Bourkes and finches

Question
Hello,
 I have recently brought home a pretty little bourke's parakeet. She shared her cage with her sister for almost a year at the breeders and I am a bit worried that she will be lonely during the day. I take her out of the cage while I get her food ready in the morning (for as long as I can, unfortunately sometime this can only be a couple of minutes)My boyfriend also brings her out for as long as her can in the morning. I also let her out for a min of an hour when I get home from work. (on weekend she basically gets smothered with love and adoration!#

What I would like to know is: can I mix her with a couple of Society Finches #or any other type you might recommend)so she isn't so alone during the workweek?. (we do not want to get another Bourke just yet. We have time for one bourke, but not two.#

From the research I have done online it says that this is possible... but I would rather hear an answer from someone that I can actually tell the credentials from.

I am more than willing to get a larger cage to accommodate for the extra space that will be needed. #as well as extra food dishes., food..etc...

Thank you in advance!


Answer
If you continue interacting with her the way you are, you won't need to add to her company as you'll become her "flock".  This is preferable to adding more birds, which makes for more chances of illness and territorial conflicts.

If you want to add some birds to your home for company, ideally it would be in separate cages anyway.  This will keep your Bourke more likely to continue to bond to you and be friendly, looking forward to her time out.

Also, if the aviary isn't big enough, a Bourke with smaller birds can end badly for the smaller birds.

Birds can be fine during the day if they have a window to look out of, or a video playing for them (choose an actual 'bird sitter' video or children's cartoons that don't show violence; remember that most nature videos show animals that are predators to birds)

Also, make sure she's got plenty of shreddable wood and other toys in her cage - then, when you get home, make her the center of attention.  Like a flock greets each other after being gone from their roost site during the day, a lot of chatter and physical interaction takes place.  Then everyone calms down and starts getting ready for a good night's sleep.

See more here www.4AnimalCare.org/birds