Buzz & Jeannie in the same cage

Hi everyone, my husband and I have Buzz, a 3 yo B&G, and Jeannie, a 4 yo Grey. They have been together in the same cage since we got Buzz. We had to upgrade the cage with the addition of Buzz, so it was new to both of them. Behaviorally, well, they're like brother & sister, which means sometimes they're super sweet to one another, and other times they fight like brother and sister. They've never hurt each other to the best of my knowledge. Yesterday we went to a parrot rescue / education center (www.parrotu.com) and met some of their feathered friends up for adoption... but the folks there warned us about having Buzz & Jeannie in the same cage. They said that as Buzz reaches sexual maturity, the likelihood that he'll become more and more aggressive with her will increase, and they've seen cases where one bird actually bit the beak off another, which is close to a death sentence. So out of concern, last night we brought the spare cage downstairs, set it up with all the toys and perches and food and such, and Jeannie spent the night in that cage (which was her original cage before Buzz came into the picture). This morning when I got up, she seemed terrified, like she'd seen a ghost or something. No chatter, no whistling, she was very much not like herself. Seeing that, I later put her back in the larger cage with Buzz and she seems back to normal. I guess what I'm really wondering is how big the risk is of continuing to have them both in the same cage. Has anyone else out there had a grey & b&g in the same cage? Did things work out okay, or was it a nightmare? Appreciate your feedback.

Is there a reason, other than pooping, they are caged?

Unusual to have these species of birds together. I would imagine they are in cages for safety like most of our birds.

PortaPerch said:

Is there a reason, other than pooping, they are caged?

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What, you don't keep your birds with cages? Cages give the birds security, if they are feeling scared where are they supposed to go if they don't have a cage?

I would never house anything with a macaw other than a similarly sized macaw. The huge size difference could mean death to your grey and you wouldn't have a chance to save her. The macaw could easily kill a grey. I don't know why you would house them together in the first place. If it were me I would put them in separate cages, its best for your grey. They may like each other now but you said it yourself that they bicker, what happens when that turns into actual fighting, you would regret it for the rest of your life.

Aside from the size difference I would also be wary of keeping them together because greys are powder down birds. They produce a lot of dust and macaws have very sensitive respiratory systems. Most people will advise keeping powder down parrots in a completely different room from macaws.

PortaPerch said:

Is there a reason, other than pooping, they are caged?

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It would be quite unusual for a Bird not to have a Cage!

Its quite unusual to have these 2 particular species together.

I highly recommend you do not keep them in the same cage together for several reasons. Number one as Icywolf states, greys produce a lot of dust. It has been documented that B&G macaws as well as other macaw species are extremely sensitive to this dust and it can cause respiratory health problems.
Number two, very true that you are really taking a chamce housing these two species together. A macaw can easily do physical damage to a grey. A grey is also capable of hurting a macaw. As birds mature and reach sexual and hormonal states they will naturally get protective over their territory.
That being said, I think letting them out to play together while supervised is OK. I would never leave them alone together or in the same cage unsupervised.
This may prove difficult for your grey as you posted her change in behavior, but keep her safety in mind.

As already stated, housing these two together is definitely NOT a good idea. That said, where was the "new" cage that Jeanie was in? Was it next to Buzz, across the room, in a different room? If they were across the room or in separate rooms, try putting their cages next to each other. Also, give Jeanie a "happy hut" or something comparable, something to soft to snuggle up against. A lot of birds find comfort in that and I know my Loki can't sleep without one. She may be used to cuddling up next to Buzz and that could be part of the problem.

It also sounds like they're somewhat bonded. I'd ask some breeders or former breeders about how their bonded pairs reacted when either one of the mates died, or they were separated for whatever reason. Perhaps they can give some suggestions that can ease the situation. There isn't going to be an overnight fix and it's going to take some adjusting for both the birds and their human guardians (you).

Awhile ago I bought a playstand from a gentleman in Sarasota, Fla and got to meet him and his birds. H has 2 greys,a female electus and a gw macaw They all have seperate cages and playstands and a full lanai to play in. He told me that he used to have a quaker parrot also but one of his greys killed it. these were all mature female birds. He used to breed large parrots. to me proportion wise a quaker to a grey is like a macaw to a grey.in size difference. I would not take the chance but would cage them in seperate cages near each other but out of reach and let them have play time together with supervision Alison and sweetie pie

We had Greybeard a year before we brought Chewbaca aboard. They share the play top of a large cage with open door. She can always get away if he gets nippy. Greybeard has gone in the cage and shut the door once in awhile, for security maybe. Chewbaca gets locked in when she can't resist chewing something valuable.



They sit side by side in the open night cage, which we cover after they settle down.

In the car, Chewbaca has to ride in the travel cage, as she won't stay on the PortaPerch very long, and tries to chew the upholstery. Greybeard is a perfect gentleman.



I guess we're just lucky. I can't imagine locking these two up.

PortaPerch said:

We had Greybeard a year before we brought Chewbaca aboard. They share the play top of a large cage with open door. She can always get away if he gets nippy. Greybeard has gone in the cage and shut the door once in awhile, for security maybe. Chewbaca gets locked in when she can't resist chewing something valuable.

They sit side by side in the open night cage, which we cover after they settle down.

In the car, Chewbaca has to ride in the travel cage, as she won't stay on the PortaPerch very long, and tries to chew the upholstery. Greybeard is a perfect gentleman.

I guess we're just lucky. I can't imagine locking these two up.

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For starters, your two are roughly the same size. A Grey and a B&G are not even close! Secondly, it is rarely recommended, and I certainly don't think it's encouraged, unless pairing up birds for breeding, to have birds share living space in that way. It's the same as having 2 dogs share a crate - I've worked with a lot of dogs and while you get two that are extremely bonded, if they're crate trained, everyone gets their own crate. I also, and maybe this is just a personal thing, would not transport my fids the same way you do. IMO, that's way too risky. But I'm also the type that insist that a dog traveling in a vehicle is harnessed into a seat, or is crated, for everyone's safety.

I'm home sometimes for 48 hours straight, and I still wouldn't leave my fids out unsupervised for long periods of time or not have cages for them. I can't imagine leaving the house and not making sure that they are secure in their cages.

I appreciate everyone's replies... it will take some adjustment for Jeannie since she has been moved to the older, slightly smaller cage, but we feel that this is for the best in the long run.

it may take sometime to get used to their own space buy if their still near each other say 10 inches or a foot apart and get play time together they will get over it and be safer in the long run good luck and do what you think is right Alison and sweetie pie

My post may have been misleading. We have never locked two birds in one cage. All their interaction is purely voluntary.

Ever hear this? It's not what the car hits in an accident that hurts you, but what you hit inside the car. That's why car makers have spent $Multi-millions engineering safe car interiors.

Wild birds ride out wild storms without falling out of trees. Why would they not hold onto a good footrest in a car? They do hold on in a car, which we've seen over thousands of miles. In rough going, the back seat interior of a car is certainly less hostile than the inside of a cage.

clearday - it will get better. It's just going to take some time. Good luck!!

PortaPerch said:

My post may have been misleading. We have never locked two birds in one cage. All their interaction is purely voluntary.

Ever hear this? It's not what the car hits in an accident that hurts you, but what you hit inside the car. That's why car makers have spent $Multi-millions engineering safe car interiors.

Wild birds ride out wild storms without falling out of trees. Why would they not hold onto a good footrest in a car? They do hold on in a car, which we've seen over thousands of miles. In rough going, the back seat interior of a car is certainly less hostile than the inside of a cage.

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Car interiors are safer than they were even 20 years ago, but you are NOT going to convince me in any way, shape or form, that it is safer for a bird to travel by sitting on a perch with nothing surrounding it except for the vehicle itself, than it is for them to sit on a perch, inside a travel cage or specialized bird carrier. Sorry, you're just not. Not to mention, if you have to go on long car rides, the probability of your bird somehow accidentally exiting the car and getting injured or lost, increase. Just like with wing clipping, I simply refuse to take my chances. It's the same reason my dog is microchipped, spayed, vaccinated as she should be, collared with tags, and secured in my vehicle or secured on a leash when leaving the house. That doesn't mean my dog has a terrible recall and can't be trusted off-leash - quite the contrary. I just don't take chances when I don't have to.

And no, it wasn't that I thought you put them in cages together. It sounded more like you have one cage for the two of them to "share" but that you don't lock them in the cage together. Still not something I would do. A cage for each for time-outs, for when I run errands or go on appointments or leave the house in general and for Loki to sleep in at night (Sugar is my "perch baby", she does better not sleeping inside a cage). But again, this is just me and how I do things. To an extent, everyone's gotta do what's best for them.

One other thing - thank you to all who mentioned the respiratory sensitivities of the Macaws. That was news.

"..but you are NOT going to convince me in any way, shape or form, that it is safer for a bird to travel by sitting on a perch with nothing surrounding it except for the vehicle itself, than it is for them to sit on a perch, inside a travel cage or specialized bird carrier."

A sudden stop is the most likely upset, short of an accident. You can do this test: slapping the back of the front seat of your car with your open hand, and then slapping the side of your travel cage.