HELP! i want another grey

[Tigerlily]

the more i think of it the more i want another one!

 

i know this topic has been talked about many a time and i have read all the past posts i can find and i've thought about pros and cons

 

but i was wondering if those of you who have 2 greys could share your personal experiences.

 

what sex are they

did they hatch together, if not what age gap

and any problems youv'd had if you introduced one at a later stage.

[nims]

Hi Tigerlilly,

 

I have two greys one is a male and the other female. Indy is a baby and she is around 10mths old and Ice is our rehomed greyand he is 4yrs old.

 

Ice is very smart and has a large vocab and Indy can be quite naughty and liked to be babied while Ice is very independant.

I wanted another grey after I got Indy because she bonded to my husband and Ice is very much a ladies man!

In terms of integration Indy is really curious being a baby and all and Ice doesnt really want to know!! So they still have a way to go.

 

You need to remember that there is no guarantee that the grey will get on with your new grey and vice versa. I am sure you have read the other posts and some of the other memebers will be able to tell you about their experiences.

[Sallas]

I have two Timnehs (a male and a female), Saphira is the female and she is about 10 months old. Thorn is the male and he is about 7 months old.

 

I got very lucky in that they both adore the other. They take turns feeding each other and keep one another company while I am at work. They have totally different personalities and I could not imagine my life without them.

 

Introducing them was very easy. The first day they met, Saphira had to have a toe nail removed and she was not in a good mood, but the next day, they were introduced again and they got along great right away. they started feeding and preening one another right away and got a little upset when we went to put them back in their own cages that night. Now they live together in a huge cage.

[Lyric]

Some people have great experiences adding another bird to their flock, but here's my little experience with Lyric. Lyric is about 2 1/2, I've raised him from 3 weeks old. He was the only chick in his clutch that hatched and although he sees my other birds hasn't had real interaction with them. This fall I had two baby greys hatch from one of my pairs. I thought it might be a good experience for Lyric to get to interact with some other greys. I started letting him see them when they were very little and when they were a little older I began letting them have interactions with Lyric. I would take all three out together and feed them meals together on the same table. Right from the beginning Lyric was leery of the babies and seemed quite scared of them. I thought he would become accustomed to them in time. It really didn't work out that way at all. Once the two babies fledged, they began to chase Lyric flying throughout the house. He became quite terrified of them and would fly away from them screeching- this seemed to bring out some aggression in one of the babies and he would get quite wound up, confronting Lyric and chasing him whenever he got the chance. I had to stop letting them all out at the same time- I didn't want Lyric to hurt himself flying around in a panic all over the house. Also I was afraid if they stood off with one another one might get injured. So this is an example where two birds might not necessarily get along. I don't want to discourage you from getting another bird if you truly want one, just be sure you'll have enough time to devote to each even if it is done at separate times. One more note to add- the two that have been raised together get along just fine with each other and never have any problems, perhaps my problems with Lyric stemmed from the fact that he was an only chick?

[Kaedyn]

I have a male (Rigel) who is around 18 months and a female (Sierra) who is about 10 months old. I brought Sierra home when she was around 16 weeks and Rigel was just shy of 11 months.

 

They aren't really best friends, but they do tolerate each other. At night they like to snuggle with me while watching TV. There are times when their heads are almost touching, but they just ignore each other. There are other times when they do a bit of beak-jousting. It never really amounts to much and they quickly ignore each other again. They have a large rope net that they play on together with minimal supervision.

 

It took some time to introduce the two of them. You can read about that at the following link. It was a reply to someone asking a similar question as yourself.

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/99735-should-i-get-a-second.html#99773

 

One thing I can add to the information in my previous post is that while Sierra has had the same personality since day-one, I can definitely say that Rigel's personality changed the day she came home. Prior to that day, he had never bitten anyone, but those days are long in the past. I think it's part of his personality that would have eventually emerged anyway.

[LisaM]

My opinion is that if you want another one and feel you have the space, time, energy and money to handle two, then go for it (I'd say "love" also but that's a given with all of us here!).

 

I have three parrots and none of them get along. It doesn't matter at all to me though. They are all great parrots and great companions in their own ways. They all have three entirely different personalities and prefer different types of "connection" with me. They each have their own cage and own playstand. The playstands can be about 3 feet from eachother but not much closer than that.

 

The funny thing is that as soon as I take one of the three out of the room they all start contact-calling. When their wings grow in they'll fly after me. I'm sure it's because they think the one I'm taking away is getting to go experience some sort of Birdy Wonderland and they're not. It's usually just a shower. :-)

 

I think they appreciate the other parrot-company, particularly when we're gone. They just don't want to be perch buddies.

 

Lisa

[Jane08]

We have 2 greys a female and a male. We had the male for a year before we got the female. They are now 2 and just over 1. We got the female as company for the male as I felt bad about leaving him alone all day while we worked.

 

We have had no problems at all with the 2 of them. The get on fine and share the same cage. They also interact with us no problems.

 

The big thing we saw when we got our female was the activity that started in the cage. With only our male we used to get home and you could see he hardly did anything in the cage all day. Then when she arrives he became more active in the cage during the day. Now when I get home it looks like a tornado has gone through the cage, lots of playing and activity.

 

I think I know we did the right thing in getting another one when I see our male drop his wings, get excited and making those eeeeeeee noises and race after our female to get some lovin. Our female loves the preening and she loves to play with him and roles on her back for him. I tell you it is the cutest thing ever and I wouldn't wish anything less for both of our greys.

[Talon]

I had my first grey, a tag, at 8 1/2 weeks old. A girl. When she was 2 1/2, we adopted another girl, a cag, 2 months younger. Once the new bird came, they tolerated each other, but because she is much bigger, she is the boss, and is accepted as such. I have always given my first grey all of the firsts, such as my attention, food and such so she wouldn't feel put out. But when the cag comes near her, even to preen her, she says, Uh uh, no way! and she will go to the other side of the table or couch.

I was worried about fighting, but that never happened. They both accepted each other instantly, and things are great. I have been known to wear a grey on each shoulder as I go thru the house doing things. B)