Advice needed on bonding conures

[Minimaker]

I have agreed to take in Yuki, the turquoise green cheek who needed a new home due to his family expecting twins. I'm worried about my own conure and how he will feel about this. I'm hoping to hear suggestions from people who had a conure, and then got another one on how they safely socialized the new bird with the one they already had. I know conures can be territorial towards new birds. I've never had a situation I had to worry about yet introducing new birds to one another. I had budgies and bought one more, but there was really no fighting or problems with the new addition. They were like "the more the merrier". I doubt it will go that smooth with the conures.

He'll be in quarantine for a few weeks of course, for safety's sake. But after that, do I sit the cages next to each other and that's good enough? How long should I wait to let them out together? Any useful tips would be helpful. I'm feeling apprehensive, I want it to work out. I'm hoping they won't hate each other and fight.

 

[Birdman666]

Generally speaking, as long as they aren't territorial, or overbonded, conures generally get along pretty well.

Supervised interaction. Handle both at once.

I set mine out on a playstand together, and just observed the interactions.

I would suggest rolling the cages together in the morning, and then letting them out together by the afternoon. I don't believe in waiting. Just long enough to be comfortable that there is another bird there, and get curious...

If one or the other is territorial, then "introduce them" to each other outside of the disputed territory. Keep a close eye on the territorial bird, and do time outs if he gets aggressive with the other bird and tries to drive him off. Let him know that YOU will not permit that sort of behavior, regardless of whether or not he's victorious with the other bird...

I did conure training time with all three at once, and then Py still got his individual time as well. (The other two were bonded to each other. They didn't want individual time. They wanted to be left alone with each other.)

The birds themselves generally work it out.

 

[Minimaker]

Thanks that makes me feel better. I hoped it would be that easy. My conure Taz eventually warmed up to my budgies and spends time with them. It took awhile but he's sweet to them now. I thought maybe he'd feel differently towards another conure. I hoped not though.

 

[Birdman666]

Another conure will probably be easier... PROBABLY...

Usually it's only a problem if one of them is either super bonded to someone (and resents having to share, i.e. jealousy), or super territorially aggressive (i.e. THAT'S MINE!)

 

[RavensGryf]

Congrats Tara! Good to see your family has adopted Yuki . I love how the new enclosure is coming along.

 

[riddick07]

I just throw them together anymore since mine have gotten used to the coming and going of birds. When I introduced the bonded dusky pair to my group they sat in the cage for about an hour before I just opened all the doors to everyone. It was like I hadn't put anyone new in the mix. Honestly I've had the thought of having a big all conure cage but I'd feel bad if my sun couldn't get away from everyone.

When I first introduced my sun conure to my bonded gccs she got her butt kicked all the time. Until one day she had enough and stood up for herself then she was left alone. The pair will even let her sit with them occasionally now.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Congrats on your gorgeous new addition! I just love the turquoise mutation. So pretty. I think you're on the right track, and in a way it comes down to the birds. My two were a slow process, where they'd be out together but not near each other. Then last year right around this time I finished building my bird stand for them, and when I placed them on neutral territory it was like the world shifted and the heavens opened or something, haha! They just magically got along and have been best buddies since.

After quarantine, I'd place their cages near each other and then later would let them out like you thought, but would place them away from their cages on a different stand and monitor them. Conures - generally - appreciate a new buddy to cuddle or talk to. [emoji4]

 

[Minimaker]

Yuki arrived tonight safe and sound. His owners decided they just couldn't keep him after all and sent him to us today on Delta Pet Express. His feathers are tattered with blackened ends, especially his tail feathers are really messed up. I hope a few dietary changes will help that. He's very freaked out, pretty inconsolable right now poor thing. He talks a little. He keeps repeating his name-Yuki, step up, come here. That's all I can make out right now. He arrived with a very chewed up and resewn happy hut which I don't think is safe to give him back and he's really upset and won't sleep right now. I read a story on a conure group this morning about a conure that just died from an infection caused by a crop full of fibers from these things. I've seen handmade huts on Etsy, does anyone know if they are actually bird safe or would anything fabric be too risky?

 

[PickleMeDickles]

Oh, I wish I had a resident bird expert in the house! My 2 Suns get along great with everything, but not people outside our house. My GCC (female) is hell on wheels. Although, admittedly, one of my favorites, she thinks she is a pit bull on steroids and will fly at the other birds as if she is a suicide bomber. I have tried putting them on separate play stands on the opposite side of the table, no go. And goodness help me if I have them spatially separated and for some reason everyone goes airborne, as Pickles also goes on the attack. She also attacks my 3 dogs. Funny thing is, she gets along with people really well. I can reliably give her to anyone, even relatively small kids. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to maintain conure harmony or am I destined for a life of intermittent flying balls of feathers?

 

[Minimaker]

Yuki update: This little bird is sooooo very attached to people and afraid of other birds, never having been around any the majority of his life. The former owners sent us paperwork on testing so he was cleared of any disease before we got him so I've decided to let him out of quarantine early. Other than some tattered feathers from too small a cage (the owners told me his cage was too small and they didn't update it because it was only for sleeping in-he was out on a playstand all day) he's fine. He goes into a screaming fit if he gets put up in the cage. Nothing consoles him and he gets quite shrill. When out he must be on a shoulder at all times unless starving or thirsty. He will fly to anyone who enters the room. He freaks out when people leave a room or he hears a door open or shut. We went to the basement without him because it's winter-time chilly down there. We could hear him screaming "Yuki! Yuki! Yuki!" the whole time we were down there. As we opened the door, he flew right into my daughters chest the instant the door opened enough. I think he was flying all over the place looking for us. He has major separation anxiety. If my husband is dozing on the couch, he must be on his belly cupped in his hand or he's unhappy. This would be sweet, except he gets to rubbing and loving on himself with his foot and at some point gets mad about something he's doing to himself and nails my husband's hand a good one lol. Nothing interrupts a good couch nap like a cutting little beak latched on your hand. As for the two conures together, it's constant vigilance or someone's getting the beak. Oh Taz, why must you be such a grump? He's getting better on day two, but it's still iffy. I stay close. There has been some chasing, but I put Taz in cage time out if he starts it. It's his territory so it's always him. If he's good I give them both treats. Food bowls are separated far apart on the same surface. They both get up there and eat at the different bowls eyeballing each other warily. Today we had a small victory. When one got excited and flew the other did too. We had tandem flying conures zipping around the rooms. One side note of ickiness. I think he's been trained to go to a chair and perch to go poop. He keeps flying to our kitchen chair and crapping on the floor again and again. It's gross and I'm running out of napkins. I ended up putting a trash can behind the chair. Not ideal but I'm not sure how to break it. Taz flies to his cage and poops. Yuki sees a chair and poo-bombs it.

I must say I do enjoy snuggle time with him though. He gets on my shoulder when I'm sitting at the computer and he snuggles up to my neck as close as he can get and rubs his beak up and down my neck. Then he preens himself and my hair the rest of the time until he snoozes off. He couldn't get any closer if he tried. I never had that with Taz, he was always pretty hands off. He wanted on my shoulder but no further contact than that. I understood it, he was an eight year old breeder bird who had not been handled gently or much at all his whole life. The biggest interaction he had with hands was from people putting food in, removing his babies, or customers poking at him through the cage bars. He has no love of hands at all. I can touch Yuki and that's really nice.

 

[MikeyTN]

I recently adopted the Dusky to be a friend to the Sun but unfortunately they do not like one another as the Dusky was bonded to me instantly. He took to my partner good too but still prefers me. When I had people over for Thanksgiving he did good with everyone except one person he did not like so he bit him. The Sun is attached to my partner, she will bite me good if given the chance. But if she is alone with me, she's actually a well behaved bird that likes to sit on my shoulders. Needless to say, the conures aren't friends with one another....so much for giving her a playmate.....

 

[Minimaker]

I recently adopted the Dusky to be a friend to the Sun but unfortunately they do not like one another as the Dusky was bonded to me instantly. He took to my partner good too but still prefers me. When I had people over for Thanksgiving he did good with everyone except one person he did not like so he bit him. The Sun is attached to my partner, she will bite me good if given the chance. But if she is alone with me, she's actually a well behaved bird that likes to sit on my shoulders. Needless to say, the conures aren't friends with one another....so much for giving her a playmate.....

Oh man I really hope that doesn't happen here. That's awful Mike. Maybe they will get closer in time. My GCC hated my budgies and in time he grew to really love and depend on them for company. He was lonely and they spoke a language he responded to better than mine. Now he wants to be where they are when he hears them from the other room. He goes ballistic until I take him in to see them.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm hoping they'll like each other down the road but so far he only seeks my attention.....he's a silly boy.....