Adding a new baby?

[Wolf]

Your situation is not that of an aviary and to me there is little to be gained in trying to compare them, but lets see how well I do anyway.
In an aviary setting you would have a much larger space that they are confined to so that there are plenty of perches and space for birds that don't like each other very much to perch without infringing on another bird. The younger birds are most likely still with their parents in an aviary setting and they will help protect their young until they are old enough to become an active participating member of the flock. Aviary birds normally have much less physical contact with humans and don't have the same bonding with humans as the single companion bird does.
You have two single companion birds that each have a specific type of bond with you that they would not have in the aviary setting. The younger bird has the parent/ child type of bond with you and needs you to provide everything to it as well as to teach it what foods to eat and how to eat them, he needs you to teach him the ins and outs of being a bird, what toys are and how he can use them in short everything about being a bird the same as his biological parents would. He is totally dependent on you for everything and he knows this. He looks to you for protection and security and for this reason he does all that he can to remain with you, again the same as if you were his biological parent. He needs you and would never be without at least one of his parents until he goes through puberty when he would then go with the other young birds that are going through puberty as well.
But you don't have this to provide him with. So after puberty he is going to try to bond with your older bird, who up until this time has no need for him. The chances are that until the younger bird becomes an adult that you older bird will do its best to avoid him and if the young bird is too persistent it could lead to him being injured by the older bird.
Now your younger bird has reached puberty and becomes an adult he releases the parent/ child bond so that he can seek out a mate and if he has a suitable choice for mate bonding other than yourself he will probably go with that instead of rebonding with you. This has been the sole cause of many birds being rehomed. If there are no other suitable choices then he will probably rebond with you but this bond is much different than the previous bond because the young bird no longer thinks the same way as he did while a baby bird. He should be more confident and sure of himself as well as less dependent in some ways. But he is now looking for a mate bonding, this is the type of bond that you have with the older bird that you already have. This is the point in time that they may or may not become friends or bond with each other or not. If they become friends then they will be able to interact with each other with minimal supervision but not live in the same cage as the other. To your birds their cage is their nesting area and they do not allow other birds to occupy this space with them unless they bond to each other and they will defend this area with their life. In an aviary setting or in an open bird room there is enough space for them both to have their space but in the cages that we have for companion birds, even the flight cages there is not enough space for this so if they are not bonded they will fight and one or both could be injured or killed.
Now you have GCCs which are more flock oriented than some other species of parrots, but I think that many think and mistake that they are flock oriented more than they are, I think that they are more mate oriented than flock oriented and this is why they are so clingy to their humans than other birds.
This is my take on them in the situation that you have and is the best that I know how to describe it, I hope that it proves useful to you.

[Pajarita]

Actually, Wolf, she doesn't have an adult bird, she has a juvenile because her 'older' bird is only 6 months old but your explanation of the different 'company/bond needs' for the different stages of growth and the difference between aviary and companion situations is perfectly accurate.

Your baby bird doesn't 'want' to be with you all the time. Your baby birds NEEDS to be with you (or somebody) all the time. You would not leave a human baby, a puppy or a kitten alone all day long, would you? So, why would you think that baby birds are any different? This is exactly what was worrying me about your getting a baby and working full time with an hour commute each way. And, yes, babies do start eating on their own when they are a few weeks old but they are also supplemented for months after they start by their parents and that's why they need soft food served fresh twice a day - again, you would not feed a human baby, a puppy or a kitten adult food, would you? Well, baby birds are the same, they need the extra nutrition, the softness and the warmth of soft food. And the 'fully weaned' babies that breeders sell often revert when they are placed in their new home out of sheer insecurity and stress and handfeeding makes them feel better because, to them, it's not only food, it's the comfort, closeness and a sense of safety they get from it. That's why I told you that you will need to handfeed once a day.

[Wolf]

True but there will be a period of up to 6 months where one is an adult and the other is not and that needs to be accounted for in their living set up.

[Pajarita]

Yep, exactly so, Wolf. Six months is nothing in terms of age for a bird once the bird is a sexually mature adult but it makes a world of difference when you are mixing babies, juveniles and adults in the small species.

[Tallis22]

Hi guys, just an update. Both birds and more than happy to be out together, and baby Merri follows Ollie around mercilessly. They are happy to sit on each of my shoulders and fall asleep or go off and play together (always under supervision) so I don't have to worry too much about equal out of cage time. Merri still gets her soft food twice a day, before I leave and when I get home. I'm happy to keep them in seperate cages, that's no problem.

I guess the only thing I can't fix is leaving them each day. But honestly, I don't know how people are supposed to live and earn whilst they're doting on pet birds each day. Without the money I make I wouldn't be able to feed or buy them toys, so I think they'll forgive me for that one.

Thanks again guys!

[Pajarita]

Well, they are very forgiving, no doubt about that! But bodies don't forgive, they need what nature evolved them to need - not my opinion, a scientific fact. And yes, you have hit the nail on the head: parrots are VERY hard to keep healthy and happy in captivity by people with normal lifestyles... so hard that most people end up giving them up.