Trying to have a new bird make friends with my older one...

[Compadrre]

I have a green cheek about 13 years old. Her name is Tech...when I bought her they told me it was a boy, but about two years ago my little boy laid an egg. so definitely a girl! Over the years I have tried introducing her to other females...again thinking she was a he. Tech is always rather mean...I can't help but feel like it's something I am doing wrong.

I got to feeling bad that Tech is alone all the time, no other bird friends. So I went out & bought another bird. I just got the DNA test back & they said it is a boy. I really wanted a turquoise variation (Tech is just the regular green cheek) I found one & was smitten by the little guys curiosity & odd coloring, he doesnt look like any other turquoise green cheek online that I've seen at least. He has two little yellow spots too, one on the top of each wing, like on his shoulder. His neck feathers cover them up most of the time, but when I get a pic I'll post it.

I've been keeping them in separate cages, but in the same room. Working with the new guy, handling, step up etc...he's just starting to really relax. (still haven't found the perfect name for him yet, only been a week.) He is just the sweetest little curious thing, a bit hand shy from being grabbed in the bird store though...Tech is a big baby & is scared of anything new, but loves people & is a total cuddle monster.

Ultimately my hope is to be able to put them in the same cage...I know it has only been a week & this is a long term goal. But I am nervous about Tech being a bully. There has been two incidents already where I had them both out in the living room with me & the new guy flew over & stole a piece of food right out of Tech's mouth! The first time it was a piece of pineapple & I shoved another in her face, she grabbed it & she didn't seem to care too much. I let them sit there & finish eating & then took the new guy back to his area. The second time, same thing...the new guy flew over to Tech & took a piece of strawberry right off her beak! I couldn't get over there fast enough & Tech nipped at him a couple times! I picked them both up right away & put one on each of my legs. Then I gave them each a strawberry & pet them at the same time. I told them there's no need to be jealous! They sat there & looked at each other, neither tried going over to the other after that. After a few minutes I put them both back in their separate cages. & now, about an hour later.... here I am looking for advice on how to get my Techy Pie to make nice with the Lil baby boy. she's always been so mean to other birds & I have next to no experience with this sort of thing, feeling nervous I'm messing up their potential friendship.

Tips, advice, suggestions, what not to do...even name suggestions for the new guy, all are welcome & appreciated!

 

[Compadrre]

Here are pics of them! Tech my little goofball/bully is the regular green cheek & the bird with no name (yet!) is the turquoise guy.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

They may be fine together, except Tech is a female and newbaby is a male and they may like each other enough to make babies. Do you have a plan on preventing this? Even if you cage them separately, Tech may be stimulated by newbaby's mere presence and start laying eggs. I have a female budgie that's only 13 months old and has already laid about a dozen eggs- without a male bird in the room!

Assuming they don't decide to mate, the introduction seems to be going well. The fact that Newbaby is a male may be good. It's not unusual for female birds to dislike other females but get along well with males. I know that's often the case with budgies. Regarding the strawberry incident- Tech's behavior- nipping at him for stealing her strawberry- is perfectly reasonable. Any animal (even some humans) whose food is being taken from them, even by a "friend", will object like this, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Keep all contact highly supervised until you're sure you can leave them alone together. Do you have a cage large enough to house both and still allow them to have their own space? How big is it? Separate food and water dishes on opposite sides of the cage and two of each toy and special perch.

I would still be concerned in the back of my mind about mating and egg laying. Healthy happy birds are driven to pair up and make more birds. It's not easy to stop birds from breeding once they set their minds to it.

They may pair up so well that they exclude you from their inner circle- another risk when your birds get along well.

 

[Compadrre]

It would make sense to me that females are b****y to other females I was hoping it would be a boy, just because of that very thought.

I haven't put any thought into preventing babies, but I don't really want babies either. I wouldn't have the first idea about how to stop that! Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

For now I am just focusing on keeping them out of their cages & in the living room with me. The new guys cage is small enough to just lug out here (to the living room) & leave the door open, he chooses to come out & then I can pick him with out stressing him out.

To answer your question DonnaBudgie:
Tech has a pretty decent sized cage, she's the clumsiest bird I have ever seen in my life. So she has a more horizontal cage rather than vertical. She's gotten better over the years, but she used to fall off her perches all the time! & I felt horrible every time I would hear a crash landing...so I bought her this nice long one, tons of room for lots of toys, steps & perches, extra water dish, her bed & a little ball/bell throwing area/shelf in the corner. (Bells are her favorite toys.)Although, she spends most of her time in the left side of the cage, where her bed & throwing area is.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078PYZMHS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_45&th=1

I bought the single version of this cage (above) & set it on top of my old TV stand....but I figured if/when the times comes to try to cage them together I would probably buy a new one. I think Tech would be too territorial to use her cage for the both of them.

Thank you for relieving my nerves about the food incidents! Tech is just like "whatever" about the new guy, but the little guy is just dying to jump over to Tech.

Here's my main question:
Tech has been territorial in the past, so I feel like allowing the new guy to jump over to Tech is bad. I usually hop up & take him back to his area. I wish Tech would go on her own, over to the new guy. But she is probably 90% focused on me & 10% on the new bird! I keep looking at her & thinking...I got you a friend and you don't even care Tech!!!

I have been bringing Tech's carrier cage out to the living room everyday & putting her on that one, with the new bird on his own cage. Tech has spent very little time in that carrier cage...maybe I am wrong to pick him up off Tech's carrier cage...maybe that is actually neutral territory? Maybe I should allow him to jump on that...where there is no food to fight over and just see what happens?

What are your thoughts?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

LlI'll

There's usually a dominant member in avian l, and that doesn't mean that the birds don't get along. My female budgies call the shots and the males seem happy to be "faithful manservants". Rocky my Diva budgie must eat first from the communal chop dish, often nipping at her boyfriend Beau who just let's her. But Beau takes good care of Rocky when she wants to be groomed and fed, and if he's a really good boy he gets to do the "humpty dance" with her, something she obviously enjoys.

Tech's cage looks nice and suits her well but you may be correct about getting a new cage eventually if they become roommates. Sharing an established territory may be tough

 

[Compadrre]

I think this means it's going well! Right?

Tech is actually choosing to get as close as possible to Yoshi & take naps by him! (Instead of me!)