Introducing Birds Together...

Question
Hello,

I have been reading through some of your previous questions asked and came across your website, i noticed that there was a picture of three cages together (I assume these are your birds?) and was wondering if they all socialise together outside of the cage, and if so how did you introduce them to each other?

I have an african grey, who I have had since weaned, he has recently turned 1 on the 5th December.  Aso around 4 months ago my mum rescued an african grey of her own, he is approx. 4/5 years of age.  We are unsure of how to go about introducing the two parrots together.  We have been advised to put both cages in the same room next to or near each other but their cages are very large (both are large enough to house a macaw) so this is not possible.

Both birds are given LOTS of attention and are out of their cages every day.  We have had both birds in in the same room (in a seperate room from their cages so there is no dominant bird) but each bird has a different "height" in the room so they were not face-to-face with each other.   My grey has his full wings so can fly, but the other has had one wing clipped by the previous owner which has caused him to be unbalanced when flying and usually ends up getting hurt in the process, so he tends to walk around 99% of the time.  I am just looking to gain a little advice from someone who has several parrots.  I am a little worried incase they fight when they meet as there is quite a difference in size as the older grey is much larger.  Am I just being an over protective owner?

Both birds seem very eager to meet each other but I am unaware of why? Whether this is an aggressive approach or just them being inquizative? Neither bird has been blood tested so we are unaware if they are male or female (we just assume they are both male)

Thank You Very Much,
ANY Advice Is Much Appreciated.

Lauren.

Answer
Thank you for asking about this rather than just charging ahead like so many do! Good work!  
 Yes, those cages are for the permanent residents (my) macaws that for one reason or another aren't going to be adopted out.
 I keep them near each other in all aspects, but they don't have any purposeful physical interaction, even though they are DNA tested and females.
 The main reason we keep them apart is to prevent their bonding to each other, which can be done even though they're same sex. Once they bond, the human tends to be much lower on their 'totem pole' and with some birds, they can become aggressive, if not just disinterested in interacting.
 The other reasons are because with different sized birds - one blink and the results can be severe. We've seen beaks completely bitten through by 'the best of friends' (birds together for years).
 
If there's more than one of you - putting the birds together for play time on the floor with plenty of toys and each of you watching carefully - can be a good way to interact and make it a "family".  
 It's gotten to the point where I can have both girls with me in a chair, but at opposite sides.  They respect each other's "space", but again, I wouldn't allow them free interaction without constant and close attention.
 
You might want to consider two slightly smaller cages that you actually can keep close together (not touching). You may want to keep their perch levels equal to each other since dominance is often a matter of who is 'higher'.
   I don't want to overwhelm you with info - so let's address the flying issue later on ok?

Get back to me, either here or through my site(s) - just put 'African Greys/AllExperts' in the subject line.

I think the two of them can become good friends - the home can be blended and happy - and you won't lose the special bond you've worked so hard to establish.
 It sounds like you're an excellent owner ;)