territory boundaries?

[pixie603]

ok, so as i'm sure a bunch of you know, i have a 2 yr old male eckie that i finished off weaning at 3x a day, and i just adopted a 10 yr african gray female who is a boredom plucker.the 1st 2 days my eckie (rocky) went into hannahs (grey) cage just to check things out. i let him since he was my baby and i felt he deserved to know. (she didn't seem to mind as long as he wasn't near her food) she would tell him and he would get out if he went over his boundaries.Lately hannah has been exploring(after being use to getting yelled at my her previous owner to "stay at her cage" be it on top or inside.) they said she pooped too much and didnt want to deal with it. so of course im like explore the heck out of the place hannah. i have since changed her diet and she isn't any worse than my eckie ( aside from a tiny bit more)so when she goes into rockys cage he puffs us like a big bird and does a bit of bobbing, and she ignores is. (im supervising, trust me) just not sure what i should and shouldn't allow based on their backgrounds, as i would like them to be able to play on the same toy/perch someday (if that never happens, ok, but its a goal for now anyway)i want to let them test their boundaries but at the same time i don't want anyone bullied/feeling walked on...thanks so much!hope i'm not being a pain!

 

[blueyez49423]

bump

 

[pixie603]

thanks for that

 

[JLcribber]

The biggest consideration at his point (IMO) is the big age difference between the two. The older bird knows darn well that the other is a baby and not really much of a threat at this stage and may take advantage of that should the opportunity arise. I'm not saying it's going to happen for sure but that is something to keep an eye on. Should some kind of "incident" break out that baby doesn't stand a chance against the older, streetwise bird and the mental trauma the baby experiences from just one serious incident is enough to do permanent mental damage as in the relationship you hope for will never happen. I guess what I'm saying is watch them like a hawk when they are out and prevent "any" kind of aggression (by immediately getting in between them) so that non aggressive, calm behaviour has a chance to become "normal".

 

[macawpower58]

I'm not so sure you should allow them to invade each others cages quite so soon. If aggression was to happen, it's hard to get inside quickly to break things up. Cages are home and safety, one of them could very well get territorial, especially since they're not long time flock mates.

If you have some portable play areas that's where I'd have them slowly get acquainted. A neutral room would be perfect for them both to hang out and get to know each other better.

 

[pixie603]

Sorry i went mia on this post, life got me busy! appreciate the comments! not letting them on each others cages and in the meantime they are great together...as long as there are no toys hanging. Its my 2 yr old ekkie that gets fluffy and bobby, a friend who's mom was a breeder when we were in highschool together basically said my boy is a spoiled brat and trying to tell the new (old) girl that "its mine, and that's mine, and that's mine too!" Its crazy how close they will get on a boring old perch, but when a toy is involved Rocky just isnt having the company...