Why Do My Budgies Fight?

Budgies generally get along with one another when two or more are housed together. However, at times, they do not get along for various reasons, and you may often see them getting restless, irritated or squawking loudly at each other. These are indications of a fight, and can affect the birds' health in the long run because of the constant stress.

In their natural habitats, budgies live in flocks that may have hundreds or thousands of birds. Sometimes, birds of the same or opposite gender fight to decide the social hierarchy among members of the same colony. This tendency can occur when multiple budgies are kept in a cage. Though the birds may squabble occasionally, it is never serious.

If many male and female budgies live in the same cage, you may observe that there are more fights among birds of the same sex than there are among opposite sexes. Sometimes, more than one male can compete for the same female in a cage, leading to loud squawking and possibly pecking.

Male budgies rarely fight for personal space in the cage, whereas female budgies are instinctively more territorial. For females, a cage is like a nesting site, which they tend to guard carefully from trespassers. You may even find females fending off other males in order to protect their territory.

Therefore, pet owners should carefully introduce new budgies. Pet them in separate cages outside. Allow enough time for the birds to interact with each other, then open the cages for them. Once you are sure they can get along in the same space, shift the birds to a larger cage, so they get the same amount of space they enjoyed before. Provide separate water dishes and toys to avoid fighting for these cage resources.

While most of the fights may end after squawking, serious fights can create severe health problems for timid pets. Some budgies just cannot get along with the other birds in the cage and can really stress out the other members. Pet owners should monitor the birds and make sure they remain healthy. If you see birds becoming weak or losing weight, then you may have to consciously observe the birds and find out which budgie is problematic.

Budgies that are dominating or stressed out after a fight may be violent for some time. If you see budgies pulling out each other's feathers or biting one another, you need to be very careful while dealing with them after a fight. Do not open the cage door, as they may fly out and bite you. Calm down the birds by talking soothingly to them and take the stressed budgie out by welcoming it onto your hand. Most of them become quite docile when they are taken out of the cage. It is best to separate the budgies if they get too violent during a fight.