Advice from experienced multiple grey owners plea

[birdgranna]

I have 2 CAG's. Male Quinn age 4 1/2 and female Jiggy age 5 1/2. They have always been housed together. Quinn is very skittish and nervous and will bite if frightened or startled or sometimes if he just feels like it;) but on the whole is a sweet little guy. Jiggy will pester him. She will trap him at the top of the climber then knock him off. she will trap him at the end of a rope bridge, bite his toes till he falls. He is now spending a lot of time in his cage (their door is open all day till bedtime as they have their own playroom)His wings do not grow as he had chlamydia and hypocalcemia as a young bird. He drops like a stone and I am surprised he has not broken his keel bone. They do preen each other and are bonded, or at least have been up to lately. Is this hormonal do you think? I do want to breed them but not yet. My thought is I should put them in separate cages and I in fact have purchased yet another huge cage. Any thoughts?

[Dave007]

I'd like to be honest with you. If those 2 birds you have are considered to be pets by you, it's best not to breed them. Second, if one of them is not in tip top shape, breeding them is unlikely to produce viable chicks. Breeders need balance, and strength and heavy duty privacy. Most birds eventually preen each other if housed in same area. It doesn't mean that they're showing sexual interest in each other. There's a big chance that you will lose your close bond with them even if they were top notch birdsand you let them breed. Some people are successful in doing it but they're in the minority eespecially when it has to do with greys.Pet greys and breeder greys are totally different from each other. Their attitudes are very different from each other.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/03/18 19:54

[BMustee]

Yes, what Dave said is right. If you want them to be pets it's not a good idea to breed them, and if one of them isn't a great "top notch" grey your chicks won't be worth much. I don't think the pestering is sexual, I'm thinking it's a turf war. Given the fact that your Quinn is not the picture of health, Jiggy might be picking on him for that as well. I would start housing them in separate cages if I was you.

[lovemyGreys]

I agree with Dave also,pet greys should stay as pets , breeding greys need totaly different circumsatances.My 4 greys all live in their birdroom,Alfie & Freddie my boys constantly preen eachother.At times they all need their individual space.If being housed together is causing upset id house them seperate.

[ecodweeb]

I would separate them as it sounds like the female is targeting the male because he is weak.

 

If they can share a perch while out of the cage during playtime, that's a good thing, but I wouldn't advise keeping them in the same cage.