Cockatiels have long been known as gentle, lovable birds that make great companions. But it can be incredibly upsetting if you have recently welcomed a male and female cockatiel into your family, and they suddenly start fighting. Whether your birds have fully grown or newly acquired babies, understanding how to break up aggressive behavior is essential to being a responsible pet parent for any bird species.
The following are the top seven reasons your male cockatiel is attacking the female.
1. Territorial Issues
A male cockatiel can become aggressive if he feels his territory is threatened. He will attack the female to scare her away.
2. Establishing Social Authority
Due to their territorial nature, females tend to be bossier. Thus, the male is likely to attack the female to assert dominance.
3. Lack of Enough Space
Space is vital to cockatiels for exploring and stretching their wings. Inadequate cage size makes them feel cramped, causing them to be aggressive and territorial, leading to fighting.
4. Competition For Resources
Sometimes, a cockatiel attacking another cockatiel can be due to competition for food. Providing a single feeder or water source can lead to fights, as cockatiels like having their things.
5. The Cockatiels Are Too Young
A cockatiel needs to be at least two years old before being introduced to a cockatiel of the opposite gender. Introducing them when they are young is likely to cause attacks.
6. Overcrowding of a Cage
Having too many cockatiels in a cage can ignite fights. Due to the limited space, there is increased interaction. Thus, a male can attack a female as they try to carve out territory.
7. Incompatibility
Despite cockatiels being friendly birds, sometimes they don’t get along well and find it hard to tolerate each other, which usually leads to attacks.
Are My Cockatiels Fighting or Playing?
Due to their playful nature, cockatiels sometimes play fight, which you can misinterpret as a fight. Loud noises from the cage can be disturbing if you can’t differentiate between fighting and playing.
When playing, some screeching and beak peaking last for a short time, and the cockatiels return to their regular interaction.
However, the screaming is high-pitched for fights, and the beak peaking can last a long time. The fighting can be fatal if it is not stopped.
Why Is My Male Cockatiel So Aggressive?
Aggression arises due to fear or stress. An aggressive male cockatiel bite attacks others and is difficult to handle.
Your male cockatiel may be aggressive because of the following reasons:
1. He is feeling sick or is injured.
2. A change in his environment makes him feel stressed and uncomfortable.
3. He feels that you are not giving him enough attention.
An angry cockatiel cannot make a good companion, so someone should calm it at all costs.
So, how do you calm an angry cockatiel?
Identifying and eliminating the source of his anger will help calm your cockatiel. Also, rewarding him when he doesn’t get aggressive will help the cockatiel behave well.
Can Cockatiels Kill Each Other?
Yes, cockatiels can kill each other. Regular territorial fights that are not broken up can lead to severe injuries or even death.
Also, sometimes when cockatiels notice one of them has an incurable disease, they can kill it to avoid transmission.
How Do You Stop Cockatiels From Fighting?
Male and female cockatiels fighting should be stopped immediately, as prolonged fights can affect their health or even lead to death.
You can stop your cockatiels from fighting using the following hacks.
1. Provide Separate Cages
Separating an aggressive cockatiel from others until it calms down will help minimize fights. Also, providing separate homes can help address territorial instincts.
2. Availability of Enough Resources
Provide plenty of space, toys, and perches to help reduce the likelihood of aggression. Food and water sources should be offered in pairs and placed on opposite sides of the cage.
3. Proper Introduction of The Cockatiel
Well-bonded cockatiels groom, feed, and mate and are unlikely to fight one another. To stop cockatiel fights, a pet owner should carry out proper introductions to ensure a strong bond has been developed.
4. Give the Cockatiels Equal Attention
Giving your cockatiels equal opportunity for playtime will help to prevent fights arising due to competition for affection.
5. Have a Separate Playing Area
Having a separate playing area that no one can claim belongs to them can help avert fights during playtime.
6. Enough Space for Two Should be Available
To stop cockatiel fights, ensure their cage is large enough to house the two, or consider using two cages.
How Do You Discipline a Cockatiel?
Slapping, hitting, yelling, or taking away food are some things you can do to humans to punish them. However, this cannot work for birds; instead, they make them fear you.
One should also be careful when punishing a cockatiel to avoid reinforcing bad behavior.
Using the following strategies, you can be able to discipline your cockatiel.
1. Verbal Command
Giving your cockatiel verbal commands like “don’t” or “stop” when it does something wrong will help to stop it. Use a firm, calm tone when giving the command to show authority.
2. Using Distractions
Drawing a cockatiel’s attention away from what it’s doing by tapping a table or softly whistling will make it stop the destructive behavior.
3. Isolating The Cockatiel
Keeping an aggressive cockatiel in isolation is also a good way of disciplining it, as they don’t like being alone.
4. Make Your Corrections Timely
A cockatiel should be corrected if it misbehaves so that it will understand that what it was doing was wrong. If you correct it later, you will likely be confused about right and wrong.
5. Being Consistent With the Mode of Discipline
The same methods of discipline are to be used by all the household members.
A method used by one family member as a treatment for good behavior may be used by another as a punishment. This will confuse the cockatiel, and it’s likely to continue with the disliked behavior.
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