[Quito's Qage]

My comments in red.

Originally Posted by Merkuri

What advice can multiple bird owners give me about possibly getting another bird? Are two birds twice as much work? Yes, at least twice as much! What can I do to make sure they stay people-friendly (or at least Soki stays that way)? Give them individual out of cage time that includes bonding and training time. Is this really a good solution to her lonliness problem? Hard to say. My two (GCC and Red Bellied) talk back and forth to each other a lot, and contact call each other if one is out of the room, but they don't like one another enough to be out of their cages together. Did your first bird change at all when you got your second? I don't believe so, but Quito was only 5 months old when I got Tausi. Should I get another Senegal? Should I get the same gender or the opposite gender, or doesn't it matter (I have not had Soki sexed yet, and will not unless it becomes necessary)? If you're going to get another Sennie, I think it is necessary to do the DNA thing. Unless you want to try your hand at breeding, an opposite sex Sennie would not be a good idea at all. I've heard Senegals can be territorial (and she has nipped at me before if I try to touch anything in her travel/sleeping cage), so will getting Soki another bird really make her happier, or might it just stress her out more? Assuming that you're not thinking of housing the new bird in with Soki (not recommended), I don't think it will stress her too much. Whether or not it makes her any happier is anyone's guess. You won't know until you try.

To be honest, whether two birds is twice as much work is sort of subjective. Sometimes it seems not, sometimes it seems like a lot more than that. There is no question that if you want them bonded to you, its going to require more time, since they both will require separate individual time with you. Even with the extra work and time, I enjoy having two birds, and I think its better for them. Even though they aren't "out of cage" pals, their cages are only a foot apart, and they interact a lot. That makes me feel better about the time when I can't be here.