Friend for my Alexandrine

[Kaya]

Hello!

I haven't posted on this forum in many years now. Anyway I have a question for everyone. I'm thinking of buying a buddy for my 3yo male Alexandrine. I currently have a dusky lory, 2 sun conures and a green cheek who all get along splendidly with each other but the Alexandrine isn't "Part of the flock" He is a very shy, quiet kind bird and doesn't show any aggressive behavior to them but he really needs a friend that is quiet like him and not hyperactive like all of my smaller birds which pick on him all the time.

The other criteria I have for the "friend" is that it needs to be a species that is good for freeflight since all of my birds freefly outdoors every day.

I have been considering cockatoos as they are excellent fliers (Maybe a major Mitchell?), or maybe an eclectus since they are quiet like alexandrines. Any thoughts? Does anyone on here have an alexandrine which gets along with another bird?

 

[Betrisher]

Well, I have an Alexandrine called Barney who dearly loves his cage-mate, Madge (also an Alexandrine).

The Beaks (that's what I call them collectively) are just over three years old and were a pair when I bought them just over two years ago. After my experiences with the Beaks, I would never keep a lone bird again!

During the days, they chatter away and chase each other, often arguing over who gets the boing or who gets the chewy toy. During the nights, they snuggle up close together and keep each other warm. At first light, they bellow their little lungs out in the most gorgeous cacophony at the Rainbow Lorikeets that fly overhead. When Barney was lost to us last Christmas, poor Madge went into a major decline for three weeks! When he was found, she bounced immediately back to her normal chirpy little green self. It was this that proved to me the intensity of their friendship with each other. I have no doubt of their friendship toward me because together they form 'Mum's Green Bonnet' (ie. they spend quite a bit of their time hanging off my head).

This season has been their first since the Beaks hit puberty and there have been a few shenanigans going on involving mating behaviours. I'm not at all interested in breeding with my Beaks, though, and so they have no nesting materials. All in all, I'd say they're as happy as they could possibly be living as a pair in a very large (double) cage and with access to the house for flying.

PS. I also have a free-range Galah (Dominic) who lives alone. He and the Beaks prefer to keep each other at wing's length although the Beaks are (quite rightly) terrified of him. Dominic was a sort of a rescue case and had been kept quite alone for many, many years. While he craves human attention, he's not at all interested in birdie friends. This is why he lives in our kitchen and the Beaks don't.

 

[Kaya]

My Alexandrine seems a bit like your galah - he is terrified of every other bird hes ever met, but Im starting to think it might just be because all of my other birds are hyper little energy balls and hes this big slow gentle giant who just wants to sleep and eat and cuddle.
He is the freindlyest bird in the world to humans but I just think he would be so much happier with a bird friend. I definitely don't want to breed but I was considering a female alexandrine in the hopes that I might find something that he actually likes. Do you know if your Alex's get along with any other birds? Do you think mine would get along with another male?

 

[Sora]

Hi.

Alex's are often successfully put with IRNs due to their being in the same family. A potential problem with this is that if they like each other enough they might be tempted to make babies together...

My Alex shares his time between my green cheek, IRN and cockatiel but as they are all under 1 year old they just enjoy playing together. Alex does get frustrated with my cockatiel sometimes due to his constantly asking for scratches (lol)

Hope this helps.

 

[kalypso123]

I think your Alexandrine could possibly get along with many of the Psittacula family. I personally adore those kind of parrots. They are all beautiful and elegant. IRN's are my favorite of them. I also love plum-heads, derbys, and moustache parakeets. I think your alexandrine would probably do best with another one if you want the potential new flock member to be his cage mate. As Im sure you know, nothing is guaranteed to work-out, so Id go with a bird you want and one that seems to fit well with your alex.