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About Rev. Dr. S.August Abbott
Expertise
Certified Avian Specialist; Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council member; Own animal rescue org; National Wildlife habitat #66378; bird care, nutrition & behavior consultant; International Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants Associate; National Wildlife Federation Leaders Club member; published bird care, info and behavior articles and guides. Ongoing education in exotic bird behavior and nutrition I can answer behavioral, nutritional, environmental, characteristic/personality questions as well as general health and health care. No animal emergency can ever be addressed on the internet. We cannot see your animal, perform an examination, provide necessary care or medication. Please value your companion for the priceless, living creature they are; not for what you might have paid for them.

Experience
Certified Avian Specialist. For more than 30 years I've worked with veterinarians, protective facilities, nature centers, preserves and on my own in providing care and education with regard to multiple animal species, including raptors (hawks, kestrals, owls, etc) and marsupials. In recent years I've focused on parrots, usually rescued from abusive or less than ideal situations and helping educate owners as to proper care. Expert in behavior studies and modification of problem behavior.

Organizations
4AnimalCare is the organization I run as an animal ministry; World Wildlife Association, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, National Wildlife Federation Leaders Club and more

Publications
Bird Talk Magazine articles about rescued and problem macaws.

Education/Credentials
Doctorate, Ordained Minister

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Birds > Parrots > compatible birds

Parrots - compatible birds

Expert: Rev. Dr. S.August Abbott - 11/6/2009

Question
Hi, I have a conure sun parrot and budgie, will they be okay together in the same cage, I have pushed there cages close together and they seem okay. regards Jamie

Answer
A popular question I get is whether or not two birds can share the same cage.

Often the questioner is asking about two different species of birds, like a cockatiel and a parakeet, or a larger macaw with a mini-macaw, just about any combination of birds you can imagine.

If we’re talking about an outdoor aviary with natural standards such as real tree branches, dirt and/or sod ground and so on, then combining appropriate birds is fine as long as they are not too many birds for the space.   One example is cockatiels in an aviary with a few finches and ground birds is fine.

When it comes to indoor cages though, other than with canaries, finches and other ‘straight beaked’ birds, I don’t think hook bills (parrots) should share cages.

The top reasons for this being that rarely is any cage big enough for two. Each bird should be able to fully extend their wings, at the same time, without touching each other and while sharing the same level perch.

The two birds need to eat the same food, which means pellets meant for a large bird won’t be well tolerated by a smaller one and vice versa.   One bird might eat so much that the other bird is prevented from getting their share.   Even birds of the same size and species can run into this problem as one will have the role of ‘flock leader’, even you, as a human, can’t discern which one it is.

This and other stresses can lead one or both birds to self-mutilation (feather plucking) which is a disorder that starts far easier than it ends. Some feather pluckers never stop once they start.

For any birds, even the same species, sharing a cage makes mutual injury a major issue.   Far too many times there are birds that have lived together for quite a while and all it takes is one accident. Just one mistake or misplaced bite and the injury could be fatal to a bird, devastating to the owner.

I’ve had birds come into my care after ten years or more together with another bird, without any problem, until one day a single act of aggression takes the top of the other bird’s beak off, or punctures a hole clean through. Sometimes the aggression is even worse and one of them loses their life.

Finally, birds that are allowed to share a cage will often not be as human bonded as they might be otherwise.   Are you ready to give up the loving companionship of your birds?

We keep our birds together, but not in the same cages. We discourage any touching between the birds as well. Our two in-house macaws (a Severe macaw and a Blue & Gold macaw) have been together for nearly 5 year without ever touching; however, they interact regularly with talking, noises and counting on each other to be there in their own individual cages, whether during the day or in their sleep cages at night.

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