Fighting and Agressiveness

[Charlie.Louisx]

Hi, im new to all of this so please bare with me.

I own a 2 1/2 year old IRN hes grey and we've had him since 3 month old. We think he might be a girl as he hasn't got his ring. When purchased he wasn't hand tame and is friendly with everyone in the house but isn't particularly cuddly tame as will fly away if you try to give him tickles.

I also have just purchased a CAG about a month ago he (guessed) was 3 month old when we got him. He gets along with me, my mam and my sister. He hates my dad and will be aggressive towards him and I was wondering what we could do to maybe make him be friendly to him.

The two birds fight when out together. We do break them up and the person who caused it goes in their cage. We don't know what to do and have came to the conclusion they will probably never like each other but are worried in case one of them gets seriously injured. Any ideas to at least make them civil?

Thank you.

 

[Lullx]

Three months is kind of early to bring home a grey unless you're hand feeding him? They're not usually weaned until closer to 4 months or longer (though it is possible). Did you adopt him from a breeder or did you rehome him from a different owner? A three or four month old grey will still look like a baby. Do you happen to have any pictures?

Regardless of how old he is, the two birds need time to adjust to one another. The grey in particular is more than likely trying to still adjust to being in a new home with new people (one month isn't very long at all!). I've had my baby grey for 6 months, and my older birds are only just starting to really accept her. Greys also have a tendency to be very skittish and nervous about new things. This is a really big change for him! This is also a big change for your ringneck, especially if she's been the only bird in the house until now. She may feel threatened or even jealous.

I suggest taking things slow and letting your grey get comfortable with you and the home before trying to get him to interact with your IRN. Also be sure to still spend plenty of time with your ringneck so she knows she hasn't been replaced and that you still love her just the same.

Hopefully someone with more experience will drop by shortly to help you out!

 

[Charlie.Louisx]

Three months is kind of early to bring home a grey unless you're hand feeding him? They're not usually weaned until closer to 4 months or longer (though it is possible). Did you adopt him from a breeder or did you rehome him from a different owner? A three or four month old grey will still look like a baby. Do you happen to have any pictures?

Louis (CAG) was hand reared as a baby and has settled in really well loves cuddles tickles and always being near someone if i try to leave the room even for 5 mins he will try to follow and has definitely picked his favourites in the house. He is okay around my dad and doesn't fly after him and attack unless he goes near him. Charlie our IRN is playing up because we know he's jealous but he still gets his cuddles and we still play with his toys with him.

We bought Louis from a breader and he said that he was just over 3 month and his birthday is August 18th 2015 we got the birth certificate etc.

 

[Lullx]

Aww, baaaby! You got me, I was just looking for an excuse to ask to see pictures of your sweet baby bird. I'm a sucker for baby birds.

My grey isn't terribly friendly towards my boyfriend and has lunged and bit him a few times (hasn't ever drawn blood), but that's because he doesn't live with us and she only sees him once or twice a week. He's also not as confident and comfortable with larger birds yet. He's wonderful with my little guys, but they've also known him for pretty much their entire life here with me.

We've started a process where as soon as he comes over, he gives Nephele, my grey, an almond (her favorite snack and training reward). He gives her one every so often during his time over here with us, while he talks to her gently.
We've only been doing this for a few sessions and she's already much more comfortable with him. He can pet her while she's inside the cage, but not outside yet. Though, she wouldn't allow me to pet her or pick her up for a while after I first brought her home.
A lot of bird behaviorists suggest that the person who is trying to form a bond with the bird should be the one to do the feeding and rewarding so that the bird associates that person with good things instead of being scary. When we eventually move in together, you betcha I'm going to make him feed her when he's home!

When we sit down to watch our shows or a movie, I bring her over to the couch with us and have her sit on me and calm down for a few minutes before I put her on his lap or arm. She grumbles a little and often tries to climb her way back over to me, but she gets over it when I pretend to ignore her, and finally gets comfy on him.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Lullx has some excellent advice for you. I just wanted to add that your family is a glutton for punishment, as both IRN's and Grays are naturally skittish, tend to not enjoy handling, and have no problem biting. I'm not an AG expert, nor an IRN one either, but I've found with my and others that IRN's really don't appreciate fingers near them. Mine is a bit of an oddity as he really loves cuddling, but really Indian Ringnecks are infamous for being a hands-off bird.

If your birds don't get along, I don't recommend keeping them out in the same room together while they're out if at all possible. An AG beak is so much bigger than an IRN's, and there's no guarantee the next fight won't be a fatal one. Alternate the time they have out, or try and create enough separate play areas within the room that they never feel the need to stay near each other. It also can help if they're flighted so that they're able to disengage without getting too physical, but it can also go the opposite way where one may try to fly and attack the other bird.

 

[Charlie.Louisx]

Thank you for all your help, is their any chance that they might actually like each other? We got the AG hoping he could be a companion for the IRN as he was on his own and when we got him back from a pet shop we kept him at when we went on holiday he seemed sad as he had been staying with other birds so we thought he needed a friend x

 

[Lullx]

There is definitely a chance that they'll end up liking each other! Especially if you let them get used to each other safely beforehand. Just remember that each bird is an individual and even if you do everything right, there is a chance they just won't get along based on who they are.

At first, I kept my CAG's cage in an entirely different room and would bring her into the living room where the other birds are for just a few minutes at a time so they could all see each other. When I felt comfortable moving her cage into the living room, I had to alternate who got to come out of the cages and when. The only bird who causes trouble is my green cheek, Genevieve. The others all keep to themselves and don't want to bother my grey. Genevieve would often fly over to Nilly's cage and try to get at her through the bars, which was horrifying because of the size difference. I was so scared that she was going to lose a foot or her beak or get injured otherwise.
So I started bringing my CAG over to the couch with me when I would let Genevieve out. This way, if Genevieve was really looking to start trouble with my grey, I would literally be right there and be able to prevent it or at least immediately end it.
When Nephele doesn't want to come out of her cage, or it's just time for her to go back, I will bring Genevieve over to the couch with me to play, or I will go over to her cage and play with her there so that she's preoccupied and not tempted to go bother Nilly. I'm careful to make sure they all get close-to-equal time with me individually.

This is our 6th month with Nephele in the home, and now I can hold her in one hand and have Genevieve in the other and they will largely ignore each other, but only if I'm sitting down. They both really love being with me, and now Genevieve understands that she can still be with me when Nilly is here, as long as she doesn't go over and bother her. If I'm standing, she gets a little too excited and will usually try to get over to Nilly.
The issue for us is that I believe that Genevieve doesn't mean to scare/attack Nephele (not anymore, at least. I know she was on the attack for a few weeks in the beginning). I truly now believe that she just wants to go say hi and preen her (she loves preening the other birds), but she still really scares Nilly, and I won't take the risk of my grey lashing out due to fear and injuring my conure.

Both Genevieve and Nephele are very snuggly birds. They would both spend all day cuddled up with me if they could.

Most of this has been trial and error, as I learn more about my birds' individual personalities and how they interact with one another. I realized (for the most part) what was causing Genevieve to "attack" and am now able to curb that behavior by being proactive. This has allowed a relationship between the two to begin. I believe it will still take several months before they can be near each other without me being right there between them, but I'm working hard to make it as easy a process as possible.
The most important thing to remember is to keep them both safe right now.

I hope somewhere in my rambling is something that helps you.

 

[Dinosrawr]

It is possible, but it can certainly be hard when you buy a bird for a bird. There's no guarantee they'll ever come to like each other, but there's no guarantee they won't. My birds hated each other in the beginning, but I didn't mind because I was anticipating it. After a few months, however, they surprised me when I introduced them to each other on a brand new play stand (neutral territory). They've loved each other ever since.

Generally neutral territory helps. Or busying their beaks with treats or food while they're near each other.