Edith and Archie are among dozens of parrots who have found happiness living together at The Oasis, an Arizona sanctuary.

AT THE OASIS, we've introduced many birds to one another. While some beginnings have been rocky, in each instance the outcome seems to be rewarding for the birds.

Here are their stories. I hope they give you some insight into how a feathered friend could help your parrot.

The Moluccan girls and Milo
Sassy the Moluccan cockatoo, one of the reasons The Oasis was founded, was born in 1995 with deformed feet and legs.

Even after extensive orthopedic surgeries to correct her problems, we weren't sure six-month-old Sassy would ever walk properly, much less perch. But Sassy showed us how resilient she could be. Once we carpeted her floor and let her feathers grow in so she could fly, Sassy became a fearless force to contend with.

Not much later, Cosmo arrived. A baby Moluccan cockatoo, she was born with only half a crop and other internal problems; it seemed unlikely she would survive her first year. But after round-the-clock hand-feedings and round after round of antibiotics to fight infections and numerous bouts with pneumonia, she beat the odds.

At The Oasis, we combine similar species whenever possible because it not only obviously saves space, but many of the birds prefer their own kind to the company of humans.

However, Sassy, whom we had showered with toys and attention, was less than thrilled to share her room with Cosmo. For the first two weeks I had two unhappy birds. If I left the room, only one could be out at a time.

Gradually, things changed. We had cuddle fests, where I would play on the floor with both birds, folding my body over them and giving them mutual affection while they were touching one another. Within three weeks I could leave them out together unsupervised.

For the first two years, Sassy ran the show, but late last year Cosmo had become the leader. Now Sassy is, surprisingly, the more demure and less demanding of the two.

Over time Sassy and Cosmo grew accustomed to having other cockatoos live in their room. However, they remained a bonded pair, eating together, mutually preening and choosing to sleep in the same cage.

Sassy the Moluccan cockatoo overcame crippled feet to bond with other birds.

Milo, a tiny citron cockatoo, arrived at The Oasis in early 2000. A long-term plucker, he had been abandoned at a veterinarian’s office in California when his owners divorced. He began mutilating his own flesh and had several surgeries to close up life-threatening wounds.

We heard about Milo when he was hours from euthanasia - after almost a year of tending to this miserable little creature, the veterinarian had given up.

Milo arrived quiet and withdrawn. He began to bond with some of The Oasis volunteers and over time became used to the rhythm of life here, surrounded by lots of other birds and people. He even stopped mutilating.

Then, six months after his arrival, The Oasis moved to a new piece of land in the country. The chaos of moving seemed to put Milo in a tailspin. He began mutilating again in earnest. I wanted to keep a close eye on his self-destructive behavior, so at the new facility I moved him into Sassy and Cosmo’s room.

Normally, we do not allow male and female cockatoos to mingle at The Oasis. We've seen the deadly results of male aggression too often. However, since Sassy and Cosmo each weighed around 800 grams, and little Milo tipped the scales at only 350 grams, it seemed unlikely he would harm them.

Over the next few months, Sassy and Cosmo gradually accepted Milo into their flock of two. The girls are still best buddies - but now Milo is also allowed to eat with and preen them.

Milo still mutilates at times and sometimes has to wear a collar so he won't harm himself. We don't understand why it still happens. But we do know he seems happier with Sassy and Cosmo than if he were alone. All three continue to welcome humans into their fun and games. We did not lose their companionship; rather, we enjoy the privilege of being part of their world.

The macaw buddies
Tiki, a female blue-and-gold macaw, arrived at The Oasis at the end of 1998. She was 16 and the pampered pet of a woman who had owned her since she was six months old. Tiki's life was going well until a new husband arrived.

After the couple moved into a new community and began receiving complaints about the noise, Tiki was devoiced. She became withdrawn and aggressive and her owner considered euthanizing her. She brought her to us instead.

Cosmo, another female Moluccan cockatoo with severe physical problems, built a rewarding relationship with Sassy and a male named Milo.

We tried placing Tiki with several other macaws, but she wasn't interested. Instead, I became her person. She would make a big show of preening me and rubbing her face on me when other macaws were around, probably to show them she and I were a pair.

In February 2000 we took in Joey, another female blue-and-gold macaw. Joey was totally and irreparably plucked. She had been found dehydrated and malnourished, hanging on the vines growing on a parking structure in central Phoenix during a cold snap. We concluded this big unfriendly bird had somehow escaped from her breeder's aviary, but we couldn't locate the owner.

Tiki and Joey hated one another. For two years, we had to keep their playstands at opposite ends of the room. If allowed any closer, the two birds would stalk one another and aggressively beak fight.

Then, about a year ago, something changed. Instead of attacking one another, they began working in tandem. They ganged up on people who came into the bird building to feed or clean, and I began thinking of them as The Piranha Girls. For whatever reason, they had decided to become friends and began bonding.

Since Joey is too plucked to be outside year round, she and Tiki live together in an outdoor aviary only from April through October. At this writing, we will be bringing them back indoors soon and I am interested to see whether Tiki will have anything to do with me. She'll let me stroke her in the aviary, but if Joey is near, even that is not allowed.

I may have lost Tiki as a personal companion, but watching her interact with Joey and knowing they have one another's support and company 24-7 is more rewarding.

Billy loves Peanut
We think Billy, a yellow-naped Amazon who came to us in 1998, is at least 15 years old, but we're not sure whether he is wild-caught or domestically reared. We do know he was around someone who was on the phone a lot - he has long one-sided telephone conversations.

Peanut, a female blue-front Amazon who arrived later that year, had a quarantine band proving she was wild-caught. Like Joey, we suspect she escaped from a breeding facility. Over time she has learned to say hello in my voice, but mostly she "speaks Amazon".

When Billy and Peanut met, it was love at first sight. Within days they moved into an aviary together and have been inseparable ever since. Even though they are of different species who would in all likelihood never meet in the wild, they duet - call to one another - in harmony, all day long.

Our rules for pairing
Many other birds live together at The Oasis, either as pairs or in larger flocks. Some relationships formed instantly; others took years to cement.

We have found it to be more important that birds be of a similar temperament than necessarily of the same species (although you can't go too far afield, such as trying to pair a parakeet and a macaw). For instance, a Nanday conure and a cherry-headed conure with similar personalities will get on better than two incompatible cherry-headeds.

Of course, not all birds, even of same species, will like one another, no matter how much time they spend together. But for your best chances, we recommend keeping separate cages - and separate feeding stations - for potential bird friends until they choose to share their sleeping quarters and won't squabble over food. Shared play stands and other areas can help move along the friendship.

When introducing birds, I usually sit with the established bird on the floor and keep the new bird in his cage. This makes the established bird feel important and may help the new bird, who can observe your interactions, understand you are not likely to eat him.

Birds can take a lot of time and patience. Unless you have both to give, a feathered companion is probably the best way to ensure the happiness of all involved. Creating a flock won't solve all problems - it has not stopped Milo's mutilation. But it can make life easier for them, and you will know they have a bird friend with whom they can share their lives and all of their time.

Sybil Erden is director of The Oasis, a rescue facility for homeless parrots set on 71 acres near Benson, Ariz. Founded eight years ago, The Oasis now houses almost 400 permanent residents. This article is based on a version previously posted at The Oasis Web site.