Keeping the peace

[M&M Ninja]

Medium-Worst case scenario:
I add a large conure to my flock and my gold-cap gets jealous. Both birds - being conures - want to be on me a good chunk of the time when they are out. Both are flighted and can achieve this desired result.

How do you supervise two birds during out-of-cage time if they both want to be on you? Does this happen? Does the second bird just not fly to you if the first bird has already landed and staked a claim?

Separately, how do you share a single window in the bird room? Do you rotate which cage is in front of the window or is one bird always there?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Most people with two larger birds that don't get along and both want to perch on them take them out one at a time. Birds are like two year olds- don't expect them to cooperate with taking turns.

Not sure about the window seat sharing. Most birds don't like their cages moved around a lot. Is the window too small to give both cages a partial view? Maybe give neither cage the window and put a playstand there.

 

[M&M Ninja]

Most people with two larger birds that don't get along and both want to perch on them take them out one at a time. Birds are like two year olds- don't expect them to cooperate with taking turns.

Not sure about the window seat sharing. Most birds don't like their cages moved around a lot. Is the window too small to give both cages a partial view? Maybe give neither cage the window and put a playstand there.

So basically, they'd both try to land on me and then there would be a territorial fight? I suspected the 'one at a time' was going to be the solution, which is one of the main reasons I'm being extra slow with this decision. i don't want my current bird's qualify of life to take a major hit.

The window - it's near the corner of the room. So my current bird's cage has its back to the interior wall and its side to the window. It's a big cage, so there is no window space left.

I love the playstand idea, though. I'm also open to rotating the cage locations. I think it would probably be good for them to learn to cope with minor changes in their daily routines/setup.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Yup, as far as fighting over human perch space, IF they both want to be on you at the same time AND aren't crazy about each other. I have budgies that share me but I think it would be different with conures.

Personally I like getting birds used to small changes like moving cages around but the larger and more sensitive the bird the less they like changes. However if you get a newly weaned baby parrot, they are more likely to tolerate small changes. If your current bird is used to getting all your attention he may hate a new arrangement that makes him sit in his cage while a newcomer gets attention.

I'm not sure why you want another conure. Are you bored? Is your bird bored? There are only so many hours in a day. How many hours a day can you spend with your birds? The new bird may take a lot of time to become bonded to you enough to want to be on you and this time you spend will take away from bird #1. If bird #2 is a well socialized newly weaned hand raised baby he may want to be on you all the time from day one. If not, it will take time and effort. The new and the old may also like each other more than they like you or they may hate each other. It's not likely that both birds will like you so much that they compete for your attention as you envision.

 

[rheashard2]

Some parrots don't want to share. This especially applies to their claimed human. Mutual injuries are best avoided. This also includes you. Anger can lead to bites. It's best to keep cage out time separate. Do they tolerate cages being near together? (□■)The dark square closer to window. Light square next and back the width of cage. You can change you can alternate foreword and back positions.

 

[M&M Ninja]

Are you bored? Is your bird bored? There are only so many hours in a day. How many hours a day can you spend with your birds? The new bird may take a lot of time to become bonded to you enough to want to be on you and this time you spend will take away from bird #1. If bird #2 is a well socialized newly weaned hand raised baby he may want to be on you all the time from day one. If not,

These are good questions and good scenarios to consider. No, I'm not bored. I don't think my bird is bored.

I love training and have trained all of my dogs and birds. My current flock/pack is very streamlined - one of each. They each get plenty of human time every day, and generally, it's very high quality.

I like the thought of another bird - a new relationship, a new animal to guide and watch grow, a new individual to learn from, and if I'm really lucky, a companion-in-room for my current bird. They'd have separate cages, and possibly never be out at the same time, but they'd have a shared room during the day and could keep each other company.

Many videos and forum users have multiple birds. i haven't heard many say, "Boy, do I wish I never got my second (third, fourth, etc) bird. [Maybe this would be a good thread to start.] Mostly, people are really happy to have multiples. There must be a reason, right?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The thing one of our most experienced members always says qabout getting another bird is to only get another bird if YOU want another bird, not as a companion for a bird you already have (I'm paraphrasing poorly). Per the varied scenarios I described, the odds of your new bird and your old bird loving each other are not particularly high. And two birds is more than twice the work of one bird.

In your case, I don't think you want another bird for a "wrong" reason.- you just love birds! I did detect your loving concern that the conure you already have might be negatively impacted by getting another bird and that prompted me to present some less than ideal scenarios for you to think about.

Many of us do have multiple birds, and we love all our birds, but if 100% honest answers were given to the question "do you regret getting another bird?" quite a few people wouldnt statþm say"yes, to some degree". I've read quite a few posts by people q
bird for many reasons.

 

[JjEjFjF]

How do you supervise two birds during out-of-cage time if they both want to be on you? Does this happen? Does the second bird just not fly to you if the first bird has already landed and staked a claim?

I have to rotate birds being out.

Separately, how do you share a single window in the bird room? Do you rotate which cage is in front of the window or is one bird always there?

Some birds like to look out the window more than others. I rotate but the lookers get the window more often.