Do animals have friends?

[Pajarita]

This is a super interesting article written by a neurobiologist BUT what really got me and the reason why I am posting here in the health section is that they keep on finding a link between loneliness and the immune system - something that I have been harping on for ages and ages when it comes to leaving a parrot all alone for hours and hours and hours every single day! Parrots NEED companions! The other is the relation between biology and behavior (pay attention to the bit that says that nerve fibers in our skin react to touch with a pleasant sensation and that the most acute is when the stroke resembles that of a mother caressing her newborn) which supports my theory that 'speaking their body language' that is, imitating what a parrot would do to another parrot is the best way to make them feel secure and loved.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/book ... worth.html

[liz]

Yes. they have friends. I see it in my pack of critters.

I see stories on TV of dogs or cats moving in with zoo critters. They played together.

I was given a 3 day old chicken. I put it in the sun room in it's own cage with a night light bulb and a cardboard box. One of Rachel's Boxers felt sorry for it being alone and spent a lot of time with it. She would put her nose against the cage and let the chick peck at it. When Chick Chick was big enough to go outside they spent time together.

We have a fenced area that connects our homes with a big yard. Charles has two wiener hounds. Rachel has two terriers and a pom. I have two Chihuahuas. They all play together in the yard. Charles' Annie plays mostly with my Chloe. Charles' Noya plays mostly with my Jasmine.

[Pajarita]

Of course they do! Anybody who has had animals and has observed them knows this! But, when it comes to science, it has been (and still is) very hard to 'convince' them that animals have feelings just like humans do.