Adding a bird to a flock of 1

[bonnie]

As most of you have read from Anna's post, I'm getting a CAG:yeah:
It is very important to me that Chicken adjust to this change well. Any advice on adding a bird to a single bird home? Chicken pretty much does EVERYTHING with me. Obviously some things are going to change, I just want to be prepared.

[too&me]

Act normal! Nothing has changed it is all an illusion...No really I do think that CAG's on the average are much less inclined to want to do every thing with you, so Chicken won't loose his place. They would rather observe & comment, each bird is an individual however so Anna will have to give you a real appraisal of this birds character & requirements. They are very clever & do better when they have some busy work. Excited for you, my brother & his wife have a CAG named Raffi.

[too&me]

Make certain that Chicken is still number one! Him first in all attentions, feedings & lovins.:king:

[Julie]

Bonnie,

The dynamic of a too and a grey work SO well together, you & Chicken, will have a very easy time adjusting to the changes! The grey will pretty much want to be in the same room, or to be able to hear you. Not super clingy, but loves to watch and comment on EVERYTHING that is going on. Since Sunshine is such a good talker he will learn Chickens name very quickly and will probably be talking to/at him a lot, so you might have to get used to that. You will have to wait on more personality traits from Anna when she picks him up, but our is very quiet. Will flock call when she KNOWS we are home and are not including her, or when she gets tired. She also has learned that if she beggs (cherps a very high pitch annoying cherp) in front of my mom she will get peanuts. We moved the supply and that stopped. She loves to 2-3 times a day will go off in a talking spell. Laughing at herself and whisteling a lot.

When you bring the grey home, act just like its the next bird in line. Serve Chicken water/food/treats first, then the CAG. Just act like nothing else is new, and this new person around the house is no big deal. You never know Chicken may just love the company around the house, even though you are home a little more now, that might not always be the case and this will be awesome for him! Your CAG will probably not try to escape, jump on the floor, or explore like Chicken does. They do love anything mechanical to play with, and mine loves shredders, and phone books....

Anna I'm sure will be filling you in on a ton of personality info come Sat/Sun, so you'll have to keep us all in the loop. I'm very excited for you! If you have more specifics I will be happy to e-mail you, or post....

Julie

[Patty, Linus and Co.]

Bonnie, I had alot of the same fears when I brought little Theo into what Linus believes is a one bird household. He knows there are little ones in the other room but has no contact with them. Linus and I are tightly bonded and I have worried about how that might change. So far he seems okay. He will now allow me to play with her or walk around with her in his presence without losing it. However, I fear for her safety still. She's so little. I DO NOT let the two of them near each other alone. Sometimes he gets all squinty-eyed (those of you with toos know that look well - it means no more Mr. Nice Guy. Seriously.) She blows up to about twice her size. . .
Brenda has had good luck with bringing together two birds of different sizes, and Stella has attitude. It seems to be working for her.

[FoxersArtist]

I will be sure to fill you in, though as I understand it this bird is low on energy but very boisterous...sounds like a CAG to me. In my opinion, the very best thing you can do for both birds is not make a big deal about sunshine. I know you will be excited and wanting to get to know him. Try to get as much of that excitement out while you are here and chicken is being distracted by other birds. Once you get home, give sunshine some time to relax and adjust to his new home. All will be fine!
-Anna

[birdie]

Bonnie, here's my 2 cents...
As you know, I'm up to 8 birds now. I bring each one in and after their quarentine they just go into the bird room like nothing is different. I just "tack them on" at the end of the line so to speak. My routine doesn't change with the other birds nor does thier time with momma. Each bird is different, each bird does different things with me.
I would suggest having a play area set up for your new birdie near the center of activity so he can feel included. I have zero experience with Greys so I don't know their personality but I would think they aren't that different from any others. Don't change what you do with Chicken, you will find other things to do with Sunshine.
Cassie did well fitting into our routine, she was use to late evening interaction and loves to sit with me while I'm on the computer or making bird toys for the flock.
Just go with the flow and things will go fine. You will find it's easier than you think it is in your mind:)

[Gen120]

wow...great advice everyone!:) Congrats on the new CAG!:) Can't wait for another update about your cag!