cazzie
Just Hatched
Joined: July 2019
Posts: 3
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Post by cazzie on Jul 23, 2019 4:08:02 GMT -7
Hi I am new here and have an 18 year old male but have been asked to rehome a 22 year old female due to owner's hubby suffering from COPD. I have been given conflicting advice regarding introducing them and want to do right by this new addition to make her transition as smooth as possible, but also do not want my boy to feel threatened. I was going to buy a double cage with a divider but was advised to not use the divider. As I am not a great handler of my own - he calls the shots mostly - and the female has never been handled, I did not want to risk doing this. Others have said to get a separate cage? Some say put cages next to one another whilst others say situate the cages at opposite ends of the room and gradually move them together over a week or so? I have bought an identical cage to my boys as hers is old type and rusted. This female was thought to be a male until it recently started laying eggs so is hormonal. Any advice on introducing this pair would be greatly appreciated as I am way out of my depth here. Thanks in advance.
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Post by Jane on Jul 23, 2019 6:10:01 GMT -7
Hello and welcome to the forum.
There is no guarantee that any two birds will get on. The one you already have is settled and might be territorial so you will have to proceed slowly. I don't think the cage with a divider would be a good idea because a new cage would unsettle your 18 year old and they would be too close together. They need to be in separate cages at this stage and I think it would be best to have two cages a distance apart so that neither feels threatened but so they can still see each other. Then you will be able to see how they react to each other.
Jane
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Post by Adele on Jul 23, 2019 12:44:59 GMT -7
That sounds similar to my situation. I had my boy for only 5 years though, then got a 25 yr old female. My boy was my baby, so he was extremely jealous of the new girl. The girl was so happy to have friends and tried to befriend the male and myself. The male just continually did beak sparring with her and she grew tired of his aggression and began to put him in his place. Eventually, they settled into a routine of keeping a healthy distance from each other, but chatting cheerfully to each other. That lasted about 10 years. This past year, they decided to become a more bonded pair and now will preen each other and spend a good deal of time together.
For the first few years, I kept them in separate cages. I would feed them with dishes that I moved closer and closer together so they learned to associate food with each other (hoping they would get along). After a few years, I was able to put them in the same cage, but they did not like each other and still kept to their own areas.
I had the double macaw cage (which has a divider). I kept the divider in and sometimes the female would bite the male's feet and hurt him a little, but nothing serious. They learned not to climb on the divider portion when the other has a beak nearby.
With enough space, they should be fine together, because they'll be able to escape if one becomes aggressive, but this may take several years. They also might just be happier in their own cages and never really get along.
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cazzie
Just Hatched
Joined: July 2019
Posts: 3
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Post by cazzie on Jul 24, 2019 5:17:10 GMT -7
Thanks guys. Grateful for the sound advice. I will keep them in separate cages a few feet apart. I am not hoping for too much and then shan't be disappointed. The owner said she does not want to bring it but I think that would be better for the bird - correct me if I am wrong? She only has 2 broomstick type perches and her nails and beak are very long. Her owner said she had never heard of pedicure perches which helps keep my boys nails in trim. I have ordered her a calcium perch, corner pedicure, a pedicure swing and a bark perch. I feed mine Harrisons Adult course food, a few grapes, apple slices and the odd couple of chips. The other bird eats Sunflower Seeds and will try most other kinds of food. I left a bag of Harrisons but she refused to eat it - three all on floor but I shall persevere until she starts eating it. Any other useful info will be more than appreciated. Thank you ever so.
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Post by Adele on Jul 24, 2019 15:10:23 GMT -7
That sounds great. I haven't had great luck with trimming perches. I have the concrete and the sand one. They both stand on them a lot, but I still need to trim nails about once per month. They get so sharp!!
The diet sounds great. I feed my two some of my dinners as well. I also buy a wild seed mix and give them a bit of that as a treat. You can also try nutriberries. Some like those a bunch.
Let us know how it goes!
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cazzie
Just Hatched
Joined: July 2019
Posts: 3
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Post by cazzie on Jul 24, 2019 15:38:46 GMT -7
I certainly will do. Will get some nutriberries as the other bird has a much more varied diet than my boy
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