Need Advice about bringing home a new bird

[stephinilm]

We currently own a small and sweet parakeet (budgie) named Skeeter - he's not a great flier but he gets around and we let him fly the house frequently and have "play stations" for him in my children's rooms. He has a room of his own off the kitchen with a large cage and unless we are actively playing with him, he stays in his closed cage, he likes it and feels safe there. Most of the time, we keep him in his cage but he can see us and talk to us when we are in the kitchen. It's a nice sunny room with lots of windows and he can see and hear lots of activity in the house and the kids playing outside. Great room for birds.

My sister has asked us to take a 12 year old Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot that was given to her a few years ago. She installed a gas fireplace and had to move him to an area of their home where he can't see people -- and he is very unhappy. I don't know anything about these birds.

We have a very lively home with lots of children and pets (snake, bird, dogs, cat) so we are happy to take him. Bucky (parrot) is a little moody but that might be because he's lonely. Bucky does not fly at all. We want to move Bucky into the same room with our parakeet but in his own cage. Can we do that? Will they be upset if they can see each other but not get to each other? I read that they can't be alone together because Bucky might hurt the budgie. Bucky is used to being able to go in and out of his cage with doors open. Will that be ok if the parakeet stays in a closed cage and they are in the same room? Or should they go in totally separate rooms? Thanks for any advice. We hope for a peaceful and happy transition!

[Wolf]

Let me start by welcoming you to the forum.

To my way of thinking, you have asked an interesting question and one in which I am not sure that I know enough to do justice to.

I have several birds that all reside in my living room, ranging in size from parrotlets and budgies on up to an amazon. Ideally, I would prefer to have the small parrots in a separate room from the larger ones as it is safer for the small ones, but I do not have that much space in the house.

Although the budgie should be able to get away from the amazon, especially if it flies and the amazon does not, but then the budgie, being a single bird, may want to try to make friends with the amazon despite the size difference and that could lead to it being seriously injured or its death at the beak of the amazon. It is usually advised to keep birds with different sizes of beaks separated from each other due to the risk to the smaller bird.

As long as you can keep them off of the other birds cage and take them out separately then you can house them in the same room, but as long as you have either one of them out of their cage you will need to be right there to supervise the time out.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum and thank you so much for been willing to offer this bird a home! Wolf gave you excellent advice and the only thing I have to add is that, if I were you, I would get the budgie a mate because budgies are extremely pushy little things and needy when it comes to company so, unless you provide the lonely budgie you have with a companion of its own, he will try to interact with the amazon and, most likely, will end up hurt because, even if the amazon is locked in his cage, he can still bite the little budgie's feet or beak off (and no, supervision doesn't work because, by the time you realize the budgie is on the amazon's cage and get there, the damage will be done). Besides, it's a real lonely life for a single budgie - nature never meant for them to be alone...

[liz]

I love the chatter between two Budgies.

I worry more about what the smaller critter could cause that will make the larger bird react with a bite. Jake bit me on reflex one day causing a single hole in my arm. ( I did not punish him or even say bad dog. He dropped to the ground like a cowering puppy then ran back into his lot and into his house.)This is also my worry about letting the Chihuahuas in the fence with Jake. They do sneak in at times and play together. The Chihuahua is about the size of Jakes ear. He loves when they sneak in to play and I let them for a few minutes. Jake is old but acts like a puppy when one of the girls sneaks in.