New pineapple GC Conure owner

[Dorene]

Hi. I am new here. My name is Dorene and I brought home a 3 year old named Lux almost two weeks ago. A few days later a family member told me of another (named Pineapple) in need of a home and I couldn't resist stepping up to offer that. I am over the moon about my new family members!

It was instant love with both.... they are so sweet and smart and took to me right away. If they're not near to one another you could mistake them for eachother. I don't know his age, but you can tell pineapple is quite young by his feather texture.... They have a straw like consistency on his head.

So, my issue is, I would like them to cohabitate. From what I've read this should be very possible since they are flock birds in the wild. Lux's cage is ample for both, and I feel the cage pineapple came with is too small for his species.

I have been taking them out at the same time but keeping them a safe distance, alternating one on shoulder, other being held. They got closer than I anticipated a couple of times and Lux wants to engage in beak wrestling which I'm fearful could escalate to harm. Pineapple seems nothing more than to want to make friends.

As I mentioned, they are both very sweet and gentle in personality. Does anyone know what the normal adjustment period would be and is there a point when I should try to let them work it out without feeling fearful there'd be bloodshed?

Any guidance and advice would be welcome and appreciated. Thank you!

 

[damir]

Welcome to the forum.

I am still no expert, but, i wanted to bump this thread for you, so, somebody who has more knowledge then me, could (hopefully) provide more information for you.

 

[Terry57]

Hello Dorene and welcome to you and your new feathered friends!
It sounds like Pineapple is going through a moult, but doesn't necessarily mean he is young. My Green Cheek is 6 and his head is full of pin feathers right now

I would not cage them together now. When we got my Green Cheek, Jax, we were hoping he would become buddies with our Crimson Bellied. We had their cages next to each other, and let them out at the same time but were very careful as they can hurt each other in a split second. It took about 3 months for them to really start interacting, and now they are inseparable. They do still sleep in their own cages at night,though, as they prefer it.

I would just let them introduce themselves slowly and keep a close eye on them. Hopefully they do bond and become great friends, but they may not ever become close.
If possible, I would just upgrade Pineapple's cage for now if you feel his is too small, and if they do get along well enough to share a cage, you could just resell it.


Do you have any pictures? I would love to see your babies! I'm so glad you joined us!

 

[Notdumasilook]

Far from an expert but both birds are about the same size.. and if both a flighted let them introduce themselves to one another OUTSIDE of a cage. (under supervision of course)...That way if one gets too frisky the other can get away. Be ready for your big heart to backfire on you tho. What can happen is the birds become best buddies and decide to disown you. Not saying that will happen but just know it can... and if it does don't take it personal. Ive got a BFA and a SC that love each other and spend time in each others cages. During the day when I leave the house I put the SC in the BFA cage so they can hang out... but nite times they prefer their own cages to sleep in. Hope it works out as good for you. Good luck

 

[Flboy]

Welcome! The adventure begins!

 

[Dorene]

Welcome to the forum.

I am still no expert, but, i wanted to bump this thread for you, so, somebody who has more knowledge then me, could (hopefully) provide more information for you.

Thank you!

 

[Dorene]

Hello Dorene and welcome to you and your new feathered friends!
It sounds like Pineapple is going through a moult, but doesn't necessarily mean he is young. My Green Cheek is 6 and his head is full of pin feathers right now

I would not cage them together now. When we got my Green Cheek, Jax, we were hoping he would become buddies with our Crimson Bellied. We had their cages next to each other, and let them out at the same time but were very careful as they can hurt each other in a split second. It took about 3 months for them to really start interacting, and now they are inseparable. They do still sleep in their own cages at night,though, as they prefer it.

I would just let them introduce themselves slowly and keep a close eye on them. Hopefully they do bond and become great friends, but they may not ever become close.
If possible, I would just upgrade Pineapple's cage for now if you feel his is too small, and if they do get along well enough to share a cage, you could just resell it.


Do you have any pictures? I would love to see your babies! I'm so glad you joined us!

Thank you!
I just assumed it was youth since he's smaller than the three year old. Hmmm...

I now cage change is a must..... U really think what he came with from his prior owner is not a great size for him.

Is kind of trying to wait a bit for the socialization "stuff" to work itself out our not.

I'm currently leaning toward a double cage with a removable divider in case they someday become buddies.

Here are two pics I hurriedly snapped this morning.



The first is Pineapple (the newer to me of the two), and the second is Lux (my first birdie love). Both were named by their original families.

Welcome to the forum.

I am still no expert, but, i wanted to bump this thread for you, so, somebody who has more knowledge then me, could (hopefully) provide more information for you.

 

[Dorene]

Lol. Thank you!

 

[Dorene]

Far from an expert but both birds are about the same size.. and if both a flighted let them introduce themselves to one another OUTSIDE of a cage. (under supervision of course)...That way if one gets too frisky the other can get away. Be ready for your big heart to backfire on you tho. What can happen is the birds become best buddies and decide to disown you. Not saying that will happen but just know it can... and if it does don't take it personal. Ive got a BFA and a SC that love each other and spend time in each others cages. During the day when I leave the house I put the SC in the BFA cage so they can hang out... but nite times they prefer their own cages to sleep in. Hope it works out as good for you. Good luck

Thank you for the input. I think I will aim to try that tonight providing they are not like they were last night. I got home later than usual and they seemed a bit off.... They were bitey and disagreeable to both of us so I turned them in early to preserve our fingers, lol. They were themselves again this morning, thankfully, as I think I enjoy out of the cage time more than they do sometimes.

Welcome! The adventure begins!

 

[Terry57]

They are both gorgeous!!! I think a cage with a divider is an excellent idea!
When we put our lovebirds together, we used a divided cage at first and they made friends in no time and we removed the divider. That worked with our budgies as well.

 

[Dorene]

They are both gorgeous!!! I think a cage with a divider is an excellent idea!
When we put our lovebirds together, we used a divided cage at first and they made friends in no time and we removed the divider. That worked with our budgies as well.

That's awesome!

 

[Dorene]

Far from an expert but both birds are about the same size.. and if both a flighted let them introduce themselves to one another OUTSIDE of a cage. (under supervision of course)...That way if one gets too frisky the other can get away. Be ready for your big heart to backfire on you tho. What can happen is the birds become best buddies and decide to disown you. Not saying that will happen but just know it can... and if it does don't take it personal. Ive got a BFA and a SC that love each other and spend time in each others cages. During the day when I leave the house I put the SC in the BFA cage so they can hang out... but nite times they prefer their own cages to sleep in. Hope it works out as good for you. Good luck

So, tried the introduction once last night and they got into it aggressively. Sounded like 10 birds instead of two. Neither tried to flee but it looked dangerous so we interrupted with a spare perch after an estimated 30 seconds or so which seemed like 20 minutes, lol.

It happened again this morning unintentionally. I give them each a blueberry each morning during our out of the cage bonding time. I put them down for a moment to go across the room to retrieve a new treat I'd forgotten. When I got up they were about 2 feet apart peaceably munching their respective blueberries. I didn't reach the cart across the room before the feathers were flying again. Felt I had to break out the spare perch and separate them for safety.

I don't see any injuries or beak damage, and both times they remained sweet to me after breaking them up. No biting or aggression toward me.

In your opinion, should I keep trying this each day during out of cage time or should I abandon the idea?

So appreciate the input as I'm so inexperienced with this (not to mention worried)

 

[Notdumasilook]

Sounds like they have a future in the UFC!!..
I had hoped that they would get along right away... Hmmm... At this point if they were mine I would put cages side by side for a day or 2 to let them get use to each. Then I would let 1 out and see if he went to the others cage... out of curiosity. Of course you can expect some beaking thru the cage... maybe a toe bite but at least they wont be locked in mortal combat. Once they get use to one another you can then try both out at once... under watchful eyes of course.
You are dealing with their hard wired instincts here and its a roll of the dice how they will react... with the desire to get along in a flock or go territorial. Its not over yet by a long shot so do give up.
I recall when I brought Booger home the first introduction to Cookie was damn skeery.... but whether I did things right or just got lucky... both adore each other now and Cookie is the most patient gentle loving "foster daddy" to Booger... it blows my mind. They preen and play and mock fight (with me in the mix) and on rare occasions Cookie will discipline Booger with a harmless "beak bang"... but he never bites. Not sure if I did the introduction right (which is above) or just got lucky with 2 special birds. Don't give up tho... its far from over... IF I was a betting man Id put money on your birds getting social with each other before long.

 

[Dorene]

Sounds like they have a future in the UFC!!..
I had hoped that they would get along right away... Hmmm... At this point if they were mine I would put cages side by side for a day or 2 to let them get use to each. Then I would let 1 out and see if he went to the others cage... out of curiosity. Of course you can expect some beaking thru the cage... maybe a toe bite but at least they wont be locked in mortal combat. Once they get use to one another you can then try both out at once... under watchful eyes of course.
You are dealing with their hard wired instincts here and its a roll of the dice how they will react... with the desire to get along in a flock or go territorial. Its not over yet by a long shot so do give up.
I recall when I brought Booger home the first introduction to Cookie was damn skeery.... but whether I did things right or just got lucky... both adore each other now and Cookie is the most patient gentle loving "foster daddy" to Booger... it blows my mind. They preen and play and mock fight (with me in the mix) and on rare occasions Cookie will discipline Booger with a harmless "beak bang"... but he never bites. Not sure if I did the introduction right (which is above) or just got lucky with 2 special birds. Don't give up tho... its far from over... IF I was a betting man Id put money on your birds getting social with each other before long.

Thank you for the encouragement. I've already done what you're suggesting..... Their cages have been side by side since pineapple came to live with us. I'd only had Lux a little over a week at that point.

Most of the time they are not at the common side of the cages, but when they are it's beak wrestling through the cages.

Both times of the day they get time out of the cages it's at the same time. I alternate who's on my shoulder and who's in my hands. I can hold them both in my hands mere inches apart and everyone is calm, but the minute I put them down near one another and step back it's the battle royale.

I'm not giving up.... I will keep trying the same tactics and hopefully some day it will be different results.

Thank you. If you think of anything else, I'm receptive.

 

[GaleriaGila]

So much wonderful advice already!
Just my 2 cents...
Even after all these years, I sometimes find myself putting myself or my bird down... stuff like...
I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS OR THAT.
WHY CAN'T HE BE SWEET AND NICE, LIKE A PUPPY?
PEOPLE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY I PUT UP WITH THIS.
Stuff like that.
But this is a parrot... barely a few generations out of the wild, in some cases.
I do all the right things, as much/well as I can, but in the end, I just LOVE my bird,
Some parrots are SO SWEET, some are NOT. I have lessened my psychological and physical wounds over the decades... not because I've changed the bird, but I have changed me. And a lot of that has involved giving up on a lot of my desires/expectations. After years of battle, I surrendered. I don't do stuff that gets me bitten. I don't scratch his head much, ever, since he hit sexual maturity, some 30 years ago. I tolerate his noise. I guess I'm saying that if it's okay with you, its okay. Take whatever ridiculous precautions needed, like, I never have him on my shoulder unless my hair is down, to protect my ears. I always have a green chile handy (his fave) for bribing him back in the cage... and more...

I'm glad you joined us.

 

[Notdumasilook]

Well crossing fingers that one of those close encounters starts with an attempt to preen...... personally I think its adorable they can both be on you loving on you but go after each other.... I would have bet $ against that. Keep it up

 

[Dorene]

Well crossing fingers that one of those close encounters starts with an attempt to preen...... personally I think its adorable they can both be on you loving on you but go after each other.... I would have bet $ against that. Keep it up

Thank you. I might find it amusing if it wasn't so scary when it happens, lol. Again this morning one in left hand the other in right eating their respective blueberry with no incident. I Hadn't recovered enough to put them down together again.

I caught them at the common side of the cages trying to engage about a half hour ago until they realized I was watching 5 minutes later.

Not giving up the ship and ordered the double side by side cage today 63x19x64. ETA around the 1st-7th.

[emoji4]

Well crossing fingers that one of those close encounters starts with an attempt to preen...... personally I think its adorable they can both be on you loving on you but go after each other.... I would have bet $ against that. Keep it up

 

[Dorene]

We conquered thee monster cage with the divider that came worth no assembly instructions to speak of and still like each other, LOL. (picture included).
Both conures are enjoying the new digs. Within a half hour of being in their respective sides, they got into a skirmish st the divider. Both parted company on their own after a few minutes and have been peacefully playing with their toys since. Well see how it goes...

 

[Dorene]

 

[Notdumasilook]

Cool... looks like a birdie Ritz motel!. Hope they start to do a lil more thru the bars. If not, you still got some cute youngins even if they squabble.