# Two females -- will their bond survive puberty?



## andPeggy (Jun 17, 2017)

I have two females - an adult foundling of unknown age (named MeMe), and a 12 week old English-type named Mog.

I got Mog to keep MeMe company, as I'm not home during the day and MeMe seemed very lonely. MeMe isn't quite tame (though she's getting better), and Mog was hand-raised, so she likes people. Mog is also a typical English type - calm, sweet, and HUGE.

Mog and MeMe have hit it off VERY well, far more than I could have hoped for for 2 females (we were hoping Mog was a boy, but alas...). They groom and feed each other, sleep together, share food bowls (they have two, but they usually eat from one together, then move to the other bowl). Before we got Mog, MeMe spent a month sitting on one perch in her cage, never playing, only excited for feeding time and free flight time. But since she's bonded to Mog, she's like a new bird -- playing and exploring and getting all budgie sassy.

Mog has become VERY attached to MeMe, to the point I'm starting to think Mog might be viewing MeMe as a surrogate mom. Mog is definitely weaned (she's almost 13 weeks old), but begs MeMe to feed her, and when MeMe flies outside of the cage, Mog does a baby squeak over and over.

My concern is if Mog does MeMe as a surrogate, what happens at puberty? Will Mog suddenly start to reject MeMe? Or am I concerned over nothing since Mog is well-past weaning?

I know it's rare for two females to have a strong bond, and I'd hate to see MeMe and Mog's bond lost, so I'm hoping this will be a life-long bond.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*It isn't at all rare for two females to have a strong bond. 
Whether or not birds bond or get along well together depends on the individual birds - each budgie has his/her own unique personality regardless of gender.

I house my male budgies separately from my female budgies.

I have two female budgies caged together that are very bonded to one another. 
My ladies do bicker from time to time but that is quite normal. 
They also preen and feed one another.

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/336273-common-myths-about-female-budgies.html*


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## andPeggy (Jun 17, 2017)

My main concern isn't if they'll bond -- clearly my two females are now strongly bonded -- but rather, if this bond could be based on Mog being a chick. I fear once she hits puberty, she'll start rejecting MeMe.


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## andPeggy (Jun 17, 2017)

And I feel like a photo of the girls is in order.


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I think that if they have developed a bond already, there will always be at least some sort of friendliness even if it changes. It might not change though. You might very well see a little bickering as Deborah mentioned above, which is completely normal. But _IF_ Mog happens to become a highly territorial hen in maturity, who is very driven to nesting instincts (some are more naturally than others regardless of ideal environment), you might need to separate them.

You can't always accurately predict with birds, but here is a perfect example with 2 of my male parrots: Budgies being in the parrot family too, this generalization still applies. 
Raven and Griffin became close friends as juveniles. They are so close that they not only hang out together, but they preen each other and Raven even regurgitates to Griffin as if they were a true pair. Still, being both mature males now, Griffin (the smaller species of the two) will at times attack Raven. Not to the point of injury, but he's definitely not playing around. I'm right there whenever they're out of their cages to break it up, although it usually only last several seconds with Raven squawking up a storm. It only happens occasionally though. You will just have to see what happens when Mog matures.  Does that answer your question?

The girls sure are cute . They're posing for the camera!


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## andPeggy (Jun 17, 2017)

Thank you both for your detailed answers! I've only ever had adult males, and they all bonded easily. So this is a whole new world for me!

They have a nice large flight cage, so my hope is, should the worst happen, they'll have room to get away. And just like children, I'll get two of everything. 

Mog is extremely laid back and calm -- her father is, too. Typical English type, he is. So I'm hoping that as she gets older, she'll stay mellow. MeMe is a full-grown adult with grey iris circles and was in full molt when I found her, so she's probably at least a year old. But she LOVES Mog. I don't know what her situation was before I found her, but I wonder if she came from a place that had other birds. Her first few weeks she just seemed so lonely, calling to the birds outside, and not moving from her perch.

So I am hoping between MeMe's loneliness and Mog's laid-back personality, they'll stay friends through puberty.


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

With their personality traits now, it does sound like there is a good chance of them staying close with no problems :fingerx:. Most usually that is the case when they become attached to one another.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Meme and Mog are beautiful!
I don't think you need to worry about their bond surviving Mog's puberty. 
I'm sure the two little ladies will remain BBFFs! (Best Budgie Friends Forever) 
*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

Mog and MeMe are absolutely adorable  I'm glad to hear that they're such great friends 

You've been given great advice above. Since they're such great friends now, I don't think that much will change even when Mog matures 

It is really great to have you here and you couldn't have come to a better place to learn even more about budgies!

Be sure to read through the forum's many Budgie Articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subform for easy reference) to ensure you're up to date on all the best practices for budgie care! 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, be sure to ask as we'd love to help 

We look forward to seeing you and the girls around here :violet: :blue pied:

Cheers! :wave:


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