[bohnah]

when we rehomed our two pacific blue brothers this past christmas, they were inseparable. but recently, we've found them bickering and fighting a lot. first incident, beavis suffered a bloody bite in the upper leg. then a day later, he retaliated by nearly biting off butthead's rear right toe (toenail now is disfigured).

so we've been keeping them separated in a split cage, but when we take one out of sight from the other, they call for each other nonstop until they are within sight. just yesterday, after five days of being kept apart, i let them play each other, and they nestled and preened each other for a few minutes. beavis even did the neck wiggle which is hilarious. however, after a couple minutes of peace and love, they quickly started biting towards each other, and had to be separated again.

beavis is the loudest and most aggressive and wary of the two. butthead just wants to eat.

any advice or experience would help. thanks...

 

[bohnah]

also, the second night of separation, i had butthead in a travel cage (prevue 20"x16") next to their main cage (prevue hampton deluxe), and when i came home after dinner, he was sitting atop the main right above his brother.

at first i thought maybe we had left the door ajar, but the next day, we caught him with his head completely out of the travel cage trying to escape. so im assuming he somehow squeezed his way out of the travel cage the night before, which has wider spacing between the bars... haha

 

[Mrs.JP3]

Hello!
I have one Parrotlet and she is my first, so I can't give you personal experience stories, but I know that you will get some good advice from many others here. I will tell you what I know from hanging around the forum and reading up.
Young babies/clutch mates kept together from the beginning sometimes get along, but as they start to mature there is always a possibility they will become aggressive towards one another. In some cases it's not possible to even have them out at the same time, and that is just the nature of the Parrotlet to be aggressive with other birds.

There are exceptions to the norm, but I think in your case it's obvious that they will not be able to house together. You did the absolute right thing in separating them, had you left them together they could have badly injured each other or killed the other. Perhaps in your case, when housed separately they will still be able to come out of the cage together to spend time with you and each other. I would however try this only under very close supervision and for short periods of time since they fought again. You may or may not decided it's a good idea.

If it's not going to work even out of the cage and they still fight with each other, you will just have to take ample time to spend with each bird on their own. If you have other people in your household who have a good relationship with them, take turns socializing with them separately so they get time with the rest of their "Flock" (you).

You can not put them back in the same cage. If they like being near the other one you could set up a designated sleeping spot in each cage that are next to each other. They could still sleep near one another and be safe within their own bars.

As for the one squeezing through the travel cage, that is very dangerous. He could become injured or worse if he got stuck. You should get another travel cage for each of them that has the appropriate bar spacing, 1/2" inch.
This is how I would go about it, I hope it's helpful

 

[Evelyn]

Yes, I have the same problem, they are reaching an age where their hormones are progressing and should not sleep together , just supervise playing. They now need their own cage to be in, when not out. I have 3 males.

 

[jeannepp]

A separated cage or 2 cages is the best. You can leave them close to each other as they are each others flock but they are no longer at the age where there is peace and harmony. Usually when hormones hit. They may become pals again in a few years but right now it is best to keep them apart and supervise their play.

 

[Dixie-1]

You have received great advice . our pair,are housed separately even though they get along most of the time. Our rule is if we are not right there with them they are separated .

 

[Malachi]

Great feedback...I hope things workout!

 

[bohnah]

thanks for the great advice. as usual, this place is awesome!