Getting Lincoln a friend?

I'm a student so I spend at most 6 hours away from home 4 times week. I try to spend all my time before and after school with him and I think he still gets a lot of social stimulation, especially on Friday and weekends where he has me all to himself all day. When I'm at school though, my family has reported him calling and screeching which they're okay with the noise they're just concerned about him. My brother offered to take him out of his cage and have Lincoln in his room which I was a little wary about because I've never let them take Lincoln out of the cage without me there, but I know my brother and he'd take care of Lincoln so I gave him the go ahead. Unfortunately Lincoln started doing one of his weird behaviour things that I just write off as Lincoln being Lincoln but it spooked my brother a bit and he put Lincoln back.

Point being, should I get him a friend? I don't have the money or space for another eclectus, but I could so something smaller / cheaper (I love eclectus but I can't spend another few thousand on the bird alone), I'm just not sure what species could be safe with Lincoln. Any suggestions? They'd be in different cages but I'd like for them to have free flight time together.

I never suggest adding a bird that you aren't desperate to have. Maybe a simpler solution is to get him a smaller cage that he can have in your brother's room or the main living area of the house when you are away, without your brother needing to actually touch him?


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You might have seen it already, but I just read this great post from a few days ago about this kind of question (similar to what SilverSage just wrote).

I am not an expert on this, but I recall reading advise in the past about leaving radio/tv (or even better, carefully-selected playlists) on to keep the bird entertained if it'll be alone for a long time.

Really? You want to split your time with Lincoln in 1/2, with another bird? I'm sad for Lincoln already. What if they hate each other? There is no telling, as you most likely already know. Much better to let your brother help keep him occupied, maybe Lincoln will think he is just one of those nekid parrots.

Well, I've had my eye on a peach fronted conure for a bit now but I've been holding off because I don't know how reliable the source is and I keep forgetting to ask. And I'm scared a conure and ekkie or this conure and Lincoln won't get along.

That is always a risk, and honestly I wouldn't suggest letting such vastly different beak sizes near each other to start with.


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Sorry I didn't respond to the other posts, was in a place with limit wifi and I guess my phone didn't load them or something.

Really? You want to split your time with Lincoln in 1/2, with another bird? I'm sad for Lincoln already. What if they hate each other? There is no telling, as you most likely already know. Much better to let your brother help keep him occupied, maybe Lincoln will think he is just one of those nekid parrots.

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They'd both be in my room (where I spend majority of my time) so I don't think my interaction with Lincoln would change very much. And why are you sad for Lincoln? Just out of curiosity? I don't mind my brother interacting with Lincoln on a regular bases, in fact I'd love that, he's just not home a lot of the time since he spends majority of his time at his girlfriend's house. (I'd also be okay with his girlfriend interacting with Lincoln because I know her fairly well, my brother just doesn't bring her over much)

That is always a risk, and honestly I wouldn't suggest letting such vastly different beak sizes near each other to start with.

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Yeah that was a primary concern of mine. Lincoln's very gentle and I believe one of the past owners pressure trained him, but I just don't know how he is around other birds.


Does anyone have some (un)successful stories of big and small (not necessarily on a macaw and budgie level) parrots interacting? I'd love to hear any to see all my possibilities.

My Dad could possible watch him a bit but I'm not sure what the details are with his new job so I don't know if he'd be able. Plus Lincoln has some grudge against him or something. (No idea, my dad has never wronged Lincoln as far as I'm aware but Lincoln just doesn't like him) My mom is another possibility since she and Lincoln get along. She gets home from work 2-3 hours after I leave for school so I could talk to her about that.

I think getting another cage where someone else spends time while you're away is a fabulous idea. We want our fids to be well rounded and exposed to others. This way Lincoln can have other people to hang out with and not be so dependent on you. Aren't Ekkies like Greys in that they like to belong to the family not just one person?

You're a student. Bad idea to keep two birds. Period.

While I'd probably steer clear of another companion now (with you being a student and limited time and money) I would echo the advice above to get Lincoln a smaller cage or even a small playstand to have in your brother's room. If you're not comfortable with your brother handling Lincoln (I'd be wary, too!) you can always work with him and Lincoln, all 3 of you together so that you feel more comfortable with his handling of Lincoln.

That way you don't bite off more than you can chew, but you can always keep thinking about adding another member to your flock until the right time comes

Thank you for the advice everyone ^^

While Lincoln may be an exception, in my experience Eclectus don't well tolerate other species. Heck, they are difficult to pair with their own!

I would suggest trying to enhance Lincoln's day in your home before adding a second bird. Quality of time is as important as quantity. Perhaps other family members can provide some stimulation. TV or radio can help, as well as placement near a window with a view of activity. Every bit helps!

I'm on spring break right now but once school starts up again I'll try the radio or look into getting speakers for my computer. If that doesn't work I'll look into getting him a temporary cage for our living room.

Lincoln is probably just fine as he is. A bit upset when you leave but he will be ok. Try a few solutions presented to you here before doing anything else. Two birds equals double the commitment.

I'm up to the commitment and probably would be able but as others on this thread I am a student and it likely just wouldn't be a great option at this time.

Owlet said:

I'm up to the commitment and probably would be able but as others on this thread I am a student and it likely just wouldn't be a great option at this time.

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Education is far more than the learning of information, it is developing the skills of time management, broadening horizons, and to a degree developing judgment. I hope posting your question and receiving input helps you made the best decision. We are simply here to be a sounding board!

Yeah that's why I come to you guys with decisions I'm not sure about. I believe I have good time management and judgement but I am still young so plenty of room to develop further. I won't be getting Lincoln a parrot friend but hopefully I can work on his bond with the rest of my family.

Hi Owlet! At the moment, my time is split between my 2 ekkies. They have seperate cages and seperate playtimes so are double the work. Ive been working on socialising them with one another, but we are not yet at a point where I trust them to play nicely together. I definately agree with your decision to hold off on a parrot friend for Lincoln. Socialising him with other family members will probably be more beneficial to him and you at this time. By the way, hes looking exceptionally handsome since his beak trim! I always picture him with his big beak when I think of him...

Someone has already linked my post regarding exactly this question so I won't reiterate what I've already said. But I will ask you to think of your particular situation this way:

You've already admitted that you being a student and your life in general at this point may be negatively effecting Lincoln because he may not be getting enough attention and interaction. So if you were to go out and get him a "friend" to keep him from being alone, regardless of the species of bird you would buy (this is an entirely different issue and potential problem), and they either did not really like each other, hated each other or one bird hated the other and became aggressive towards not only the bird but also possibly with people, or they both became bonded to you and both became bored and lonely from lack of attention and interaction, then you would end up in exactly the same situation you're in now except you'll have 2 birds not getting enough attention instead of 1. It's very likely that is exactly what will happen if you bring home a second bird. I've never owned an Eclectus but I've read many a post written by people who own them, and they seem to be very much one-person kind of birds who bond very closely with their person. So I'm just assuming that bringing home a second bird as company for Lincoln will fail, and if so then you'll really have a problem.

If I were you I would concentrate on improving Lincoln's life while you're not able to be home with him or able to have someone else home with him. From all of your posts you seem like a very loving, responsible, and knowledgeable bird owner, so I'm sure Lincoln is in general a very happy, healthy bird who just needs a bit more mental and emotional stimulation during the day while you're gone. The smaller cage idea is a good one, so is the TV or radio. There are a lot of good suggestions on here to try to help Lincoln out that will not make your life harder or Lincoln's issues larger if they fail.

"Dance like nobody's watching..."

I think Lincoln still gets enough social interaction with me it's just during school that it gets harder. But you're right I really didn't think I'd just be putting another bird in that situation too. My dad and I are almost done with the playstand so hopefully thatll save me the expense of getting a brand new cage for our living room. Plus then I won't have to worry about him going to the ground and exploring like he does in my room (I swear he's obsessed with my hedgehog even though they've never even seen each other) and I'm afraid the dogs would get him but the playstand is high enough off the ground that he'd have to jump off and flap a lot and that'd likely alert my parents to do something.