Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Greetings everyone.

Mother's Day is upon us early. Two days ago my daughter gave me a large cage and a new parakeet to be my own. The cage is for my son's parakeet (about 1 1/2 years old, we think) and the new one.

We introduced them to the cage at the same time but the older bird doesn't seem to like the younger one to get too close. The older bird doesn't seem to hurt the younger one, but uses his beak to make her displeasure known.

I know my son was taking marginal good care of the older bird, but has lost interest and now they are both mine to tend to. I try to give them attention several times a day until they lose interest, but what do I do about this agressive behavior, and what should I be doing besides giving them fresh seed and water and some attention?

JIll

On the diet try to add in some fresh foods, veggies, pasta, small amounts of fruit. Try offering it in many different ways until they find something they like.

Do they have toys? Make sure they have wood toys to chew on and plastic toys to play with. Toys with movable parts are great.

For the aggression. Do you still have the old cage? Was the new bird quarantined from the old bird for at least 30 days? If not maybe you could start over. Put the old bird back into his regular cage and separate the two birds into different rooms of the house if at all possible. After at least 30 days have passed, move the cages into the same room. Then move the cages closer until they are side by side. Try to introduce the birds for the second time in a neutral place. Maybe a new playgym or perch or even on the back of a couch or chair. Just a place neither claims for their own. During the introduction use distractions like new toys favored treats etc. After several meetings that go well you might try them back in the same cage. make sure whichever cage you use that you completely switch it around add new toys etc to make it seem new.

Also if both birds are of the same sex (usually females) they are more likely to fight.

More diet suggestions: pellets make a healthy and easy addition to the diet (once the birds learn it`s food and start eating it). Pick a healthy brand of pellets. I recommend Zupreem Natural, Harrisons, Roudybush, or Hagens. Avoid the brightly colored pellets. To teach my birds to eat pellets I restrict their access to seed. I gave them seed for 1 hour in the morning, and one in the evening. As they started eating the pellets, I gradually reduced the amount of time they got seed for, week by week. Be sure there`s one seed dish per bird or one can keep the other away from the food.

This is also an excellent time to offer those veggies, but make sure they`re health veggies. The more vibrantly colored the food, the more nutrients it packs. So dark leafy greens (dandylions, kale, chard, etc...) bright orange and red veggies, squash, and a birdy-favorite... sweet potato are all good choices. Offer things cooked, raw, chopped, whole, in a dish, onthe floor, hanging from the ceiling, woven between the bars, wrapped around a perch, etc... the more interesting it seems, the more likely they are to try it.

You can also offer them other things like cooked, lean meats/eggs/beans/etc, healthy carbs (brown/wild rice, oatmeal, couscous, boulgar, whole wheat bread, etc...), small amounts of fruit, just about anything. Is it`s healthy for you, it`s healthy for them.

Please no avacado, onions, mushrooms, rhubarb, caffine (soda/chocolate/etc), or alcohol. And no salty, greasy or sweet foods.