Two Keets are Grumpy

User Question
hello! just want to start off by saying your site is very well constructed and it is my favorite site for reading about parakeets.

just about a week ago, i purchased another parakeet and now have 2 (both from a bin of budgies) so I figure they should be used to other birds. At first, these two were doing great! I put a 2nd food container in there for them, so they wouldnt have to compete and that seems to work. But lately,they sound unhappy. The are aggressively fluttering their wings and making that angry coarse chirp. i have no idea what is going on! they were fine a few days ago, but now seem to not be enjoying eachothers company.

Should I be worried? what can I check for?

Lisa's Answer
Being used to other birds and liking an INDIVIDUAL other bird are two completely different things. Parakeets are extremely intelligent and each one has a very unique personality. It would be like someone dropping a stranger into your bedroom and saying "OK live with this person now, share all your toys, deal with it." Even if you had a chance of liking that person, you still would get cranky sometimes and argue. Even siblings who live their whole lives together argue sometimes.

Having two food dishes is of course important, and make sure the cage is large enough that they both have their own space to hang out in. Once you get both hand trained, make sure they have a lot of time outside the cage to fly around and be on their own. But even so, some 'pecking order' harassment is normal. That is how birds determine who is boss of the flock. It's fine unless it gets extreme and one actually starts to harm the other, in which case they may need separate cages until they get on better terms.

All Questions in this Category

List of Parakeet Question Categories

NOTE: Because of the huge volume of incoming questions, I no longer answer them one by one. Instead, we have created a live, free Parakeet Forum which is very active, where people are online 24 hours a day to help you with your parakeet related questions. If you have any questions about parakeet care - or simply want to share your parakeet stories and photos - please join us!

Parakeet Forum