Should I get a second?

[AshleyKay]

I was browsing craigslist today for a crate for my dog, and I came across someone needing to rehome her CAG due to divorce. She said he is friendly, and not a screamer. I did inquire about the bird, but I was wondering, would adding a second AG be a bad idea? What are the pros and cons of having two? She calls the bird a "he", so Im not sure if it's really a male, if so I'd have two males. Would Ace become more attached to the other bird than me? Do these birds seem to enjoy the company of another bird? Is it possible to house them together, to save on space? I need opinions! Thanks guys

[judygram]

We have quite a few members here who have more than one grey but the likelihood that the two of them would get along is low. You would definitely need to provide a separate cage for each.

 

We do have some threads here that deal with adding another grey to a household, just do a search to find them and read thru them to help you with your decision.

[Kaedyn]

I have one that's a few months past a year old and I added another to my flock about 4 months ago. Once I gave up trying to introduce them, things worked out much better. I just made sure to pay both plenty of attention and always kept them within a few feet of each other on portable perches.

 

Over time (and I mean these 4 months) their perches slowly got closer to one another. They have separate cages, but they are in the same room. Eventually, when the perches were close enough, they'd reach out to each other. Typically the female would bow her head and make coo-ing noises, then the male would reach over and beak her head, causing her to jump back.

 

I eventually allowed them on the floor together and for the most part, they ignored each other and played with their toys. At one point, my female (Sierra) walked right up to the male (Rigel), who was playing with a wooden ring and took it right out of his beak, then ran away. As soon as Rigel picked up another ring, she went after that one and he went running. They circled me a few times and then went about pretending each other didn't exist.

 

I eventually started allowing them to both sit with me when watching TV. Rigel likes to perch on my arm and Sierra likes to be wrapped in a towel. What I call a bird-rito.

 

Anyway, to make this long story short, over much time and my not pushing them, they've slowly come to accept that the other exists. They now play together on a large rope net that hangs from the ceiling. Some times they get along just fine and other times they beak each other a bit.

 

Just about a week ago, I managed to shower them both on the same shower perch with only one outburst. They both had a common enemy, the shower wand.

 

I really enjoy having two, but it does take a lot more time. I don't think I could do more than that. Bear in mind that if they don't eventually get along, you'll need to devote even more time to each, since you won't always have the advantage of including both in the same activities.

 

Oh and when they are in a troublesome mood, be ready for one to take off in one direction and as soon as you go after that one, the other heads off in a second direction.

 

Your mileage may vary, but a really slow 4 month introduction seems to have done the trick with my flock. There was definitely some jealously from Rigel during the first month or two, but that's gone. I think he eventually realized that he wasn't being replaced.

[Animalspirit]

I agree on everything said above. Parrots are birds that normally live in groups, so I never advice people to just keep one bird. Greys will mostly keep distance, unless they are partners. ( South-american birds like amazons have often more friends within the group, that they preen). Never force them together in one cage, just to save space. Later, if they prove to accept each other you can have them on a play-tree in the living room and have separate cages for them just to sleep in.

[danmcq]

Great post Kaedyn. :-)

 

Karma to you.

[Jane08]

At the beginning of the year we got friend for our male grey and we socialised them and they are now in the same cage togther. I really think they know that they are the same bird and accept each other. It is so cute to watch them play together and they still like to spend heaps of time with us.

 

We took our 2 to a free flight day where they could fly around in these huge glass houses. Our grey went out right away to make friends and he found that the only birds willing to let him sit next to them and beak them were the greys. He tried it with the Amazons and bigger birds and they all chased him off. He seemed so happy to be out making friends. Our female just sat in the rafters with 2 other greys and watched everything.

[siobha9]

I alo have 2 greys and I second Kaedyns comment that it much more work to have 2 in most respects. A big advantage to having 2 is less waste foodwise. When I was cooking for one grey I found I would always have too much. Now they share. My 2 greys very recently moved into the same cage after knowing each other for almost a year. It is a very large cage and they do tend to chill in opposite corners, but they play together very well also. I realise that I am very very lucky that my greys like each other. And I had set it up so that they could remain separate initially. They still need separate cuddle time though and separate play time with me;)

[lovemyGreys]

Here's a few tips Ashley if you decide on a second grey

 

Adding a new bird to your flock is not without its challenges and does require a substantial amount of work. If you are unsure whether or not bringing home a new bird is the right thing for you please be sure to do as much research before you commit.

 

A few Guidelines...

 

House both birds in their own cages in the same room. This allows them to get to know each other from within their own comfortable territory.

 

Treat your existing bird as the "alpha" bird. This will help him remain confident in his place in your flock and help combat jealousy. Greet him first, feed him first, and attend to him first. But be sure to give each bird equal amounts of your time, while reassuring your existing bird that he has not lost his place in the flock, or in your heart.

 

Attend to each bird separately. Provide separate play sessions for each bird.

 

Eventually allow the birds to exercise outside their cage at the same time. A new play-stand Is great for this purpose, as it provides a "neutral" space for them to socialize and play together.

 

Watch closely for signs of jealousy or incompatibility. Closely monitor both birds and be alert for pulling feathers, biting, screaming, lunging, and other signs of aggression. If these behaviors occur, separate the birds immediately.

[annmarie73]

It is so good to hear that more and more people are waking up to the reality that bird breeding is senseless when there are so many birds already here that need loving homes. I hope they make bird breeding illegal. Go to petfinder.com and check out all the birds that have resorted to mutilating themselves and are waiting in rescues for homes. It is even sadder to know that hardly any rescues ever have room to take in birds. Bird breeding should only be allowed for preserving the species. Otherwise it should be illegal.

 

Good luck with your new bird!

[siobha9]

I thought this thread was about pet greys not breeding greys:unsure: :huh:

 

My greys are pets;)

[Animalspirit]

All my birds are pets too, but they're all adopted. I hope the starter of this topic will succeed in taking home the bird. Indeed, there are too many birds waiting for a new home, and I'm happy to read that someone is willing to adopt one. Of course, adopting a bird requires a lot of studying, especially when you have already a bird in your home. The cause of so many birds in rescue homes is in many cases people buying a cuddly, downy parrot chick with black eyes, without exactly knowing what kind of animal they take in their homes. They act on impulse, and often don't think of the consequences. Someone who adopts a parrot,is mostly conscious of his choice.

[she]

My vet phoned me up a few month ago and asked me if I would take a grey free of charge that had come to the surgery and the owner could no longer keep it.The vet had him in the surgery and I was very very tempted.I thought about it over night and came to the conclusion that I tould not take this bird. I just did not have room for 3 large cages in the living room and I knew the chances of housing 2 greys together was unlikely. It can be done as you know but it takes a lot of time and depends on the individual bird.If you are sure you have the room and time not to mention money to keep the two birds in the knowledge that they may not get along then go ahead. If you do, get as much history of the bird as you can . Sheila

[Dave007]

Annemarie

This is a long post.

This reply is strictly aimed at what you said in your reply in this thread. There are things that you said that are true but are only basic,obvious facts. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know about what the situation is in rescue/adoption centers.

BUT, you should understand that there are people here that might not understand the complexities that are involved in the taking over of rescue birds. Telling people that are loads of birds in these places that need homes is totally true.

1---I can see that in a deeper sense you know nothing about why many of those birds are in shelters. The reasons that there are too many to name off.

2---I can also see that you don't realize the capabilities or lack of capabilities that people have concerning giving these birds the home that they deserve.

What you don't realize that by saying what you said about making breeding illegal is also telling the people here that they don't deserve the right to own a bird that has no problems other than the common problems that arise with owning these babies. The problems are generally simple and are usually solved in a short time.

What you don't realize is that there are people here who also feel bad about the situation of rescue birds but I can tell that definitely, if these people decided to take on these birds that have very serious problems of all kinds, eventually those same birds would be back in the shelters simply because not all people have the ability and knowledge on how to deal with these birds. These birds will go into a new home and immediately take over. It will be the bird who dictates everything . More problems will occur and people will then realize that a big mistake has been made. People will than know that they bit off more than they can chew. Owning these special birds that have built in special personalities will create a terrible situation in a home where there might be children, other people who have no interest in birds, other pets,environments that these special birds won't take to no matter what attempt is used. The only people that will have a chance with these birds are the ones that know something about pre owned birds and their complexities and the possible problems that can occur. Not everyone has that ability but it doesn't mean that because of that inability they shouldn't be allowed to enter into the world of parrot keeping with young birds. What you're saying is that only specialized experienced people should own parrots. Unfortunately, that doesn't exist.

Candidates for shelters-----normally, I wouldn't bring my birds into this post but because of your statement I will. I'll start with the small one first. His name is Baby. I named him that when working with him.

1--Baby is a quaker. At one time he was a feral bird that got accidently separated from his wild flock. One rainy evening in 1993, he flew into my brother in law's 15 story condo. My brother in law captured him in the house and put him in a cage. He then brought the bird into a section of the building where about 15 employees worked. He was always around people but they couldn't go near him without getting bitten. After about 5 mts my BIL contacted me and asked if I would take the bird and I did. Also understand that my BIL owns 2 DYH amazons that are approx 25 yrs old so he knew about parrots. I took the bird and my wife and I worked him with for a long time until he accepted the fact that he now lived in my home with other birds. He eventually changed into a controllable bird. He also stopped the biting but before he did that, he took pieces of my wife's hair out of her head and inflicted many scars to both of us over a long period of time

2--Jazz is a CAG. At the time was 3 1/2 yrs old He had serious issues. He was the classic mutilator. His only daily constructive relief was to be destructive by pulling all of his feathers out. He was a bird that was alone all day in a cage that was a bit too small but even worse, had too many toys in it. He had little room to move around in.The owners ( who I knew) had to work all day. It wasn't their fault. They tried different things with no success. Eventually, they contacted me and explained things and asked if I would take him which I did. It took my wife and I approx 3 yrs to get this bird into a different frame of mind and turn his focus outward instead of on himself. He had setbacks. He is now fully feathered and has a friendly outgoing personality with people. He's only afraid of the dog.

3---Tee is a TAG and probably the best candidate for a shelter. At the time he was 8 yrs old. He's now 14. Tee was the classic viscious attacking bird. The only thing he lived for was biting and going after whoever was nearby. He couldn't be handled. The owners ( who I also knew) were very frightened by him. He constantly and seriously bit the husband and the wife but the straw that broke the camel's back was when he went after their 7 mt old baby. He was a very jealous bird and he succeeded in biting the child. I received a phone call at 12.30 AM. The woman was crying and asked if I would take him and I did. The husband traveled 270 miles to my home and brought him to me. It took my wife and I over a year to stop this behavior and to also make him understand that there were other birds that lived here. My wife and I were seriously and constantly bitten throughout that time. My dog was bitten. He went after the other birds and succeeded in inflicting bites that caused bleeding. Today Tee is a non biter. He's friendly with my wife, me, the dog and the other birds except for one of my quakers who insists on flying to him to bite his feet. Now a days he simply avoids her.

At one time all of these birds would have wound up in shelters.

I realize this post is very long but I wrote it in order to explain to you about some of the various personalities of birds that are in shelters.

I'll go one step further and say that I doubt that you would have been able to handle these 3 birds simply by the very short statement about how people should only get birds that are unfortunately in shelters. If some people had obtained these birds from shelters, I guarantee you that they would be given back to shelters.

[Janfromboone]

 

This is just a cute video from you tube that shows a grey trying to make friends with another parrot. I have no experience with trying to sociallize two parrots, or what the situation was with this very sociable grey.

[danmcq]

Very informative post Dave!!

 

Anyone considering a rescue should read it very carefully, unless they have experience with rescues.

 

I personally appreciate the rescues that insist potential adopters attend classes and also meet with the prospective adoptee to see how they interact over a few visits. These types of rescues realize that not everyone walking through the door, have the knowledge or the commitment necessary to take in a Parrot with sometimes very aggressive behavioural habits from the tons of baggage it is carrying around.

[AshleyKay]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the insight. I love having Ace so much in my life that I was thinking how wonderful it would be to take in one more. But after much thought I am going to pass. We have a good thing with Ace. He is just, perfect. I have just enough space for him and Im afraid I'll be pushing it with adding another cage and the expenses for more toys etc., We are getting a Giant Schnauzer in early December so Im going to need space for his kennel and things as well...and Im afraid of going over my limit. I also don't want any problems to arise with Ace and the new bird. As for the breeding comment, I respect everyones opinion.. but I will say that I got Ace from a breeder. I had him picked out from an egg I chose this route for a few reasons. I feel I am not epereinced enough to take on a rescue with "baggage" I am afraid I wouldnt have the extra time, or patience, or expereince to do this. I also have a busy household, with 4 kids, 2 dogs and 3 cats. I think putting a bird in a busy home like that, especially one with a lot of unknown history would just stress the bird out more. These are also reasons I am deciding to not even take in this bird.

Anyhow I could go on and on. Im very thankful I had such a responsible, loving breeder who had Ace for me, and did such a wonderful job hand raising him, and handfeeding him, and socializing him until I was able to bring him home. I am prepared for all the normal "bird" behaviors that will come as he grows older. He is still young, under a year, but at least I am learning with him, and I feel like I can better handle situations as they come, instead of just having them all thrown at me at once, with a bird with "bagage".

[Tycos_mom]

I think tou have made the right choice as Dave said not everyone is capable of bringing a secondhand parrot into their homes. Birds are not like other pets they are not domesticated they are wild animals. You can rehome a cat or a dog and there is a good chance the it will be a wonderful pet. But a second hand bird is a different story. They will grieve deeply for their previous home if they where loved and if the were abused or neglected they will be very difficult because a human betrayed there trust to them all humans are now their enemy. Its not that easy to get a bird to change its mind but thats exactly what is need when you get a second hand parrot.

[she]

Well done Ashley.I wish more people would give it as much thought before taking on a parrot. You made the right choice for you. Sheila

[Anmlhggr]

Way to go Ashley! Very responsible decision! :laugh:

[AshleyKay]

Thanks guys I feel good about it.