Advice please. Is it a good idea to keep a parakeet with a canary

[jasminlana]

Every time I open up my birds cages the parakeet (female) leaves her cage and enters the canary's(Male) cage. The canary rarely leaves the cage. I open it. Sometimes he will fly out but mostly he stays in.

The parakeet (Lisa) flies around -- she's a socialite, then enters Tweety's cage. she swings on his swing -- she has 2 swings in her cage. She eats his food, drinks his water and then she stays in there. I always take her out by evening or sometimes after a few hours she goes back to her cage -- I entice her with fresh millet.

Maybe she is lonely. We had a male parakeet we had purchased with her. He died about a year ago. Maybe she's trying to tell me she's lonely. Should I let her stay with Tweety or just get her another male parakeet to keep her company. Her cage is plenty big enough for two keets or more. Advice please. what to do?

The other day when I put her back in her cage she raised such a fuss, thrashing in the cage and making a commotion. she did calm down, but every time I open the cages up, same thing occurs.

 

[rikkitikki]

I never know the answers to these type of questions. Hopefully someone will come on soon that has experience with both of these species.

 

[JLcribber]

What is the male canary's reaction and attitude towards this behavior?

 

[Anne & Gang]

absolutely not!!!!!!! keets are incredibly aggresive birds in spite of their seemingly lovely nature..they would rip that canary to shreds and pick on it..dont do it ok for them to socialize SUPERVISED but do n ot house them together.

 

[nellysmom]

I had a Parakeet and a canary that lived together happily for many years. They would preen each other and sleep next to each other. The canary sang also all the time. There was never any fighting.
How does the canary feel when the keet comes in?

 

[Welshanne]

even if you are close by to monitor the situation at all times, the damage is done long before you are able to intervene as they can be so quick.
They can be fine together for years and suddenly for no reason there will be an attack. Personally I could not take the risk. Good luck.

 

[jasminlana]

I haven't witnessed any fighting. The canary was making a strange tweet when she took over the food bowl, so I put another bowl in there for the canary. I have parakeet seed and pellets and also canary seed and pellets. The parakeet doesn't seem to mind, will just eat from the canary dish.

Well for now I just let them have supervised playdates and she can go home to her condo -- it's right next door

 

[Welshanne]

It may work out fine as some people have already been a witness to, but the risk is always there and it is much too late once the deed has been done.
Myself a stay on the side of caution and would not put them into that situation at any time.
Small birds and the larger varieties do not mix ideally together anyway there has to be a pecking order in the best of them. If your bird is not safe in its home where is it safe? Good luck.

 

[nellysmom]

It may work out fine as some people have already been a witness to, but the risk is always there and it is much too late once the deed has been done.
Myself a stay on the side of caution and would not put them into that situation at any time.
Small birds and the larger varieties do not mix ideally together anyway there has to be a pecking order in the best of them. If your bird is not safe in its home where is it safe? Good luck.

My question is then are you saying not to house any birds together or only ones of the same size? My friend has an outside aviary where keets,teils,finches,lovies all live together in harmony.They of course are all flighted and it's big enough for each to have it's own space. Even birds of the same species living together can get into arguments so then would you be saying only one bird to a cage?

 

[Bethany]

I wouldn't risk it. Parakeets can be very agressive, a canary cannot well defend itself from one. The parakeet could get mad about something & attack Unless you have a large large cage or aviary, I wouldn't try.