Thread needed for Multiple birds in 1 cage. please read and add.

[M.C Bird Rescue]

I was Pm'd today and asked what I thought about adding multiple birds into 1 cage . There are many issues with having many birds of different species in 1 large flight inside of a home. The cage system would be 5ft by 4 ft or something like that.

I sent my opinion but I would like more opinions here for the person to read through.....

Please state your opinions for the person to read also. Give accurate and straight forward information please.
Also..any experiences anyone may have had with 2 different/or 2 of the same species accidentally getting into a fight....

This is a serious matter. Thank you


To the person who Pm'd me..as I am only 1 opinion I thought it woyuld be beneficial to you to read other opinions here also. Hope you are not offended.

 

[piercesdesigns]

I would not do it unless it was a bonded pair of the same species.

In a cage, a bird being attacked by an aggressor cannot get away. They can be knocked for their perch and fall to the ground where they can crack their keel bone, etc.

It is just not worth the risk. That seems like a big cage, but to a bird, a species that is used to flying in the big open sky, 5x4 is nothing. Too much of a chance for irritation to flare.

 

[itzmered]

I think it totally depends on the birds in question. How well do they get along. I have a sun conure and a hahns macaw that are really good buddies and they now share a cage. They played together for over a year before I decided it was ok to let them share a cage.

 

[Holiday]

I know of an RFM that was brutally attacked by a larger macaw cage mate and scarred for life (luckily, it survived). There had been no trouble between the two prior to the attack. Something just set the larger bird off. I think it is FAR too dangerous unless it's a bonded pair of the same (or very similar) species, and even then, they should be monitored appropriately.

 

[piercesdesigns]

I think it totally depends on the birds in question. How well do they get along. I have a sun conure and a hahns macaw that are really good buddies and they now share a cage. They played together for over a year before I decided it was ok to let them share a cage.

In the case of sun conure and hanhs that is close to a bonded pair of the same species since hanhs can mate with conures. In my totally unscientific opinion.

 

[Holiday]

In the case of sun conure and hanhs that is close to a bonded pair of the same species since hanhs can mate with conures. In my totally unscientific opinion.

I agree. They can produce offspring and are very close in size. Close enough...

 

[Danita]

I had two tiels in one cage, the female bullied the male. Whenever he ate, she pushed him away, whenever he found a nice place to sleep, she took it.

If it was a MASSIVE aviary, maybe mix but a cage nope. Not enough room. imo
Someone will always be the underdog.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

Unless the birds are Canary/Finch's or Parakeets,or as others have said-a very bonded pair-I would say a definite NO! Even birds that have lived together for years-when Hormones hit-can become very aggressive and dangerous! I kept sister Lovies together for a long time-BUT When they reached maturity-before I even had any reason to suspect trouble-One had Killed the other

 

[identicaltriplets]

I have our 5 and 6 month old female Caiques together. They do very, very well; however, I know as hormones hit that may change. I pray not though. They love being together. They rarely play alone and are always preening each other or sitting "wing to wing." I also provided separate food bowls for them around the cage but they always share the same bowl. That's for now anyway.

 

[Birdasaurus]

I only keep budgies together. Even then, I had to separate two when I tried to put Maui and Pi together. They talked and "kissed" through cage bars when they were separate, but then she turned into a complete bully when they were together in the same cage. I definitely wouldn't do it with completely different species.

 

[Sharpie]

I'd say it depends on the birds and their relationship, but unless they're budgies, tiels or finches, probably not. Those three on the other hand, usually (not always!) do well in groups. Having more than two is better IMO if there's space, so that any personality conflicts get diluted by flock mechanics.

Now, if you had a huge outdoor aviary, 50x25 feet or something, it would be different, but 5 feet just isn't much for the bigger birds.

 

[Babybreau]

I agree that it totally depends on the birds in question.
I currently have 1 female cockatiel, 1 male lovebird, and 1 male red rump parakeet in the same flight cage.
Now Kessie and Sherbert (and Jellybean) were raised together and are the exact same age (within 4 days). They've also chosen each other as mates and have become bonded.
Pepper is just an agreeable old bird. He was in a separate cage for eons but allowed out to play when K, S, and JB were out and about. They always got along. Pepper and JB also started to bond, however I chose to give JB a proper boyfriend, Peeps, as she was becoming increasingly more aggressive toward me and becoming more territorial. She also attacked Kessie while Kessie was OUTside the cage and she was INside the cage - proving the territorial issue. As long as all birds were inside the cage all was fine, the minute K accidentally got behind the cage, JB attacked.
JB is MUCH happier with her own man, Sir Peeps-A-Lot in their own cage where I can access the bowls without having to put my hands inside the cage.
K, S, and P all co-exist peacefully with nary a squabble.
If K and S had NOT been raised together, I would NEVER have placed a tiel and a lovie in the same cage. Lovies are just known to be the aggressors and bullies, much like budgies.

 

[Abby]

I have 2 young suns and a young nanday together. These 3 have been handraised together so are fine. Out in the aviaries I have 2 irns and a mallee ringneck who are companions. One of my irns does stir the mallee up every so often but essentially they get along well. My budgies, 'tiels and princess generally got along well in a colony aviary situation, my nanday and sun pairs got along well in the same aviary, unfortunately a little too well and I ended up passing the nandays onto a friend before I ended up with little hybrids. With the youngsters while they've all been out together I've had a GCC push an Alexandrine off a cage.

So in conclusion....

I think if they're handraised together then you have a better chance of them getting along long term. I wouldn't put any of the known "potential" aggressive birds ie rosellas, with anyone but rosellas even in an aviary situation. Your gentler species do tend to cope but remember they still all need their own space or scuffles will break out. Watch yopur GCCs and quakers too, they can potentially get quite agro and dominating to teh point of bloodshed. I wouldn't mix cockatoo species together unless you have a huge free flight aviary. That cute cuddly boy once he grows up and realises he's a real boy can turn on others. I've also known of at least one hen who has killed a mate having previously been well bonded with him. Makes breeding them interesting if you have a hen like this.

I've underlined the aviary aspect just to draw attention that these mixed species are not in conventional inside type cages.

 

[Gen120]

I have 4 cockatiels in 1 cage (they are out most of the day every day, so are not in the cage very much, and it is a big flight cage), and my 2 conures are in a cage together (they are also out all the time), they do very well. The tiels all get along with each other and the conures are bonded, so I guess as everyone else says, it just depends with the birds. What kind of birds are they?

 

[Mystics Mom]

I think the responsibility lays on the care giver...have been many places and seen many different types of parrots together...also just many types of animals together..you have to be very observent and notice changes in behavior..make sure there are food and water sources on opp sides of cage..plenty of rm....alot of time out of cage so they are just not locked up ...you should be looking for preening ,sharing food snuggling,esc.ect...that being said...i have birds that share same cages and have for yrs...but they are also out all day...have placed birds in new homes that are bonded some same species some not..ex....B&G and Mitred Conure...B&G and CAG...Greenwing and Scarlet..Male Electus and Blue crown conure...Jardines and blue crown..are some..and they are all doing great ..they are all past that young goofy hormonal stage...i personaly have a Scarlet and Severe..Greencheek and Teil..Redfront and Military..Greenwing and B&G...All my ekies have an ekie friend to snuggle with at night..3 caiques(2blk.head and 1 White belly)2 Hyacinths...the rest dont share a cage but they have favorite playmates during the day...I love to see my birds snuggle at night when i turn the lights off..Oh also a M2 and a U2.. Also there have been some i have seperated realizing there was a prob..some will play together but are very territoral over cage..some want nothing to do with anothe bird...This is my ex...and that of others i know who keep birds together in a cage..BUT NONE STAY IN CAGE ALL THE TIME...

 

[Renae]

All my Cockatiels are in the same cage, but they're same species and you are talking about different species in same cage?

I don't know, I guess it depends. I could house my male budgie in with the 'tiels, but I choose not to risk it. (plus bar spacing's far too big)

A pet shop I used to go to had Rainbow Lorikeets, Conures, IRNs, Lovebirds, Cockatiels and a variety of different birds in one HUGE aviary. Apparently it works fine, and they've never had any problems, whether that's true is another thing, but the quite a few times I went I never seen them fighting or anything, they looked to all just keep to their selves.

 

[JLcribber]

A 5ft cage for larger parrots is like asking 2 people to live in a broom closet IMHO.

I have 2 large TOOs that are good friends and even mate with each other. Tika has almost killed Amanda in the past when they got worked up over nothing but the excitement of it all caused them to have a fight and once they are fighting they fight for real. This happened in a large indoor aviary (14ft x 5ft x 8ft).

They can not be trusted to stay together without supervision even though they like each other and are male/female of the same species. I built a second aviary with a common wall so they are always still together but "safe" at the same time.

Mixing different species and sizes in anything, even a very larger aviary is playing with fire. If we play with fire, we will get burned. JMHO

 

[Mystics Mom]

A 5ft cage for larger parrots is like asking 2 people to live in a broom closet IMHO.

I have 2 large TOOs that are good friends and even mate with each other. Tika has almost killed Amanda in the past when they got worked up over nothing but the excitement of it all caused them to have a fight and once they are fighting they fight for real. This happened in a large indoor aviary (14ft x 5ft x 8ft).

They can not be trusted to stay together without supervision even though they like each other and are male/female of the same species. I built a second aviary with a common wall so they are always still together but "safe" at the same time.

Mixing different species and sizes in anything, even a very larger aviary is playing with fire. If we play with fire, we will get burned. JMHO

Certain species are know for being much more agressive(especially male Toos..Lovies Ringnecks just a few i have run across...)very dear friends of ours Toos (always the males)at certain times will try to kill each other have had to really learn to read the smallest of body laungage..at this point they put them in seperate rms to play and then switch out i have 1 male too and he can get verry testy...my female toos are tempermantal but to to the degree of the males....i have worked at some aviaries..and listened to horror stories of males that killed mates...So i agree to a point you can get burnt...My birds of different species have been together for yrs..Some are handicap...My Scarlet is Blind and could not be without the severe...when i have seperated them on a few occ..when Clyde the Scarlet was sick he was so deperesed when i put Hannah back he was so animated...She is the bossy one...but this is just my opinion Thanks for sharing

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

I have a boned pair Nanday conure and quaker they hang together in the wilds that I gave a whole bird room indoor aviary to for two years and need to change the arrangement due to the fact the Nanday would start plucking the quaker and they had a whole room just think if they were caged together what would have happened now they are still bonded but have different out time since they are still flighted

 

[Holiday]

I think the responsibility lays on the care giver...have been many places and seen many different types of parrots together...also just many types of animals together..you have to be very observent and notice changes in behavior...

In the case I mentioned above, the owner had little or no prior warning; the bigger macaw just went berserk, and the Redfront nearly died. It only takes a minute with no one watching... In the case of birds of equal sizes, if this happens, like with my squabbling pair of p'lets, it's not a big deal, but when there's a substantial size difference, well, I agree with John. It is playing with fire. I don't care what anyone says--a picture is worth a thousand words, and that scarred Red-front is etched in my mind forever. Wish I could remember which rescue has him...