Mixing bird breeds

Question
I currently have 2 cockatiels(4 years) and 2 male solomon island Eclectus parrots (6 months, one is 11 and one is 7 years, adopted from a rescue). wings not clipped on any.  I brought the big boys home and kept them on the other side of the room from the cockatiels for about 1 month before the cockatiels started flying  from their playtop to the eclectus playtop (scared me), (my birds are only confided to their cages when I am at work or at bed time), but they didnt seem to mind so I eventually moved the cages side by side and they all live in harmony climbing from one anothers cage and sharing food.  My Male cockatiel chasing them around the playtop talking to them and whistling like he is trying to get a date and they touch beaks. It's really great entertainment and satisfaction since I did receive a couple of good bites from one of the eclectu parrots initially, once to the face right below my eye and one to my hand while he was perched on me. I figured out that it was related to sexual aggresion since he was always dancing on me. (so I thought) I caught on that if i made a sudden movement twoards his face he took that as I was trying to bite him.  Now they hang off of me while I vaccuum, mop,etc., and they just love me and anyone else that shows interest. I am now going to rescue a Blue and gold, 7 years old, extra large, proven Male.  He was rescued about a year ago (has lived in 2 rescues since, one closed) from a situation where they purchased him as a baby and the husband didnt like the loudness of the bird, from what I am told, so he was kept in another room and pretty much ignored.  I have been told that he does perch on you without biting as long as you dont try to touch him on the back of his body.  that he rubs your face with his warm beak.  He talks and whistles a little, plays a lot. They were honest in telling me that recently at the rescue facility, a workers 7 year old daughter, that has socialized with the bird everyday for the past 5 months, took a chomp on the finger while feeding him last week, almost breaking the finger.(this did not scare the child off and she still feeds him), I am a little leary now since I now the pain form the eclectus bite, I can only imagine the pain from his bite. I have been told he gets along with other birds as long as they are not Macaws?  I guess I have 2 questions.  1.should I isolate the bird to a bedroom, initially, and for how long?  could you venture to answer why a bird would suddenly bite you after 5 months?

Thank you,  

Answer
Hi, Susan.  Thanks for posting.

Any new parrot in a home should be quarantined from other birds for at least 30 days, then taken to an avian veterinarian for a medical evaluation.  This is to prevent the spread of any illness/disease that might be present.  What you should do after the quarantine period depends on the personalities of the individual birds.  Some parrots get along well with others; some don't.  Just because this bird bit someone else, doesn't mean s/he will bite you.  It depends on the circumstances surrounding the incident.  You can introduce these birds to each other by placing them all in the room SUPERVISED of course and see what happens over time.  Birds behave differently around other birds/people, i.e., what happened somewhere else may not be an issue in your home.  Perhaps the chomp the B&G made with the child was purely an accident.  

A lot of parrots, even tame ones, do not like to be petted on the back and/or wings, etc.  This is instinctive because predators in the wild attack birds mainly from overhead landing on their backs.

Should you isolate the bird and for how long?  Yes, isolate s/he for the quarantine period, then introduce them if you choose, and see what happens.  Of course, the larger birds can inflict much damage to the smaller ones, so this is a factor you must watch for.  If aggressiveness comes into play, then separate them accordingly.

A parrot might bite you after 5 months because of many different reasons.  I have owned some of my parrots for 18 years and some still bite me for various reasons.  For example, one of my blue front amazons (one of the parrots I've owned for 18 years) bite me in the face one day after I had owned him for a while.  I had just washed my hair and it was wet and kinda curly (I hadn't combed it yet).  As it turns out, he either doesn't recognize me with wet hair or he doesn't like the wet hair.  To this day, he's aggressive whenever he sees me with wet hair or my hair pulled back/up, etc.  Same with the color red...whenever I wear red, he becomes aggressive (some say parrots don't recognize colors, but I disagree).  Parrots can be moody, have good/bad days just like humans, so the reasons are many why a bird might bite after any length of time.

Also be aware that at 7 years of age, a B&G is still a baby, considering they can live 50-70 years.  Therefore, s/he will try to see how much they can get away with with you (especially at this age).  Stay in control and set the boundaries, and I'm sure you'll be just fine with the birds.

Come back if you need to.  Thanks.

Chrys