Single for a very long time...

[melindaott]

My IRN is turning 18 in October. He has been alone (with no bird companions) his whole life.
We moved out of my parents house earlier this year when I got married. My mom was usually at home to keep him company while I studied and worked. Now that we moved out, I am thinking of getting him a mate, just to keep him company during the day when we are working. Someone told me that he might not like that idea since he has been alone for so long.
The other problem is that, if I get him a friend, she will probably be much younger than what he is.
Does anyone have ideas for me?

[Azure]

wow that's a old bird! i dont think age would matter that much (guys do prefer young girls ) but how they would fit together and how well they would bond will depend on the individual birds, get him a mate, and watch him and her together for a while, if they are friendly or friendly netural (no fighting or aggressive behaviour) then go ahead, if any bad behaviour is observed keep them in seperate cages so that they can adjust to each other, or if that doesn't work i cannot help, give it back?

sorry i cannot give any expert advise

[ellieelectrons]

Hi Melindaott

I know I've read some posts on here about how to introduce new birds to each other. I've found this one:
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=11979
but I now there are more.

I think if you were to get another adult bird then that may avoid some of the problems you were talking about regarding maturity... although I understand you might want to get a younger bird so that it bonds to your family better.

If you are looking at getting an older bird, too, you could let the birds see each other before you decide to buy and see if they seem to get a long.

Also, if you have a male, you could get a male or a female. Personally, I would be inclined to get another male unless you want to breed them as some females will get agressive during mating season.

We have an almost 3 year old female and a 1.5 year old male and whilst they get along ok, I notice that the female seems to be ready for mating and the male, although he does the love dance, he doesn't seem to know what to do yet with regard the act of mating... so I'm looking forward to it when he gets a bit older.

This might seem like a weird suggestion and may be totally impractical... but it is possible that your bird might miss your mum. Does your mum like the bird? Does she miss him? If so, maybe you could drop your bird off with your mum whilst you are away during the day some days... that might sound over the top and if you have a big cage is probably extremely impractical... but thought I'd offer the idea just in case it could work for you. I met a lady who used to get her toy poodle "babysat" by a different retired couple every day whilst she was at work and it worked well for both the dog and the retirees who didn't want to have a dog full time but loved the companionship they got from the dog one day a week.

Best wishes and congrats on your wedding!

Ellie.

[ellieelectrons]

Here are a couple more threads on introducing birds to each other:
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... 13&t=11674
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =1&t=11937

Best wishes!

Ellie.

[melindaott]

Thanks guys... I will have a look/read and let you know what I decide on...

[dog_glenn123]

Hi Melindaott.

If you really dont want to breed him but have a companion bird for him.
Get another mature male most of he time they will get along from the start.
And they dont have the hormone shift that hens get through breeding season
there will be no mood swings (and yes even in birds the females are moody )

Another idea would be at the time you get the bird try and get a new cage for them to
minimise the territory fighting. And replace any toys that he might be attached too.

If you have a mirror in his cage/stand then get a partner that is the same colour as him.

Thanks Glenn

[bec]

dog glenn has some very good points i too would go for a male
i would also get a new cage i would also suggest put the new guy in the new cage till they get used to each other dont rush it or force it i took this approach when i bought home my second irn and one night as i was setting their food in the cages for the night they both went into the big cage
keep us posted

[melindaott]

Hi guys

We managed to get hold of a female IRN friend for my 18 year old male IRN. She is only about 2 years old. We got her in the first few days of October.

We built them a bigger cage outside, but they are still staying inside just to get familiar with each other. She immediately started shredding the paper at the bottom of the cage (and at the same time, making a mess of the house ). When we got to the cage yesterday morning, we found an egg at the bottom. We however do not know if it is fertilised or not because Trompie (the 18 year old male) seems a bit dumb when it comes to females. He started feeding her a while ago already... good sign for breeding birds.

I think the 18 years alone has made him a bit clueless... Hopefully he will get it after a while.

I will keep you guys up to date with any changes in the family.

Regards