My conures aren't getting along :\

[lycansoul]

About 2 months ago I bought a cinnamon conure (Vash) and he is the sweetest little thing ever. He. Let's anyone play with or pet him. However, I work full time as do my parentsand my sibling go to school, so he's alone all day and my neighbors started complaining about squawking when he's home alone. A week ago I bought a beautifully colored sun conure so Vash isn't alone all the time. I put thecages side by side and they would chirp and talk to each other and even try to preen each others feathers through the bars. 3 days ago I put them together in a brand new 6 foot cage I bought. And gave them each their own food bowls andwater bowls, etc. For the first 2 days they just sat together on the perches, ate together, etc. They would even cuddle! But today I walked in my room to see Vas chasing my sun conure around the cage and pulling out his tail feathers, etc etc. And as soon as I eperated them he want at it again. My sun conure, despite being almost twice Vash's size is doing nothing but run away and screaming and I've had to seperate them cause Vash won't stop attacking. Does anyone know what may have happened to cause this sudden change in behaviour?

 

[lene1949]

You put them together in the same cage after 4 days of getting the sun...??

The Sun should have been quarantined for at least 30 days, before you even put them in the same room...

I don't know how much research you have done on parrots, but I expect it's not nearly enough...

This is a great site, so please read at least all the stickies...

Good luck with your birds.

 

[lycansoul]

You put them together in the same cage after 4 days of getting the sun...??

The Sun should have been quarantined for at least 30 days, before you even put them in the same room...

I don't know how much research you have done on parrots, but I expect it's not nearly enough...

This is a great site, so please read at least all the stickies...

Good luck with your birds.

Its not very nice to make assumptions like that, and it would've been much more appreciated for you to try and answer my question versus critcizing me on an assumption that you've made due to lack of information. Especially considering that the topic you are on has nothing to do with he topcic I am asking about.

Knives was bought my my friend shortly after I bought Vash. So she's had him at her house, down the street, for a little over a month. She however does not have the time for him and doesn't want to make time to train him so he sold him to me. So yes, I've only had him for a week, but he has spent over a month alone in a closed enviroment and his vet check up on both occasions (when my friend got him, and again when I got him last week) went fine. So please do not make assumptions. I would never endanger Vash like that, he means the world to me.

 

[Mudkips]

Sorry it's turning out this way so far. I would hazard a guess that its simple bullying.
Knives is friendly enough to run instead of fight back and Vash has worked out he can attack without consequences.
Maybe Vash just likes the reaction + excitement.
I'm sure there are a few different things you could do in this situation, but it's ultimately up to you to make some decisions based on what you see. Better sooner then later as well.

 

[lycansoul]

Sorry it's turning out this way so far. I would hazard a guess that its simple bullying.
Knives is friendly enough to run instead of fight back and Vash has worked out he can attack without consequences.
Maybe Vash just likes the reaction + excitement.
I'm sure there are a few different things you could do in this situation, but it's ultimately up to you to make some decisions based on what you see. Better sooner then later as well.

What would be a appropriate way to discourage Vash's bullying? I feel so bad for Knives and while I'm glad he doesn't fight back, I don't understand why he doesn't lol. No that I want him too. Vash is more like a parakeet and Knives is bigger than him with a much stronger beak. I'm afraid it'd end badly for Vash if he fought back. I'm goingto keep them sepeated until I can make it stop. Or ill just keep them seperated from now on I guess

 

[mtdoramike]

You put them together in the same cage after 4 days of getting the sun...??

The Sun should have been quarantined for at least 30 days, before you even put them in the same room...

I don't know how much research you have done on parrots, but I expect it's not nearly enough...

This is a great site, so please read at least all the stickies...

Good luck with your birds.

Its not very nice to make assumptions like that, and it would've been much more appreciated for you to try and answer my question versus critcizing me on an assumption that you've made due to lack of information. Especially considering that the topic you are on has nothing to do with he topcic I am asking about.

Knives was bought my my friend shortly after I bought Vash. So she's had him at her house, down the street, for a little over a month. She however does not have the time for him and doesn't want to make time to train him so he sold him to me. So yes, I've only had him for a week, but he has spent over a month alone in a closed enviroment and his vet check up on both occasions (when my friend got him, and again when I got him last week) went fine. So please do not make assumptions. I would never endanger Vash like that, he means the world to me.

First off, they weren't criticizing you, but your decision to put the two birds together in one cage after introducing them. They were also trying to point out something that you may not have been aware of like quarantining the new bird. My question to you is this, why are you housing the two birds together? Are you trying to breed them? Have both birds been sexed to make sure other their sex?

I don't agree with housing two birds in one cage unless a persons intentions are to breed them. Birds can and most are cage aggressive especially to other birds unless they have been socialized with that other bird quite a bit. So if you want my suggestion, which is buy another cage for your newly aquired bird especially since you now see that they aren't getting along. So seperation between the two is the only thing you can do here and then slowly introduce them at play time and keep a close eye on them. It sounds to me like your original bird is jealous of your newly aquired bird.

 

[mrob]

Hello
I dont think lene was attacking you. You MUST quarantine, reagrdless if the bird lived down the street or looked ffine - and it was not an unreasonable inference for lene to think that you didnt have experience by not quarantining. Thats pretty elementary.

In saying that, a very probable reason these birds are fighting is they were only given a very short period to get used to eachother. They often dont take as quickly to each other as is convenient to their human owners.

Please dont take this the wrong way, the forum members here make a concerted effort not to attack anybody, and are only trying to offer advice.

My advice would be to separate them but cages next to each other (after quarantine but I suppose thats too late now) and gradually intreoduce them during out of cage play time, so they associate companion time with positive reinforcement. You cant make them like eachother.

Good luck

 

[Parrotmamma]

I think they just need more time to get to know one another, in a neutral area away from their cages so there is no cage aggression. They might end up being great friends or maybe not . It really depends on the personality of the birds. As far as the quarantine goes , seems like the time spent at you friends house (and it sounds like she had the bird for over 30 days) was a good quarantine. Especially since it was in a totally different house and not in the same house using the same ventilation system.
I heard it straight from a vets mouth that you can not do a true quarantine in the same house . It must be in a separate building in order for it to be a true quarantine.

 

[Feciamecia]

I am sorry to hear that your conures are not getting along. I have a cinnamon cheeked conure and a sun conure which I bought a week after the cinnamon conure and they are the best of friends to the extent that they share the same cage and are inseparable. When I bought the sun conure home I did as you did and put him in a cage next to the cinnamon conure for about a week. I then let them out during the day and they played on top of their cages and then slept separately in their own cages. Initially they fought and I let them fight it out a bit just making sure that no one got too serious or hurt. After about a day they settled into this great friendship that they now have. They both get equal attention and affection from me and like you i too am away at work all day so it is great that they have the company of each other. I believe that the sun conure Is a male and that the cinnamon conure is a female. I have heard that if you have 2 males they may not always get along. Or maybe they may need a longer introductory period. Or maybe just like sometimes happens with people they just may not like each other. I am not a bird expert and am only speaking from my own experience. I wish you good luck as they are both beautiful birds.

 

[amysaviary]

I agree with mtdoramike, I don't keep 2 birds in a cage together unless I want them to breed. They don't seem to get along so for the safety of each keep them in 2 cages. Then when u r home and can watch them let them play together on a playgym or play area not each others cage because they can fight over the cage that is theirs. I really feel birds r like kids they need their own room(cage) so they can have their own space and own toys and don't feel they have to flight for things. just my opinion.

 

[ann]

some birds get along but dont want to be friends. it sounds like they were fine next to each other to keep each other company. i think you should move them back to their separate cages. this way they can keep each other company without fighting. good luck and they sound like beautiful birds!

 

[JackieShadows]

You put them together in the same cage after 4 days of getting the sun...??

The Sun should have been quarantined for at least 30 days, before you even put them in the same room...

I don't know how much research you have done on parrots, but I expect it's not nearly enough...

This is a great site, so please read at least all the stickies...

Good luck with your birds.

Its not very nice to make assumptions like that, and it would've been much more appreciated for you to try and answer my question versus critcizing me on an assumption that you've made due to lack of information. Especially considering that the topic you are on has nothing to do with he topcic I am asking about.

Knives was bought my my friend shortly after I bought Vash. So she's had him at her house, down the street, for a little over a month. She however does not have the time for him and doesn't want to make time to train him so he sold him to me. So yes, I've only had him for a week, but he has spent over a month alone in a closed enviroment and his vet check up on both occasions (when my friend got him, and again when I got him last week) went fine. So please do not make assumptions. I would never endanger Vash like that, he means the world to me.

First off, they weren't criticizing you, but your decision to put the two birds together in one cage after introducing them. They were also trying to point out something that you may not have been aware of like quarantining the new bird. My question to you is this, why are you housing the two birds together? Are you trying to breed them? Have both birds been sexed to make sure other their sex?

I don't agree with housing two birds in one cage unless a persons intentions are to breed them. Birds can and most are cage aggressive especially to other birds unless they have been socialized with that other bird quite a bit. So if you want my suggestion, which is buy another cage for your newly aquired bird especially since you now see that they aren't getting along. So seperation between the two is the only thing you can do here and then slowly introduce them at play time and keep a close eye on them. It sounds to me like your original bird is jealous of your newly aquired bird.

Hope everything worked out! I found this old forum searching experiences with two conures. I adopted a female green cheek and started fostering a male sun conure who really wants a bird companion.

The reason for this person getting a second bird was made clear.
lycansoul said they wanted their noisy, lonely green cheek to have a companion when at work. But that is the number one problem people get a second bird, the only reason you should get another bird Is because you want it, not your bird. It just brings up problems usually and you never know how birds will react or change. Although, I find it a little funny that you decided to get a sun after your neighbors complained about a green cheek. They must not like you very much by now haha

 

[SoCalWendy]

When Aristotle said "birds of a feather, flock together" I think he meant people and not birds. The well intended ones who answered your question, gave you solid advise. I don't think quarantine at this point would do any good. But for future reference you might want to heed this advise. Housing two birds together, without first knowing the background could have cause one or both birds serious harm. Pulling tail feathers out is one thing, but have you ever seen one bird bite the beak off of another, or take out an eye, or worse, it's frightening not only for the bird but also to its owner, especially when it could have been prevented. This forum has very good people who offer well meaning advise. It's one thing to dispurse non solicited advise, but remember you came here looking for advise. Conures in themselves are loud birds, and you now have doubled, possibly trippled the volume those two can produce. These birds should be separated in thier own cages, and let out together only when they can be properly supervised. I hope it all works out for ya.

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Thread is over 2 years old, folks

 

[SoCalWendy]

Oh hahahaha! I wonder what happened?