upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Hi. I have 5 tiels. They are in 3 different cages. they are all siblings, except for Elvis (their Dad). He was with his mate Jasmine and she died 3 weeks ago. He seems lonely and paces back and forth on his perch. He is normally a happy, calm bird. Is it possible to add 2 other tiels to his cage? He is in a large king cage, with plenty of room. He once shared it with 2 other birds. Their cages have always been right next to each other and they seem to socialize with each other. I can't stand for him to be alone in that big cage. It's really upsetting, to me. Is it possible to combine the 3 of them? I don't want to do the wrong thing. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I am sorry for your loss, and sorry that Elvis is so upset about the death of his mate. That can be really difficult on them, and they can get really depressed. I am not surprised that he is so sad and lonely. Adding some friends to his cage sounds like it would be okay to me. I would make sure you are adding males because he is their father, it is prbably not a good idea to breed him with one of his own offspring. Does he get along with the others, or do they have dominance issues? He may be depressed until he has a new mate--someone else to bond to. Maybe in time, that might be an idea.

Good luck,

Jackie and Bubba

thanks so much for your reply. Elvis is pretty friendly with all the other birds. Their cages are all next to each other and they talk back and forth all day. None of them are handled and don't come out of their cages. Elvis used to come out, but once he had Jasmine in the cage with him, he stopped. He is very friendly though. They all eat food from my hand, etc. I think I may try to put the 2 younger males(his sons) in with him. I also have a male and female (Raven and Gaby) I could put in with him, but I see your point about mixing the female (his daughter) with him. The boys are his sons, but not as calm as him. I may try this next weekend. Thanks again. I'm new to this site. I could use the help.
Ravens Mom(Bonnie) and Evis, Raven, Gaby, Pumpkin and Chickie.