Hello! I currently have one budgie, around 4 months old. I realized that he really should have a pal. While I'm able to spend an hour or two with him every day, I feel like he needs company while I'm at class. My only worry is that if I get a second one, the second budgie won't bond with me, since he'll have his own friend right away. Do you have any advice about bonding with two birds?
Hi! :D The good thing about budgies is that they don’t tend to be “one-bond” birds (i. e., will tend to bond with one other bird or one person and nobody else) the way some species tend to, so although it can take a bit more work to bond with two budgies, you should be able to get them both to accept you as part of their flock.
The first suggestion I have is to keep the two birds separate for awhile. This allows the new budgie to get used to his surroundings, the old budgie to get used to the fact that there’s a new budgie, and you to observe the new budgie to make sure he’s not hiding any illnesses that might be transmitted to your old budgie. Generally it’s a good idea not only to house them in separate cages, but even in separate rooms so they’re not sharing airspace (just in case your new budgie has a respiratory illness or something of that sort), for four to six weeks. I know from personal experience that it can be hard to keep them apart, especially once they start calling to each other, but it really does help ensure the health of your current budgie while allowing you to also start working with the new budgie one on one! Ideally, you can start developing a relationship with the new budgie before he meets the old budgie, and this can go a long way towards helping you establish a bond with the new budgie.
I would also suggest that for the first month or so after you do introduce the birds to each other, you continue to work with them individually to maintain your relationship with each of them. If you have a relationship with each individual bird before they meet each other, they’re a lot less likely to bond just to each other and exclude you. (I will say that if you’re already bonded with your current bird, which it sounds like you are, be careful when you introduce the new bird because your old bird might get jealous/territorial!) Over time, you can continue to work with them individually every now and then, but they should understand by that point that you’re part of the flock and be comfortable around you.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions!
