New budgies arent getting along with older budgies..help

[jimmy_perry]

Hi guys, ive came here because i have a problem, i recently bought two new budgies. I put them in the cage with the other other two i have and they have been fighting alot, my original two jimmy and perry arent taking on to the new ones. Its only been a few days though and perhaps i should give it more time, but its not looking good...should i return them to the pet store? i dont really want too but its even causing jimmy and perry to fight a little more because of the problems the other two are causing and im at my wits end as to what to do. My mum says leave it and theyll be fine, they are just being stubborn and trying to show whos boss and that they will come round..while i believe this to be true i dont however know if they will ever come round to being accepted by jimmy and perry. Anyone ne advice? thanks.

[aka.pody]

Hello and welcome. It sounds to me like you didn't quarantine the new guys. It's probably too late now but just hope for the best.

Birds need to establish a pecking order. They'll argue and sometimes fight a bit until they figure out who's top budgie. They usually work it out themselves. But if there's vicious fighting going on where it looks like one might get hurt then by all means remove the little touble maker until things quiet down. You should have a separate cage on hand.

[DarkRaine]

I would have to agree with a.k.a. pody and your mum, just wait a bit so they can establish a system to see who's boss, if it keeps up for too long, you should separate them. If you have a spare cage, you might wanna try and separate them and put them next to each other so they can get used to each other without interfering. Next time you should quarantine though. Maybe the cage is too small for 4 budgies and they're fighting for space.

[Keasha_Plus_Me]

That's what happened to Keasha and Bella, even after quarentine. Keasha was boss for a week...and then Bella took over. :P

[atvchick95]

it's not always fine, I had to remove one of my budgies because others attacked her, and they would of killed her if it was up to her, She used to be the TOP bird along with her Buddy , But since The 2 have been breeding and the singles have been out they lost their position

They attacked her when she was peeking out of the lid of the nest box one day, then when she was done breeding, and I let her out with all the other birds (6 of whom she lived with before) attacked her again, this time busting up her cere

you never put new birds directly in a cage with previous birds even after quarantine

the previous birds are protecting their territory you let them sit side by side in separate cages and let them get used to each other, then you let introduce them slowly some place neutral like a play gym, or on the floor under supervision

Mine was out in the bird room flying with the rest when she was attacked and I was in the room, Turned my back for a minute to do something and this is what the out come of that was


Mind you it looks worse then what it was and now she's completely healed but that isn't the point - the point is they don't always stop - until they get what they want which 90% of the time is the "new"bird GONE


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/RednecksDoItBest/My%20Birds/Budgie%20Pictures/027-1.jpg



http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/RednecksDoItBest/My%20Birds/Budgie%20Pictures/028-1.jpg

[softie]

Even if it's been a few days, it doesn't really mean it's too late to quarantine. And even if it may be, I would still go ahead and do the process. Your new budgies and your old birds should be separated in different rooms with absolutely no contact for at least 30 days. 45 days is recommended. Remember to wash your hands before and after handling any of your budgies :)

It is always encouraged to set a "Introductory Period" after a successful quarantine for when your budgies do meet the others. They should never be placed into a strange cage with strange faces, as that's what provoke fights. Let them all out of the cages and do not push or force them to meet each other. Always be under their supervision when they are out together, so that you can take the necessary steps to separating the budgies if they do get into violent stages with each other.

Another tip to making this process a bit easier, is to the completely change the entire set up for both the cages and the play area where they are usually are for outside-time. The change will keep everyone at new, so no one will have their own territory, which will lessen chances of fighting.

Some budgies will just not learn to cooperate with each other, so in this case, it would be best to keep the argumentative budgies apart. Some budgies will take a bit of time to get use to their new friends, and they shouldn't be placed in the same cage until proven to be compatible. And there are those budgies who will lover up the new budgie as soon as possible (but still keep watch on them ;))

[pal0m1n0]

I can tell you some of the tricks I used. Leave the new bird in its own cage and put it near the other birds. Don't let the new birds out for the first few days. This allows the others to check it out and it can get into the center of the cage if they get too aggressive. I am more inclined to put the new bird into a cage big enough for the ones you want to cage together and move the old ones into the cage over a period of time. Definitely do not do this until they have actually spent out of cage time together without incident. Be prepared to keep the new ones caged separately if it doesn't work out. It is possible they can spend out of cage time together but just not want to share cages. Moving perches and toys around does help.

Finally, make sure your cage is actually big enough for four birds.

[jimmy_perry]

Well unfortunelty i had to take them back (the white budgie in the above pic looked just like one of them). They werent getting along at all, the old two werent accepting them and it was only a matter of time before one got hurt. My breeder is looking after them untill he gets a new home for them :) I should have kept them in separate cages to begin with and introduce them slowly but i didnt know at the time. Ah well.