If I get another bird will they still care about me?

[GabeCast]

so I saw the cutest little tiel at the bird store today. I almost walked out the door with him, but I figured I should think about it. So he is almost 3 months old and is already bigger than my current cockatiel (lutino). Should I worry about the whole "simalar beak size rule" or should I not worry about it because at the end of the day they're both cockatiels. The only other issue is gender. We don't know my current bird's gender, or the one at the store, I've heard two males can be bad, or a male and a female will end up breeding. And although I love the idea of my little chicken having a friend, does that mean he won't like me anymore? Well, not that he won't like me, but that he won't step out of his cage as much to be with me.. I just don't want it to change his personality. If anyone could answer my questions that'd be great.

Ps. I do plan on keeping them in the same cage, not at first, but eventually.

 

[Shyra]

Out of curiosity have you shown your tiel pics and videos of other tiels? I wanted another macaw and kept telling myself that it would be good for Gandalf to have a friend but when I showed him pictures of other macaws he got over excited. I thought he was being excited because he wanted a friend but then when I showed him videos I realized that he was becoming aggressive not so much excited in a good way. I gave up the idea of getting another macaw. If your plans are to put them in a cage together in the future I would spend some time seeing how he reacts towards other tiels he sees. Even that won't be a guarantee that he will get along with another but if you keep an open mind and not a wishful thinking one like I did at first it might give you an indication as to what to expect. Remember also that no one can give you a guarantee as to how your bird will react to having another bird become a part of his world.

 

[GabeCast]

I was thinking about bringing my bird to the store to go meet the new tiel

 

[Shyra]

That can be a tricky situation. I would never take my birds into a bird/pet store because I'd be too worried about what kind of germs they could pick up. There is a reason for quarantine and that kind of negates it because your bird would already have been exposed. Plus just because your bird behaves one way in the store doesn't mean it will behave the same way in it's home surroundings. Let's face it getting another bird is always a risk not only health-wise but also as to whether or not the new bird will get along with the bird(s) you already have and vice versa. That said I do think that tiels, budgies, and other smaller flock birds tend to get along with others of their own kind better than some of the larger birds. Not to say that taking your bird to visit the one in the store is a bad idea, it just comes down to how well you trust the store and the health of the birds they sell there.

 

[finchly]

Maybe your bird is different but if I took mine to a store they would clam up and not act normal and I'd have a really hard time figuring out if they liked the bird or not.

Most of the concerns you mentioned (same sex birds, etc) are probably nothing to worry about as tiels are laid back and accept other birds fairly readily. Do try them in separate cages at first, and let them play together under your supervision until you see how they do.

@Shyra the youtube thing is a great idea.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

You just never know if two birds will like each other. Not all of my tiels get along, and I keep them in seperate cages because I know some of them would be driven nuts by some of the others. I also have less hormonal issues this way, but they still like being part of a flock. If you do get another tiel, I highly recommend taking them out at seperate times to interact with you, as well as letting them come out together.