2nd bird?

[halogen]

The infamous question asked yet again....

I've been considering a second cockatiel. Right now, I have a ten month old female, Arya. I'm at school from 7am-4pm, and she only gets out a max of 3-4 hours a day. I feel that this is not nearly enough time for her to interact with the family. My brother and I are the only ones she is close with, and she gets frightened easily if anyone else comes near her. I think having a second bird for company and familiarity while we are gone or at school/work would be good for her.

I've heard that getting a second bird is generally good, however, the birds may not bond with each other. Int his case, would it be possible to separate them and reintroduce them later on, or will they never like each other?

Also, I've been told that the birds may bond with each other more than me. I'd be fine with this, as long as it doesn't lead to aggressive behavior towards me. I want them to be happy, but not mean and aggressive.

If I do get another bird, how long should I quarantine them for? I was thinking about 90 days, but should I do more or less? I would be getting a female to prevent breeding. Is this necessary or can opposite sex pairs live together without breeding if they're separated at that time of year?

 

[Zumaria]

As far as getting a second bird, I've never owned a small bird so I'm not sure how their needs relate to those of the larger birds, and hopefully someone here will chime in on that. However, if you do come to the conclusion to get a second bird you will need to keep them in separate cages for quite a while then slowly (weeks) move them closer together (in their own cages) and when their cages are next to each other see if they show signs of aggression toward the other. Like if they sit next to each other through the bars or if they stay at opposite sides of the cage and ignore / avoid / provoke each other. Hopefully they will get used to each others company, but then again they may never get along and then you'll have to divide your attention equally, unfortunately its 50/50

Oh and of course don't let the new bird in the same room your current bird until its been seen by a vet!

 

[thebirdnerd]

If you intend on housing her with the other bird then it probably is a sure bet that she will not be as tame towards the family. I would suggest housing the birds in separate cages but near each other. If you are worried about not giving one bird enough attention then it might not be a good idea to double your responsibility.. Maybe try a canary or untame budgie to get to keep your bird company. That way you don't have to worry about giving one on one attention to two birds.