# How to get my birds to be friends.



## MomoandMillie (Dec 3, 2008)

I'm now at 21 days quarantine with Millie so pretty soon I will want them to be caged together if possible, I know Mo can be a grumpy little fella at the best of times. He does constantly look around for her and is always listening, he even calls her and replies if he can hear her, so he is interested. 
I know that it should be done gradual on neutral ground for longer periods each time but what happens when she goes into his cage? He has a huge cage already to share if he lets her. How much abuse should I allow him to give her before separating them again? Will he hurt her too much? He doesn't so much bite at people/things rather than just beaks them to death!. 
Millie was separated from a sibling recently so she is already used to company, she used to cuddle with her sister but I'm afraid Mo may never be that close.
Sorry if this is a regular question, I didn't know where to look so links to other threads will do just fine.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

When I got Daisy as a friend for Dooby, I bought them from the same breeder, so I knew they were ok. I kept Daisy downstairs in a cage overnight so that I could bond a bit with her, then I put their cages side by side for a few hours so they could get used to each other. Next, I let them both out flying, whilst they were out, I cleaned out Dooby's big cage, changed all the toys that were in there for either new ones or ones that had been thoroughly cleaned and then.....I just put them in together! There wasn't any fighting as such, there was the niggly little beaking and pecking as they passed each other, but apart from that, they were both fine. Now, almost six months on, they are still not really buddies, they tolerate each other 95% better than when they first met, but there is still the odd pecking at each other. I know you are supposed to do it gradually, but my breeder is of the old school type and her exact words to me were "Don't mess around, put them both in together and they will sort it out!" So I did....and they did!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Plukies advice is spot on. Rearrange everything and put new toys in and it will seem less like Mo's territory.


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## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

Because I had already had Earl for about 2 weeks before we could get Little Bill, Earl had already settled into his own ways. So when we got Little Bill, we just put him in with Earl, they hadn't met before but were also from the same breeder. They just sat next to each other, and now they are the best of friends a year later. Giving each other seeds and scritches!  

They will beak each other over places to sleep or just sit sometimes but other than the odd squabble they get on fine!  Good Luck!


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