Is it cruel to have only one bird?

I've never been a 'one-bird' person (except for when I got my first bird back when I was 11). I've always had at least two. If things were different with Skittles, I would have more birds. But given how bonded he is to me, its not a risk I've been anxious to make. When I had Peaches (she passed in December), I'd had her for over 15yrs and she was fine with him but he wasn't with her. If I so much as looked at her or spoke to her, Skittles would pitch a fit.

I just can't see him being willing to 'share' me with another bird. If he is okay, then I am okay. I don't want to lose my bond with him but I also don't want to deprive him of natural interaction. How important is it for him to have interaction with other birds?

Been a single parrot household for near ever. We ask, how does one find enough time to share with another bird or more? Is it not cruel to split ones time between more than one parrot?

It's all about prospective!

SailBoat said:

Been a single parrot home hold for near ever. We ask, how does one find enough time to share with another bird or more? Is it not cruel to split ones time between more than one parrot?

It's all about prospective!

Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking too.I just love my little bratty black capped conure. He is a brat and wants all the attention. He also needs some training and that takes time. Maybe once he is more mature I could take on a other. I have considered adopting my husband's aunts green cheek. She has cancer and I told her I would take the bird if need be. That's the only bird I would consider.

Then the crazy part of me wants more birds. But then I think no that is crazy. I don't have time for that.

Our birds are hand raised to see humans as their flock. As long as you have time to spend with the bird keeping one is fine. If you don't have time for the bird than ..... that's mean.

Well, getting enough attention is not an issue with Skittles. He gets more than enough with me. Given I am home 90% of the time, and he is free-flighted when I'm home, I know that he is fine with that.

I just wondered if he would be 'happier' with another feathered friend instead of just having me all the time. I have all the time in the world.

I should just stop listening to people in my RL (one friend in particular) who is pushing me to get Skittles a friend.

I don't think so. Not all birds get along. I had a green cheek who i loved desperately but he didn't like the grey I fostered AT ALL.

My Nigel now is part of our family. I don't feel badly for him being the only bird as he gets lots of love and time from all of us.

But I would have a second bird, but not for Nigel as he's content. If I ever had the chance to have another bird and it fit into my life, I would have another in a heartbeat.

I think that's precisely how I feel. I just am always trying to find more ways to make Skitty happy. I guess I try to make up for all the mistreatment that birds out there get by spoiling Skitty.

I also struggle with this, like an only child! Take a read on this:
http://www.parrotforums.com/general...-impacts-dna-repair-long-short-telomeres.html

No I do not think you have to have more than one. I have been able to see Plum's reactions to the two that come for holidays and high days. It is very much toleration and some jealousy. I am sure I would not have the relationship I do with him if I had more. When I have two or more here I find it hard work as when one has some one on one the other then wants some. They all have their quirks and different needs. No two birds probably have the same life in our homes, as no two people are the same. If he/she is happy and receives what it needs from it's parront(s) what is the problem. (I am in no way being disparaging of those that have more than one and I respect their ability to give good homes).

Skittles sounds very happy to me with his daddy and I think these so called friends ought to go interfere elsewhere IMO.

I think for people that are not around as much it is nice to give your bird a bird friend in another cage. Its someone for then to talk to so they don't feel so alone. I have 2 parakeets and my conure Sprinkles. The parakeets entertain Sprinkles and she does not feel so alone when I am at work.

One of My parakeets loves to watch my conure take a bath. Haha such a little creeper. I think having more than one bird is nice but not needed.

I have an Only child. My daughter is fine she loves her play dates and being around other kids. At home she has her dogs and now sprinkles as her friends and she is happy. Birds are a bit like kids and dogs. Dogs are the same they are very social personly I like to have 2 dogs at a time. Most people don't and they are fine.

One or 2 or more is a personal choice.

I'll tell my story again, briefly, not as a solution, but as one journey.
I got him when I was in college. We were in constant contact in those years. After I went to work... well... things got tough. But I got him a big window, a TV, a huge cage, a veritable produce depart every bday, and... no matter what, he had 10-15 minutes of intense love morning and night. We made it! I'm now not working outside the home, and we're back together. I can't imagine my life without him.
Good luck with your decisions.
Good for you for caring enough to ask and learn and discuss!

Porter hates my budgies.. and they hate him!

But if he is isn't in sight... they scream for him and he calls back!

Its about flock and having something else there... I've always had budgies but with porter.... I'm glad I do.

When you are away from home for more than eight hours a day even if your spouse isn't... tv and radio are nothing.

Porter can SEE my budgies and they can see him. In truth he is never alone and he knows it... even if they are pestering him and he chases them away form the food... they still sing together at meal times and bed time... they still wake us up as the sun goes up.

They are still a flock.

Without them.. Porter would not be a happy bird.

I am against one bird households... but only if they aren't in a circumstance such as skittles! I am away most of the day, so that makes a differenc eand with Porter... a pair of budgies or FINCHES in a cage next to him make all the difference.. they are just as loved and marvelous to watch interact with each other around their cage. They are my babies just as much.... but they serve a vital purpose..

they let another bird who lives alone... know he isn't alone when his people are not home.

And that can never be a bad thing.

I advocately believe that birds need birds.

:3

If their people leave for a long long period of time.

Well, I don't go out every day and when I do go out its never more than 3 or 4 hours at a time.

Truth be told, The longest I've been able to be away from home (since getting him) is 4 1/2 hrs and that happened only a couple of times. I will start to miss him like crazy by that time. I even have to check on him during the night cause that's just how pathetic I am. I honestly think I need him more than he needs me.

It's just sometimes I worry that I'm not enough is all, for him.

If you have a friend who has a bird that will not compromise Skittles in any way you could offer a sleep over. This way you can see for yourself how he reacts to additional birds in the house. It is a difficult question to answer.

I think the answer to your question lies both in your birds need for other birdie company and in your ability to manage a multiple bird household.
For me having always had two birds for years now when one died of old age the other was devastated to the point I was worried she would die too...funny thing is although the two birds got on well chatting to each other they never mingled but kept their own space. On the day that my Roger passed to Rainbow Bridge my Quaker stopped talking and a girl that upto this was such a cuddle bug would just sit on my shoulder without doing any of her usual mischief and chatter and bury her head in my sweatshirt without a sound apart from once or twice calling Roger by name she was silent. She wasnt eating well either...it went on for a couple of weeks and she wasnt pulling out of her depression despite the pick me up prescribed by the vet. Then I found Mr Biggles and from the moment she heard him and saw him through the glass of the door as Mr Biggles was in Quarrentine she develloped a love hate relationship with him and returned to her cage promptly and ate all her food chattering over and back to him all the while...it was like flicking a light bulb switch and my Quaker had come to life again..
as sudden as that...they continnue to chat to each other but dont mingle and Mr Biggles (WFA) gave Peter Pan my Quaker a new lease of life. Then just a week ago we increased from two to three and little Budgie Elsa arrived and there is a great interest in Elsa by both Mr Biggles and Peter Pan who are both now fluent in Budgie as well as Amazon Quaker and Conure (for Roger was a conure and Peter Pan had some of his linguo and taught it to Mr Biggles ) As you see it gets intricately complicated but they weave together well as a flock without actually intermingling. Then there is me and my need to be birdy centered...I think the only bird that could possibly survive in this house as a one bird family is a Too of some kind or other who would demand my attention as much as I would demand the birds attention for I am hands on from morning with one or other of the birds until night which I figure would not be good for any one bird as it would or could create dependency issues and over bonding that might cause problems into the future so I figure the birds are happier and I am happier being part of a multibird household but Im home all day and retired and spend the birds every waking moment going from one to the other of them except on shopping day and Peter Pan and Mr Biggles both know when its shopping day and are waving good bye to me all that morning before I go (the only morning of the week they do this) and all excited when I get back waiting to see what I brought back to them, and the fact that they have each other to chat to while Im gone makes me happy too and I hope gives them pleasure as well. Once 7•30pm comes and they all go to bed Im lost for a couple of hours until my bedtime ...hee hee maybe I need an owl or a bat...only kidding But in answer to your question is it cruel to have just one bird, no its not as long as you manage it well and that your bird has company and is stimulated by its surroundings and is happy...to be a multibird household and Im not speaking about breeders or aviary settings here) you do need time and the burds need to be the very centre of your life otherwise it doesnt work for you or your birds.I think if I had just one bird Id drive it crazy but thats just me others can manage a one bird household well. It really is a personal choice and one that is informed both by the birds you have and their needs and also the time you have to invest in the bird or birds. I dont think there is a cut and dry answer to your question for the answer depends on so many variants.

SailBoat said:

Been a single parrot household for near ever. We ask, how does one find enough time to share with another bird or more? Is it not cruel to split ones time between more than one parrot?

It's all about prospective!

Click to expand...

I agree. It's all in perspective. I can see with smaller birds like tiels and budgies eventually getting a second pair. Even somewhat larger birds. Especially if one isn't home a lot. "Single" birds do fine as long as there's enough love and interaction with it. I wouldn't get another bird, say, to keep mine company, for the sake of that. And I also wonder, likewise, how it would feel to have another bird after I've had mine for nearly 14 years.

All the attention he gets would also be divided if I were to get another bird someday. This is cliche', but for now he is my one and only. I can't say that if I have 14 birds and say, they are my 14 and only. Although that has a good ring to it too. And nothing wrong with that. I'd have to wonder the type of birds too. It's all in perspective, one's time, etc.

@Plumsmum You know, that would be ideal. Its a great idea. But right now, its not an option. I wish I could talk a friend of mine into getting a conure. She will go through these moods where she wants one and then doesn't. I tend not to encourage her because its a commitment that a person should be ready for, not going back and forth. But if she ever got one, it would be a good test.

Its just that that same friend tells me about conures she sees on CL and that I would give it such a good home. Thats the only down side of having a good reputation for caring for your birds. People you know are always looking to you to take in more. If I had my own house, I'd have a rescue and it would be full of birds. But I live in a small apartment. At one time I had nine birds and that was too much for me and the nine of them total weren't half as demanding as Skittles is.

I'm not in any dire need to get another bird. But if I knew it wouldn't be an issue with Skittles, I would get another one in a heartbeat. But having just Skittles, while he does fill my need for companionship, it also leaves me vulnerable. When I lost my budgie Sammy (he was 11 and I was very attached to him), I had my cockatiel Peaches to help me cope. When Peaches passed in December (she was almost 21 and we too were very close), I had Skittles to help me cope. If something happened to him, I'd be lost.

Truth be told, my OCD goes into overdrive when worrying about Skittles. People in my RL tell me I'm driving myself crazy and am going to make myself sick with all my worrying. I wish I could just turn it off, but it doesnt work like that. I am dealing with it with my therapist, but its a process.

Yeah don't stress undress. An old friend use to tell me that.

That's a reason I like to have 2 dogs. When one goes you still have the other so it's not as bad kind of. No it is still bad.

Sounds like One bird works for you. Don't fix somthing that's no broken. In a way you sound like someone with lots of love to give and you you are home most of the time. If I were you I would consider looking for a rescue bird maybe.

Yes, it is still bad no matter how it happens. I wouldn't say it's any easier, but it's more bearable.

I used to have rescue birds, even Peaches was a rescue- Skittles was not. Technically. He had been to three different pet stores and was over a year old when I got him. I've not had any major issues with any of the rescues in the past. My biggest problems with past rescues were trust and I made it work.

If I were to take in a rescue, I'd have to be sure. I couldn't bear having to rehome a rescue bird.

If Skittles is okay with his current living conditions- I can hold off for now. He is only six. I've read that sunnies can live into their 30s but I've never actually spoken to someone who has had one that long. Usually, they are rehomes and rehomes are not known for giving accurate ages; ie, "oh my mom had her for I think 8yrs and before that her owner had her for six years etc".

Even the vet told me most sunnies only live 10-15yrs, but I think that's mostly due to poor care.

A friend of mine told me a story about someone she knew who had a green cheek that wouldn't shut up so they locked her in a room and covered her cage all day. The bird eventually passed and as heartbreaking as it was to hear, part of me was relieved.

Funny though, so many people don't seem to realize that maybe they are screeching because they want attention. The more time and attention I give to Skittles, the quieter he is. That's not a coincidence.

My friend had a sunny before the baby RB2 and he only lived to 16 and died suddenly. He was a food scrounger/screamer and was indulged. If you have Skittles on a good diet and are sensible concerning 'treats' and he gets good amounts of exercise there is no reason not to expect him to live to a good age IMO.

Another bird in the house may increase the screaming that Sunny's do?

Please 'be happy', enjoy your lucky little bird, make your lives the best you can and please, please do try and relax.

If you have any guilt relating to rescues, feel sorry for them could you not offer some free time? Care would need to be taken for Skittles sake. It would get you out for a few hours if taken up, Skittles would be OK, really. They get used to routine.

I am a bit like you and fret re leaving Plum for too long but the funny thing is when we get ready to go out he says "see you later" it's almost clear off, give me some peace LOL. Regards K.

Ever since getting Skittles his (as my friends call it) "condo", he's much happier in his cage. He'll actually go in all on his own at different times during the day and just hang out or play with his toys (as long as he can see me). It's kind of cute, he can be in the middle of eating and I'll try to 'sneak' into the other room and next thing I know, there he is.

The part about being away from him too long, isn't so much that I worry about him missing me, but more my missing him. He is so central to my life.

He'll go in all on his own when I have to leave to go run errands. He knows when I need to leave cause I wear jammies around the house when I am home, so when I get dressed and put my sneakers on, he knows I am heading out. I make sure to run the radio if I am going to be gone for more than 10-15 minutes.

What's funny is I'll go on the bus or to the store or what not and people (who don't even know my name) will ask me "how's Skittles doing?". I was telling a friend of mine about that the other day and asking how they know his name and she told me cause I never shut up about him. LOL.

I feed him Harrisons HP and he gets power treats (from Harrisons) daily. I do give him human foods from time to time (pasta, fruits, veggies, grains/unsalted nuts), but nothing that is really bad for him.

Skittles used to be a MAJOR screamer and I had many discipline problems with him. He was NOT always the angel he is now. LOL. It took a LOT of patience, research and training to get him where he is. Sadly, I think there are too many sun owners out there (or any parrot for that matter) who just don't want to put in the time to train when bad behaviors occur.