Opinions on companion birds

[ajgrunds]

So I have had my GCC for about a year now. We have a super close bond and do spend a lot of time together. We spend about an hour in the morning, maybe 45 mins at lunch and then from around 5-9 he is out of his cage with the family. I am worried though that he is lonely during the day when I am at work. I know that if I get another conure it may not work and I do not want to lose my bond with him. I was wondering if anyone had an experience with adding a pair of other birds in the same room like lovebirds or even parakeets that would keep him company but not be out with him or share his space. I know I have to quarantine, etc. I was thinking it would be good for him to stay entertained when I am working since he doesn't seem too interested in the radio or like PBS kids. Any thoughts?

 

[wrench13]

Adding to a flock is aways a crap shoot. With out a doubt it will add 2x to your food bill, toy bill, Vet bills and takeaway one on one time with your current parrot. They can either get along fine, hate each other, or just tolerate each other, and you, you can be replaced by one of the new flock, or not. No way to tell.

 

[Laurasea]

I'm happy flock of mixed birds that can be out together. I took time with introducing and they are flighted with lots of perches options which I thinks increases success.

I've had 2 gcc female conures gotten 10 ten years apart that become very bonded but still the same loves with me.

My vote would be another conure, or in tge conure family. Giving tons of reassurance to first one and Taking lots if time with introducing.

But everyone experience differs.

 

[fiddlejen]

So I have had my GCC for about a year now. We have a super close bond and do spend a lot of time together. We spend about an hour in the morning, maybe 45 mins at lunch and then from around 5-9 he is out of his cage with the family. I am worried though that he is lonely during the day when I am at work. I know that if I get another conure it may not work and I do not want to lose my bond with him. I was wondering if anyone had an experience with adding a pair of other birds in the same room like lovebirds or even parakeets that would keep him company but not be out with him or share his space. I know I have to quarantine, etc. I was thinking it would be good for him to stay entertained when I am working since he doesn't seem too interested in the radio or like PBS kids. Any thoughts?

My own experience:

I got my two budgerigars FIRST. About 3 months later I fell in love with my Sunny and brought her home. This was a year or so before we all went work-from-home. AFTER i got Sunny i was reading about how they need yay-much human-interaction time, etc. Well i did the best I could with before-and-after work time. ALSO i made sure the cages were next to each other. BIG cages, with lots of toys and activities. Chunks of veggies attached to the cage walls before I head to work, etc.

I made a point of turning on Radio each day before leaving. CLASSICAL station -- because, although I don't hate classical, exactly, I will Always switch it to something else if I am listening for a short while. SO this let birdies know I was leaving For The Day. (One day I came home early -- upset stomach -- and it was clear from Sunny's cute-but-confused reaction that due to the music she did NOT expect me!)

Anyway my point here -- I had my two budgies first BUT this Really Really worked for me. The petstore budgies are not-really tame, and as long as you have a pair, they don't really Require lots of human interaction. They ARE social, though. And although my Sunny ACTS like they are invisible (really! she still does this!) -- nonetheless they are there, chirping away, interacting, and so she Knows she is Not Alone even if I am gone.

Now -- IF you WANT another Larger-than-budgie bird, that is a good reason to get one. BUT. As others point out -- they Might OR Might Not get along, you COULD lose your bond, and now you have TWO birds that Require human interaction.

OR if you want some company for your bird, don't mind more mess, but DON"T want the Risk - you could get a pair of petstore budgies* -- or finches -- or a canary, to keep near your conure. To give your GCC some company without necessarily risking your GCC-relationship. And whether your GCC loves or hates its bird-companions, they Will still BE COMPANY, in an adjacent cage, when you are gone for the day. Your GCC will not be "all alone" all day.

(*ps I am NOT suggesting budgies as any sort of throwaway bird, nor any sort of lesser-than bird. BUT if you get Two (or more) from petstore, and provide Good, Large, well-enriched cage, and care for them well, ----then you can have as much or little "relationship" with them as you want to attempt, and they can still be Equally Happy with their lives. Petstore budgies, non-hand-tamed, do not REQUIRE daily one-to-one human interaction for their happiness.)

 

[ajgrunds]

My own experience:

I got my two budgerigars FIRST. About 3 months later I fell in love with my Sunny and brought her home. This was a year or so before we all went work-from-home. AFTER i got Sunny i was reading about how they need yay-much human-interaction time, etc. Well i did the best I could with before-and-after work time. ALSO i made sure the cages were next to each other. BIG cages, with lots of toys and activities. Chunks of veggies attached to the cage walls before I head to work, etc.

I made a point of turning on Radio each day before leaving. CLASSICAL station -- because, although I don't hate classical, exactly, I will Always switch it to something else if I am listening for a short while. SO this let birdies know I was leaving For The Day. (One day I came home early -- upset stomach -- and it was clear from Sunny's cute-but-confused reaction that due to the music she did NOT expect me!)

Anyway my point here -- I had my two budgies first BUT this Really Really worked for me. The petstore budgies are not-really tame, and as long as you have a pair, they don't really Require lots of human interaction. They ARE social, though. And although my Sunny ACTS like they are invisible (really! she still does this!) -- nonetheless they are there, chirping away, interacting, and so she Knows she is Not Alone even if I am gone.

Now -- IF you WANT another Larger-than-budgie bird, that is a good reason to get one. BUT. As others point out -- they Might OR Might Not get along, you COULD lose your bond, and now you have TWO birds that Require human interaction.

OR if you want some company for your bird, don't mind more mess, but DON"T want the Risk - you could get a pair of petstore budgies* -- or finches -- or a canary, to keep near your conure. To give your GCC some company without necessarily risking your GCC-relationship. And whether your GCC loves or hates its bird-companions, they Will still BE COMPANY, in an adjacent cage, when you are gone for the day. Your GCC will not be "all alone" all day.

(*ps I am NOT suggesting budgies as any sort of throwaway bird, nor any sort of lesser-than bird. BUT if you get Two (or more) from petstore, and provide Good, Large, well-enriched cage, and care for them well, ----then you can have as much or little "relationship" with them as you want to attempt, and they can still be Equally Happy with their lives. Petstore budgies, non-hand-tamed, do not REQUIRE daily one-to-one human interaction for their happiness.)

This is what I was thinking. I had two parakeets before and they were a blast but they were not friendly but very happy together. I felt like that would be the best option because Antonio (the GCC) wouldn’t get jealous but would have some bird company. Glad to hear it worked for you!

 

[Levi's Wife]

So I have had my GCC for about a year now. We have a super close bond and do spend a lot of time together. We spend about an hour in the morning, maybe 45 mins at lunch and then from around 5-9 he is out of his cage with the family. I am worried though that he is lonely during the day when I am at work. I know that if I get another conure it may not work and I do not want to lose my bond with him. I was wondering if anyone had an experience with adding a pair of other birds in the same room like lovebirds or even parakeets that would keep him company but not be out with him or share his space. I know I have to quarantine, etc. I was thinking it would be good for him to stay entertained when I am working since he doesn't seem too interested in the radio or like PBS kids. Any thoughts?

Hello! I'm new here and I found this question quite interesting.
Although I'm not sure how to answer that, I will try my best. I have a 1 year old green cheek conure and she's really sweet and like yours, we have a strong bond. I'm home most of the day since I work from home, so she sees me all the time. In my perspective, for your GCC, it depends on the bird and what you think. For me, I don't want to risk losing the bond me and Kirby, my GCC, have. But since my life and routine is different that yours , I think what matters is what you think is best for your little bud! (Sorry if this doesn't help! )

 

[texsize]

I have had my YNA since dirt. Well maybe since 1985.
For a number of years I had 2 other Amazons in a separate cage from him (Bingo the YNA)

I lost both of them (an OWA and a RLA) withing about 8/9 months back around 2016.
Even though Bingo never spent out of cage time with them he was saddened by their loss.

I believe it was in 2017 I got a rescue Mexican Red Headed Amazon (Luna) Mostly for my own reasons. In 2018 I got Luna a friend at a bird fair from a breeder of the same species named Merlin. they are the birds I refer to as The Twins.

Bingo has a strange love/hate relationship with Merlin but flat out hates Luna.

Because Bingo can't fly (and the twins can) I can only have all three out if Bingo is sitting with me. This keeps Merlin form pestering him and keeps both birds safe.

Bingo's relationship with me has never wavered through any I change in my flock.
He is loving cuddly and viscous when he feels like it. and the mood strikes him.

The biggest change came about when I adopted Bella our CAG.
Because she had been abused in her previous home I gave her extra attention and short shifted Bingo. I had tp make corrections to get Bingo away from a feather chewing habit he was developing.

When multiple birds are in a Houshold things get complicated.

 

[HeatherG]

I have been myself thinking it might work to get a parrot a “pet” of a finch or canary in another cage. Finch type birds don’t usually want human attention (of course, they need care) but it would be another bird for the parrot to watch and flick with and vocalize to.

But every bird adds a complication and things may not work out as you’ve planned.

If your bird seems happy and well, maybe he or she is fine as it is.

 

[LeeC]

The greatest gift is allopreening. (For safety and other reasons, I strive to get them a same-species, opposite-sex companion--just like Nature intended.)

 

[LeeC]

Adding to a flock is aways a crap shoot. With out a doubt it will add 2x to your food bill, toy bill, Vet bills and takeaway one on one time with your current parrot. They can either get along fine, hate each other, or just tolerate each other, and you, you can be replaced by one of the new flock, or not. No way to tell.

It can change over time, too--more than once. I brought home Senegal #2 and they went gaga for one another instantly. They quickly came to realize that they were each afraid to be close to another parrot, having been only-parrots before I got each. Then, Senegal #2 got confident, and was too forward with Senegal #1. He became fearful of her. (He was still clipped, and she was an ace flier.) 2 1/2 years later, he is gaga for her again. He was clipped when I got him, and has grown in and learned to fly. His landings need a lot of work, but now that he has "fight or flight", he has so much more confidence, and Senegal #2 is attractive again, not scary. Things change, and change again. :]

 

[stephenst4470]

We have a GCC, a Lovebird, and a Budgie all housed in the same room, and they get along fine. They have separate cages though, and we only let them out together under strict supervision, even though they have never squabbled. They seem to enjoy each others company, and all sing together. Birds are very individual though, so it's always a crapshoot. Having another bird in the room can stress out some birds, and even lead to anxiety, and the behaviors that come along with it. You just have to feel them out as you go, and be ready and able to move one bird if it becomes absolutely necessary...

 

[LeeC]

but it would be another bird for the parrot to watch and flick with and vocalize to.

What do you mean by "flick with"? [curiosity piqued]

 

[LeeC]

But every bird adds a complication and things may not work out as you’ve planned.

It sure does! They are highly intelligent and complex animals. Every one that I add here has a sort of cascading effect that impacts all the parrots here in some ways. The vast majority ends up being good. It sure makes me appreciate the "still" times. Adding a parrot, then adding another before things settle down can be demanding of my attentiveness, largely because they all have so much liberty and access to one another.

I think space is a key factor. I learned early on that a "big", open house does not prevent territorial issues if there aren't attractive perching places far and wide. Addressing that has helped tremendously. They share space, but have enough of their own that I eliminated squabbles over an 8-foot dragonwood branch between a Conure and a Senegal.

I never wanted to "mix" parrots of different sizes/species; but, there were short periods where it was far easier to do that. I'd only do it if I could be present virtually the whole time they were awake, to see how it was going. I learned a lot from those periods! Mainly, give them space--and make it attractive space.

[Edit] Being candid, I had a few cases of minor (fortunately) beak damage, too. They all (but one) happened between same-species parrots that were getting along well, until something went awry. The other was a small parrot sneak-attacking a bigger parrot, over, you guessed it: territory.

I attribute the, fortunately minor, beak damage to two primary factors: lack of attractive space (causing territory issues) and bringing only-parrots together with full liberty. In the wild, they learn "bite pressure training" from their parents and at play with clutch mates and flock mates. Captive parrots have been deprived of those opportunities.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Great comments and support above.

I love your care and compassion and open-mindedness.

Wanna know my very first thought when reading your opening post? WOW, WHAT LUCKY A BIRD! So much enrichment and socializing, and you're STILL looking to imrove.

 

[HeatherG]

What do you mean by "flick with"? [curiosity piqued]

Flock with. Thank you, auto correct…

 

[LeeC]

Flock with. Thank you, auto correct…

I'm kinda bummed; I thought I was about to learn something cool.