Finding a buddy for my Goffin questions

[prs]

I have a Goffin cockatoo that was recently rescued from the side of the road. Hes pretty good natured but still understandably skittish. We put him in with a blue and gold and since then hes been less nervous and is eating a bit better.

Anyways I had originally been looking for an Amazon or African Grey, maybe a mini macaw like a severe. Was wondering if anyone has experience with attempting to put a goffins and a parrot in the same cage together. He gets a long well with the b&g but he gets picked on by him when the b&g wants the attention so that probably rules out a large macaw.

Also wondering if a 36l x 24-26w x ~48h cage is suitable for him and another similar sized bird. I haven't bought a cage yet but thats the size I've been looking for.

Appreciate any help given. Most of my parrot experience has been from working as a keeper. This is my first parrot as a pet and there's a lot of difference between taking care of them and presenting them at a zoo than owning them, so I have a decent amount of questions.

 

[Kiwibird]

I would not rule out getting him a buddy if he seems to enjoy the company of other parrots, but I think sharing a cage is a bad call for pet birds. They should each have their own, species appropriate cage, even if they get along well and spend a lot of time outside their cage. It will help keep them more "pet" quality birds.

So I'm a bit confused about this situation. I'm assuming you work at a zoo, and they're giving you the goffin? Does the B&G also belong to the zoo? If not, if they already get along, why not just keep them in side-by-side cages? Otherwise, I'd look into a similar size and temperament to the cockatoo. Perhaps look for a older rescue/rehome bird who is known to get along well with other birds and share a similar activity level. My parents have a goffin and 2 amazons. The goffin is much more hyperactive than the zons, and they do not get along well. He's a pest to the more mellow birds, and I'm sure he finds them boring. You need to really look hard for a compatible companion who won't be irritated by or irritating to the bird you already have.

Edit: I missed the part about chewing the food. I may take a backlash for it, but I don't exactly "protect Kiwi at all costs" from my saliva (i.e. he gets kisses, or I'll bite off a chunk of fruit for him, or give him food off the same spoon I'm using). I think so long as you practice proper oral hygiene, it isn't bad per se (within reason, it's not as if we produce venom in our mouths and parrots don't come from sterile conditions in nature). That said, chewing food up for the bird and feeding directly out of your mouth is taking it to an extreme and being in contact with THAT much human saliva may be bad for the bird because our saliva does contain digestive enzymes specific to humans to start breaking down food. It's also not safe for you. What happens when the bird gets spooked or is in a bad mood and takes a chunk out of your tongue? I would definitely reconsider your feeding approach. A healthy adult bird can and should eat primarily solid food and if the bird is not accepting of it, I agree with Allee to blend it up instead of feed out of your mouth.

 

[Phlox]

Wait, did your message say you fed this bird by using your mouth? To feed a skittish, wild parrot?

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I would love to hear how you found your companion on the side of the road. What is his name? Is the Blue and Gold you mentioned also your bird?

Human saliva is filled with bacteria, it's never a good practice to allow your parrot to share food or drink from a glass you've been drinking from. If the Goffin requires a soft diet for some reason, why wouldn't you blend fruits, vegetables, cereals, and grains in a blender and feed him from a clean spoon?

I would definitely give the Goffin his own cage. I'm not sure why you would want to put a macaw and a cockatoo in a cage together? Bare minimum cage requirements for a small cockatoo are about 27"X27"X39" with one inch bar spacing, although that may be adequate, unless it is only a sleeping cage, I would suggest the biggest cage possible as cockatoos generally use every inch of their cage, to climb, play and explore.

I hope that helps. We would love to see photos and hear more about your rescued Too.

 

[prs]

Sorry didn't explain the situation too well.

My dads friend has rescued parrots for a long time and keeps them at his business where he has some large open cages and a flight aviary. Someone had brought the Goffin to the vet and said they found him on the side of the road. The vet called my dads friend because she knows he will usually take in birds and try to find a home.

From what I remember he said the bird wasn't eating at all for days. I guess the only way he could get him to eat anything was to chew it up (or maybe break it up not chew no idea didn't bother asking) and feed him from the mouth. Basically a last ditch effort to try and get him to eat something because he wouldn't eat at all. Don't think he did it much, just to start to get him to eat. Sorry might've made it sound like a regular thing. Since putting him in with the B&G he'll finally eat some seeds and eggs on his own. The B&G is one of the parrots he keeps so hes not an option to bring home.

The zoo didn't receive the bird at all. I just work as a keeper and most of my experience with parrots are from work. So I don't have much knowledge about keeping parrots as pets. Which is why I was asking the cage question. There's several parrots that live together at the zoo but they're in enclosures together not cages. So I wasn't sure if it was a common practice or not to put 2 medium sized parrots in a cage together.

 

[Allee]

Thank you, the whole situation makes a lot more sense now. At the risk of being a pest, I still have questions. Was the Goffin wild and found sick at the side of the road, or maybe a lost pet? Am I right that you are adopting the little guy to live in your home?

I understand your questions about more than one bird being housed together now. If you have a vast amount of space or a large aviary to house your birds, that's great. Parrots inside our homes appreciate their own private space or cage. If you put more than one parrot in the same cage, that usually ensures a battle for dominance and they can do tremendous damage to each other. Parrots can learn to tolerate each other and live together peacefully in your home but it usually takes some training to reach that point. There's never a guarantee that parrots will like each other or even tolerate each other.

It sounds like you are already comfortable around large parrots, that will help with the Goffin. You may find one cockatoo is the only bird you want, at least for a while. Please read up on cockatoos in general and Goffins specifically. They are wonderful birds for the right person, but I think I'm safe in saying they can be a handful even for experienced bird lovers.

I hope the Goffin finds a wonderful home, thank you for wanting to help.

 

[prs]

Yea he won't be staying there he'll be coming home with me. He's a lost pet for sure. Not sure if he's lost on purpose or somebodies beloved pet. In the process of trying to find the owner. If were unable to then I'll be keeping him. I'm leaning towards a larger cage because of this since I personally wanted a full sized cockatoo/macaw or a bird slightly larger than him. I'll take whatever comes my way though, I'd rather adopt a bird than buy a baby.

Thanks for the advice. I've dealt with a lot of larger cockatoos so I'm not too worried about him. Hes very quiet, just needs a bit of work handling wise. He steps up no problem and tends to go to your shoulder. He doesn't bite while being handled as long as you don't pet him. The amount of time he lets you pet him is very random lol. Sometimes he'll bite immediately sometimes he'll let you pet him for 5 mins then go for a bite. Needs some work there or maybe he just isn't a cuddler. Could also be because of his current situation.

 

[Kiwibird]

Oh my, that is quite the vintage cage the B&G is in! Looks like the cages my parents zons live in (they've had the same cages for 40 years and won't go near new ones). I'm hoping the B&G spends most of his time outside his cage.... I know he isn't your bird, but that looks like a tight squeeze for such a big guy!

Cockatoos are VERY active and utilize every square inch of their home, so I would look into a more modern cage and NOT a dome top. The rectangular style typically suits cockatoos better. I would get at least 2X as large as the cage I'm seeing the mac housed in. The G2 is a cute little bird and looks healthy/well cared for. I think Allee brings up a good point to take some time with him to see what kind of bird he is, and THEN decide if you want another one. You may find one feathered houdini is enough

 

[prs]

Nah there's 2 acrylic panels, one with a door, that form a large square in the corner. The cage is inside that enclosure and is always open. It's more of a perch than a cage. Can probably fit like 6 of those in the enclosure, hes spoiled if anything lol.

As for cages I've been looking on CL. There's only really been a few near me nothing great so far. This is the last one I have to look at

. I'm worried a little about the bowls, doesn't look like they have spill guards. I might have to put a lock on the front or change the lock. Also kind of leaning towards a playtop cage. There's also a little rust so I might need to put some work into it but hes asking a more than fair price (barring its not falling apart). Also looking at the petco mink brown cage which seems to be the best cheap bargain I suppose. Little worried about the bar spacing on the petco cage. Hoping a local store has one so I can check it out and see if its sturdy. All the reviews are good though, both on the site and parrot forums.

 

[goalerjones]

This looks like a good match.