by Mona » Sat Apr 30, 2011 10:23 am
Hi Michael:
You asked advice on how to mix birds safely in a confined area.
If you go to cockatoorescue.org you will see a lady who has created some beautiful aviaries for her parrots to live in. She gives advice on her website on how to mix birds in aviaries.
I think the first good rule of thumb is to try to keep the same species together. Even that is no guarantee. Cockatoos are notorious for having the males turn on and kill females. I have heard the same of caiques and other species....but same species (depending on the species of bird) is one way to help lessen the chance of aggression.
Second rule of thumb is to have lots of perches and distractions. In my bird room I have at least eight foraging boxes filled with toys. I have several play gyms, a hanging perch and a get-a-grip net. The idea is to have a lot of different things to keep the birds occupied so they don't have to compete. In my outdoor aviaries, I keep about four or five water dishes. One aviary has three trees in it. The other aviary has a large molded plastic pipe perch. As I recall, Lori also said that having lots of perches is one way that she lessens the odds of aggressive interactions.
Third rule of thumb is to separate those who are likely to create problems. I have two outside aviaries. Jack and Babylon (who are somewhat of a pair) get one aviary and the greys and Bailey are in the second aviary. I didn't want to trap Bailey if Jack and Babylon decided to gang up on him. They will too. I have seen my paired Senegals chase Bailey on occassion and tag team him a little bit. They are smart little "gangsters"
Final rule of thumb is: it's tough to predict aggression. The birds really have to sort it out themselves. For this reason, I don't keep cockatiels or species that are gentler than the Senegals. If the birds can't defend themselves against possible Senegal aggression, then I can't have that species of bird. The Senegals WILL chase other birds so it is important that the chaseee is smart enough to stand their ground to them. The Senegals will also back off if they are stood up to.....so it's really a flock dynamics issue. It's complex and you just have to learn how to watch them and learn every single bird.
Having said all of that, Kiri (my grey) HAS jumped Bailey Senegal a few times. There is no prevocation. She just stalks him and jumps him. This is NOT ever a good thing because she can kill him. Bailey is somewhat enamored of Kiri because he also follows her around and talks to her....so, again, wierd and complicated relationship. I can keep them separated but since aggression only happens about 5% of the time they are together, and because they are both flighted, and because Bailey IS a better flyer than Kiri and CAN get away from her very easily.....I do leave them out together. I leave them out ONLY in very large spaces like the bird room (which used to be a kitchen, family room area) or the large aviary. In the large aviary, I keep a pretty close eye on both of them - looking in and checking on them frequently to see how close they are together and also, to see if Kiri is stalking Bailey.
I guess, bottom line is that it all comes down to flock dynamics. Some birds you can trust to be pretty good in a flock situation. I can trust Phinney (TAG) most of the time. She is just not aggressive to other birds and she is also very smart, so she reads other birds and either stands up to the Senegals or flies away from any aggressive birds (animals and people).
Some birds can be a little dysfunctional. Bailey (Senegal) fits that mold. He just doesn't always seem to use good common sense. I have to watch him and I really have to use environmental manipulations more with him.
Which would be the final and most important piece of advice: When in doubt, manipulate the environment.
Thanks
Gotta go..
Mona
Mona in Seattle
Phinneous Fowl (aka Phinney) TAG
Babylon Sengal
Doug (spousal unit)
Jack and Bailey (Gremlins)
Kiri (CAG)
http://www.flyingparrotsinside.comyoutube: Avian Flyers