I just got a new parakeet and I named her Pineapple. She is very nice,non agressive and not too scared of hands which surprises me because she is a Petsmart bird. Anyway I put her in the cage with my at least 3.5 year old parakeet, Mcnugget (nugget for short). He seems to keep his distance from her and he seems to avoid her a bit by going to the opposite perch but he doesnt seem stressed. I asked a few bird experts because I read some people say to have them in separate cages and others said it's fine to just put them together. I asked a bird expert and he said it's normal because its a stranger in his space and he just has to get used to it. I just wanted a second opinion. And also I'm used to having a trained bird as I got Mcnugget after he was trained from someone who could no longer care for him. Anyway I don't know how to clean the cage with a new bird in the cage and I just don't want any uneeded stress for the new bird. Any suggestions? Thank you

ok hiiiiiii and welcome to the forum...first of all ANY new bird needs to be in separate cage for quarantine purposes for 90 days especially coming from a store like pet smart where many will and often do carry a disease and you dont want your older buddy who is tame and sweet to catch anything from the new bird .......so please separate the two as soon as possible...

the new bird seeming quiet is for two reasons...one is its flight feathers have been cut so its scared and the second is because its a baby and just lost its siblings ..mom and dad then went to pet smart with all those other birds and commontions then came home to you...so its got no clue whats happening to it and its very afraid right now...and also your large hand is like a giant CLAW to it.

by separating it will also bond with you IF you dont put ANY mirrors into its cage and remove it from the cage with the other bird so it doesnt bond to it...this will also make hand and perch training go much smoother and insure the bird will learn these things if your persistant without being forceful...

how to train is ...first after separating the bird into a new cage as soon as you can for health reasons MOSTLY then leave it be and dont do anything but feed an water and clean for at least 10days moving very very slowly with your hand and always your body movements as well...and speaking not in a loud voice but a very soft one...

after ten days get yourself comfortable ...really comfortable...then slowly place your hand inside the cage and at first during several days of this twice a day for 15 minuets do NOTHING but rest your hand on the perch NEAR the bird not close to it...and just sit still talking to it ...THATS IT for several days ...after that ...you can slowly move your hand closer till the bird shows no signs of stress and backs away...this alllllll takes time...a lot of it without rushing or getting impatient...it pays off in the long run to get the bird to trust you without you leaving it no choice ..and even tho it seems tame its only because of clipped wings and new surroundings...

birds know when their ability and first line of defense which is VERY important to them which is flight and when that is taken away they feel compelled to but not out of want to perch...this is NOT good as it doesnt really mean the bird trust you at all...and its best to let the flights grow back and not trim again...

eventually the bird will let you touch its breast with your hand and use you ENTIRE hand not a finger where it can easily find something to bite onto if you use just a finger...once you can do this...its a short matter of time when he or she will step up onto your hand and it maybe only for a few seconds but thats the FIRST sign of trust and it will be only a few seconds because now its testing to see if you hand will fall away or support it steadily...

good luck but its important seriously to get another LARGE cage and place this new bird in it as soon as you can in case its sick so the other bird dont get sick too and they will chatter back and forth but it will bond with you during this time better if you also have NO mirrors in the cage...remember 90days ..its a must...and then leave them separate because you dont know as yet if they are mixed sexes and oh my gawd you dont want them bonding if they are and you wont know this for another 8 or 9 months yet...

Hi Pineapple,
I agree with illusive. You really should separate them for quarantine reasons..it would be awful if Nugget caught some kind of illness from Pineapple. It can take quite some time for a hidden illness to show up but it can still be passed on to your Nugget. They should be quarantined from each other in separate rooms. This will help not only to prevent passing illness, but also with training
It will also be much much easier to bond with and train your new guy/gal if he's not in with another bird. If he has another bird with him, he will undoubtedly bond with another bird before a human.
No mirrors in the new one's cage as it may bond with the bird in the mirror not with you.
S/He needs time and patience...lots n lots of patience.. to learn that he can trust you.
I also think it is unfair to Nugget to have another bird forced upon him, invading HIS home and territory without so much as even getting to know it first. Heck Nugget may not even LIKE the new kid. They don't all like each other. Just like people...we like some, and some we just plain don't.
It will, like illusive mentioned, take time, until your new one is at least 8 mos old to determine whether you have another male there, or if it's a female.
If female you would want to keep them separate or you will have breeding issues and babies to deal with. Having babies is really hard on a female, it can be dangerous, and you really have to do tons of research and learn a LOT to know what to do before even considering it. There's a lot to breeding if you want to keep your female safe and in good health.
Are you even sure that Nugget is a male? You say "he" when referring to him.
And what makes you think Pineapple is a girl?
Got pics??

Sooo....separate them and take time to sloooowly bond with Pineapple before even considering caging them together.
Start by doing exactly what illusive suggested

Oh btw..welcome to the forum.
Looking forward to seeing pics of your bird kids and hearing more about how training goes with Pineapple

Thanks for the info I'm getting another cage tomorrow Also the Nugget isn't hand trained I got him as a set with another parakeet from a family that no longer wanted them because they weren't "people" birds so I gladly accepted them because I love keets. I said "people" like that because I know some people expect them to be all lovey right out of the pet store ,but I know that isn't really how it works.Anyway Nugget's bonded buddy died and then he became very skittish. So I've been trying to tame him for over a year and a half now , but he is only comfy with chirping and whistling at me. He doesn't like doing anything with hands. Pineapple's wings aren't clipped either because I personally don't like the idea of it too much. I can only imagine how scarey it was for Pineapple getting ripped from her cage and going to another home so I didn't want to add being held down and having my feathers clipped added to the list. :c

I'm getting another cage tomorrow for Pineapple It's a shame I have to separate them they like sitting near each other :c As for pictures I don't have a great camera lol But when I do I'll show them off. I say he to Nugget because he has a blue on the top of his cere. And Pineapple I'm not sure since she/he doesn't have any color on it's cere I was told Pineapple may be young so it's hard to tell. I was also told that if I dont put in a nesting box they wouldn't try to mate if Pineapple is a female and if it turns out to be so put something like a marble in the cage so she wont lay eggs

lol dont believe what they tell you and that person who told ya all that about not using a next box and substituting a marble really doesnt know much about this stuff ...trust me...and there are quite a few in here that have lived the experience that would also confirm those things...i actually find it amusing but terrible at the same time because when folks believe this...they get quite a shock then its too late...

females will often.. do... and can lay eggs WITHOUT a male just means they are not fertile and more often than not without any nest box or material ...and lets see if someone gave you a fake baby would you know the difference??? your not fooling a bird with a marble...where these ideas come from lawd only knows..

here are ways to prevent breeding ...and fertilization...no male contact for that one...shorter daylight hours twelve IFFFF they have not been laying then 10 IF they are...no fresh gourmet treats or veggies ..only straight seed...IF ..you give some fresh veggies you do it like only two or three times in a month and not three days in a row...break it up...nothing they can shred in a cage for nesting material...no mirrors...much of what they get from fresh...veggies in nutrition you can add spices and herbs to their seed to fill that requirement...like...

anise...fennel...celery FLAKES...someeee spinach FLAKES...RED PEPPER SEEDS they LOVE them and its loaded with the important vit A...thyme...cilantro...those being excellent to have to help with any chance of heavy metal poisoning...parsley FLAKES...beet and carrot POWDERS..also good for vit A which i cant stress enough how important that one vitamin is alone never mind other vits...

save this site its by far the best spices and herbs you will ever buy BAR NONE anywhere...and user friendly with all listed in alphabetical order...see top left for shopping...they fill orders quickly and ship quickly also.

http://www.myspicesage.com/

they also offer a generous free sample THEIR choice when ordering unless you place a fair sized order then YOU ALSO get to pick a free one...

first time ive ever tried their BLACKENING seasoning and omg i love it...came a month ago when i ordered alllllll my spices etc.. and its almost gone already... and im surely not going to wait till next time i order allllllll my supplies as i usually wait till everything is low then just put in a full order...oh yah hint...one to four ounces on most of their stuff is all ya need...dont go nuts giggle...you will eventually learn how some of it has more that others at the same weights.

nice thing about all this too is you can divide spices/herbs etc into your seed mix and then they have a variety cups of food to choice from too making it interesting and not boring.

Ok then so how do you clean a untamed birds cage? Also like I said I'm getting a cage for the health purpose like you stated,but how do you know when they are bonded? They started as people say kissing (feeding each other or grooming is more correct lol) But they sort of peck at each other sometimes when they get close to each other or when eating ( I put in a second food and water bowl) but other times they huddle next to each other and sit just perfectly.

moving very very slowly with your hand and always your body movements as well...and speaking not in a loud voice but a very soft one...its what we all have to do when first getting a bird till they have been trained.

and they definetely need more than just one food cup even if they were alone you would put in several feeding cups/stations some higher than others at the end of a perch.

Ty I also got a new cage it's huge usually runs around $160-$300 I got it for $30. It was used though so I threw out the old toys,the water and food bowl and perches in turn replacing it with new stuff but my question is what do I use to clean the bars? I went to Petsmart and and another place but they don't carry stuff that is a non harmful to birds disinfectant They tried pushing stuff that is safe for cats and dogs on me but I said no and wouldn't budge >:L I figured if it doesn't safe specifically safe for birds on it that I shouldn't use it Any way do you have any suggestions? Or is this good?

http://www.ehow.com/how_2213635_disinfect-bird-cage-bird-toys.html

VERY SMART of you NOT to buy that other stuff WELL DONE on using your logic on that one...and the cage you bought may not be a bargain if the wire is NOT COATED and bare wire...do you have a picture of it...or know who it is made by...is it more a newer style cage than the old ones sold years ago as non coated wire is TOXIC and the bird can get heavy metal poisoning...also be sure the wire spacing is right for the size birds you have...being no larger than 3/8ths to 1/2 inch and the 3/8ths is preferred...as some keets are smaller than others especially as babies and can jam their little bodies thru the larger wire space size and get very hurt...

couple of quick good clean up methods are

for the quick clean up times when you cant throw the cage into a tub or bring outside for a good washing isss

buy some of the sterilizing hand wipe towels in the pop up cannisters to wipe things down good with...

for major cleaning just get some APPLE CIDER VINEGAR..for a diluted wash with a soft brush to everything...

for bottom cleaning please see my suggestion in the other threads here in this forum...the STYROFOAM and NEWSPAPER thread i believe and read that thread...

thank you for a very good question and for being smart...always remember a store only has one thing in mind MAKING SALES...