Ask Lafeber

My cockatiel tries to bite my male cockatiel when he sings

I have had a male cockatiel for a little under one year now, he is finishing up his first molt. About 3 months ago, I got another cockatiel who is under a year old and I think is a female (still waiting for DNA testing). Sometimes, my boy will walk up to her with heart wings and start singing in her face; he will also, at times, lean towards her head like he wants to preen her while singing. When he tries to preen her head, she snaps at him and they smash beaks. Why is this happening? Is there anything I can do to encourage at least tolerance between them? They are currently kept in separate cages. He is still very sweet and affectionate towards me, she is taking a little bit more time to warm up than he did. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Hi,

Both birds are too young for breeding. Even if you do not plan to breed them, it’s best to keep them separate for at least another year. Otherwise the female’s hormones are going to be triggered and she’s going to start laying eggs. She is too young to be laying eggs and is at a higher risk of becoming egg bound if she does lay at this age. Right now he is trying to court her and she is rejecting him, which is good. If you want him to remain tame, and you want to tame her, you need to keep them away from each other. If they end up bonding as a pair, you will lose them as pets. There is no need to make them get along. The male currently has you as a companion. Adult birds do not have more than one companion, so unless you want him to turn on you and start biting you, I would stop trying to get them together. Again, if the plan is to breed them, you have at least another year before they can be together. And again, you will lose both birds as pets if you turn them into breeders. Breeding birds can’t be pets – it causes confusion and ends up with fighting and lack of production. Decide what your plan is for them, and either keep the apart to be pets, or in another year, start trying to introduce them. They may or may not even like each other. They choose a mate in the wild, and often do not like the mate we choose for them. It’s basically an arranged marriage and some birds are simply not compatible.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda