Ask Lafeber

Mixed Species Bond

Hi, I have a flock of five birds. This question is regarding two of them. A few months ago, we had two male cockatiels and one male linnie. Then we adopted another female cockatiel, Bo, and a suspected female linnie, Kiwi. We were told these birds were bonded and shared the same cage. After the quarantine and introduction period, the girls were introduced to our boys. One of our male tiels, Tuba, took to Bo right away. He even mated with her soon after. The other two boys were not interested in them. As time passed, Bo grew less interested in Tuba and always stayed close to Kiwi. It was clear that Bo was indeed bonded to Kiwi but we were not sure if Kiwi was bonded to Bo. She would preen her but would not call much if separated. A few times Kiwi demonstrated aggression towards Bo so we separated the girls and kept them side by side in different cages, but it always was fine the next day. Today, Kiwi has again become aggressive towards Bo for seemingly no reason. She chases her inside and outside the cage and has even plucked her head feathers. They are once more separated now. However, Bo flock calls and continues to try to get back to Kiwi constantly. It’s stressing Bo out to be separated but it’s gotten dangerous for them to be together. What should I do?

Hi,

Mixed species bonds rarely work out once hormones enter the picture. My guess is the Linnie has become hormonal and the aggression is because the cockatiel isn’t receptive or is a different species and the Linnie understands the cockatiel isn’t a potential mate. All behavior is based on instincts, and most of the time hormones are involved. I would keep them separate because Linnie’s are a more robust bird with a stronger beak, and can kill a cockatiel. Maybe you can encourage bonding between Tuba and Bo – IF both birds are at least two years old. Some owners get several young birds and have them together as one big happy family. It seems like everything is working out until the birds start getting hormonal for the first time. Then you find out why mixing species rarely works out. I don’t know the age of your birds, but cockatiels should not be paired with the opposite sex until they are at least 2 years old. However, they are hormonal as young as 8 months of age, and behavior issues can begin at this point. You don’t want to pair them yet because they are not mature enough for breeding, and young hens can be at a higher risk of becoming egg bound. All you can do is keep the Linnie separate or see if Kiwi will get along with the other Linnie. I would not keep trying to let Kiwi interact with the cockatiels. What you see as aggression for no reason is more likely hormones kicking in. And since you can’t predict when that might happen, it’s not safe to keep the Linnie’s and Cockatiels together. Whatever you do, as long as you have three cockatiels together, do not give them a nest box or anything to use as a nest. You can only have one pair per cage for breeding. And in general, even non-breeding birds do not work out in odd numbers. As these birds get older and more mature, you will have an odd bird out. And if you introduce breeding to that mix, the fighting will begin. If these birds can all be handled, then let each bird have a cage and when they are out, only get one species out at a time.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda