I am not sure if he will hurt them

Ria · Jan 3, 2012

My Damien is very interested in the finches lately. climbing on their cage. Just watching them. but today he's more interested, he's climbing all around trying to get close. I assume by the fact he isn't screaming at them he doesn't want to hurt them... or is he quite a threat to them?

Can big birds get along with small ones? should I film what is happening now so you get a better idea?

Echo · Jan 3, 2012

You have to be VERY careful. My Caique does the same thing to my smaller birds (Conures and lovebird), just goes around and around about their cage or sits on top and preen and watch. However, she has hurt them before through the cage if they happen to have their toes where she can bite them.

Birds of different sizes can get along, but it is not a given. I would not house different bird sizes together......

roxynoodle · Jan 3, 2012

I have to admit, I have concerns about what will happen the day my Nanday decides to fly over to the amazon. She is bold and bossy and doesn't realize he truly is much bigger than she is. TBH she is the one likely to start an altercation, but he just needs to take one well placed bite to hurt her badly. I don't want to clip her wings, but if it comes down to her safety, I will.

I learned as a child with the bird feeders my parents had that sometimes larger birds will hurt and kill smaller ones. The Grackles sometimes killed Sparrows.

And I read one post on here where a smaller parrot had it's upper beak ripped off by a larger one. It did grow back thankfully, but how awful! I've been having nightmares about it. The bird was able to survive by being hand fed.

Ria · Jan 4, 2012

Ty, I think I will just keep a very close eye. He hasn't shown signs of aggression through the bars, just curiosity. I wouldn't want my finches to get hurt, but Damien seems content enough just watching them. I doubt I would ever get Damien a cage mate, he's been on his own for months now.

Pedro · Jan 4, 2012

I agree you have to be careful & don't give Damien the chance to get to close. One bite of a finches leg could mean the whole leg is bitten off.

Roxynoodle i would lay bets that the conure would be the agresser. I let my BF Amazons out in the security flight & boy if they go anywhere neat the conures cage they can expect a nip on the toes.

roxynoodle · Jan 4, 2012

I was told by the zon's former owner that when he had other birds, the zon was always top bird. I laughed and said oh boy, my conure always has been, too. I wondered what would happen. So far nothing! No vying for top bird from either one, but I'd still say my Nanday is the more demanding and bossier one. And from 2 months of being with the zon I just don't see any assertiveness type of behavior. I think he is letting the Nanday be top bird and has no plans to challenge her. If the cat annoys him tough he will charge her and threaten to bite. So I think if the Nanday gets assertive he will do the same.

Now I have a third bird coming this weekend who is also used to being top bird. And she's a CAG so also large enough to do damage to Rowdy if she chooses.

I must say bossy conures are very bossy!

Mare Miller · Jan 4, 2012

In the home that my U2 came from, there was also an African Grey. My friend, (who gave me Amigo), said that she had never let them be together out of their cages. Amigo is a breakout artist, he would dislodge his food bowl holder, everything would hit the deck, and my friend said she would get home and he would be on top of the grey's cage. She came home from work one day and Amigo was sitting on top of his cage WITH the grey! Amigo also did a jail break for the grey. Thankfully, they got along. I always wonder if I brought home another parrot...what if they don't like each other and hopefully, if they don't, could I separate them in time?

roxynoodle · Jan 4, 2012

I have seen videos of cockatoos letting themselves out and then opening the doors of all the other bird cages! They might take the prize for jail breaking in the bird world.

It took awhile for my Nanday to come to love my BC. At first she was very, very jealous and wanted nothing more than for the other bird to go back to where it came from. Eventually they came to love each other and when the BC died, she became depressed. I expected a similar reaction of first jealousy when the zon came in, but she was immediately thrilled about it and went right back to her normal self. So perhaps the cockatoo, who was used to having another bird, would be very happy to see a new friend.

lene1949 · Jan 5, 2012

How do the finches react? Do they seem frightened? I think I would be, if I were a finch... lol..

Ria · Jan 5, 2012

lene1949 said:
How do the finches react? Do they seem frightened? I think I would be, if I were a finch... lol..

They don't seem overly fussed really. When they are together it's like they can take on anything. They get a lot louder, I think probably warning calls to one another, but then they just get along with what they were doing once the initial shock was over.

When I first got the finches One escaped, (winston) and he actually.... sat himself next to Damien on top of his cage, it obviously happened too quick for Damien to act, he just was looking at the little bird stunned. Then I scared winston away from Damien cos I didn't know what he would do. After the shock it was pretty funny seeing little and large together.

Echo · Jan 6, 2012

My tiny lovebird is in love with my big Pionus. She is nice to him and he preens her. However, her beak is huge and I only allow them to interact out of the cages where the Lovie can fly off quickly if needed. I do not like them both closed together in one cage(which I have to be vigilent about as my lovie squizzes through the Pionus cage to be with her lol). It's the funniest thing to see...he'll get in her food cup and completely disappear ahah. He also has to climb onto the cage bars to be tall enough to preen her.

So friendship between big and small can happen, but very carefully!

I am not sure if he will hurt them

Ria

New member

Echo

New member

roxynoodle

New member

Ria

New member

Pedro

New member

roxynoodle

New member

Mare Miller

Banned

roxynoodle

New member

lene1949

New member

Ria

New member

Echo

New member

Safe aviary plants

Hi, I am Elmo.

Most Reactions

Similar threads

Latest posts