New Member taking on some serious challenges

[Janet]

Hello everyone, I am Janet and I am 63 years old and live (and work) in So.CA. I live with my husband, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 15 koi and an adorable one year old violet IRN named Rain. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's advice and suggestions regarding the challenge I am embarking on. It's too late to change what I've already put in motion as I have purchased and am bonding with 3 additional birds. Within a month (or sooner), I should be bringing home my Cinnamon Turquoise Conure (Aspen), following shortly thereafter a grey IRN (Indy). And within 2-3 months (maybe a little more) I will be bringing home a CAG. One of the bedrooms in my house has been converted to "Mom's Bird Sanctuary" complete with cement (wood designed) floor for easy maintenance. I will definitely have separate cages for each (and currently only have one freestanding wooden play area ... but sounds like I should probably get another). I look forward to your suggestions, comments (be kind, I know I'm turning into a Crazy Bird Lady), and advice in how best to make the introductions and transitions. I take Rain into the bird store with me on weekends in an effort to have him/her do some bonding with his siblings ... and needless to say, the jealousy is apparent. Thank you for reading this post and again look forward to everyone's experiences and expertise.

 

[dhraiden]

Hi Janet,

Just take it slow, and when Rain and Aspen and Indy are out together in the bird room, be around to supervise and separate if necessary to avoid necessary harm to any of your feathered friends.

 

[Carl_Power]

Get them a playstand or tree each. They will like their own things and little area x

 

[GaleriaGila]

Yipes! Most will advise the quarantine of new birds prior to contact. I would.

Meanwhile, welcome and best of luck to you and your new flock. My gosh, you've gotten swept up a bit, but good for you for reaching out.

Here's some genberal reading on interacting.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

Many here have found that they have to separate birds permanently... some have been fortunate and multiple birds get along.
You just never know! Never, ever.

I think that as long as you're willing to deal with whatever happens (e.g., separating them, if needed, handling added expenses, etc.).
Good luck!
Keep us posted, please.

P.S. There's lots to read here about diet, toys, cages, etc., etc.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Hi and welcome! Please don't take this too harshly, but I feel I must say this or I will not be OK with myself.

I think you are making a mistake and you should cancel at least the CAG purchase, heartbreaking as it is. You are trying to run before you even are walking, and Greys especially do not handle being rehomed well. Give yourself a bit of time to enjoy the little one(s) and learn about life with birds. In 2, 3 or even 5 years reconsidering getting a CAG, but getting a grey with only less than a year's experience with birds is asking for trouble in my opinion.

But. It is only my opinion. My grandmother's absolute first bird ever was a CAG, and she kept him for 50 or so years(not bad for a wild caught bird that had everything wrong done with such as air fresheners, teflon cookware, and free ranging with big dogs).

Again, WELCOME and I look forward to hearing about your marvelous menagerie(especially if you don't listen to my advice. Baby greys are adorable). 15 Koi? Tell me about that! My special friend is super interested in koi but neither of us have ever had one, and I would love tales from the trenches, er Tales from the tanks? so to speak.

 

[Janet]

Wow!! You do have quite the menagerie! We have a koi pond in the back yard (about 4,000 gallons). In Southern CA it doesn't get cold enough for the bacteria AND the koi to go dormant -- koi go dormant about 10 degrees sooner than bacteria. So the pond is heated to keep the koi active during the winter. Needless to say, quite an expensive gas bill during the winter. I am hopeful with the constant bonding I'm doing with the babies (and now the CAG) that CAG won't necessarily feel re-homed. They are being hand-fed at the bird store until they are weaned. I totally "get" your opinion, and deserve to be told. I let you know how things develop.

Our dogs (Nala and Zoe) and cat (Abby) are also rescues. They make the best pets! Thank you for your response, and honesty.

 

[Owlet]

Is Rain your first bird? If so, how long have you been interested in birds? You are taking on a HUGE challenge as you already know and it's definitely not an endevour for a newbie. A lot of senior bird owners wouldn't ever even consider bringing home 3 un-bonded birds in such a short amount of time. Not to mention 3 wildly different birds in tempermant and care. Are you sure you're ready for this? Financially and mentally?

 

[Janet]

Rain is my first bird of substance. Years ago my mother was in a skilled nursing home for rehab after a bad fall. She like the finch aviaries there -- so for her homecoming, I got her two zebra finches. She ended up going back into the hospital for awhile, and I took them home because her caregivers didn't want to tend to them. Well ... the two laid eggs and after a year of getting more and more cages for the "boys dormitories" and the "girls dormitories" (all from the original two), I finally decided to get a few parakeets and find homes for the 28 finches. I enjoyed the parakeets and felt like a parrot constantly walking around with them on my shoulder. That's when I decided to go for the Rain. I know I'm probably biting off more than I can chew, but am determined to work this out. We live in a 2 story house with other rooms available if need be. Wish me luck! xo

 

[Owlet]

Well, I wish you luck. Please keep us updated.

 

[Scott]

A warm welcome, Janet! You are certainly going to be "drinking birds from a firehose" but seem highly motivated. Having a dedicated bird room is a plus, particularly if each bird has private space.

I've never had a conure or IRN, so can't give tailored advice for their introductions, other than proceed slowly and cautiously. Greys are a bit more temperamental due to high intelligence and oft reclusive personalities. One thing to consider is quarantine; generally 30 days before introduction unless they come from homes/breeders of impeccable repute, and even then....

Good luck, let us know how things progress!

 

[Jen5200]

Wow! You are brave and determined (and I say that with admiration). I second the cautions that others have already mentioned. You’ll have some very different sized birds and I’d suggest watching any interactions carefully to avoid injuries (even little things like one walking across the top of another’s cage - toes are easy to nip). I recently added Bindi to my flock, and have noticed that there’s some jealous behaviors from Baby and Tango if I let Bindi out of her cage “before” them. But if I let Baby and Tango out first, the jealousy isn’t there. I’d just recommend taking each step slowly and paying special attention to Rain’s reactions - sometimes there’s little things you can do to reassure them that their bond with you is not threatened by new family members. In my case, Bindi doesn’t care for Baby and Tango (who are best friends) - they can all be out at the same time, but I keep multiple play stands and perches so they don’t have to share. I was prepared to have completely separate “out of cage” time for everyone, so I’m happy with where we’re at. I’d just encourage you to keep in mind that some may not ever be compatible together - and you’ll be fine. I hope you’ll be sharing updates about your progress!

 

[Janet]

Thank you, Scott! Will do!

 

[Janet]

Thank you, Jen5200. I must say, I walked into the bird store after work to visit my babies and was feeling quite overwhelmed by the words of concern and caution from everyone. Aspen and Indy will be coming home soon. I am relieved the CAG won’t be coming home for several more months (he/she’s still a naked baby dinosaur �&#56621 ... which will give me time to work on settling in the Conure and New IRN. Once I figure out how to post pics, I will.

 

[Janet]

Here are pictures of my babies:

http://www.parrotforums.com/members/janet-albums-my-babies-picture19669-rain-my-violet-irn.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/members...grey-irn-they-should-able-come-home-soon.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/members...671-my-baby-dinosaur-cag-name-determined.html

 

[Jen5200]

Oh my! They are all adorable