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If i house two birds in separate cages will they bond with each other and not me?

agent007

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Hi guys! About 3 weeks ago i bought a 7 week old love bird, but sadly we are still not bonded. I spend time with him at least 4 hours a day, but I don't touch him much since he dislikes that. PLUS SADLY he has started to bite. Moving on, today, i bought a cockatiel, but separated their cages. When i brought out the love bird he started kissing the cockatiel and they played with each other. My love bird isn't even bonded to me yet and he has already bonded with my new bird! I was like, "oh no!" Will they bond with each other now and not me? Should i give the other one away or keep it outside (these are last resorts by the way).
 

Mizzely

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It can take months to form a bond with a bird. Your love bird is simply excited to have a companion that speaks his language. Yes they could bond but that doesn't mean they won't bond with you. Additionally, once your lovebird reaches maturity it may become aggressive to the cockatiel or you, depending on the situation at the time.
 

JLcribber

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You can't build any kind of truly trusting relationship in 3 weeks. It's going to take a year or more for you to understand them and them to understand you.

This is not a race but a journey. Quit racing.
 

agent007

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I appreciate the reply, but that wasn't my question. My question was if my birds would bond with each other instead of me.
 

LunaLovebird

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I appreciate the reply, but that wasn't my question. My question was if my birds would bond with each other instead of me.
It was an answer. Your birds have barely been with you a second, so they will naturally be more comfortable around other birds than you. If you work with them each individually (out time together is fine as well, but watch they don't get aggressive), then you will be able to build a relationship with them and have them trust you. Your birds won't necessarily bond with each other just because they look to be getting along now. Chances are your lovebird will have second thoughts down the track anyway. What sorts of things are you doing with them now? What were you doing with your lovebird before?

Lovebirds go through a period of biting when they are younger. It mellows out eventually. How are you dealing with it? As in, what are you doing when he bites? Also, are you sure it's a he?
 

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I appreciate the reply, but that wasn't my question. My question was if my birds would bond with each other instead of me.
Maybe. Maybe not. They are vastly different species and personalities so the odds aren't that good.

If you want them to bond with you, you have to put in the time and effort to "EARN" that trust and there is no shortcut. This has more to do with you than them. And once they hit maturity and hormones come into play everything will change again.
 

agent007

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Thank you for all the replies. Was a bit lost because these two are my first birds (the new cockatiel was a gift from my dad) and websites provide different information from one another. Some say it's cruel to just get one bird, some say you can't bond with them otherwise.

I got my love bird from a breeder and he said it's a male. How i bond with him is through talking to him and letting him play outside his cage within my line of sight. I'd let him perch on my finger while I do the chores and rub his head when it's okay with him. when he bites i just shake my finger and say, "no".
 

Tiel Feathers

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Don't forget to give him yummy treats when you are spending time with him! Save his favorites for only this. You want him to think you are the source of all things wonderful. When he bites I wouldn't shake your finger at him. Even that reaction can be considered a reward for biting. It's best to reward him when he's acting how you want him to and ignore him completely when he bites. Just calmly set him down somewhere and walk away for a little bit. Reward him for everything, stepping up, sitting calmly, etc.
 

finchly

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I think "don't get two" applies to some species more than others, and will not be the case with your vastly different birds. Just put lots of time into training and just hanging out together - both are important. You'll be rewarded with two awesome pets.
 

camelotshadow

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Your love bird is a baby which you have had for a very short time. He's probably missing his parents/sibling & flock.
Its nice the new birds are getting along so well but you really should do a quarantine. Keep the two in seperate rooms for a month or so & wash between handling each one case on of them has a hidden illness.

It is still too soon to know if these birds will bond with each other or you.
Alot will depend on the time you invest & other will be how they were raised.

This love bird may have been parent raised & is just not that comfortable with people. It is still very very young so you
should be able to do alot with him but you will just have to go slow & understand it may take a long time.
3 weeks is not long. Your bird is still getting used to being taken from its home.

So slow, be patient, talk softly & treats treats treats...

4 hours a day may just be too much in the beginning you have to have short but frequent sessions. Likely your bird is scared & stressed so perhaps it is biting to show you. Try not to put yourself in the position to be bit. Best to avoid them then to try to stop them.

It is really sweet the birds like each other. You can use that to your benefit. Your lovebird will feel more comfortable & they will in general have better spirits.

Hope you do keep them both but you do have to try to have realistic expectations that most birds are just not the lovie dovie ones that want alot of touching. These birds were handled from a very young age & had a patient person give them lots of time & worked with them for many months/ years. All birds can get better with time but some will never be cuddly play things.
 

JLcribber

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Its nice the new birds are getting along so well but you really should do a quarantine. Keep the two in seperate rooms for a month or so & wash between handling each one case on of them has a hidden illness.
It's too late for that now. Quarantine is already very broken.
 

Jaguar

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My cockatiels share a cage and spend every minute of the day together. They are as bonded to me as ever. It depends on the individuals and your place in the flock dynamic.

Having them bond to each other isn't necessarily a bad thing; they're more capable of fulfilling each others' needs than us humans. It's nice to be "just" friends with a parrot. :D
 

camelotshadow

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It's too late for that now. Quarantine is already very broken.
He bought the new bird today.
Maybe its not too late even though there was some contact made. More contact is worse than less contact if indeed there is hidden illness there is a chance it was not contacted. Still even being in the same house & dander on clothes may be enough to transmit so there are no guarantees.
I think quarantine is like russian roulette pulling the trigger once is not the same as pulling it 6 times.
 
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karen256

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I think it's good that you have the two of them to help keep each other company. You do want to continue to keep them in separate cages as lovebirds can be aggressive to other birds sometimes.

As for whether they will bond to you, that is very hard to predict. It's certainly very possible if you spend the time with them. As an example, I brought my first budgie home as a parent-raised, semi-tame baby when I already had my conure, and I had no means to quarantine then, so he saw her as soon as I brought him home. He was very shy and distant with me, while he tried to make friends with my conure right away. It took months to build a good bond with him. Sometimes I didn't think he would ever become very friendly. But after a few months, he started to come around and really enjoy spending time with me. Ultimately, he became a wonderful talker and just the sweetest, friendliest, most loving little bird imaginable. He was friends with my conure (they had an adorable annoying little brother/patient big sister type relationship), but absolutely loved people, too. He would always fly over if I called him, often I only needed to make eye contact with him for him to fly over.

Any way, it sounds like you are doing the right thing working with your lovebird.
If it is possible, you could try keeping them in separate rooms for another week or two to give you some extra bonding time with them individually (and it would act as a sort of quarantine, too). However, since they have met, they might try calling to each other in other rooms and become upset. They should be ok in the same room, too; you just need to spend plenty of time with them, sitting near them, talking to them, letting them explore when you can watch them, are all good ways to bond. It takes patience.
 
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