Getting birds to get along??

[quaker0320]

Hello guys , I was wondering if there is a way to get birds to get along. I have 2 Quaker parrots and 2 Meyers parrot, the Quakers get along but the Meyers don't . One of the Meyers parrot attacks the other Meyers even though I bought them together and they were housed together. The Quakers attack the Meyers and vice versa. I would love for them to get along because I want them to be outside of their cages as much time as possible, right now they get 4 hours each(2 Quakers, one Meyers and one Meyers). So is there a way for them to get along outside of their cages??

 

[quaker0320]

Bump..

 

[Macawnutz]

I don't have any little birds but they may never get along. Time is all you can try and even that may never be enough.

 

[pinkdagger]

Some birds just don't get along with each other no matter what. You can't really force them to get along, and it's better to create situations where they won't get into fights than try to make them buddy-buddy. I'm not sure about Meyers but I have heard that Quakers can be pretty territorial. If you want them to enjoy out of cage time together, having a very neutral place/stand/tree can help prevent fights over claiming a favourite perch or for getting close to each others' cages. I know someone who has had great successes letting several of their parrots, small to large, out at the same time (completely supervised, of course) and it has never led to any physical altercations. Some posturing, some idle lunging: yes, but birds know how to read each other. What some may lack is the risk evaluation, but that's where you can step in and diffuse any situations. She wrote a page on it here. There's a small section on parrot vs. parrot, as well as slow and proper introductions:
RP - Multi-species Households

Good luck!

 

[quaker0320]

Thanks guys and thanks for the article Michelle

 

[webchirp]

I have zones in my room that allow everyone out at once. I have two boys who just cannot stop themselves....now there is a new boy in the house so I have switched the zones around in hopes this will shake up the territories...but no matter what I have tried Rocco and Zephyr will not behave.

 

[thekarens]

Poicephalus like Meyers, sennies, etc are notorious for not getting along with other birds. I have a brother/sister sennie combo and they would gladly kill each other if they got too close.

 

[Cyreen]

I share my home with four different species and the reason no ones tries to kill each other is because I treat them all with respect and affection equally and make them all respect each others space (no one goes in or on cage that's not theirs); no favoritism. As a result, I have a peaceful bird room.

 

[Laurie]

I have six caiques and when they are out in a neutral room away from cages they do not attack on another, they do have scuffles and I always supervise but they haven't injured one another (in the neutral room). Sometimes it sounds like they are killing each other if neither wants to back down. Also it is almost impossible to break up a caique fight (they are lightning quick and more determined than a pit bull) so there are no guarantees to safety and it is not an undertaking for the faint of heart or over protective.

I can share some observations which might add to your knowledge and help you along the way.
- My birds get along away from the cages can not be trusted in or on one another's cages.
- They have established a definite arrangement of who is allowed in what proximity to which perches, toys and birds and everybody knows who must give way to who. Whenever the 'arrangement' is broken or challenged a scuffle will ensue. A scuffle may just be raised feathers and noise or it can sometimes be a very loud, intense bickering and beak smack down which is highly difficult to break up. I worry most if this is between one of the black headeds and the white-bellieds since the white-bellieds are a little bigger and stronger. Also they were here first so they tend to be a little more determined to protect what is theirs.
- I have also noticed that time changes the dynamic. In my opinion, my birds only bully other birds that allow themselves to be bullied. The more a less dominant bird stands up for himself the more he is accepted into the group. Each time he asserts himself and holds his ground the other birds tend to respect him more. Again this only applies to the neutral room. It does not apply to cages. The only solution to cages is for the offending bird to leave. The owner of the cage will generally not back down and I do whatever I can to immediately stop this type of argument which will generally mean that I get bite hard so I do not like to let it happen in the first place.

I will say this warning. My birds are young and I have not seen how they act when hopped up on hormones. I suspect they may need to be let out in shifts if they get any more territorial.

I also try to allow the less dominant birds time out on their own because they really do not get much attention when the more dominant birds are out. If they come to me, try to get treats, toys or food (unless I put out 3-4 dishes) they will get chased away. This basically means that I let all of them out and then after a while I put three of my white bellied caiques back in their cages with treats and toys while Bandit, Rainey and Ember stay out.

Rainey, my female black-headed is the shiest of them all and she generally stays clear of all the white-bellieds but she loves to be out with everyone. She keeps here distance because she doesn't like to be chased. I think she just accepts it as being easier. I have seen here stand her ground a few times and each time she does the other birds mess with her less and less.

I have definitely seen their interactions change over time (about 10 months), they are getting along better and better but I think it will always be in a state of flux and will require continued monitoring.

Best wishes to you and all your birdies.