Am I making a mistake getting two Green Cheeks to companion one who lost her buddy?
by Don
(Queens, NY)
Ringo (left) and George (right)
Hi. I have a question.
I have one Green Cheek Conure named Ringo. Back in May my other Green Cheek Conure, George, died unexpectedly. They shared the same cage and, for the most part, got along great.
Of the two Ringo was more bonded to me, and when I would come home Ringo always chased George until I could get over to their cage to let them out. Though I usually enjoyed Ringo’s overt fondness for me, which she expressed in many ways (i.e., like defending me from George when she wanted to nip me), I often felt kind of sorry for George who usually did nothing wrong to deserve Ringo’s aggression.
Having been in touch with a local breeder over the summer, I’m about ready to bring home a new baby Green Cheek to keep Ringo company. I’ve been wrestling with the idea of getting two baby Green Cheeks, but I’m not sure if it’s the right way to go. I would appreciate any feedback from other multi bird families so I can make the best decision.
My hope is that they will eventually share the same cage, but I’m prepared to start with two separate cages. Since Ringo is so strongly bonded to me I’m really concerned that she won’t accept another bird, whether one or two. She’s also not well socialized and tends to fear just about everyone, though she does have some curiosity about some of my friends who basically have no interest in her.
Recently, I was visiting friends and Ringo came with me. They had a friend who had an adolescent Green Cheek and brought it over to meet Ringo. The other fid (feathered kid) was very interested in Ringo, but Ringo wasn’t interested in it and attacked the poor thing.
But then I’ve seen how she is when I bird-sit another friend’s two Green Cheek Conures. Ringo always tries squeezing next to them for some preening despite their frequent nips at her and she goes nuts when I separate her from them, so I’m hopeful that she’ll eventually welcome Green Cheek company.
Here’s why I think three are better than two. If she rejects them, they’ll at least have each other. If she accepts them, maybe they won’t form a couple within the group and we can be one big happy family, and she’ll always have choices: be with me, be with both of them, or be with one of them. When George was around, Ringo often chose my company over George’s. If she gets jealous, maybe it will be harder for her to displace her aggression with two other birds, like she did with George.
Ringo is also more than three years old now and doesn’t have the same energy that a newborn will have. For me, the biggest downside of three is being able to take them on a bicycle ride in my birdy backpack. I think it would be too cramped in there, though I will stop to let them out (wings clipped, of course) along the way.
The other downside of bringing in any new birds, is Ringo now loves it when I scratch her head feathers, something she never let me do when George was around. But I’m willing to give it all up to make her happy. And I think she’ll be much happier when I’m not home if she has company.
My primary concern is Ringo and, if the group dynamic becomes problematic, I may re-home one the cheekies early in our relationship before we formulate any strong bonds. Though I really hope it doesn’t come to this, which is why I would prefer to make the right decision from the beginning.
I really think it will be an easier adjustment for Ringo if there are two birds, but I could be wrong. I have about one week to make this decision. What do other people think???
-Don
donstopthere@hotmail.com
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