PARROT RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARROTS

I've been emailing lately with a friend who also has a multi-parrot household. How easy it is to bring too many parrots into our lives. How easy it is to realize that there isn't enough time in a day to avoid guilt about their world. One thing that makes me feel okay about being busy is that my parrots have relationships with each other. Ben, the elderly Blue Crown Conure, and Chauncey, my Slender Bill Cockatoo, are a team. (A strange team but a team.) They enjoy being near each other. Molly, my Blue and Gold Macaw, and Josey Wales, my Umbrella Cockatoo, (another unlikely duo) seem to need each other. When one gets taken from the vicinity, the other one voices displeasure. (loudly) Buster and Bug, my two Congo Greys, reside next to each other and carry on long conversations. BJ and Lacy, my cockatiels have caged together for many years. Lucy, my Scarlet, resides in "the noisy room" with Molly and Josey Wales but she doesn't seem to need them. She does well wherever she is and lights up when a person walks in the room. Although you can see from the photo that she and Molly can share an outdoor cage. Providing our parrots good care and a quality environment is easier than providing them with enough one-on-one attention. However, because they have their own little world and the company of others, they seem happy and content. Therefore, I resist the guilt! But I will suggest that those people thinking about getting another parrot limit themselves to two or three. There is something awesome about the thought of caring for these guys for the duration of their lives or mine. As Chauncey would say, "Whew!"