Getting two 'tiels at the same time!

[SmoothieKnight]

Hello again guys!

I always love coming here because everyone always has really good advice, so Im back again but this time for a friend! He has recently moved in somewhere that he can finally own a bird like hes always wanted (and im prepared to take them in if anything happens like they suddenly have to move again). He recognizes the responsibilities and difficulties but wonderful benefits of owning a bird after many talks with me. He realizes he doesnt have as much time as necessary to give his feathered friend the social time it needs, so he is going to get two at the same time so they have a companion. So far, he seems pretty set on cockatiels.

My questions are as follows:

-If he buys two young (less than a year) previously unowned tiels and brings them home together, would he still need to settle them in the traditional way or do you think theyre very likely to just take to each other?

-How big of a cage MINIMUM do you think he will need for the two? I know the bigger the better in ANY case, but what would work?

-Can someone elaborate on what "pecking order" is? The general understanding I have is that its something along the lines of "This is my space/food dish, that is yours, and we can share the middle and love each other"

and ANY other advice you can give to us that may be helpful! Thank you!!

 

[MonicaMc]

As long as your friend interacts with them both, they can remain tame and friendly. However, they will still need time to settle in because it's a new and scary place. How quickly they settle in will depend entirely on them.

I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a flight cage (32x21x35 - not counting stand!) for two cockatiels.

"Pecking order" generally refers to dominance type behaviors... which is a myth. That said, birds can, and do, fight over food dishes, perches, mates and other things. This is merely a 'natural' behavior. Providing extra of dishes and perches can be beneficial.

 

[reeb]

In my opinion, if your friend doesn’t spend much time with them they won’t really bond to him enough to remain friendly. Unfortunately parrots take a lot of daily commitment, and need plenty attention if they are bonded to their human.

If they are more on the side of caged birds or “viewing birds” they need a cage bigger than a flight cage in my opinion, that is full of toys and different perches. This will take up more space. As I recommended in my other post on the other thread, budgies make great (tame or untame) aviary birds and do wonderfully in pairs, and will take up less space (but still need a large cage!!). You could also consider finches and the grass parakeet species (Bourkes, Splendids, Redrumps etc.) as others recommended.

I agree with the info on “pecking orders”.


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[itzjbean]

I am getting another female tiel (maybe two) in the summer/fall to be companions for my male. I will be getting a new double flight cage for them to have a ton of space and adjust to being next to my other bird. Put together the two young ones will likely bond to each other if you don't handle them much. So, interaction with them daily is going to be key in keeping them tame.

Here is a great cage I recommend... only $115

Since I already have one bird and am adding 1 possibly 2 more, I am trying to convince my husband on this one...

Same cage as above just double, and you can take out the middle divider to make it one big super cage!! lol... ($200)

 

[Kiwibird]

I think you need to revisit your original post and forward the replies to your friend. Parrots are attention-needy birds. There is also never any guarantee parrots will like each other or won't decide to become mortal enemies a few years down the line once they hit puberty. There are other lovely species of birds far more suited to being hands-off aviary birds than cockatiels. If he likes the size and color of cockatiels, he may want to consider a smaller species of dove, such as diamond doves, which are fairly similar in size to tiles but far less hands on attention needy. IF he cannot be convinced, they need something like the second white cage in itzjbean's post AT MINIMUM (ideally much larger). If they won't be played with at all, their cage needs to be significantly larger than birds who will be out of the cage interacting for several hours a day. Part of the reason many parrot owners can get away with relatively small cages is due to the fact they have their birds out of their cage 4-6+ hours a day. The more time they will be stuck in a cage, the larger it has to be and the more perches, toys, foraging etc... they'll need to keep entertained and mentally sound.

 

[SmoothieKnight]

Hey everyone! Thank you for the awesome feedback. Its been super useful! I followed up on my other thread, but I will also post some of that here.

A small note, when i said he recognizes he doesn't have time to socialize as needed, I meant he would be gone for a large majority of the day. But when he does get home, he would still have 2-4 hours. It was my understanding that parrots tend to need 5 or 6 hours minimum of companionship daily. This loops into what Kiwibird was saying though, how time spent with the bird should determine its minimum cage size. I keep stressing to my friend how important it is to take time and understand what it means to care for a bird, or especially a pair, so don't worry. I wont be letting him get any until im confident he understands this. ♥

Ill keep looking here and on my other thread for more advice and will update you all on the decisions made. Thank you!!