questions regarding more than one lovie..

[kikii]

:confused: Well i took your advice and i separated chee choo and taco yesterday so they were together for a day if not less in the same cage..

But i have a few questions..

They are both in different cages but they are in different rooms as well..

1. would it make a difference if they were in the same room?? or side by side? because i don't want them to bond with eachother as much as with me.. so do i keep em separated in different rooms or just different cages side by side...

2. Since Chee choo's cage is a lot bigger than Taco's would it be okay to put taco in chee choo's cage once in a while? or would that cause territory problems.. i know that the first day they were in together they got along fine with no problems..

3. a major concern.. while taco was in chee choo's cage i was changing food/water taco was flippin out going crazy and that made chee choo do the same as if he was reverting back to the first few days i had him.. and when i separated him it took a good day for him to not be afraid of me.. will putting the cages side by side or in the same room not cause the same reaction??

4. Taco on his own is fine with me pettin him and touching him but as soon as chee choo is around he flips and wont' let me touch him.. ne ideas as to why??

im sorry to throw all these questions just never owned 2 birds lol.. now mom wants a third!!! we think chee choo and taco are males..but haven't dna sexed em yet...

Regarding quarantine.. why so long the wait? and does that mean their cages can't be side by side??

okay well thanks and pictures will be posted tomorrow morning :D :D

toodelzzz :)

[Buy A Paper Doll]

I'll answer what I can...

Why so long the wait? My vet said that some diseases take up to 45 days to incubate. So let's say you got your new bird at a pet store and he was exposed to something that morning, maybe another customer who has sick birds at home handled him or another bird in the store is sick. It could take a month and a half for that disease to show up on a test or to see any symptoms.

Does that mean their cages can't be side by side during that time? I wouldn't recommend it. Some diseases are airborne so you wouldn't want them in close proximity to each other.

would it be okay to put taco in chee choo's cage once in a while? or would that cause territory problems I think it depends on the birds. Mine seem to be OK with 'visiting' the other bird's cage for maybe 15 minutes every few days but I watch them carefully to make sure they're getting along OK. For the most part their playtime is in a 'neutral' location, away from either cage. I stick both birds on the coffee table with their Tinker Toy playgym as well as some paper and broccoli to destroy and they have a grand old time. When the bickering gets out of control I separate them and they go back to their separate cages.

i don't want them to bond with eachother as much as with me When I got my second bird, I was worried that Milo would like her better than he likes me. :) And you know what? When they are playing together, they are most definitely more interested in each other than in me. But they are still tame and friendly. Milo still wants to hang out with me and climb all over me - but now Melody follows him. Also I spend some time with each bird individually, every day. I think this helps them remember to include you in their flock. :)

[shylevon]

1.Would it make a difference if they were in the same room?? Or side by side? because I don't want them to bond with each other as much as with me.. so do I keep them separated in different rooms or just different cages side by side...
If you have the birds separated for quarantine reasons, the cages should be in separate rooms until the thirty-day period has lapsed. Many diseases can be airborne, and you are risking their health to have them close together, even in separate cages. If the birds are separated solely for behavioral reasons, the cages can be placed side by side.

2. Since Chee choo's cage is a lot bigger than Taco's would it be okay to put taco in chee choo's cage once in a while? Or would that cause territory problems.. i know that the first day they were in together they got along fine with no problems..
Only after quarantine can these two visit with each other. You may experience territorial issues, so make sure you move the dominant birdie into the submissive birdie’s cage. This will minimize the hostility. They should still be supervised during this visiting time so any fights they may have can be stopped. Remember, one bird can easily and quickly kill another when fighting for their kingdom.

3. A major concern.. while taco was in chee choo's cage I was changing food/water taco was flipping out going crazy and that made chee choo do the same as if he was reverting back to the first few days I had him.. and when I separated him it took a good day for him to not be afraid of me.. will putting the cages side by side or in the same room not cause the same reaction??
It’s hard to say without knowing the reason for the birdies behavior. You may just need to try it and see how it works out.

4. Taco on his own is fine with me petting him and touching him but as soon as chee choo is around he flips and won’t let me touch him.. any ideas as to why??
Sounds like jealousy. Try to spend independent time with each birdie and see if this stops the problem. Sometimes birdies like to spend time alone with their humans and sometimes they would rather spend their free time with the other birdie.

Regarding quarantine.. Why so long the wait? And does that mean their cages can't be side by side??
Thirty days is standard, in fact, it is a little on the low side. Many people think that if a birdie has an illness, symptoms will manifest within the thirty-day period, so if birdie doesn’t drop dead in that time, he probably doesn’t have anything transmittable. Not true. Plenty of illnesses are well hidden among birds, are asymptomatic, or the illness has a longer incubation period. Quarantine should really be 90 days. This extended period also gives the owner ample time to get a ‘well birdie check up’ and tests run to ensure the new addition is healthy before exposing the other birdies to the possible threat. This also means the cages cannot be side by side during the quarantine time. Airborne viruses being what they are and all.