can 2 hand reared GCC of opposing sexes be kept as pets?

[Walter]

Greetings everyone,

This is my first post and I joined the site because I have a pressing situation:

I have a 10 month's old female GCC (DNA sexed). She is a great pet and is flight trained (I often take her outside to fly and play) and very strongly bonded to me.

I'm considering a second GCC, but a male. I worry my current female could lose her bond to me. Is it a given or are there people out there that successfully keep tame bonded pairs?

Thanks

Walter

 

[SilverSage]

Yes you can keep them as pets but they may bond very tightly to each other and reject you. They may also hate each other forever and try to kill each other.

An opposite sex pair may also breed whether you want them to or not. Any reason why you don't just get a second female?


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[LordTriggs]

they can get on, they can hate each other, they can exclude you, they can love you still, they can fight over you, they could have babies, they could not be bothered. You'll never know until they're together.

what I will say above all else is be aware your female is at the opening time of the window to puberty. Most likely come march/april weather permitting she'll get those hormones and enter what will be the most difficult time. I would wait until you've gone through that to see if you want another. I would even wait until she has gone through 2 as they normally become an adult at around 2 which is when they go through a large change in personality. They become less "cuddle bugs" and become a fully independent grown up bird

so really I'd say to wait and see how you go with your current pet. If YOU want one a year or 2 from now then and are prepared to put in double the time and effort into the care then go for it. Just never get a bird for your current pet

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, thanks for seeking information before taking a giant leap! Parrots have complex social needs, and keeping them as companions requires forethought. If your primary goal is to have a close bond, a second bird will create issues. There is no guarantee they will get along, regardless of sex. Whether the original bond with you will remain is impossible to predict.

 

[Kiwibird]

My parents amazons were a bonded pair (no babies) for 40+ years until the male passed away last year. They were always preening and feeding each other and even got in little arguments like an old married couple too They were free roaming and free to interact during the day, but had their individual side by side cages. The male was never aggressive in any way and would step up etc.. but also wasn't really interested in human attention nor did he ever seek it out. He preferred to be fed and left alone for the most part. The female was and still is a social bird with people she knows and would definitely suffer if not able to interact with people she trusts daily. When we lived closer, both amazons were both very accepting of my much younger male amazon when he'd go visit and they all got along well enough. My amazon really wasn't interested in the other amazons (not aggressive, just not interested) and prefers human interaction to other birds.

Of course, there is never guarantees any birds regardless of gender or species will get along or react to each other in any predictable way. They are all such individuals! If you do get another bird, be sure it is what you want and isn't for your current bird to have a "friend", because they may very well not be friends. Also prepare for the worst if you do want a second bird that they may hate each other and create a scenario where you have to interact with them individually and always keep them separated their whole lives (I believe thats around 30 years for small conures). They also need to have separate cages, even if they are best friends. It is ill advised to house any birds together that aren't a breeding pair (even of the same gender!). As pets, they need their own space.

 

[goalerjones]

Wht do you want a 2nd bird? Is it for you, or as a companion for ur GCC?

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[Walter]

I thought it would be easier for two birds of opposite sexes to accept each other...

 

[Walter]

For me and my bird. I will start travelling for work and leaving it alone for long periods could be detrimental ( I cannot be convinced that toys would do the trick. Flock birds left alone couldnt possibly be socially satisfied with innate objects. It would be akin to locking up a person in a luxury cell with video games)

 

[plumsmum2005]

How long is 'long periods'? Is there anyone that can pop in for a while to check all is well, check food and water etc? We have members who work full time and manage to have parrots, foraging and toys do help, basically you are providing what they naturally do in the wild, search for food and chew branches.

 

[Kiwibird]

It would be akin to locking up a person in a luxury cell with video games)

I guess you have not met my husband then

Parrots are highly adaptable creatures and they do adapt to our routines, but depending on what you mean by "long periods" it may not be right to leave your bird or even 2 birds regularly for that long anyways. Pet parrots who bond to humans crave human interaction and nothing, not toys, not other parrots, fulfills that need for them. Now, leaving a parrot all day while at work then playing with them after work/on weekends is very common and they easily adapt to that. Even the occasional overnight business trip or vacation (anything more than 24 hours will require a pet sitter, boarding or a trusted adult to come over to care for them) is ok. Really depends on what you mean by traveling for work all the time.

 

[SilverSage]

I thought it would be easier for two birds of opposite sexes to accept each other...

Not really, and it usually just leads to nesting complications if they do accept each other. And seeing as your stated reason for getting another bird is that you are already short on time, I highly discourage opposite sex pairs because you clearly don't have the extra hours each day to properly care for babies.

That said, what is your plan if they DONT accept each other? Then your remaining time will be cut in half between two birds and you will have even less time for your current bird. And you can never guarantee two birds will bond, even such snuggle buckets as GCCs. I currently have a male and female, and they would rip each other to shreds given the chance. Both are different levels of friendly with other birds but when they see each other they are set in violence. Are you prepared for that?


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[goalerjones]

I also have to ask what "long time" means. While they are going to adapt to whatever your house is like, leaving them alone for long periods if time with no one to look in on them could be a bad idea. Accidents happen, water gets knocked over, and fresh food isn't just a nice idea for a parrot which means changing food bowls daily for health reasons.

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