Should I get a companion for Boomer

[BoomBoom]

Hello! I haven't been around in a while, I hope everyone and their birds are happy and healthy.

I come seeking your advice. I’ve been wrestling with this idea on and off for 2 years now and only last month did I start thinking about it with more intensity. I know that I should get another bird because I want to, for myself. This case is not like that but I am ready to provide the new bird with as much care and attention that I do Boomer. There’s no question in that. I've always planned on Boomer being an only bird because I honestly don't know if I could handle two. A lot of people have successfully done it (Auggie's Dad and WannaBeaParrot to name a few). However there is a guilt in this decision that never really goes away for me. So I need your thoughts in figuring this one out!!!

PROS:
1. Boomer needs to learn how to be a bird. Only another conure can give him bird companionship that a human can not.
2. He won’t be as lonely when I’m at work.
3. He will have more social stimulation. After all, one human and a conure does not a flock make.

CONS:
1. Double the time, the clean up, food prep, vet bills and other expenses.
2. Boomer attacks birds on the computer screen. He might not like the new bird either.
3. If they hate each other, Boomer’s, the new bird’s and MY quality of life will diminish because of time and energy resource being split up.
4. Noise level might go up and I live in an apartment

I need your wisdom please!!!

 

[Dinosrawr]

Hey BoomBoom! I haven't seen you on in awhile

I'm actually getting my second bird quite shortly here. My main reason was because I've wanted an Indian Ringneck for a very, very long time, but secondly because I want Avery to have social stimulation from another bird, even if there is no physical contact.

I find that computer videos really don't do much justice in determining whether or not your bird will enjoy other birds. Avery couldn't care less about videos, doesn't respond to other birds chatting, and generally just wants to tongue the screen regardless of what's on it. When I took her to our first birdy play date, however, she was SO desperate to be with other birds! She loved being near them. They would squabble sometimes, but she really just wanted to preen and be preened. Unfortunately the other birds would have none of it, haha!

Of course, that is anecdotal and will be different for you. I think it's natural to have doubts when accepting a new fid into your home, I know I have. But over time I became so exited! You'll really never know until it happens, unfortunately. But if YOU think you can handle it, then do it. Even if they don't get along, I think social vocal stimulation is really important for our birds.

 

[BEWolf]

Hello! I haven't been around in a while, I hope everyone and their birds are happy and healthy.

I come seeking your advice. I’ve been wrestling with this idea on and off for 2 years now and only last month did I start thinking about it with more intensity. I know that I should get another bird because I want to, for myself. This case is not like that but I am ready to provide the new bird with as much care and attention that I do Boomer. There’s no question in that. I've always planned on Boomer being an only bird because I honestly don't know if I could handle two. A lot of people have successfully done it (Auggie's Dad and WannaBeaParrot to name a few). However there is a guilt in this decision that never really goes away for me. So I need your thoughts in figuring this one out!!!

PROS:
1. Boomer needs to learn how to be a bird. Only another conure can give him bird companionship that a human can not.
2. He won’t be as lonely when I’m at work.
3. He will have more social stimulation. After all, one human and a conure does not a flock make.

CONS:
1. Double the time, the clean up, food prep, vet bills and other expenses.
2. Boomer attacks birds on the computer screen. He might not like the new bird either.
3. If they hate each other, Boomer’s, the new bird’s and MY quality of life will diminish because of time and energy resource being split up.
4. Noise level might go up and I live in an apartment

I need your wisdom please!!!

I don't know, but this will perhaps sound a little bit rude, but I assure you this is not my intent. It sounds to me that in the back of your mind that you don't feel like you are ready for a second bird and are hoping that someone will verify this for you, so that you can feel better about it and move on.
I read and reread your post several times before I decided to reply to it, but I really would like to respond to your pros and cons. They may help you to gain insight to your own thought processes ,especially the feedback from someone else, and are the basis of my original statement.
Looking at you three items listed as pros, I find that they are all just slight variations of the same basic thought which is best summed up by the second of the three. While it is true that he will be less lonely with another bird in the picture another human bred and raised bird has no more idea of how to be a bird than does your present bird. As far as the make up of a flock goes, I guess that depends on whose eyes you are viewing this from and I think that if you would just look at it through the eyes of your bird that although it may be a small flock that to your bird it is his flock and it is made up of one bird and one human at this time, and he loves his flock
When I look at the 4 items listed as cons, I find that two points are valid and they are that Boomer might not like the new bird, but this can quite easily be negated. And two that the noise level might increase. It might increase but that might not be a bad thing, it depends on how it increases and possibly when it increases. If it increases due to the birds just talking to each other it may not be all that loud, but still be an increase in overall amount of noise but not necessarily in volume. Your other two points are only partially valid. I presently have three birds, all of which are of differing species and I do not find that my vet bills are triple or that there is triple the time needed to take good care of them or socialize with them and my resources are definitely not split up.
Yes, it does take more time to keep everything flowing smoothly but it really does not work on the basis of triple the birds ,triple the expenses, and triple the time. When I do the cooking for my birds there is a small increase in the time that it takes to chop and prepare the food for cooking, but that is only one or two minutes at the most and there is no appreciable time difference in the cooking and again only a minute or two involved it portion control as I put the food away. There is a substantial increase in the time involved in one on one interactions, such as training and petting , grooming and such and also in cleaning up their cages. I really don't notice any real time differential in cleaning up after them as if they don't go to their cage to poop, I clean it up as it occurs, too little amount of time to track. The largest part of their socialization and interaction can be done at the same time, as I can talk and sing with all three of mine both in and out of the cage at the same time. We sit and watch TV together and one sits on or next to me and I can easily pet and scratch her, one of them usually sits on her tree and when I stand up or go to the kitchen ,I normally stop over by her for talk and petting and the last one flies between all of us and again it is no problem to pet her. So although this is the longest period of interaction it does not take any more time than for one bird.
I found the most interesting thing was that all of the pros were concerned for the benefit of Boomer and all of the cons were concerned with the effects of two birds on you.
While I would never dream of suggesting that you do or don't get a second bird, I did think that perhaps getting another perspective on living with multiple, flighted birds might help you to acquire enough insight to enable you to decide for yourself if a second bird would be a good addition to your flock. If you think that you want to get a second bird, then place Boomer in a travel cage and take him with you to meet any perspective addition to his flock and you can avoid the vast majority of compatibility issues.
I hope that this helps!

 

[Agapornis]

When I only had one bird, she was very cuddly and attached to us. We were definitely her flock! But I too felt guilty leaving her alone while we were at work. So I got her another GCC. At first they didn't seem to like each other, and puffed up and acted aggressively. After a day or so, they got over it. NOW, they are very attached, love and preen each other, and live in the same big flight cage.

Would I do it again? hmmm probably. although I noticed that Fiji became more "bird like," more attached to her little buddy than to us. She is still the most "hands-on" of the 2, and loves to hang out with us, but she won't let me preen her like she used to. It kind of bothered me at first, but then I realized she was happy and healthy and had company now when were at work. So I put my ego in check and appreciated getting a 2nd GCC. Their personalities are so different, Sundance is so much more independent...but i'm glad they have each other! I don't feel SO guilty anymore when I go to work in the morning.

GCCs are not as loud as Suns, so that is a valid consideration. Good luck with your decision!

 

[BoomBoom]

Thank you so much for the honest responses! This is just the type of feedback I was hoping to get. I also posted this on Boomer's blog and got a variety of different responses. It is great to see it from different perspectives and all of them certainly valid. I am not ready to make a decision yet, although it is something I've been thinking about for a year now.

Honestly, I am doing this out of a combination of guilt and concern for Boomer's long term mental and emotional health. I know that is unfair to the potential new bird, but I guarantee that it will have the same quality of life as Booms. I am considering the downsides to this, like noise, physical harm to both birds should they attack each other, my time and energy, not to mention MY sanity. You all made excellent points and I will respond to each one's post later. Thank you again!