question regarding keeping 2 bonded parrots together

[liz]

It has been a long time since the slip ups getting baby cockatiels. I have been rescuing adults and some in pairs or even families. I have found that at least on of a pair or family will bond to me.
Of course I do not single out and trick train. My tiels are as close to a flock as possible and the ones who bond to me do it on their own. I accept it as bonding if they come to me when I go in their room, hang on the door to call me or just come close and want to whisper secrets.

[Leanna]

Well written Wolf and I completely agree.

[Leanna]

These two birds were just placed together and may not have much of a bond at all. They have lost their real siblings and they are not in any place at three months to know how strong their bond is to each other. They are not even old enough to take home yet. There is a real difference in the kind of realtionships people have with their parrots. Some people have a large flock and some of the birds are bonded to each other so those parrot people dont neeed to spend as much time with their birds as someone who ony has a parrot or two. I have a larger flock and have had a small one before so I have experienced both sides. Pois like the Jardines, tend to be one person birds and bond strongly to one human often. Conures need more attention than Pois and are known often as velcroe birds. The need of the conure for a lot of attention can infuriate/jealousy the Poi. I have worked through that before. if you are looking for a close realationship with your birds it is often better to get a new baby when one is already an adult. The adult will want space from the baby, but your relagtionship is already in place with the adult bird so it is easier to get them to get along. often with two babies of different species, as they grow up they will hit a place where one would be after the other, and it will most like be the Jardines after the Conure. Of course the two you are looking at may decide to be fine together, but I just want you to take a realistic look at what you would be facing to help you decide what is best for you and what you really want.

[Navre]

If you do take both, I'd want to have two cages available. These birds are so young, and will mature at different ages. You'll have to keep a close eye on them because one or the other could, at some point, decide that he no longer wants to share a cage with the other. You'll want to have the means to separate them on hand.

[Pajarita]

I had a jardine and, although I never have had a crimson bellied, I've had and still have a GCC which are very similar in size and temperament and I really do not think you will have a problem. Granted, I only had one jardine and having one bird of a species doesn't really give a whole lot of insight into the species, it just teaches you about that individual bird, but, for what I have read about them, in general, and from other owners, mine seemed to have been pretty 'standard' when it came to personality and she is the sweetest, sweetest thing! She also got along just fine with all the other birds in the birdroom - never, ever, ever gave a single problem about that and I had her for ten years and she shared the birdroom (they live cage-free) with lots of other species, from budgies to macaws. Crimson-bellies are, apparently, very similar to GCCs and mine is bonded to a bird of a different species and it happened fast and without a single hitch (it was entirely their choice, not mine) and going by the many other inter-species bonding examples, I would say that it's not rare at all for this to happen.

Will they get along when they become sexually mature? Nobody can answer that question for sure. One cannot even say that the bird will even like its owner once it matures as there have been many examples of birds that turned completely against their owners when they went through puberty. But, for what people say and going by my limited experience (I don't take in young birds, usually, so I've only had about three of four juveniles), it happens much more often than not to the point that, when people want two birds to bond, it's usually recommended that they are acquire both when young. It's the older birds that are used to been by themselves that usually have a problem. Sharing and cohabiting with their close and extended family is, after all, what they do in the wild so it's not as if one was expecting them to adapt to an unnatural situation, quite the contrary! The unnatural situation is for a parrot to grow up and live alone.

Now, I would not worry about them vying for the top bird position because this is based on the concept of a hierarchical society and we know now that parrots flocks are not structured that way. There could be jealousy but all you would have to do is to offer the same amount and level of attention to both and they will do just fine. If one can take two separate birds that lived alone separately with a human for years and get them used to sharing a third human, I would say that doing it from the beginning would be much, much easier.

Of the birds I currently care for, my GCC came to me during puberty (she was about a year and a half old) and my jenday had not gone through it yet (he was nine months old) and they both do GREAT with other birds! No jealousy and no aggression whatsoever.

Personally, I think that all parrots should have a companion of their own. So much so that I actively look for suitable companions for the 'lone' ones and put a lot of time and work into getting them to bond. I was never able to get another jardine for mine to bond to and that was the main reason why I returned her to her original owner recently (the lady is now retired and living alone so she can spend all day long with her). She did hang out with the timneh gray and got along with everybirdy but she never had a companion of her own and that was something that bothered me terribly so, if I were in your shoes, I would not doubt for one second and get them both (and I would jump for joy in the process!). But that doesn't mean that you cannot provide a single jardine a good home, either! So, that's my two cents.

[seagoatdeb]

Since you already have a cockatiel, the Jardines will have to learn to get a long with your cockatiel. If you buy both at the same time, it will be more difficult with suddenly going from one bird to three though, but if you are willing to put in the time all can learn to get along or if they dont get along having one out at a time can work for you whichever way you decide. if they bond to each other, it can affect their relationship with you, but you will still have a relationship.

[Wolf]

As I said in my original reply, I would get them both, but what is being said here is that you should be prepared for them to not continue to get along after puberty. This is because no one can say for sure how things will go from that point on. The majority of my research suggests that there is a better than average chance that they will get along.

[Leanna]

I cant agree with you this time Wolf. They have one bird, a cockatiel. Cockatiels are very easy birds to have. It is a big change to get a Jardines and a Conure and suddenly get three birds, and their reasoning was they should not split them up. They are 3 month old babies of different species and they are not bonded in a way that it is a problem to split them up. The only reason to get two birds is if you want two more parrots, and understand how much responsibility that is. If they have a close relationship with their cockatiel, there will be a big adjustment and a lot of work ahead with three birds. I cant even tell you how many times I rehomed a bird I rescued once I restored it to health and then had to take it back, because it was a lot more responsibility than the people thought. One extra parrot is a big change already to people who are not experienced with having multiple birds. They need to think carefully about this. They need to see if they have an extra room or space to separate them if they have a problem with each other one day. They also might bond strongly and not like humans as much, or because they are bonded they may decide they want to attack the cockatiel, so they need to be aware of all the things that could happen and make sure they are set up for it. I hope this helps and you are able to think about all the possibilities and see if that responsibiity is one you want to take on and would enjoy.

[Wolf]

I have seen very little evidence that the Jardines and the conure would not continue to get along with each other. Yes, they need to consider that they also have a Cockatiel and that there is a strong possibility that the new birds will be too much for the cockatiel as they are much more aggressive than the cockatiel so the cockatiel may need to be protected from them. There is a difference in the amount of work involved in going from one bird to three birds and this is rather obvious as I would not expect that going from one to three of anything would not include a corresponding increase in the amount of work involved.
Ultimately the OP is going to have to make up their own mind about how to proceed. All I have done is try to look at it from several different perspectives Ranging from how well which birds are likely to get along or not to whether the OP is actually wanting both of the new birds or if they are just thinking that separating them would be detrimental to the two birds or not. Hopefully between your efforts , my efforts and the efforts of every one else who has had the courtesy of replying to the OP that the OP will have the information to make an informed decision in this matter. For me at this point it is much more about providing answers based on the different criteria that are most likely to be involved more that whether you and I agree with any of them or not.

[seagoatdeb]

Bird "Politics" is very interesting to say the least. In my daughters home right now she has added a rescue female Senegal, her male Meyers and her male GGC had been bonded to each other and still had a realtionship with each other. But now the Meyers has decided he is interested in the Senegal, and the two Pois wont have much to do with the GGC anymore. My Red Belly female, when she was young was in a house that had a GGC, a Senegal, a Budgie and Cockatiel. She learned to get along with the GGC, the Budgie and the Senegal, but she could not tolerate the Cockatiel, and they could not be out of their cages at the same time. Pois have a tendency to be "possesive" of their humans, and it is more likely the Poi will have the hardest time adjusting, but they are smart birds and there is always a way to make it work.