Quaker problem

[Isla1951]

I had a blue boy adopted as teen smart but never stops trying to bite nor like hands at all. Then got a baby grew they became friends and now he thinks he owns her and she has become very attached to him but I don't think is a healthy relationship she is not looking healthy but wants to be only with him, really it was a mistake to get her but now I rather keep her and sadly give him up. I've worked with him very hard to bond but his just a little hoodlum jjj. really, he is, know how to charm you, dances and talks a lot, but if I can decapitate you I will. jjjj it breaks my heart to let him go, any advice before I have no choice.

 

[Jcas58]

It’s only natural that two birds would bond to each other more than to a human. Quakers can definitely be nippy and very territorial and most birds hit an adolescent phase where they become less sweet cuddly babies and more independent and assertive. What is your main goal with these birds? You mention that the young one seems unhealthy. In what way? Skinny, scruffy, scared etc?

 

[Isla1951]

Thank you for answering, well they eat well and have lot of free time, but it seems the male has become very attached to my Betty and her to him, I first got him a teen according to the owner but was very aggressive against hands i tried without success to help him overcome his hand aggression, after a while I thought maybe a friend would help and this time got a baby quaker and she has been wonderful and he was happy and sweet with her always but now she is grown he thinks he owns her and has taken ownership. My goal was to have two sweet birds I tried separating and all they do is yell like crazy any advice.

 

[Jcas58]

Does the female seem to like being with the male? It sounds like your birds have become a bonded pair. The female is the male’s mate and he is protecting her from what he sees as the competition; you. Whether or not you keep them is of course up to you, but separating a bonded pair will likely be highly stressful for both of them. While it’s great they get lots of free time, perhaps a compromise might help. Set them up in side-by-side separate cages so they can see and talk to each other but you can let them out one at a time. This might help control the situation a little more.

Birds do bite. Ask anyone on this forum and you will find most of us have gotten bitten. The question to ask is always: did I deserve that bite? My own Quaker parrot bites only for a reason. It’s up to me to figure out why. If I do something I know he doesn’t like and get bitten, that’s on me. It’s important to remember that birds are not domesticated like dogs or other easy to train animals. They are still more or less “ wild” and we have to learn to adapt to that. Hope you find something that works for you and your birds

 

[Isla1951]

Thank you for responding. Well, my girl since I had her as a baby never bit and I understand, they have cages next to each other but lately since my husband is very ill I've have allowed them to be together all the time, and the boy who was always a bitter now is a little devil as you say he is protecting her would it be healthy to keep both in one cage they do fight but she tries to keep him in line.

 

[Jcas58]

I guess keeping them together depends on how they fight. If they fight over resources like food, if the female seems to get worn out by having to fend off the male or if they ever hurt each other, that would be reason to keep them separate. If it’s just tiny spats and then they settle down and seem happy together, then it would probably be fine to leave them together. The one plus to Keeping them separate is it would allow you to interact with the female without being in danger of being bitten by the male.