A friend for Cricket

[Lwalker]

Sorry if this question has been covered but I could not find enough info on a search. Cricket, my 9 month old GCC is plucking and it is breaking my heart. I am considering getting him a friend for when I am at work. I am awaiting his DNA results to find out if he really is a he but understand the best option is probably another GCC of similar age. I don't want them to breed so I was thinking same sex but have been reading opposite sex would be better for him/her (?) Still, I wondered are there other birds that would be company and likely to get along (with separate cages)? There is a lovebird that I could adopt that is a bit older. I have had budgies and cockateilsin the past but never more than one at a time. Are there any better combinations than other (recognizing there is no guarantee) or is another GCC advised?

[Wolf]

I think that I could give you the correct answers, but I think that it would be better wait for someone with more experience with GCC to answer this first.

[Pajarita]

To tell you the truth, nobody can answer your question with any degree of certainty. For one thing, parrots have very distinct personalities as well as personal likes and dislikes so some would absolutely refuse to bond with any other bird while others would even bond with one of a completely different species. But, personally, I would never try to pair a GCC with a lovebird.

I would look for another GCC (or a very similar species) of the opposite gender and also a juvenile (because it will make things easier on you and your bird) so that, with any luck, they will end up mate-bonded. Now, this might mean that you will lose the bond you now have with him/her -mind you, it's not as if the bird is going to stop loving you but, most likely, you will no longer be number one in his/her life. I don't mind this at all - quite the contrary, I welcome it because I deeply believe that parrots NEED to have companion birds to be happy in captivity and their wellbeing is the most important thing to me, but some people do. You also need to take into consideration that companion or no companion, you need to eliminate all the possible reasons why he is plucking because, if you don't, you might end up with two unhappy birds instead of just one. I have to tell you that the fact that he is so young and already started plucking is deeply worrisome to me... In my personal experience, parrots that pluck rarely start that early in life.

GCCs are wonderful little birds but they are not easy ones. People see them so small that they think they are less work than a larger parrot but it's not true, they are actually harder than most other species because their requirements are more exact (I always compare them to cockatoos). My Codee is the sweetest thing, doesn't scream, doesn't bite or nip, doesn't pluck, is a great eater and bather, doesn't destroy anything, is super affectionate, etc. You could say she is the perfect companion parrot. But she was given away because of the usual issues with them: screaming and biting (and she was covered in stress bars). They are extremely needy little birds and they are not forgiving of the minimum deviation to the right conditions because they become highly hormonal and unhappy so, please, by all means, do consider getting him/her a companion but don't expect things to change just because you did because they won't.

[seagoatdeb]

There really is no complete certainty but GGC are good at getting along with other parrots, and they get along well with their own species. But since this is captivity, they need to be introduced slowly, kept in seperate cages, and supervised if out together. it will take time. Also as Pajarita said, often a baby GGC would be the best. The older parrot woud not tend to want to be around the baby too much and time is needed to watch each other and accept they are part of the same flock.