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Question:

September 14, 2021

Behaviour


Why did male cockatiel attack female known to him for ten years ? Two groups in big cage separated by wire got along . However when l removed the wire all nine blended except for Azkaban fiercely attacking Blondie n she bled . Thankyou


Answer:

Hi Lynn,

Basically by removing the barrier, you upset their territory. Most birds are territorial, and even more so when they are breeding. If Azkaban and Blondie are a pair, whether you have let them breed or not, he is going to keep rival birds away from his female. If he can’t make the intruders go away, then he will attack the female to make her get back away from the rivals. It sounds like none of the other birds were bonded pairs, and maybe Azkaban was the dominant male on his side of the wire. The best way to try to restore the peace is replace the divider, or move the pair to a new cage away from the group.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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