their toys are different and more importantly,their toys are different, their resting times are different,their desire to be left alone are different. Many of these things are successfully accomplished if a grey has it's own home to retreat to. Many greys don't like to share with other birds. Greys are also very possessive of their own things. A person is taking a chance when doing that because it might be 2 aggressive birds, 2 defencive, or 1 of each. What they do outside of a cage doesn't mean that they'll do the same thing in a common cage. A grey's permanent personality can't be judged until the bird is well into adulthood.

Example---a large indoor or outdoor aviary. Most of the birds are in their own chosen area. They have the choice of being by themselves whenever they please and in aviaries, that's the norm.

I really don't know why people find it so appealing to put a certain species of parrot together when that species is known for it's extreme desire to be independant. Of course there are exceptions but deciding on doing a thing according to exceptions is not a good way to go when the odds of success are very low.<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/05 19:38

[Connie]

Thanks for all the advise, I would like them to bond, and hope that they mate in the future, but I'm not going to push the issue either. They do spend time in one cage, with the door open (their own choice) that's why I was thinking about putting the two together.

[Dave007]

Well, if you do allow them to mate, it's 85% against you that they'll continue any bond with you. They'll be only interested in themselves and will develop minimum tolerance of you. Again, there are exceptions to the rule but that's all they are, exceptions.

There's a world of difference between Breeder greys and Pet greys. The best breeder greys are the ones that've had no human influence in their lives. Most breeder greys have never been pets. They also have no tolerance for pet birds and will go out of their way to harm them ( if there were both types in a home). I have 3 breeder pairs and they aren't friendly and they won't let people near them other than my wife and I and that's minimal and I'm very happy about that. That's why they've always been successful. Breeder greys are usually kept separated from the general population of pet greys.

Read up on this subject before you make some very, very serious mistakes.

 

A picture of one of my breeder pairs just about to be fed. They're not very receptive to my interference and have never been and that's the way they are with both my wife and I. This pair is 15 and 17 yrs of age.

 

 

Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/05 20:24<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/05 20:33

[Connie]

Thanks MrSpock. Maybe I'll keep my babies as they are, and leave the breeding to the pros! What you say makes a lot of sense, and since they are pets already, I guess I'll keep it that way.

[danmcq]

Good posts MrSpock!!

 

Wow, in the photo, it appears one is actually fluffed as if your just irritating the heck out of him/her. Our are they just anticipating a meal? :-)

[Dave007]

They're nervous, jumpy, anxious, the male jumping in front of the female. He's fluffing to make himself look bigger. He's ready to bite if I disturb them too much. She is on eggs and comes up to see what the problem is.

 

The way they act when getting food or water is always the same even if they're both hungry. They've been like that for years and that applies to my others. I bought this pair when they were 5 and 7 yrs old.

[birdgranna]

I am very lucky my 2 greys are bonded and love each other. My male is 4 and my female is 5. I put my male in with my female right after quarantine when Jiggy was 1 1/2 and Quinn 5 months. they got along instantly and share pretty much the same schedule. They are not totally inseperable as my amazons are, whereby I can go off with one and the other won't care. But they will call for each other if out of sight for too long. My male has always been a bit nippy and has a big hate on for me lately and adores my husband(who doesn't bother much with him). His hormones are kicking in. Jiggy my female is very sweet with me but not so good with anyone else although she won't readily bite anyone. I would love to breed them one day when I am home all the time but I am worried I will lose my sweetie Jiggy forever. Even if they breed just once, does that mean they will never go back to loving their humans too?