How many is too many

[dragonlady2]

For those that have more than one bird and they do not spend time together, how do manage to give them all their individual time? I am getting another Australian King in the spring and possibly an eclectus. Presently, my birds spend time out of the cage on their playpens and some time with me, but I am concerned that I may not have enough time to spend with them all. For those of you that have a few birds, how do you manage this?
Thanks

 

[Sharpie]

It depends on the people and the birds. I can just do two shifts- budgie time and Jasper time since the budgies don't really need direct one-on-one with me. They're happy just to have some flock hangout time. Jasper, otoh, needs the one-on-one interaction. If I wasn't sure that I'd be able to give another bird enough time, in all honesty, I would choose NOT to get another bird. You have to find the balance where everyone gets what they need.

ETA: Getting more information might be helpful- What birds do you have? What's the routine like? How many humans share the load? How do the current birds interact and what's you're setup like? If we knew more, we might be able to suggest something that will help free up some time. Some people feel they can only keep one bird happy. Other people live with a dozen birds and everyone still gets what they need. A lot of it depends on what you're willing to sacrifice.

 

[love4birds]

For me, it's really not a problem. We have lots of play areas for them so they can all be out at once and we rotate from person to stand, etc. All our birds have their chosen people too, since there are four of us, that helps!

 

[JLcribber]

JMHO The bottom line is you need to have enough room and time to do it. The proper thing to do if they don't get along is they will need their own environment so they don't have to live with each other. Anything else is a struggle as anyone will tell you as well as stressful for the birds and the humans. It's also prone to accidents and unwanted behaviors.

 

[dragonlady2]

It depends on the people and the birds. I can just do two shifts- budgie time and Jasper time since the budgies don't really need direct one-on-one with me. They're happy just to have some flock hangout time. Jasper, otoh, needs the one-on-one interaction. If I wasn't sure that I'd be able to give another bird enough time, in all honesty, I would choose NOT to get another bird. You have to find the balance where everyone gets what they need.

ETA: Getting more information might be helpful- What birds do you have? What's the routine like? How many humans share the load? How do the current birds interact and what's you're setup like? If we knew more, we might be able to suggest something that will help free up some time. Some people feel they can only keep one bird happy. Other people live with a dozen birds and everyone still gets what they need. A lot of it depends on what you're willing to sacrifice.

I have an Australian King female who really does not like a lot of one on one time...just a few minutes here and there. She does not like to be "petted" but does step up and down beautifully. I have a green-cheeked conure...think it is female but not DNA'd. Definitely does not care for females, but will sit on my son without too many problems. My crimson-bellied conure is the one who really likes to ride around on my shoulder. He(?) will spend time on his playpen but eventually wants to go around the house with me. I let them out in the afternoon at about 3:30 on their playpens..I work in the morning...and they stay out until bedtime, earlier now due to early darkness. The two birds I am looking at adding to the flock are another Australian King, who I think will be similar in temperament to my female. The bird that I am concerned about is an Eclectus...I want to make sure that I can meet the needs of both my crimson-bellied conure and the eclectus. I feel that I am able to manage the rest. I am usually up at 5:30 -6:00 a.m. getting the fresh food ready for the birds. I may start getting them up early too so I can spend time with them in the a.m. before 8:30 when I leave for work. Any days I am off, I let them out for most of the day. I appreciate you asking me the question as I am looking for a solution. Thanks a bunch.

 

[akijoy]

I have 3 and there are days that I think I have 2 too many.
Sam Mealy is more independent, but the other two are terribly needy birds. They are learning to get along because they must if they are both to be out at the same time. Slowly, a routine is being worked out, but I won't lie and say that adding a new bird is easy. It has been a huge adjustment for everyone involved.
I don't regret having three, because they are all a love, but I am truly at full capacity!

 

[Renae]

Well, I have a routine that helps a lot. Some of the birds don't like one-on-one time, so they're let out to do what they want for the amount of out time they have. Those that I do spend one-on-one time with, they ALL get an equal amount of time each with me. (which is mainly the 'tiels, GCC, Quaker and IRN)

 

[Sharpie]

It sounds like you've got a good routine going, and that's half the battle. Can the Conures and the Kings be out together? There's a difference in size, right, but attitude and how you manage them (flighted v clipped, and play areas) makes a difference. It would seem that the conures could be out at the same time, the kings (eventually) out together, and then there's just the Eclectus. I only wrangle two groups, but I would think that three would be quite possible with what you've got going. Ideally everyone gets on with everyone, but that's not always reality.

I wouldn't wake them up too early. Sleep deprived birds get cranky in my experience. Do you do foraging with your birds at all? If you do, I imagine you could have your Crimson forage for a while while the Ekkie is out with you and then switch. The Crimson wouldn't be able to be on you directly as much, but providing other stimulating things like destroyable toys and foraging can help out a lot. How do your Crimson and GCC get on? If they're friendly, having them hang out with eachother more often would help too.

I don't know much about Ekkies other than that green = boy and that they need a specialized diet. It might be a good idea to go to the Eclectus forum Eclectus Alley - Avian Avenue Parrot & Other Birds Message Board to get info and advice on how to manage them around other, smaller, birds.

 

[dragonlady2]

It sounds like you've got a good routine going, and that's half the battle. Can the Conures and the Kings be out together? There's a difference in size, right, but attitude and how you manage them (flighted v clipped, and play areas) makes a difference. It would seem that the conures could be out at the same time, the kings (eventually) out together, and then there's just the Eclectus. I only wrangle two groups, but I would think that three would be quite possible with what you've got going. Ideally everyone gets on with everyone, but that's not always reality.

I wouldn't wake them up too early. Sleep deprived birds get cranky in my experience. Do you do foraging with your birds at all? If you do, I imagine you could have your Crimson forage for a while while the Ekkie is out with you and then switch. The Crimson wouldn't be able to be on you directly as much, but providing other stimulating things like destroyable toys and foraging can help out a lot. How do your Crimson and GCC get on? If they're friendly, having them hang out with eachother more often would help too.

I don't know much about Ekkies other than that green = boy and that they need a specialized diet. It might be a good idea to go to the Eclectus forum Eclectus Alley - Avian Avenue Parrot & Other Birds Message Board to get info and advice on how to manage them around other, smaller, birds.

The birds are usually all out at the same time on their independent playpens. They don't seem to have an interest in being with each other, so I just usually monitor them when they are out. I have them clipped so that I can manage them and they can't get at each other. I tried to introduce them, the green cheek seems more open to this than the other two, so I don't push it. They really are good birds and I guess my only concern is the amount of time the eclectus will require. I'll check the other thread on the eclectus to see what those folks do. Thanks

 

[Brigidt36]

I have 4 birds and I love each and every one of them. I got the 4th bird, a GCC, in July, a present from my wonderful hubby for our 25th anniversary. I love this little guy bunches, but I will admit he has thrown my routine with the birds way out of whack. My other guys (a YNA, Blue Crown Conure and Senegal) are quite content to play on their playstands or on top of their cages, and though they don't physically interact with each other, they do co exist peacefully together during out of cage time. Those 3 have only just become flighted, but seem to prefer hanging out, foraging and destroying their toys. The little GCC, on the other hand, is too big for his britches. He thinks he's a big bird, is very curious and has no fear. He came fully flighted and he doesn't like hanging out on my shoulder or on his cage or playstand. He insists on constantly flying to or at the other birds and causes quite the ruckus. I now have to keep him caged when the other guys are out because I am afraid that someday I won't be fast enough and he'll end up getting hurt by one or more of the bigger guys. I try to give him one on one time, but because he is flighted I end up having to chase him down. I'm considering clipping him, so he will stay put for training sessions, but I keep putting it off. If I do clip him, I hope to only keep him clipped temporarily until I am comfortable with his training. Adding another bird (or two, or three) to the mix you already have will definately change the dynamics of the flock you have, it will change your routine, and for a time, there might be jealousy issues. To help with jealousy issues, I don't shower tons of attention on the new guy. He's last on the totem pole. He's the last to be let out and the first to be put back up. He's also the last to get his food, water and treats, showers, new toys, etc. We have a sort of pecking order with my flock and so far it has worked. I will admit that I give the amazon more one on one time, but I justify it because he is more of a difficult bird than the others. If I don't continually give him hands on time, he gets very demanding, territorial and bitey. And when his hormones are raging, it's pretty much hands off for that duration, so I guess I also try to make up for lost time. Good luck with whatever decision you make. It will change things, but that's not always a bad thing.

 

[PerfectlyParrot]

Brigid, honestly, clipping your GCC will most likely not make a bit of difference. They are wonderful fliers clipped or not! Mine was clipped when I got him and has always flown wherever, whenever he wanted!

I guess we have always had so many people/animals around this house that it just comes naturally to me to work it out. Never really thought about HOW I do it. If someone needs my undivided attention they get it. Might mean going from room to room, cage to cage for a couple of hours, but I get it done lol.

 

[thebirdnerds]

It is not a problem for me either. All of my birds are out all day long and they don't bother each other. They all get turns on me, my mom spends a lot of time with the quakers and the sun as they really prefer her.
The Toos like to spend time with me but Marie is not a velcro bird and is just as happy to play with her toys or a box on top of her cage. Reba would rather I not hold her LOL most days hehe she is getting better tho.
Malachi would be happy if he was attached at my hip

It really depends on your birds and what you can handle. I never take on more birds than I can handle myself. I only have 3 foster homes and I don't want to fill them up when I don't need them. I like to keep them for emergencies or mass surrenders.

 

[Shade]

I have 5 and things are going well. I do want to add to my flock, but sometimes wonder if I'll regret it because it'll change the dynamics. Actually, after getting Piper and Shade, my biggest hesitation each time I added a new one was the impact it was going to have on the flock since I always had some type of harmony.

I think it's important to take things slow and not rush into getting a new bird and see how things are going. If, once the routine is settled, you think a new addition is possible, than go for it. I wouldn't add more too many too soon because then it's difficult to assess whether the breaking point has been passed or not.

As for how I handle my flock and me time..everyone can come out at the same time without too much fussing. I actually don't spend as much one on one time with every bird, but this is not my decision, it's theirs. Some of my birds want to be on me more, some are more independent. However, if an independent bird wants one on one attention and I have one of the more clingy ones and have spent quite some time with the clingy one, I'll swap. Normally, my Lovebird spends a fair deal of time on me, second would be my Senegal (and I can have both of them on me at the same time without any fighting). Joey, the Red-bellied, divides his time between my boyfriend, myself and toys, so he normally gets whatever amount of attention he wants quite easily. Petey, Meyer's, spends a good deal of time with my boyfriend. She's quite happy just sitting on his shoulder. Zuri, Meyer's, is the most independent one and spends a lot of time playing. She does occasionally come and see me for head scratch or just to snuggle and leaves when she wants. Things work but I think I could add another bird (but then some days I wonder if I'll mess everything up..).

 

[dragonlady2]

Thanks everyone. I am pretty much doing what most of you do regarding spending time with each bird. I was just concerned that it wasn't enough time. The only one that might complain is my crimson-bellied, but then I think he is just spoiled.

 

[birdlady]

I have 11 birds..only three of them were purchased and all the other were rehomes or rescues.

In my house we do shifts to give everyone time. Luckily with our new house addition, 9 of the 11 can pretty much be out at the same time...the five conures in their bird room with four other birds in the new open family room and sunroom. THey all have their space. With the conures, since they are flighted and one of them will not stay to his own area, I hung mosquito netting to keep him separate and safe. It works.

All of my birds are not hands on so that makes it much easier.

WHen it is time to let out my two little tiny guys, I bring them up to the third floor safely away from the larger ones.