2 birds better than 1 ?

[warthog]

Hi all. I've had my too fireball for about 3 months now. With all the screaming and the aggression that he shows towards me, is another bird a viable option? I was thinking that if he had company all the time that he would be a happier bird. This is not something I would do right away I think, but if I do would the next bird have to be a too also or do they usually get along with other breeds? Different cages? Or am I just getting myself in deeper

 

[thekarens]

Let me tell you about my Sydney. The guy that bought him did so because his Quaker was a screamer and he thought his Quaker would be happier and quieter if he had a birdy companion. What ended up happening is the Quaker taught Sydney to scream and after only 2 months he sold Sydney to me.

 

[warthog]

Hahaha, that would be my luck.

 

[NiRD]

Double the birds means double the money, double the food, double the cages (or at least cage size), double the time, and double the noise. That being said, birds are like potato chips, it's hard to have just one!

 

[warthog]

Not so worried about the money or time so much. Just want a happier bird ( and wife)

 

[Ryled1]

I have a bare eyed and a grey. I think the 2 diff species gave the bird's company & they were much more relaxed. Whatever one did the other did, sleeping, feeding etc. They could only be about 2 ft apart, never closer and NEVER left alone outside of their cages. To do so is dangerous bc one bird can attack and almost kill another. I've seen this on tv w horrible consequences, and the owner thought the bird were friends.
It is double the work, and dander.

 

[Birdman666]

Depends on the bird.

Toos are flock birds. Chances are, though, you'd end up with BOTH wanting to be picked up and held all the time...

(We're toos. It's what we do!)

You don't know until it works, or it doesn't.

I'm not one to talk however, as I have five, soon to be six. (But that's down from 11, so, there's that...)

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

I have had two birds most of my bird life..I had Smokey for about a year,then Amy came along..Amy was 16 weeks old and Smokes was about 1.5 yrs old. They lived in separate cages but across the room from each other,always in sight and hearing. Smokey was a jealous girl..if I had Amy with me in the kitchen,playing on the table or whatever,Smokes would waddle down the hallway looking. Smokey NEVER came down the hall on her own! Only if Amy was with me!
And if they were out of their houses,Smokes would walk up to Amy,wait till Amys back was turned,then yoink on her tail then run away!

Once many years ago,they went beak to beak,where Smokey bit Amys tongue,requiring 5 stitches After that, I made sure they didn't get too close to each other.

When Smokey passed away this April,before I adopted Jonesy..I could tell Amy was grieving. She was very quiet and would not come out of her house.
Now,with Jonesy,Amy is back to laughing and talking and she wants to be friends with Jones,but he is a very cunning little so and so..acting real interested in Amy,then clunking her on her head with his beak!

So...2 birds or 1?? lol..I was looking for a second after Smokey passed..I'm happy with the outcome, I just pay extra attention when both are out.

Jim

 

[OOwl]

I think mine are happier and quieter with multiple birds. My cockatoo (a RB) and my Grey aren't really friends and I don't put them in the aviary together anymore (long story) but they have been caged next to one another for the past 12 years so they really do comprise a flock and I watch them eat at the same time, play at the same time, and take naps at the same time. Never have they both screamed at the same time, but that may just be because they're such different species. Usually, they just eyeball each other when the other is acting out, and says something silly like, "What's wrong, brother?" or "Do you want to get covered?" God willing, they will always be a flock, plenty of family members to make that happen when I'm gone.

Birdman, did I miss the post where you're getting a new bird? Point me to it. I would love to read about your new flock member.

 

[Siobhan]

I have eight. Six of them live together in a bird room and while they don't all like each other, they keep each other company and Mommy works long hours, so that's a boon. My 'too is in the living room so he's in on all the action and has the dogs to throw pellets at, and my starling has a leopard gecko in her room for company. I don't think my 'too would appreciate having other birds as company, based on his reaction to the wild birds outside. I'm not sure he knows he's a bird. And having more birds doesn't seem to cut down on noise. It only amplifies it.

 

[Dinosrawr]

It really just depends. Sometimes company is great and the birds really benefit from it. I know my two certainly have, and I'm very fortunate that they get along so well. But it makes the screaming worse, not better. They've learned each other's screams and when one goes off, the other does too.

If the time, money, and dedication isn't an issue, then I don't see why you couldn't try it. Just don't put all your eggs in one basket is all [emoji4]

 

[MikeyTN]

All my birds prefer other bird company for sure when we're at work. They may not get along but they do enjoy the company.

 

[Scott]

A second bird may or may not improve the situation. Whether Fireball befriends or bonds with a newcomer is something you cannot predict, but at least they will have an awareness of the other. Toos are indeed flock birds, and they will probably have less affinity with a different species, ie a Grey, Eclectus, or Amazon.

I have 5 Toos in a room with a Grey who is never locked in his cage; the latter may as well be alone. On rare occasion he will fly to a different cage but there is absolutely no interaction - and thankfully zero aggression. The Toos are one Moluccan and four related Goffins - mother and three offspring. The only significant behavioral issue is between the first-born and his mother and middle brother. Therefore a regimen of rotation is necessary to keep the peace. As many as three Goffins can be out simultaneously with the Moluccan, and they frequently cluster atop a single cage or playpen. They are so good together and can be left unattended at night or throughout the day.

 

[Siobhan]

You know, the general rule is, don't get another bird for your bird. Get him/her for YOU. If YOU want another bird and you realize the second bird and the first might not like each other, and you can handle the noise, mess and expense as well as the extra time and attention and love that a second (or third or fourth ... LOL) bird will require, then and only then should you get another bird.

 

[Flboy]

I think mine are happier and quieter with multiple birds. My cockatoo (a RB) and my Grey aren't really friends and I don't put them in the aviary together anymore (long story) but they have been caged next to one another for the past 12 years so they really do comprise a flock and I watch them eat at the same time, play at the same time, and take naps at the same time. Never have they both screamed at the same time, but that may just be because they're such different species. Usually, they just eyeball each other when the other is acting out, and says something silly like, "What's wrong, brother?" or "Do you want to get covered?" God willing, they will always be a flock, plenty of family members to make that happen when I'm gone.

Birdman, did I miss the post where you're getting a new bird? Point me to it. I would love to read about your new flock member.

I not be the Birdman, but was following this thread, waiting for an act of God to force me to take the little girl on! I live just up the road from there.

http://www.parrotforums.com/adoptions-re-homing/56440-rehoming-1yr-old-hen-panama.html

 

[Betrisher]

I would never keep a lone bird. By the same reasoning, I would never have had an only child. I think (and please remember: this is simply my OWN perspective, I'm not telling anyone what to do!) it's unnatural for any gregarious species to live alone. I don't think human companionship makes up for a birdie companion in the same way that a bird doesn't completely fill the human need for a companion of the same species. When I watch my own birds interacting with each other, I feel I've made the right choices for them.

Bottom line is, you simply have to make your own decision based on what you know of your bird and your circumstances.

 

[Flboy]

Am following this, am so an only child mentality at the moment! Push me over the edge!

 

[Holly the U2]

my U2 was used to having other birds around her so I got my M2 3 months after my U2,
they are really quiet for big cockatoo's