how to introduce cockatoo to conures? Somebody got bit yesterday :(

[KikaMoran]

We've had our conures Charlie and kiwi for almost three years. We weren't planning on getting a larger bird anytime soon but my cousins didn't have the time for their cockatoo Nigel because of work and their kids so they sold her to us. We've had Nigel since last Monday on the 20th. Since we've brought Nigel home we put her cage in the master bathroom with Charlie and kiwis cage. Charlie and kiwi are normally loose and only in their cage when they misbehave and since the master bathroom is connected to our room we leave the door open and they fly freely from the bathroom to the bedroom but before bringing Nigel home we put them in their cage. Now Nigel has been loose this last week getting to know us and charlie and kiwi are in their cage while Nigel gets to know us. I want them to be friends but Nigel is so big compared to Charlie and kiwi that I'm scared to have them out together because I know Charlie and kiwi can be a little mean at times and don't want them to pick a fight with a Nigel because she can really hurt them And Charlie and kiwi don't realize they are so tiny. yesterday I felt bad so I put Nigel in her cage and let charlie and kiwi out they weren't to interested in Nigel so I put kiwi on my shoulder and sat in front of the cage telling her to meet her new sister but kiwi was mad and Nigel was just curios so I brought kiwi back to the room and she stayed with Charlie for a bit. Then she got bred and flew on Nigel's cage I was sitting on the bed so I couldn't see them but my husband still could see and in about thirty seconds I heard a suele my and my husband yelled I went into the bathroom and Nigel had bit kiwi I get so bad because I was in the one that took kiwi and Charlie out and brought kiwi to Nigel's cage. Kiwis right leg just barely under the feathers had a bite mark and blood spots were nigels beak pinched her leg but there was absolutely no blood dripping. I had her wrapped in a shirt to get a good look at it but i didn't want to scare her anymore so I put kiwi and Charlie back in the cage. Once they were in the cage kiwi barley used her right leg and dated in one spot for the most part bt she did move around a lot so I was kind of really scared and felt really ba but today when we woke up we saw that she was doing a lot better hoping around from perchvto perch and climbing te cage bars and seems to be in a good mood. Now after this incident I'm not sure if it's a good idea to try and get them to be friends and I really don't want to bring them out together which makes me sad because I wanted them to be friends but I don't want anything to happen to my baby's. They won't be out of the cages together anytime soon I'm not sure if ever and while Nigel is out and Charlie and kiwi are in their cage or the other way around I am sure to have my eye on them. Is it even a good or bad idea to have a larger bird around smaller birds. And if anybody does have larger birds and smaller birds have you had any luck with them being friends? Or is best to just keep them apart? I've seen it in videos where larger and smaller birds get along but how do they get to that point.

 

[LoveMyConlan]

As A general rule I don't allow my larger birds (Macaw and Amazon) near my Conures. And while my large birds have their own room, before hand if my smaller birds were out, I covered the top of the bigger birds cages and vise versa.

My guys are all clipped by still. Didn't want my Conure to land in the Macaw cage and lose a leg.

I never allowed it because it only takes 1 second, less than a blink, for that large bird to chomp that smaller bird and be done.

For me? It's not worth the risk. Everyone of my guys gets out of cage time with me. And usually my mother will play with my Conures whole I have my Macaw. If I have more than 1 bird out, the general rule is 5 feet of distance between and 1 person per bird.

It's just safer that way. But if you would like to try to get them together I'm sure others on here might have experience with it. It's not that it can't be done! It's just for me not worth the risk of losing one of my smaller guys.

 

[MonicaMc]

I've kept medium and small birds together and have accepted the risks. When I've done it though, intentionally, it was because I knew they could get along. Otherwise, I do not allow them to really interact.


Right now I only have 3 birds... a cockatiel, a mitred conure and an ARN. I have a large walk in aviary. Right now, I could keep the cockatiel with either one of the other birds in the aviary, but I would not put the conure and ARN together. The conure is the larger of the three, too. I can only do this because the cockatiel is smart enough to avoid the larger birds if they decide she's in their way. If the conure and ARN were together, they'd probably end up fighting and hurting each other. (if I could convert a bedroom into a free-flight area, then that might be different)

I would *NEVER* consider this in a smaller cage with any of them! - This same cockatiel *has* lived with a cherry head conure before in a small-ish cage, but they got along and became cage buddies (against my wishes - tiel wouldn't take no as an answer! and hey, it worked out!). The cage that the mitred lives in is larger than the cage the cherry head had, but I would still never put my tiel in with him because they do not get along. (and Casey has tried before! but once she realized he wasn't friendly, it wasn't worth it to become his buddy and gave up)



The ARN is the only one that doesn't come out of the cage at all. I could easily take the conure and cockatiel out at the same time and keep them separate without issues.




Although I've done it, I do so knowing the situation and the birds. I cannot recommend for anyone else to attempt the same simply because I've done it. I can also say I've lost a small bird to a larger bird because she had escaped from her cage and flew to an area she wasn't supposed to be in - when I wasn't home. It was my fault she died earlier than what she could have lived to. She was a slightly older bird though, and her mate only lived a few years after she passed - so she might not have had many years left anyway.



So based on my own experiences (and that of others), I can't recommend it.

 

[itzjbean]

Most parrot owners of large and smaller birds will keep them apart for this very reason. As much as you want them to be friends, it just won't happen. I have heard of many fatalities (most often time the larger bird kills the smaller bird by inflicting injuries similar to this that end up breaking bones, toes, wings, neck), or a group of smaller birds bullying a large bid to death) and therefor will never recommend keeping small and large bids out together in the same room out of the cage.

 

[Scott]

Large and small birds don't typically co-exist in the wild. Bring them both into captivity is a wild-card. Sometimes they bond and are peaceful, other times it is war.

I've had multiple sized cockatoos blend very well where none are ever locked in a cage and resources (food/water) are plentiful. Also had them together with a timneh grey without the slightest hint of dispute. So it can work but the odds are not good.

Goffins are very curious and have powerful beaks that can cause terrible crush injuries. I haven't found them to be extremely territorial.

My best advice for you is to keep them segregated when out of the cage. Nigel is still new and may have been particularly aggressive while he acclimates. In the future you may wish to try another introduction, but be very cautious!

 

[Kiwibird]

I wouldn't let them interact unless you want your conure to have a limb amputated, other serious injury or possible death. In my experience, G2s have a particularly nasty bite for their size. Not sure if it's the shape of their beak or a greater bite force or what, but I've been bit bad by my fair share of birds and only been sliced clear to the bone by a goffins cockatoo (on more than one occasion).

In regards to other birds, he boldly bit off the tip of an amazons toe who is about 200 grams larger than him. She repaid the favor and took part of his toe off and thus must be separated ALWAYS or it would be a fight to the death. It's best to keep an aggressive individual away from other birds but is especially important with smaller birds who have no fighting chance to defend themselves.

 

[KikaMoran]

Thank you Guys I was really hoping that they could be friends but since the bite I wasn't so sure and now I know I won't have them out together. If Nigel were to hurt Carlie or kiwi or accidentally kill or the other way around I would never forgive myself.