Category: Parrot Care
June 8, 2023
Posted by Mandee Steinmann
So you're a parrot parent already and interested in expanding your feathered family. Great! Many birds get along wonderfully together, and having a companion can keep some parrots from getting bored. Adding a new feathered friend to the family can be tricky, though. Birds, like people, have strong personalities and will need to learn to get along. You have to introduce new family members slowly and carefully to keep both birds healthy and happy.
Here are some easy steps to help make that transition as smooth as possible:
Quarantine the new bird first. This gives you time to make sure your newest parrot isn't sick and won't pass on a disease to your first feath ered friend.
After the quarantine, introduce the parrots to each other slowly. Allow them to observe each other from a distance for a few days—even just moving the new bird's cage to the old bird's area tor a few hours can help. Give both birds treats when they are around each other.
After a while, let each bird see you interact with the other. Play with each parrot where the other can observe you: so they grow more accustomed to having a new "flock member."
When they are comfortable with each other let them start to play and train for tricks together. Reward the birds when they play nicely. Don't let them interact without your supervision, just in case one tries to dominate the other.
Remember to always talk the transition through calmly with your current feathered friend so your parrot knows this is a good thing, not a stressful one. Reassure your bird through the whole process, too. Try not to pair other changes with introducing another bird as well—too much change may stress out your parrot.
If you'd like more help with or information about pet interaction, just let us know at Sys Piece of Heaven. As a rescue sanctuary that introduces new birds to our "flock" all the time, we're pretty familiar with the process and its challenges!