December 15, 2022
Cockatiel pair in aviary with budgies
Hi, is it OK to have a breeding pair of cockatiels in an aviary with budgies?
Question:
Answer:
Hi LeeAnn,
Definitely not! It’s not ideal to have budgies and cockatiels together anyway. If this is a very large aviary, the type you can walk into like they have at Zoos, then it can work as long as you never provide any nest boxes. But once they are allowed to breed, they will get very territorial and start fighting. The budgie can actually be more aggressive and vicious than the cockatiels – especially female budgies. If the female budgie gets jealous, she might attack the cockatiels, or raid the nest box and destroy the eggs. She will even kill chicks. The cockatiels will do the same. When breeding, you should only have one pair per cage, regardless of how large the cage is, or you risk some type of tragedy. They can all seem to be getting along and living in harmony one minute, and go at each other the next. Most of the time you get no warning – you just find injured or dead birds.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
