Ask Lafeber

Bonded pairs of budgies

After a bonding pair are separated into their own cage and have raised a clutch, must the pair be kept together or can I separate them back into their respective ( males only and females only) cages?

Hi Carol,

They do mate for life, so it isn’t recommended that you separate a bonded pair. However, you can have a non-breeding colony of male & female budgies together. To do this, never give them anything they can use as a nest, including large food bowls. Give them plenty of fun toys and rearrange those regularly. Move the cage regularly, too. If you notice a pair or even a single bird claiming a place on the cage floor, or anywhere in the cage, rearrange everything, and put a perch over that spot and hang some toys there. And if any eggs do show up, discard them right away.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda