Ask Lafeber

breeding bourkes

Is it OK to have a third bird in the same cage as a breeding pair?

Hi Roxann,

Definitely NOT! It’s never a good idea to have an odd number of birds in the same cage anyway. Even if they are all the same sex, they will tend to pair off and the odd bird gets bullied. When you add breeding to the mix, you will have a dead bird. Bourke’s seem sweet and gentle, but all breeding birds become territorial and other birds are not welcome near the nest. Since they can’t chase an extra bird out of the cage, they will kill it. Don’t be fooled if they seem to be OK – the situation can turn without notice and they can kill another bird in a matter of seconds. And if the extra bird is particularly aggressive, it might attack one of the pair, or go into the nest and break the eggs or kill any chicks. No matter what, you are looking at a bad outcome if you have more than just one breeding pair in a cage.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda