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Will quaker or conure be a better choice as a friend for my cockateil?

GC conure or quaker as a friend for my cockateil?

  • Green cheek conure

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Quaker

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1

Sharron

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Hi, I am wanting to purchase a young quaker or GC Turquoise conure, just not sure which will be suited as I have a teil. I am hoping that eventually they will become buddies and maybe (only if they get along), share a cage. My cage is huge so plenty of space to get away from each other if they want to.
My daughter has a GC conure and a teil and after about 8 months they now share a cage and let each other know when they need their own space. I really do like the GC conures crazy personality but love the talking ability of the quakers. From what I have read the quakers seem to have a unique personality too.
Has anyone had experience with a teil and either GC conure/quaker? Please share!!
 

Feather

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I don't have much experience with green cheek conures, but I would never trust a quaker around a tiel.

The best companion for a cockatiel, hands down, is another cockatiel. They're such pushovers they get bullied very easily and really don't pair well with anything else 99% of the time. Honestly, your best bet with getting a friend for any bird is to get one of the same species for the simple reason that they speak the same language.

Except for a few rare instances, it's really best not to cage birds of different species together at all, no matter the cage size or if the birds are bonded. Miscommunication can happen a lot in inter-species pairings and I would strongly urge that you cage your daughter's gcc and cockatiel separately. I have an inter-species pair of my own. I'd never dream of caging them together.

How old are your daughter's two birds?
 

Sharron

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Thank you. If we do get another breed we will happily purchase a matching 2nd cage. Her teil is about 8 and the conure about 18 months. My daughter is 26 and handles birds a lot (they go to work with her and free fly around the office. She works for an animal nutrition company...lucky hey) She still has a 2nd cage so that she can revert back if necessary but to date after about 8 months together the have been no problem at all.
 

ode.to.parrots

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I would not recommend housing two species of birds together. I even stopped housing my two cockatiels together. They were much happier being in separate cages - still right next to each other for company, but with their own space. When my cockatiels did have a cage together, it was large, taller than I am and at least 32'' wide - and they still bickered with each other. And these were two cockatiels!

I would never house a quaker or conure with a cockatiel. Both of these birds have must stronger beaks than a cockatiel, and both can be more likely to attack the cockatiel in a hormonal outburst. I suspect that the only reason your daughter has not had any issues yet is because the conure is still very young and probably has not yet hit puberty. But as soon as those hormones hit, it will be h-e-double hockey sticks for the cockatiel.

Also, though, housing a quaker or a conure in too close proximity to a cockatiel could be harmful to them, too. Quakers and conure are both New World birds while cockatiels are Old World birds - and, specifically, they are dusty Old World birds! Quakers and conures as susceptible to respiratory issues from the dust/dander of dusty birds: old world parrot species | BirdTricks | Parrot Training Blog I would never adopt a conure unless I could house them in a separate room from the cockatiel; you would also want to invest in some quality air purifiers! However, for some people on the thread, they would say that you should not have a New World species of bird at all if you house any dusty birds. You certainly should not house them in the same cage!

If you are truly looking for a friend for your cockatiel, get another cockatiel, let them live in separate cages, but next to each other for company. If you want a quaker or conure because you want a quaker or conure, that is an entirely different story. If you truly want a quaker or conure, you should get one for you, but keep him/her entirely separate from the cockatiel.

I hope this helps!
 

JLcribber

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Hi, I am wanting to purchase a young quaker or GC Turquoise conure, just not sure which will be suited as I have a teil. I am hoping that eventually they will become buddies and maybe (only if they get along), share a cage. My cage is huge so plenty of space to get away from each other if they want to.
My daughter has a GC conure and a teil and after about 8 months they now share a cage and let each other know when they need their own space. I really do like the GC conures crazy personality but love the talking ability of the quakers. From what I have read the quakers seem to have a unique personality too.
Has anyone had experience with a teil and either GC conure/quaker? Please share!!

Not even a remote chance they'll get along. Those species get along like fire and water.

You will not only need a separate cage but you may need a second environment because they will be a threat to the cockatiel.
 

Mizzely

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Another consideration is that cockatiel dust can cause respiratory illness for species from other continents, especially South American and some African.
 

Feather

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Thank you. If we do get another breed we will happily purchase a matching 2nd cage. Her teil is about 8 and the conure about 18 months. My daughter is 26 and handles birds a lot (they go to work with her and free fly around the office. She works for an animal nutrition company...lucky hey) She still has a 2nd cage so that she can revert back if necessary but to date after about 8 months together the have been no problem at all.
I suspected as much. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think green cheeks hit maturity somewhere within age 1-2 years, so at 18 months your daughter's must be very close. As @ode.to.parrots said, problems will almost certainly start then. It's always best to be preventative and separate before drama begins.

That's really cool that she has the freedom to bring her birds to work and let them fly. :cool:
 
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