Stories- ringneck, quaker, and gcc

[Wolf]

I can't say that birds with companions won't be noisy when they are alone, for the simple reason that none of my birds are ever alone. I know that they are noisy in the mornings, because I join in with them in saying good morning to everyone and it is heard further down the hollow that I live in according to my neighbors who also say that it doesn't bother them and that they actually listen for it. My neighbors tell me that when I leave the house that the birds will scream for me for about 10 to 15 minutes and then quieten back down. I know that if I leave the room that they will call for me until I answer them several times and then continue to do so off and on as long as they can hear me doing things without them.
As far as I recall it has been said on this forum that those birds with companions are mostly quieter than those without a companion, but I don't know this to be true or not as my birds all have other birds with them all of the time.

[Pajarita]

Well, the principle is that birds call for other birds when alone so, when they have a companion of their own, they don't feel the need. But they all vocalize in the morning and in the evening regardless of whether they are alone or in a flock of 40 birds because flock calls at feeding time are part of their natural biorhythms.

Have you moved the birds upstairs to the human living areas from the basement where they are usually kept? Because, if that is the case, they are reacting to the change (there is more noise where people are: talking, TV, etc) plus you can hear them better now than when they were down in the basement.

[shiraartain]

Wolf, not you or anyone in this forum in particular, but it's just something you hear throughout various forums and sites. An empty promise, I say! We enjoy hearing them talk though, so not a problem.

Yes, they are moved, Parjarita. They have had time to adjust for a while, though, and even when they were down there they were brought into the same room for flight/play/bonding time. They're very used to the area.

Since these birds aren't as cuddly, my parents aren't as attached to them... When they poop on an easily-wiped surface, my parents declare we're giving them away. My dad was so serious about it the other day that one of the twins has taken to cleaning their cage thoroughly every day and wiping down anywhere they are. The other twin, not so much. Came into my room after she was there with them this morning and found seed and bird poop on my bed

Yesterday I took a break from studying and my mom told me she and my dad were considering replacing one of the areas next to the door with granite or something so it's more easy to wipe and doesn't stain when Fajr poops on it. He can do no wrong in their eyes

He's almost two years soon. Wonder how they'll feel about him when he hits bird puberty..
...also wonder who he'll mate bond to. Two fellow birds and six humans to choose from Was originally planning to take in another conure around this time, but since we have Clover and Lemon already, not feasible right now.

[Wolf]

I have no idea as to whom Fajr will choose to mate bond to, but I would think that it is likely to be a different person that the one with which he is bonded to at present as that is the parent/ child type of bond, and I would think that given the choice that he would not choose to mate bond with the person who was his surrogate parent.
This is one of the reasons given for why some birds are rehomed that they didn't mate bond with the same person that was parent to them and who wanted the bird in the first place.

[Pajarita]

He's, most likely, already going through or done with puberty and chosen a new human (which, I think, it's your father).

The reason why Lemon and Clover are noisier is the fact that they were moved to a new place. It doesn't matter that they have already been there lots of times and it doesn't matter that it happened a couple of weeks ago (or whatever period of time we are talking about), it takes them a loooong time to completely accept a change in 'territory'.

And birds with companions don't scream as much as single birds and this is not an 'empty' promise, it's a fact. Thing is, parrots are never really quiet so even with a flock around them they will still vocalize.

[shiraartain]

Hmm....the problem is Wolf, that I don't know who he considers his parent....he treats us all the same! Except for my youngest sister whose presence makes him angry, he will come and greet a human who he has not seen for a while. Whoever walks in through the door, he will fly over to greet them and give them kisses and demand pets. He does thus particularly with me dad because we make an event out of it every day, but does it for other people too. Once that human is busy, he will fly off to find someone who will pay attention to him, or go to his favorite perch by the window and talk to the birds outside.

Parjarita, I don't think so...his behaviour has been pretty consistent outside of his very early days here where he would fall asleep on my shoulder. He might be approaching it, because he's slightly standoffish with me, but that may also be because I was the one enforcing his cage arrest while his leg was healing.

[Pajarita]

Well, GCCs that are content are usually pretty good with everybody but, at two, he has already gone through puberty or is a the tail end of the 'change'. Has this bird been DNA'd a male? I apologize if you already told me this, I forget if you have...

[Wolf]

Since I don't recall any earlier mention of any behavior suggesting the onset of puberty, I was thinking that Fajr was one of the milder ones and that we were probably seeing the tail end of the process.

[shiraartain]

Ah, I was wondering why you were assuming he had gone through puberty-

We got him at nine weeks of age, he hasn't hit two yet. He'll be two around February (?), I believe. He's almost there though, so maybe you're right.

And no, he has not been DNA'd as there's no reason to DNA him until it's time to find him a companion.

[Pajarita]

Well, you said he (and I bet he is a she) was two but, even if he/she is only 20 months, if you are keeping him/her at a good solar schedule (which might not be the case as the cage is in the basement), he/she would have started sexual hormone production this summer and be on the wane now.