Should I accept another bird?

[Revill]

Howdy:

I posted this question on the keet/cockatiel page, but nobody answered. Maybe this is the place for a question? I hope so.

I have a two year old male cocky who is a 'velcro bird'. He's VERY demanding about his shoulder time. Which I enjoy, mostly. I spend several hours a day with him aboard, nibbling my beard and whistling the Andy Griffith theme song in my ear. He can be a bit of a pain when he REALLY WANTS to be with me but I'm doing something (like cooking or mowing the lawn) that cockatiels shouldn't participate in.

My brother was given a tame but not human bonded female (We assume she's female. She lays eggs) that they keep asking me if I'd like to adopt. She's a very quiet, reserved bird that will sit on a stranger's hand for a little while, but obviously she does not enjoy it the way my bird does. Given her druthers, she'd druther be in her cage.

Do you think it would be a good idea to introduce the birds? I'd hate to lose the affection of my bird entirely. Will he still be my bird if he has a mate?

And, how do you manage birth control with birds?

Revill
Austin TX

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Sorry you didn't get a reply. I saw the previous post, but I didn't know if I had much to contribute, so I left it for others. I suppose everyone felt that way...

I am a one bird home, and I see many advantages to this. It is not uncommon for birds to bond with each other then want nothing to do with their human housemates - however many people do successfully keep several parrots together and as various species go I think cockatiels may be the least problematic - ie I think they will most likely be okay together (if introduced slowly) and they will still like you even if they bond. But this is just my fairly naive suspicion as I have not had multiple birds in my home.

As for birth control.... I don't know that there is much to do if you introduce them, but the numbers may be on your side anyhow as there are a few stars that have to align to produce a viable brood. If you want to prevent breeding the only thing I know of is to control the sunlight - they gauge the seasons by the length of a day, keep the days short and it will minimize the likelihood of breeding.

"We assume she's female. She lays eggs" Its often hard to tell the sex of parrots, though tiels are easier, but there can still be some uncertainty... until they lay an egg. There is no assumption there - males never lay eggs! She is definitely a female.

Good luck, and hopefully some of our multi-bird families will be able to offer some more thoughts.