Friend for Sun Conure

[Cheekybugger]

Gudday very long post coming I am completely new to Conures as I am in Australia and grew up with Cockatiels, Princess Parrots, King Parrots and Crimson Wings. I have had my Sun Conure Cheeky Bugger for 6 monthes and am comepletely in love with his affectionate dog like nature but I have 2 jobs, althougth I still spend at least 4 hours a day with him when I come home, but am worried he gets bored during the day.

He's in a cockatoo sized cage with tree branches, logs and bird toys to play with but I have never had a bird without a friend before. I have one slightly smaller to put near him to introduce the friend to him.

I have a couple of questions first about Sun Conures, I have played heaps of Sun Conure youtube videos of them screaming and he completely ignores the sound is this normal as many of the comments say their own sun conure has gone crazy when he/she hears the noise I can only assume the IPad speaker doesn't sound like another sun conure to him?

Next question is when I first got him he loved both me and my male flat mate but in the past few days he has bit my flat mate every time he goes near him extremely hard drawing blood but is the same affectionate bird with me. I am confused as when I got him his previous owner said I couldn't touch him until he
got to know me, but when I went to take him home he jumped straight on my hand and let me scratch his neck I am very good with Animals so expected this but my flat mate is better then me (he's a native animal carer) with Animals so I don't know why he prefers me all of a sudden.

I would love to get him a friend to put in the same cage but a different Conure type in the Aratinga genus has anyone done this and what is the quietest Aratinga in your opinion, as my bird is now well trained not to make a loud noise as I ignore him if he does I don't want a noisy bugger. I love the look of the Ghost Green check and also want an extremely affectionate bird, what do you suggest?

 

[LordTriggs]

hello there, first off. DON'T GET A PARROT FOR YOUR PARROT! There's no way to tell if they will get on and for both parrots to get on with each other in the same cage and both love you is extremely rare. You are more likely to deal with either them wanting nothing to do with you any more, or potentially hating each other so much they attempt to kill each other, which will then result in needing a separate cage and separate outside times meaning all attention and time out is cut in half for your sun, and that's before getting to the potential of babies which (albeit rare) is possible between Sun Conures and Green Cheeks and can end in heartbreak for all, plus the babies are liable to have extremely poor health if they were to survive to fledglings.

If you feel he's getting bored then provide some new toys and new foraging challenges, also don't forget that birds also like to just chill out some times during the day and can just hang around for a couple hours. 4 hours is more than some people are able to give and their parrots entertain themselves quite happily, they learn the routine of the day.

As for your flat mate it sounds like your Sun has chosen you as his special person and bonded to you and your flat mate to him is an invader and trying to disturb the nest (cage)

Lastly with the videos it could just be you have a more placid Conure who doesn't really care for screaming. Every bird is different and some just don't care much for calls like that

 

[itzjbean]

Welcome to you and your little flock!

While your intentions are good, introducing a new bird to your flock for the sole purpose of you wanting a friend for your sun conure shouldn't be the reason you get one. Never get a bird for your existing bird to have a friend, as stated above, birds are individuals with different likes and dislikes and if you do decide to get another bird and put it in the same cage, you could end up with two dead birds.

Only ever get a new bird because YOU want one. This is because as also stated above, there are just no guarantees the birds will even like each other, let alone want to be caged together. You'll find that some members here have multiple birds that don't get along and want to kill each other, so they cannot be let out of the cage at the same time. So now you have to balance time between two birds that don't like each other, and you didn't even really want the second bird in the first place....see what I'm getting at?

4 hours a day is good -- even I struggle to give my birds that kind of out of cage time daily because I work and have other pets, my dog need walking, dinner needs to be made after that, etc. so on a week day my birds get about 2-3 hours of out of cage time a day and more on weekends but I do have two of them. I like to think they keep each other company while I'm away, but I don't think it is necessary to get two if you work.

I got another one because I've always been a two-bird household and I reallllly wanted another one. Ember (new cockatiel) doesn't even really like Boo all that much, and they are kept in separate cages so they both have a safe place to eat, sleep and play. I think you could make two birds work, but only do it if you want another bird yourself, and don't set many expectations for them to get along. They should absolutely be kept separated and only then if they choose to be friends should you house them together. But be warned that when you introduce the new bird into the cage and they share it, you may find that your bond becomes weaker with your sun as he will choose the other bird to bond with. It happens!

 

[Sunnyclover]

I'd also like to bring up the size difference between a GCC and a Sun which means you'll have to watch them carefully when out if you do get a GCC. I have 3 different types of conures and one of my others is a bully and will bite my little GCC wings if I am not closely supervising them and sometimes if I am but I'm able to prevent it 99% of the time. So potentially what you'll have is a new bird who basically just sits in a cage waiting for you to get home much like your sun conure and then you'll have to split your limited time between the 2 birds instead of giving the one you have the attention it craves.

 

[EllenD]

I know that your intentions are good, and you only want to help your Sun Conure, but DO NOT GET ANOTHER PARROT AS A "FRIEND" FOR HIM!!!! This is a horrible mistake that many, many people make, and it usually ends very, very badly, for a couple of different reasons, regardless of the species of bird they bring home as the "friend"...

First of all, parrots are extremely intelligent creatures, and the way that they bond and form relationships with both other birds and people is very much the exact same way that we as people form relationships and bonds with other people. They are not at all like dogs, cats, etc., in that when parrots meet new birds or new people, they might really love them and bond closely with them, they may like them but not want to get close with them, they may be indifferent to them, they may not like them but still tolerate them, they may dislike them, they may absolutely hate them and want nothing to do with them, and they may hate them so much that they are aggressive and violent with them.....****So, the reason that your Sun Conure took to you right away when you first brought him home from his prior owner's house is because he liked you very much right away, and he bonded closely with you very quickly. It could have gone either way, but thankfully he really connected with you right away and he loves you, and you're his "flock" and his "companion"...

****Now, all of that being said, if you bring home a new bird, regardless of the species, you have absolutely no idea how your Sun Conure is going to react to that bird, and any of the reactions I listed above are possible outcomes. And this is why you should NEVER, EVER, EVER bring home a "friend", meaning another bird, for the bird you currently have, as you have no idea whether or not they are going to be "friends" or not. Thus, the only reason you should EVER bring home a new bird is because YOU want to add another bird to your family, and as YOUR COMPANION, because the outcome could very likely be that the birds hate each other, or one bird hates the other, they're violent with each other and can't even out of the cages together without hurting each other, or worse.

So if you bring home another bird and it and your Sun Conure want nothing to do with each other, or are even violent/aggressive with each other, then you're going to have to be this new bird's "flock" and "companion" as well as still being your Sun Conure's too.

******And since you already stated that the entire reason that you are thinking of bringing home a "friend" for your Sun Conure is because you're afraid you aren't spending enough time with him, then you certainly don't want to add a second bird that you'll have to be companion to as well!!! You see what I'm saying? It's very likely that if you bring home a new bird, intending it to be a companion for your Sun Conure, that your desired scenario won't work-out and you'll then have 2 birds that you don't have enough time for! So that's not what you want at all!!!

******ALSO, another possible outcome that you need to consider and be prepared for if you bring home a new bird is that the new bird and your Sun Conure actually do bond closely with one another, and then suddenly they are each-other's "flock", and there is no room for you at all anymore; this happens quite often when people do exactly what you are thinking of doing, and it just absolutely breaks their heart, and they would do anything to go back in time and not bring home the new bird, because all that they've done is completely lost the extremely close bond that they had with their first bird, sometimes to the point that they can't even go near them anymore, they won't even step-up for them anymore, and if they even attempt to have any physical contact with them they get horrible bites, as not only is their first bird now totally bonded to the new bird, but they are also constantly protecting their new flock-mate, and they won't allow you to come anywhere near either of them...

Like I said earlier, parrots form bonds and relationships with other birds and people very much in the same way that we as people do, rather than the way that other species of common pets do, such as dogs, cats, etc. So it should make sense to you that since birds are "flock" animals, they always want to have a close bond/relationship with a "flock-mate". And if their human owner is the only available "flock-mate" and as long as they like them and their owner treats them well, loves them back, and is not at all abusive to them, then the bird is going to bond closely with their owner, and they are now their "flock-mate". HOWEVER, once another bird is brought into the home, if they like the new bird and the new bird likes them, then it's just natural that they then choose the new bird as their "flock-mate" and no longer want their mate to be their human owner, as they are always going to prefer "one of their own"; this is how we as people work/think as well...So the bottom-line is that if you bring home a new bird, not only will you need to be prepared for them to not get along with your Sun Conure, not ever bond with your Sun Conure, and you'll then have to be the new bird's mate as well as your Sun Conure's, but you also need to prepare yourself for the possibility of losing your relationship/bond with your Sun Conure to some degree, and possibly losing it all together and totally, to the point that you can no longer handle him or have any physical contact with him at all anymore.

****The best advice that I can give you, at least for the time-being while you're time at home is limited as you stated it is, is to not bring home another bird right now, but instead you should concentrate on your relationship with your Sun Conure, and commit yourself to spending as much time as possible with your Sun Conure every day, as you are his "flock-mate" and he loves you, and you have a very close, strong relationship with him. It doesn't sound to me like he's at all neglected, as you stated that you spend a good 4 hours with him after work each night, and then of course you have the weekends. Again, I don't think it's a good idea right now to bring home a second bird, certainly not if YOU don't want another pet bird/companion for yourself and the only reason you're thinking about doing this is for the sake of your Sun Conure. I don't think that it's at all necessary from what you're describing, and I also don't think it's a good idea based on the possible outcomes...I mean, what happens if you bring home another bird and they don't get along with your Sun Conure at all, to the point that they can't even be out of their cages together without fighting? This is a very possible outcome, and then it will be your responsibility to be the flock-mate/companion to BOTH BIRDS, and that would mean that the current 4 hours you are currently spending with your Sun Conure every day is going to have to turn into only 2 hours a days! And that isn't enough time per day for either bird...Then you really do have a problem.

*****You are your Sun Conure's companion, his flock-mate, and as long as you are providing him with many different types of toys and foraging activities inside of his cage, and as long as his cage has ample space for him (which you said it does if it's a Cockatoo cage), and as long as you can keep on giving him the time that you currently are on the weekdays and then on the weekends, I think you have a good thing going. Make sure that he has AT LEAST 6-10 different types of toys inside of his cage at all times, meaning 1 toy that is wood for chewing, 1 toy that is paper/cardboard for shredding, one toy that you can hide treats in for foraging, etc., and make sure that you're rotating new toys into the mix at the least every month so that he doesn't get bored with them. Also, be sure to make him little foraging activities/games that you can put inside his cage in the morning for him to work on throughout the day; a great and easy to make foraging activity that they love is crumpling-up a bunch of balls of paper, newspaper, tissue-paper, etc., and then packing it tightly into a cardboard box, fill it to the brim, and then hide his favorite treats throughout the crumpled-up paper and stuff inside the box, so that he has to dig, shred, tear, and chew through the box to find the treats. They usually love this activity, and they usually also love to chew up and shred the cardboard box as well. Just put it in the bottom of his cage in the morning before you leave for work. I do this for all of my guys, and when I come home each one of them has totally destroyed their boxes! Also, if you search here in the Toy forum, or you do a Google search for "Parrot Foraging Activities", you'll get hundreds of great activities that you can make/buy for him that he'll absolutely love to spend his days doing. Turn on a radio/stereo for him on low during the day, or turn on the TV to the National Geographic Channel, or one of the YouTube channels that are actually created for birds. There are a lot of great YouTube channels that are nothing but entertainment for parrots...

I'd also try to let him out of his cage in the morning when you get up and then let him be with you while you're eating your breakfast, taking a shower, and getting ready for work. My guys are in the bathroom on their T-Stands with me while I shower every morning, and they stay there while I'm getting ready, and then we all go downstairs and eat breakfast together. After we eat, they all know it's time for them to go into their cages, and they go right to their cages, then they each get a treat when I say "Bye. I love you, and I'll be home later." And then as soon as I get home they all come out and we spend the rest of the night together. And on days-off and the weekends they are with me whenever I'm at home.

K

 

[EllenD]

I forgot to comment on the situation with your roommate...Your Sun Conure did not suddenly stop liking your roommate because he is lonely during the day or because he needs a friend. When you first brought him home 6 months ago he was not bonded to either of you, you were both new to him, and he didn't have a vested-interest in either of you, neither of you had earned his trust, so he treated you both the same...Now, after 6 months, you are the one that has earned his trust, he has obviously bonded closely with you, he has chosen you as his "flock-mate", and that's why he is still loving towards you! And as far as your roommate not being able to handle him anymore, well, again, he chose you, not your roommate, and he most-likely looks at your roommate as a potential threat to you, and he's actually trying to protect you. That's what birds do when they bond closely with someone, they instinctively want to protect them. If your roommate wants to try to bond with him again he can, but he needs to start over from square-one now that he's bonded closely with you and chosen you. So to your roommate it's just like the bird just came into his home today, just now, and he needs to earn the bird's trust slowly over time. That's all. It has nothing to do with anything like your bird is upset, depressed, angry, etc. He's simply chosen you as his person and bonded closely with you over the last 6 months, and he's simply trying to protect you from your roommate. Completely normal and common. And it has nothing to do with someone being "an animal person" or "a bird person", that makes no difference at all when a bird gives his trust to a person and chooses a person as their mate, as your bird has done with you.

This is actually a good thing for you, as it means that you have been a great owner/companion to your bird, and should be further indication to you that your bird is not at all lonely or in-need of another companion or friend, and YOU ARE HIS CHOSEN COMPANION, FRIEND, FLOCKMATE, AND HE'S HAPPY WITH YOU! Yet another reason to not even think about getting him a "friend", as he certainly doesn't need one, and he also doesn't seemingly want one.

All of the senior members of this forum have probably commented on this exact same question dozens and dozens of times; The good thing in your case is that you came onto the forum and you asked about bringing home another bird as a "friend" for your current bird BEFORE you just went out and got another bird. Unfortunately this is not usually the case, and typically this type of post has a title like "Got a new bird as a friend for my Sun Conure, and now he hates me!", or "Got a new bird as a friend for my Sun Conure and they hate each other, and now I have 2 birds that I don't have enough time for!"

And I'd bet that at least 80% of the time the person's post is given the first title, something to the effect of "I got a new bird as a friend for my Sun Conure, and now he hates me and wants nothing to do with me!" And they really are heartbreaking posts to read, because these are people who desperately loved their bird and had great bonds with them, and they only wanted to do everything they could to make their bird happy, and they really did think that bringing home another bird so that their first bird could have a friend that was "of their own kind" and that could keep them company whenever they weren't home was a good thing to do for their bird. And so they went ahead and brought home a new bird, and a lot of the time they did what you mentioned doing, they put them in the same cage with their first bird, which is exactly what you DON'T WANT TO DO for a number of reasons, one of them being that if the two birds do in-fact happen to like each other, then putting them together in the same cage to live together is just making their relationship with each other all the stronger; housing two birds together actually does seem to create a whole other level of bond between them...I can't tell you how many people we talk to here who have done this, and who are just heartbroken because they lost their friend, and they want nothing else but to get them back. It's a very difficult and sad situation, because really the only way to try to undo the bond between the two birds is to separate them into their own cages, and essentially force them to stay away from each other, and a lot of the time it doesn't matter what they do, they are never able to get the bond that they once had with their bird back again...

The last thing I'll say here is don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of times where I have told people that they should think about getting their bird another bird to be their "flock" or their mate, because the person describes their living situation and the bottom-line is that their birds spend 24/7 inside of their cages and spend little to no time with their owners at all because of their owner's work and/or personal life schedules. A lot of people get a pet parrot and have no idea going into it just how much love and attention that a parrot needs, as they really do think that they can just go and buy a pet parrot, put it in a cage with some toys, and it's similar to owning a fish aquarium, something pretty that they can look at and that will totally entertain themselves. And they quickly find out that this isn't the case when their bird starts screaming 24/7. So these are situations where people should either try to find their bird another bird that they bond with so that they have a flockmate, or they should just re-home their bird to someone who has the time and want to provide the bird with the love and attention they deserve and require.....But that is certainly not your situation from what you describe, YOU are your bird's flockmate, you spend ample time with your bird every day, he is closely bonded to you, loves you, takes measures to protect you, etc.

 

[Mitchan]

I'll have to slightly disagree with previous posters tbh. Yes, you shouldn't get another bird EXPECTING the two to get along and you should always be ready for any potential outcome, especially being prepared to have two completely separate birds who can't be out of the cage together - which of course means having time over to properly hang out with both of them separately.

I DO, however, believe that getting a bird friend for a bird ISN'T inherently wrong. I'd go as far as to say that it's inherently GREAT, actually. Again, you need to be prepared for every possible outcome, and you need to understand how your species works ethologically and how you should handle the introduction process etc. But parrots are VERY social flock living animals and it's highly unnatural for them to ever be left alone.
Two very, very common problems in pet parrots are "my bird screams constantly when I'm away or out of the room", and "my bird doesn't move or play with their toys when I'm at work". Why do you think that is?
Looking at a parrot's natural living conditions, they're prey animals and they're flock-living, the flock works together to look for food and water and to spot predators and warn the rest of the flock about them - the individual parrot would never leave their flock because that would mean being MUCH more exposed to predators and other dangers.
So what does a parrot who's accidentally been left behind or gotten away from their flock do? They find a safe perch and they don't move until their flock comes back for them. They scream (contact/flock call) to let their flock know where they are.
...And in captivity, we're usually their only flock. So what do they do when we leave for work? They find a safe perch and they don't move until their flock comes back for them. They scream to let their flock know where they are.
These aren't problem behaviors. They're very natural, instinctual, and useful behaviors.
After a while they might learn that however much they scream, their human won't come back until the late afternoon. They might get more comfortable with moving around in their cage and playing with their toys.
But for me personally, that's not good enough.
I've studied ethology (the scientific study of animal behavior focused on behavior under natural conditions and in the biological context of anatomy, neurobiology, phylogenetics etc) and animal care & zookeeping with applied ethology, ie, "why does this animal in captivity display this particular behavior - where would it be useful in nature and how can we help make their environment as enriching as possible with that in mind?" - in my studies, the need in social, flock-animals for being able to interact with other animals of the same species or genus even in captivity, has always been a very important factor in the health and well-being of those animals. We wouldn't keep a social animal alone in a reputable zoo, so why would I do it in my home?
While this study doesn't have solo housed parrots as its main focal point, they do bring up the differences in behavior and over-all health between solo housed parrots and group housed parrots, and I thought it was a very interesting read.
Here in Sweden, keeping parrots alone if you're leaving for work etc for a couple of hours each day, isn't even legally allowed. Our government acknowledges their need for social interaction at all times so if you can't properly replicate the social exchange a bird would get from a bird friend, they they need a bird friend of their own species or genus (even if they can't share a cage they should be able to see and hear eachother at all times).
Usually it works out more than great to introduce two birds together in Sweden and still have them be bonded to their human, so I'm a bit puzzled as to why it seems to be so much harder in the US for example. I do, however, suspect that it's got something to do with the fact that as of 2014, it's also illegal to hand-rear baby birds unless they're abandoned by their bird parents. This places a need on breeders to breed social companion birds with eachother so that the baby birds can learn from their parents, when they're ready, that humans are good peeps that they can hang out with and don't need to fear. (believe me, most of my current birds are parent-raised and they are in NO WAY less social or tame with me than a hand-raised bird. The biggest difference is they're more well adapted and have less behavioral issues.) And even before this law was put in action, the baby birds had to stay with their parents for at least a couple of weeks before beginning the hand-raising, so that they could learn how to be birds for at least a while. This, I believe, helps a lot with birds realizing that they are birds, other birds are birds, and humans are NOT birds, but they're still fun to hang out with!
Anyway, this is slightly off topic though, I just wanted to speculate as to why most parrot households in Sweden seems to be able to successfully keep multiple parrots who are still good companion birds. Heh.

So it should make sense to you that since birds are "flock" animals, they always want to have a close bond/relationship with a "flock-mate". And if their human owner is the only available "flock-mate" and as long as they like them and their owner treats them well, loves them back, and is not at all abusive to them, then the bird is going to bond closely with their owner, and they are now their "flock-mate". HOWEVER, once another bird is brought into the home, if they like the new bird and the new bird likes them, then it's just natural that they then choose the new bird as their "flock-mate" and no longer want their mate to be their human owner, as they are always going to prefer "one of their own"

I can not for the life of me wrap my head around how this statement would be FOR keeping single birds. Why would I want a bird who's incredibly bonded to me as a partner, when I have to leave my house for several hours each day? Why would I want to put them through that devastating and highly unnatural separation each day, when every single fiber of their being knows that they're meant to never, ever leave the side of their bonded partner? Why would I want to put my own selfish human wants over the needs of the bird I'm supposed to love? Why would them preferring to love someone else over me, someone who's actually able to spend every minute of the day by their side, be a bad thing?
From my experience in introducing my own companion birds to other birds of their own species or genus (two senegals, two ringnecks, a ringneck and an alexandrine, two amazons, and, not really introducing to eachother, but keeping two cockatiel brothers together. mostly adult rehomes), it's WONDERFUL when they take to their new bird friend. They always change for the better, their behavior, their happiness, their health, their willingness to fly and be active and to forage and play with their toys... Everything changes for the better, EVERY time. What DOESN'T happen is them forgetting about me. They like me, they like my company, they like my cuddles, and they love training. As long as I make myself interesting to be around, they will ALWAYS choose to hang out with me. ...But if I don't put any effort into it? Of course they won't need me. I need to still be a beneficial part of their life, of course. It might take some extra effort. But it's absolutely never impossible and it's TO ME always worth it!
Most parrot species DON'T only have ONE flock member in the wild. They have great big flocks. It does not make sense to me that they should not be able to have larger flocks in captivity too.
I personally very very much prefer it when they know they're birds and they choose to hang out with me, a human, because they WANT to. Not because it's their only option because they don't have the opportunity to be a real bird with a real bird partner or flock. I want them to choose to interact with me. I don't want them not to HAVE a choice.

With all of that said though, I totally get that not everyone is in a position to keep multiple birds. I'm absolutely not opposed to other people only being able to keep one bird! It does take a LOT of work and effort and time and not least a whole bunch of space to be able to keep multiple birds and I know that I'm very lucky to have all of that. I also know that I'm likely very lucky to be somewhere where the norm actually IS to keep birds who like birds AND humans the same - I suspect that might be a factor in my "success" too.
So I'm absolutely not judging or looking down on anyone with single birds!
But I DO want to do my part in spreading the word that there really is nothing better in the world than watching two birds love eachother and affect eachother's health and happiness drastically for the better just by being around one another. <3
...But one should absolutely be responsible about it, do PLENTY of research, have ALL of the back-up plans ready, and be very prepared for anything not to work out the way they wanted to.

 

[LaManuka]

Gotta say I’m with Mitchan on this one! I’ve never had just one single bird either, they are instinctively flock creatures and I believe do need something/someone for company if the “flock leader “ is going to be at work all day. By all means give your conure time to settle in & bond with you, but maybe later you could consider a couple of budgies kept in a seperate cage. All consideration given to quarantine prior & supervise once introduced of course but a pair of budgies will chatter all day and provide someone for your conure to commune with on a birdie level.

 

[Laurasea]

Gotta say I’m with Mitchan on this one! I’ve never had just one single bird either, they are instinctively flock creatures and I believe do need something/someone for company if the “flock leader “ is going to be at work all day. By all means give your conure time to settle in & bond with you, but maybe later you could consider a couple of budgies kept in a seperate cage. All consideration given to quarantine prior & supervise once introduced of course but a pair of budgies will chatter all day and provide someone for your conure to commune with on a birdie level.

I agree. I got a bird for my bird, and myself. I have separate cages, abd was prepared for it not working.

 

[LordTriggs]

I'd also like to bring up the size difference between a GCC and a Sun which means you'll have to watch them carefully when out if you do get a GCC. I have 3 different types of conures and one of my others is a bully and will bite my little GCC wings if I am not closely supervising them and sometimes if I am but I'm able to prevent it 99% of the time. So potentially what you'll have is a new bird who basically just sits in a cage waiting for you to get home much like your sun conure and then you'll have to split your limited time between the 2 birds instead of giving the one you have the attention it craves.

I'm gonna guess... Ollie?

 

[LaManuka]

Yes well Laurasea I think we can all agree these two are ADORABLE!! Sometimes it doesn’t work out quite this happily and you do need to be prepared, my dearly departed GCC & Fang didn’t exactly love each other but it rarely came to blows and I was always around to supervise in case someone got cranky, and they had separate “condos”. Fang and ScoMo are doing ok together too so I really don’t see the harm.

 

[noodles123]

It CAN be done but the owner has to have time to deal with it and there is always possible drama/aggression/over-bonding with the other bird and ignoring you etc etc...plus definite quarentine.
The thing is, you could end up with 2 birds that hate each other. Is that 100%? NO, as other posts have indicated, it can and does work, but not all of the time. SO the point is, if you wouldn't want another bird for you, don't get one for your bird under the assumption that it will solve problems. It could, but it could also make things 75%-500% more complicated...it is a gamble that you shouldn't make unless you can handle being on the losing end of the bet (at least temporarily...and maybe forever).

 

[Laurasea]

Yes well Laurasea I think we can all agree these two are ADORABLE!! Sometimes it doesn’t work out quite this happily and you do need to be prepared, my dearly departed GCC & Fang didn’t exactly love each other but it rarely came to blows and I was always around to supervise in case someone got cranky, and they had separate “condos”. Fang and ScoMo are doing ok together too so I really don’t see the harm.

Thank you they adore each other and still lovey with me too. I did mention I have separate cages, and was prepared for it not to go well. And unlike many I do need to add I am home full time so I would and am able to spend separate time if it was needed. On the other hand with My rescue Penny things are not so smooth, she and the GCC do not get along (yet ) nor does Neptune get along with the rescue budgies he would harm them. So it is extra work and time. But I'm seeing improvement with Neptune and budgies. I don't think Penny had ever been around ither birds and she git scared when Ta-dah the GCC came to make friends, so there was a fight I had to take two steps to break it up. So tadah is holding a grudge. But Penny feels comfortable being close as long as no birds try and preen her. So I agree separate cages and a plan and extra work. And an increase in noise and mess!

 

[Cheekybugger]

Thanks, I've only had hand reared cockatiels before and we also had 2 or 3 in the cage together who got along great with no fights, I'll do more research and if I see one for sale locally, I'll bring my bird along to see if they get on. Lastly if I get a completely different species such as a Lorikeet, will this lessen the chance my Sun bonds with the other bird and hates me from then?

 

[noodles123]

Some thoughts:
If they are in the same cage, the "over"-bonding issues tend to be worse. Don't know about different species, but if it decreases the likelihood of them over-bonding, I would venture that it would also decrease their chances of bonding at all (and increase chances for them fighting etc)...Just a guess.

Some more thoughts (and no, my analogies aren't perfect and YES there are exceptions):

Think about dogs (all same species, and TOTALLY LESS COMPLICATED...) but in multi-dog homes, the dogs always tend to run together as a pack etc. If one dog barks, so do the others. If one dog runs, so do the others...and they always seem less interested in people when they have other dogs around. That having been said, there are certain dogs who just never get along and would kill each other in the same room. Now, multiply that by 100 and increase the intelligence/complexity by 300%...Again----birds are flock animals,and because of that, I imagine that they would gravitate towards the flock member with which they were most well-acquainted (at least over time)...that could be another bird (and not you), it could be you (and not the other bird) or you could end up with a diplomatic situation which is never guaranteed. The issue is, if they don't pick you (or they don't pick the other bird because they have already picked you) then you could end up with a weird power-struggle....AGAIN, "could" being the operative word.

Now think about a cat and a horse (DIFFERENT species). Can they bond? YES. Do they always? NO..Your bird bonded to you and you are a different species, but you probably could also survive the bites/kicks etc (As you are bigger and more capable of asserting yourself).

Additionally, you may already be the chosen partner of your current bird, so the plot thickens..

 

[LaManuka]

I don’t think they necessarily have to love each other to bits, it’s just good to have another birdie-type brain around if they’re going to be home alone a lot. Also when the time comes and you go on holidays or something for a week or more, if they are boarding somewhere and have a little friend around they’ve got at least that familiarity in a strange environment. Just my very humble opinion As far as inter-species bonding, my Quaker is quite fond of my cockatiel (can’t quite say the same in reverse!)

 

[Sunnyclover]

I'd also like to bring up the size difference between a GCC and a Sun which means you'll have to watch them carefully when out if you do get a GCC. I have 3 different types of conures and one of my others is a bully and will bite my little GCC wings if I am not closely supervising them and sometimes if I am but I'm able to prevent it 99% of the time. So potentially what you'll have is a new bird who basically just sits in a cage waiting for you to get home much like your sun conure and then you'll have to split your limited time between the 2 birds instead of giving the one you have the attention it craves.

I'm gonna guess... Ollie?

Nope it's Finley the giant green monster. He terrorizes poor tiny little Paris mostly any chance he gets or that he remembers if they're on the same play stand or Java tree. Ollie is actually totally indifferent to her in every way possible and she to him. Ollie and Paris just pass each other by with no interaction whatsoever lol it's actually weird. Ollie and Finley occasionally get into a tiff or 2 here and there. It's like Ollie is like "I'm already married" (to me) and could care less about the other birds even though he spends loads of time with them every day.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Thanks, I've only had hand reared cockatiels before and we also had 2 or 3 in the cage together who got along great with no fights, I'll do more research and if I see one for sale locally, I'll bring my bird along to see if they get on. Lastly if I get a completely different species such as a Lorikeet, will this lessen the chance my Sun bonds with the other bird and hates me from then?

I personally would NOT bring your bird along to meet untested, possibly disease carrying birds that could, in fact, give your bird an illness that can't be cured. Also, I doubt bird stores or bird breedrs or even someone off Craigslist would let your bird "see how it gets on" with another bird. The reason for this is the diseases thing and also the potential of your bird attacking other birds or other birds seriously injuring or killing your bird. Introducing birds that don't know each other is not a casual thing and should be done very carefully and not with random birds at a bird store or someone you found "giving away" a bird. In fact, when you get a new bird it's recommended you quarantine them for 30 days or until you have had the bird checked out by an AVIAN VET and it has no infectious diseases.