I completely forgot when my quarantine period ended. I thought I got him in July when it was actually June. That's how weird my time and date thinking is. It ended yesterday since I got him in June. I said half a week because my calendar was on July not June. Anyways, I introduced them today. I found out the shrinkage of feathers and the eye blinking was because that's just the way he is. It's the same way Trickee was when he was little. Even after months later he still was skinny and shy. They both have the same mutation I think too.
At first Mercedes looked through him like a wall. It was like he wasn't even there. When I put them together he looked at him and started doing this weird dance thing. I thought he was being playful but I found out he was doing a mating dance. Which is super weird because I thought he could tell that JD is a boy and not a girl. Later on he started nipping at his feet. I know that's bad so I discouraged it and put him away and made them start again. He doesn't nip at his feet anymore. Mostly rarely though he does strike at him at random times. He does the same thing with me so I didn't mind it. I ended up putting him the big cage and he is super comfortable already. He even plays with the wooden string balls. They haven't really fought at all. I heard them get a little grouchy with each other but its not a throw down type of thing. I even found out he Mercedes gives him kisses. He even makes the sound.
The only things I have problems with is the food bowls. He nips at him sometimes but normally just joins in and eats. I tried putting two but he does the same thing. Though I don't think its that bad to remove him. The second problem is Mercedes jumps on his back. That's why we named him John Deere in the first place. He has the colors and he got on the back of him and rode him around. We stopped it though because he was hissing at him. Mercedes also preens him but almost takes his eye out doing so. And the preening is consensual because he fluffs up and tilts his head.
John Deere is adorable, great pictures, I really like the last one. Did you introduce them in neutral territory or did you put John into Mercedes cage? If you put him into Mercedes cage, Mercedes might take that as an invasion into his territory and defend the food bowls, toys etc. make sure they are both getting enough to eat. If that is the case you can try rearranging the things in the cage so it is new to both of them. Sounds like Mercedes is trying to mate with John by jumping on his back, it does not matter that he is a male, hopefully that behavior will subside.
John Deere is adorable, great pictures, I really like the last one. Did you introduce them in neutral territory or did you put John into Mercedes cage? If you put him into Mercedes cage, Mercedes might take that as an invasion into his territory and defend the food bowls, toys etc. make sure they are both getting enough to eat. If that is the case you can try rearranging the things in the cage so it is new to both of them. Sounds like Mercedes is trying to mate with John by jumping on his back, it does not matter that he is a male, hopefully that behavior will subside.
They are pretty calm right now. They sleep together and sometimes chirp together. If you move them away from each other they will chirp to each other and try to find one another. I introduced them in a open space and let them sleep in their own cage last night and then put him in the cage today.
John Deere is a cutie!
Make sure that Mercedes does not get overly aggressive with J.D. and don't let Mercedes bully him.
Sometimes it's best to have two cages next to one another and allow the birds to have out-of-cage time together while they get accustomed to one another.
John Deere is a cutie!
Make sure that Mercedes does not get overly aggressive with J.D. and don't let Mercedes bully him.
Sometimes it's best to have two cages next to one another and allow the birds to have out-of-cage time together while they get accustomed to one another.
I've taken JD out and has personal time with him. Whether I'm working on something or watching tv I'll let him sit with me. When we first got him his legs were wobbly and he had a hard time keeping his balance. It's gotten better and he is stepping up on my finger now. He doesn't seem as scared as he was before. He is more comfortable and even flaps his wings in the cage to stretch and sleeps normally with his head on his back. Mercedes isn't too aggressive but sometimes he pops JD in the face with his beak. For no reason at all they could be just sitting there. Mercedes will just sit there and chatter and tap his beak on his. He dance is a chatter/talk tapping with his beak and bobbing his head and sometimes he does the woah. Where he knocks his head back and looks around like someone slapped him. When I first saw it I almost died laughing. He doesn't seem interested though and sits there and just looks at him or moves away. But where ever Mercedes goes JD comes and vice versa. They have a pretty good bond honestly. Mercedes has always been territorial so I thought he would immediately rip a new bird to shreds. But he is the sweetest when it comes to JD.
Introducing John Deere
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