Posted by PHCanary on March 18, 2003 at 15:24:19:
In Reply to: Re: Parakeets & Cockatiels posted by Remy on March 18, 2003 at 13:59:35:
I agree. My budgies are more of a threat to my tiels than vice versa. I'd never consider putting birds of different species together!
:Having owned quite a few of both, I would judge that the Budgies may be a bigger threat to the cockatiel than vice versa.
:Budgies can be very pugnacious. They also tend to be territorial about their cages when a stranger is introduced, be it another Budgie or a cockatiel.
:In any event, you will need another cage to keep the new bird in quarantine in your home away from your existing birds for a period of 30-120 days (depending on how much you worry about diseases, and whether you are planning to take hte new bird in to the vet for a well bird exam and testing for the basics)
:My advice would be to buy the new bird a large cage that will be its own for sleeping in, and being contained when you are out of the house, etc. Once the initial period of quarantine is over with, you can start putting the new bird's cage into the room where you keep the Budgies and gradually moving them closer together during the next few days.
:When introductions take place it should be done on neutral territory that neither bird has claimed (sticking the poor tiel into the Budgie cage would be pretty much inviting him or her to be attacked). A new playgym area would be a good place for this, or perhaps removing all the birds to a secure room, such as the bedroom, which has soft surfaces to land on when one of them takes off in alarm.
:If they eventually become friendly, then MAYBE you can house them together in another still larger cage. Depending on how many Budgies you have now, that could be any number of feet in dimensions. In most cases, I would not mix the two, especially not in tiny little commercially made bird cages, which are minimal in size.
:Remember, YOU may want a new pet/friend, but that does not neccessarily mean that your Budgies want one, or want to share their houses with one, any more than you would a stranger moving into your house to live. Seperate cages will minimize the chances of bloodshed.
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