Hello everyone,
I've been browsing Your fantastic forum for some time now, and have LOVED reading your posts and looking at your photos.
I have two cockatiel's, Bindi who came to me at the beginning of July, and Jamanbread ( ridiculous I know, but started as a joke that stuck), I got as a companion for her a few weeks later.
They were both hand reared, but Bindi was hand reared alone by a breeder of aviary birds, because her parents rejected her. Jamanbread was hand reared with his siblings ( at least four of them).
Bindi was sold to a family before she had been weaned properly ( either that or she regressed), and the children were so scared of her begging noise that they got rid of her. I took her and finished her weaning myself.
When I first got Jamanbread, I tried just letting them loose in a room together. Jamanbread, who was used to being around other birds seemed keen to get to know Bindi, but the way she reacted was so scary ( lunging, hissing etc), that I very quickly abandoned that pursuit.
They were bought large spacious cages that I have placed side by side, and done my best to fill with enriching, stimulating stuff. I spend at least two hours one on one time with both of them, separately each day. I was told that they will still be some kind of company for each other, even through separate cages.
Bindi SCREAMS CONSTANTLY for me pretty much all day long, and now Jamanbread seems to be joining in aswell. The noise LEVEL doesn't trouble me so much, but I find it so upsetting to know that she is not content and happy. It's really starting to get me down big time.
Someone in the know told me that there should be no problem with the two of them sharing a cage, and that all the lunging and hissing etc is a normal part of two birds establishing what is what between them, and assured me that it would never turn into a serious fight- especially as they are both babies.Is this true?She said that they would be sooo much happier together, and that it would put an end to the perpetual, incessant screaming.
I have let them out together for varying lengths of time over three days now, and although the aggressive behaviour is still going on, they do seem more tolerant of each other, and even shared a sprig of millet together the other day.
Yesterday I sat down with both of them on me and they sat quite close together for quite a while ( maybe ten mins or more), with no problem. It was only when they got really, really close together that it got quite hairy- such scary noises!
Does anybody think that I could just put them together in a new cage - I plan on buying them a great big one, and making it a really great space for them- or should I wait until the bickering has completely ended?
The other item of concern- and this should possibly be a separate thread, but it applies to this situation so...Bindi is a really great eater- eats her veg and ate harrisons the first time it was offered. Jamanbread will only eat seeds and dandy lion leaves. He has eaten the harrisons quite readily, but if I put it in his bowl instead of seed, by the end of the day he is screaming bloody murder, begging and crying for seed. I don't know if this is him just messing with me and trying to see what he can get away with, (which is what my avian vet says), or if he is really just hungry. Just incase it is the latter, I always give in and give him a load od seeds. I notice there are a lot of harrisons crumbs left behind, so I'm not sure how much is actually being ingested, but Bindi leaves crumbs and is quite satisfied.
I was told to soak the pellets in peach juice to make them easier to ingest, but would this not be too much sugar??
I don't know how I could keep them in the same cage without Bindi becoming a seed eater??
Can anyone advise?! I am SO anxious for them to be happy!
Any advice most gratefully received!