Budgies fighting - would you put them back in together?

[bud]

Hi,

I typed a long post out, but when I got to the end of it, the only question I had was...can they ever go back in together?

We have 3 males and 2 are young and the other (Valentino) we think is just over a year old. Valentino has pecked one of the young males twice now and the last time resulted in a trip to the emergency vet, as he lost quite a lot of blood.

They are separated at the moment, but we don't have the room to keep them side by side permanently unfortunately.  The only way we can keep them separated is moving him upstairs and I don't want to do this.  He was grieving for 6 weeks after we lost our beloved boy and only started to come out of his shell again when we introduced him to the other boys.  We took him in after he had been left in rented accommodation, he hadnt been cared for and is still very timid.  We want to do our absolute best for him, but want to keep our other boys safe.

Would adding a fourth male help?  Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

[bud]

They all seem to get along outside of the cage. The photo is after the first time Rocco was pecked. The young ones seem to squabble and pull each others tail and wing feathers, but I'm hoping this is something they grow out of!

[Hezz]

A couple of questions - how large is the cage that the three had been living in, and how much out-of-cage time do they get? Boys generally get along pretty well together as long as they have room to move away from each other when they want some time to themselves. It may be that Valentino needs a greater circle of personal space than normal but it does sound as though a larger cage or two separate cages but side by side is not an option. That is a serious wound he has given Rocco and I would be very hesitant about housing them all together if you can’t provide supervision, and let’s be honest; we can’t watch our birds each and all day and night. Perhaps as the two new boys mature the dynamics of the flock will mature and mellow as well. Perhaps V’s problem is coming from the youngsters pestering him, especially if he is still missing his old mate.

[bud]

Thanks for your reply.

The cage we have measures W 80 x D 52 x H 86 cm and unfortunately, we don't have room for a larger cage, I thought this would be okay for the three of them. Valentino is currently in a medium vision cage at the side and obviously he is really unhappy in there now. He spends his time clinging to the bars and trying to get as close as possible to the other two, it is heartbreaking to see.

The boys are out a few hours supervised during the day, but longer at weekends. My son will let them out on a lunchtime when he is home from college, then I let them out mid afternoon and they will get more time early evening.

You are right that Valentino needs a greater circle of personal space, as he tends to peck out as a warning if they get too close. He doesn't give them any personal space though and would follow Teddy around, pestering him and didn't want Rocco anywhere near Teddy. This is why I wondered whether a fourth boy would change the dynamics.

When they are out of the cage, Valentino will spend more time with Rocco, but they do all get along together. I do wonder if he might feel a bit intimidated by them both together, as they are pretty boisterous at times.

Our only option of keeping him seperately downstairs is to put him in the dining kitchen and move him out when I'm cooking or working (my manager complained about the noise during meetings when WFH).

[Hezz]

You are doing everything right by the boys - the cage should be large enough for three budgies and it sounds as though they get plenty of outside and exercise time.

If he is an anxious/stressy bird, I would be concerned that adding another to the mix might make things worse for him. Adding another will definitely change the dynamics; it always does and not necessarily in ways that we would want, not necessarily bad either and usually the birds work things out for themselves. Four in a cage that size should be fine as well, although that would be giving V even less room to be in his own space.
It is not nice watching them wanting only to be with the others when you know that if you do allow it things could turn ugly again. I’d be fairly confident that a separate cage would only be a temporary thing and that with time and maturity the three could be back in together, one happy flock. It’s what you can work with in the meantime that is difficult.

[bud]

Valentino is definitely an anxious bird and I've noticed it more since we split them up. Not sure why, but Teddy seems to have taken a dislike to him and chases him away now, so he seems very stressed around him.

We have found a way of keeping him in the same room. It isn't ideal, as we have to keep moving him around, but he'll be less stressed than he would be in another room.

I hope there will be a time when they can all be in the same cage again, but we're in no rush for it to happen.

Thanks for the advice.

[Hezz]

Not a problem, hope it all goes well - good luck!