Why are my budgies fighting?

[Bethannie Rose]

I’ve had two budgies (1 male 1 female) in a considerably large cage together for close to a year now and they’ve gotten along great except at the start of this week they started fighting! I suspect this to be hormonal but I’m not sure what to do? At the moment i have them separated in 2 separate cages next to each other and they chirp back and forth to each other and hang out towards the edge of the cage next to each other and I want to put them both back together but i also don’t want them to kill each other! Should i keep them separated permanently? Is there anything i can do to be a peacekeeper if they do return back to their communal cage?

 

[lotus15]

Can you describe their fighting in a little more detail? You said you're afraid they'll kill each other... have they drawn blood or caused injury? I think budgies can play pretty rowdily which is totally normally, but more aggressive behaviors do indeed indicate they need to be separated. (For example, I had to separate my two when one of them started pulling out the other's tail feathers.) If they are indeed threatening each other's health or safety, then unfortunately, keeping them separated is the best bet. You can definitely organize supervised out of cage play time together, though. What I eventually ended up doing was having them in the same cage but with a barred divider so that they could still see and play with or even preen each other, but couldn't quite get full access.

 

[Familyof12]

My budgies play together and sing together, feed each other and groom each other. Then they fight like they will kill each other to the point they will fall to the bottom of their cage. The minute I go to separate them, they become best friends again. Mine have a love/hate relationship. I'm pretty positive our younger male budgie Remi, is hormonal right now and not always nice. Sola was hormonal last summer but she was different and more friendly during that time. I feel like birds who are large flock birds are noisy and fun because they don't always get along but it's rare they actually kill each other.

You are doing the right thing by separating them during this time. It may pass and all could be well again. Lord knows my parrotlets do the same thing too sometimes.

 

[Begone]

I’ve had two budgies (1 male 1 female)

Are you sure about that?

in a considerably large cage together

What is the size? And can you post a pic of it so I can see how it's set up.

Is there anything i can do to be a peacekeeper if they do return back to their communal cage?

A big cage, and two of everything so they have less to fight about.