Ask Lafeber

Parakeet mates

My son gave me his two male parakeets, Irving and Cloud who had been cage mates for 3-4 years. After a couple of days I put them in with my others now 4 females and 4 males. 6 birds have now coupled (male/female) including Irving. His former cage mate Cloud is quibbling with Irving and his new girlfriend. Even though there is a shy female not yet with a partner, Cloud doesn’t want anything to do with her. He is quibbling and upsetting the otherwise peaceful environment. What is going on and what can I do?

Hi,

Same sex pairs can be just as bonded as a male & female pair. While Irving has moved on, clearly Cloud is still bonded to him. You can either put them both back in their old cage, or give it time and see if Cloud pairs with the female. They choose their own mates in the wild, and often do not like the mates we choose for them. Cloud is bonded to Irving and is not looking for a female, and is jealous that Irving has gotten close with a female. He may never change hi mind. You could try moving Cloud and the single female to a cage away from the large cage, to see if Cloud would have more interest when he isn’t in the same cage with Irving. For him, it’s very confusing. It is very important that you never provide nests or anything that can be sued as a nest when you have more than one male/female pair in the same cage. This also means no birdie tents, huts, large bowls, etc. If they have a nesting spot, they will nest. And then they will all start fighting and this will end in bloodshed. A flock of budgies should be given fun toys and never be encourage or allowed to breed. Any eggs should be discarded immediately. Hopefully Cloud will get to know the female and they will end up bonding. It takes time but it may never happen.

Thank you for caring,

Brenda