Keet Being Picked On

User Question
Thank you for your website I have really enjoyed all that you have written about keets. I do have a question concerning my four keets. One of them who I call Harry is being picked on constantly by the other three keets. The three keets will at times gang up on Harry and peck at him and he would screech and try to get away from them. The cage that I have them in is large with plenty of food, toys, and water. I have tried separating them as pairs but still Harry gets picked on no matter who is in the cage with him. I put him by himself in one cage near the other keets but he simply clings on the cage wanting to get out to join the others on the nearby cage. Should I keep him totally separated, maybe in another room? What would cause the other three keets to attack Harry? Your answers would be greatly appreciated.

Lisa's Answer
I know exactly where you're coming from. We humans have these feelings that all creatures should be completely peaceful. But in bird land, keets have a pecking order. They know who is boss and who is in each rung on the ladder. It is important to keets to know who is in each order. Some keet is going to end up on the bottom.

In my keet setup it was always Santo who was the left out situation. Pinto was the boss - Nazo was the harassed one. Santo was the leftover one who got picked on. Eventually I got Ivory and Santo and Ivory formed a pair. Nazo and Pinto then ended up a pair. There's no way to really predict how things are going to work out. You can only give them as much space as you can and a food and water dish for each one. But in the end, the keets will battle amongst themselves and have their squabbles. If you separate them once they're a group, they will be lonely. It's a balancing act.

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