My 6 month old conure and 3 yr old conure have finally begun to preen each other . The young one began bobbing his head today when they were preening. He also got very hyper and actually laid on his back . What’s going on ? Is he playing by laying on his back when other conure was trying to preen him??
Hi,
I would not have these birds together very much until the younger bird is older. They should definitely not share a cage. The young bird is far too young to be with an older conure, and if the young bird is a female, it is dangerous for her because she might be triggered to lay eggs and she is much too young. She could become egg bound and die. I’m not sure the species, but for the smaller conures, they need to be at least 3 before you let them breed. Even if breeding is not your plan, if they turn out to be male and female, and you cage them together, then they will end up mating. The head bobbing behavior this young bird is exhibiting could be baby behavior, where the bird is reverting a bit and wants the older bird to feed it. Or, this could be very early hormonal behavior, which again is not good at this age. Laying on the back is playful behavior. But again, be careful about how much they are together now. Also, the more time they spend together, the more likely they are to bond, even if same sex. If they bond too closely, they will lose interest in being pets. Another good reason to limit the time they are out together.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
