Need advice picking a second bird.

[lemonypickett]

Hi all,

I will be getting a dog in the near future, and I see that as a problem for Eddie because he is not going to be able to spend every waking moment I am home out of his cage. This is rather unfair of me because I had Eddie first, but I need a lookout for intruders (not a guard dog, but I am rather oblivious to my surroundings usually - I need held with knowing if someone is outside).

So... in order to be fair to my fine yellow feathered friend, I think he deserves a companion to pass the time. Because I do not want babies (as I am too busy for all that craziness) I am thinking of a non-lovebird breed. I would quaranteen for 30, and they would sleep in separate cages... I hope they can "play" nice though when out.

This is where you all come in. This community as a whole has collectively kept all types of birds and may be able to make a "good fit" suggestion.

I am leaning towards the caique, and believe it or not ... a cockatiel. I want a bird that has a good possibility of getting along with Eddie, whom is not too noisy. I want friendly, and if they have similar dietetic needs, that would be helpful.

Things I like about the caique is that they are funny, don't need to fly much, have goofy personalities and are unusual looking. I like their compact, pitbull type build like the lovie.

Things that have me scared ... Big beak ... do their feathers have a greasy feel to them? Will it snap Eddie's neck? Will it scream? Are it's poops huge? :blush:

Things I like about the cockatiel: They can talk and sing. They have a few color choices. I don't hear about them being too noisy.

Things I don't like: Dust from their feathers? Long tails. Are they wimpy? Will a lovie beat it up?

I am open to other suggestions, as I am new to birds and don't know about that many. I know many people love their GCC, but I am looking for a bird a bit bigger so I can pet it without the bird feeling like I am beating it up.

Help please!

[carrier]

Ok, this is my suggestion:

Since the reason you are considering another bird is for the well-being and happiness of Eddie, I think you should get him DNA tested, (if not already done) and if he's a male get him another male lovie companion. Although he would enjoy the company of another bird, I think another lovie is the best option.

That way if all works out you can house them together in the same cage, which means you will have a lot less work to do (outside-of-cage time can be the same for both, cleaning only one cage, etc.)

I think adding another species is risky, unless you have the additional time for the other bird as well as Eddie and the new puppy, as there is the same amount of risk that they won't get along or be able to play outside of thier cages together. The odds seem more favorable if you stick with lovebirds.

Anyhow, that's my :2cents:

[Mummieeva]

I agree with Carrie in that adding another type of bird might not be a good idea. As a general rule lovebirds do not do well with other types. I would do a DNA sexing if not already done then go from there. You also might find that you have plenty of time even with a dog to give Eddie alot of attention.



Steph

[thebubbleking]

i agree a male or female hybrid lovebird would be best, a female can breed but the eggs if there are any wont be fertile and even if it is another lovebird male or female there is no promise they will get along so might end up in seperate cages.
As for my situation i always had and housed lovebirds but got a cockatiel and the lovebirds dont like her they get along when on or very close to me but otherwise need to be seperated because lovebirds think they are the toughest thing on earth.
Teils talk and sing arent in my opinion to loud and eat the same food as lovies.
I just got sun conures :D the lovies want to bully them but i dont let the out of the cage seperately as one snap of the beak and it would cut off a neck or leg. Teils poops arent bad but conures are huge!

[cp.lovebird]

I debated for nearly 6 months after Squeaky's mate died about getting another bird. I decided on another male peachfaced lovebird as the best option - especially since Squeaky is 14 years old and I don't think he can handle a nesty young hen! I like the idea that I may eventually be able to cage them together which will be good company for them and a little less cleaning/feeding work for me!

Good luck with your decision.

[lemonypickett]

Thanks for the tips guys. Maybe that would be best.

I had hoped to expand my bird keeping expertise by having a new breed.

I was wishing that I could find a bird that would get along ok with Eddie.

Maybe a second lovebird would be best.

Any other opinions?

[Chickobee]

Hi Laura;

I would stick with another lovie also, but I am most definitely prejudiced in their favor. We have ten of these little munchkins and notice they have very different personalities and antics.

Our little Ariel sings differently from all the others so I can always tell when she is calling me. She and her mate Forrest would also love to have babies but we haven't set them up with a box yet. We want to take this a bit more slowly and not have so many babies all at once.

Miss Pixie wants to be a velcro birdie but now also enjoys the company of her mate Piper. She was our most nesty hen but has calmed down lately. I won't let her have a nest (if I have a choice) at least until she turns one in June.

Buddy and Holly both love to come out to say hello and they have the cutest lovie chatter between them even though they also interact with me. (BTW- Holly now has her second egg this morning! :-) We are looking forward to little green opalines or possibly even lutino opaline babies soon, and hoping all goes well with their little family.)

Jasper and Sophie are also busily setting up their nest and she is looking like an egg could come any time. They both are still very sociable and want to come out to visit, but not for long before she wants to go back to check on their nest.

I know you don't want to have babies, but more lovies are more of a circus, and more fun! You should see our climbing gym sometimes when we have a bunch of them out playing. They mostly get along but we are very careful to supervise in case someone gets territorial. Mostly they are too busy eating and playing to pick fights. :-)

Linda

[michael]

I've always been somewhat unable to decide on whether to get a companion for my Goofy lovebird. Without a doubt though it would be another "lovebird". After weighing in the possibilities surrounding such a venture I always seem to conclude to leave well enough alone for fear of having to limit my time spent with him. He's out and about around 6-8 hours per day total in roughly 2-3 hour intervals and loves every minute of it. Yeah, I could go into the "what ifs" and "probably shoulds". Then a little guilt starts setting in because he may be a happier lovebird paired with a like companion. I'll stop right here :roll:.

If "I had to" make a decision on getting a companion "for my lovebird" it would be under the best possible chance they would get along. Afterall, the reason for another bird would be for him and not for me. And yes, by the way I want an African grey, a few finches, an Amazon, some Parrotlets, and etc...etc...:nyah:. Oops, gotta watch I don't get carried away >o. Well, we may not be able to guarantee the outcome that any two birds will get along, but we can lower the bar so to speak. From what I can tell the best option just may be another male lovebird for my "male" lovebird.............So far..........:)

On the other hand, if he (Goofy) were a she, it would be back to the drawing board..........8o

[NickyBeth]

I hear you, LemonyPickett. I know how you feel about wanting to get Eddie a friend......sometimes I wonder if I should get Cherry a "friend" as well.

My uncle had a 'tiel. Ironically, the bird outlived him -- and Woodstock is almost 20 now! In his younger days, my aunt would complain that all he would do is "squawk" when she was on the phone -- and he would get extremely vocal at 10:00 at night. I can still hear her yelling "Shaddup" to the bird when I close my eyes and remember those days....

Anywho, gotta take a few things into account here. Getting a dog to keep you aware of your surroundings is indeed important. There are days when I want one myself with my husband travelling so much......

But is getting a lovebird the right answer? We've got some pros and cons. Yes, if all goes well -- then you can house them together. Yes, you'll save on toys and food because you'll be able to give them the same thing. Yup, Eddie will have a "forever friend!"

But here are the cons. If they don't get along, then you've got another big cage in your home. Again, you were going to have to get another cage for the other bird -- but just something to think about. (I'm not sure if space is an issue for you, but it is for me.) Another thing to think about is how Eddie interacts with you. Will getting him a friend change that? It may, and it may not. Getting a doggie might be enough to upset the little guy!

Personally, I think I would get the dog first -- and then see how Eddie reacts. He may ignore the dog entirely, and still enjoy spending time with you! I know Woodstock ignored my aunt's dog -- and he still acted like the big head honcho around there. If you find that Eddie is acting differently to you because of the dog -- then that is when I would look into getting his friend.

Getting him DNA sexed right now in advance would probably be the best idea. This way, you know the gender of Eddie and where to pursue if Eddie and the Doggie don't "jive" right with you.

[Pips mom]

I think a lovie would be best to get as a friend for Eddie too. Tiels are great, but their peaceful, laid back personalities just don't usually mix well with mischievous, playful lovies. Lovies tend to be too aggressive for a tiel, BUT....if your looking for a bird who will let you know when someone's there----tiels are famous for letting you know when someone pulls into the driveway. My parent's tiel did this and so do mine-----I always know when someone is here-----you get to know their yells and know when it's an alarm saying----someone's here! Also though tiels CAN be noisey! Mine are horrible some days----the yelling in the mornings! Of course then Pip chimes right in and so does Ivy, and it gets pretty noisey here sometimes! but I'd say the bad noisey days are probably only about 30 percent of the time, so it isn't really often.
I'm thinking you might do just fine with Eddie and a dog without having to get another bird. Pip just loves dogs! He loves to check them out and ride around on them, and luckily we had a dog who just didn't even care that the birds were around, so they were safe around him----he was old, and pretty much the only thing worth his time and effort was food and he just looked at the birds like-----what the heck are these things flying around?
I hesitate now to get another dog due to the fact that Pip will want to be his buddy! I would get the dog and just see how things go first and if you still feel like Eddie could use another buddy, then probably another lovie is the best chance for a friendship for him. In Ivy's previous home though she had two lovies and one was best friends with Ivy and then best friends with a green cheeck conure, so I guess you just never know with these little birdies! :confused:

[lemonypickett]

Thanks everyone for your answers.

I am not worried about Eddie not liking the dog, I am worried about the dog liking Eddie for lunch!

I will wait and see, I am leaning toward the waiting answer. I am thinking about adopting an older dog from a shelter so that I don't suffer "puppiness" with my busy schedule and may help find a difficult dog to place a home.

If the dog doesn't want to eat Eddie than it would not affect his time out of his cage.... thus making the requirement of a cage "friend" a non-issue.

I will let you all know how it ultimately turns out. Thanks guys :)