This is a common question from those who are considering purchasing a tiel
or have owned one for a short time...
NO...because you have one tiel does not mean you need to get another
one to keep your first tiel company. I would only say yes if your tiel
spends an extremely long amount of time alone.
Tiels are flock animals and do enjoy company of others...however if you
have only one tiel you must remember you become his flock. Also keep
in mind by getting another tiel and housing them together if they are of
the opposite sex you may notice some behavior change which you will find not so appealing...such as your tiel may become less affectionate with you. If you
have no interest in breeding and yet wish to purchase a friend for your tiel
it is best in my opinion to chose a friend for them of the same gender -I find there
are no changes in their attitudes when housed with the same gender.
Also important- remember to always quarantine new birds even if they appear
healthy for the safety of your previous feathered friend.I quarantine birds
for a period of 40 days minimal and monitor them closely during this time.
In quarantining I chose a different airzone in the house not just different
cages. After quarantine is up you can introduce them together by placing cages
in the same room and allowing supervised play time..after a short time you should
be able to try housing them in the same cage.
If you are considering a 2nd tiel for your feathered friend because you work throughout
the day and are worried about him/her spending this time alone there are somethings you can do while you are working such as leave some music or even the television on low volume.
I personally believe your tiel will adapt to your working hours and
simply desire to bond with you after working hours. However if you
are not able to spend bonding quality time with your tiel after work
or your work takes you away from home for longer than normal hours then
I would consider a second tiel to keep your friend company....because
your tiel does thrive on companionship and closeness which he readily
accepts from his human but if his human is unable to provide this then
he needs it from somewhere and yes a second tiel will offer this to him.
