ornery male gouldian

[rtanner77]

I have a pair of Gouldians and a pair of Rosy-Rumped Waxbills, in separate cages, though side-by-side. I've had these birds for about 3 months now, and all had been going well. My Gouldians were getting along great, and it seemed like they were starting to bond, as they had come from different breeders. The male sang a lot and many times I saw him doing his little dance for the female. A few weeks ago, though, the male Gouldian began harassing the female and chasing her around the cage. He deliberately would go to where she was and peck at her, making an irritating sound. It also looked as if he pecked her on her 'face', just behind her beak, and left a mark, which got infected. I removed the male and put him in the cage with the waxbills, but he treated them the same way, so now he is in solitary confinement, next to the cage with the female. Is it possible that they will ever bond and get along again, or will he always attack her? Could it be hormones? Any advice would be appreciated.

[AndreasLon]

Uhm...he sounds like a one frustrated finch. Sometimes that can happen when one of the pair is ready to breed and the other isn't. Sometimes it can be due to other factors. Where do you keep your cages and how big are they? What do you feed them? Etc.

Although finches all have different personalities gouldians are quite placid birds, and the only time I've ever seen them bickering is the few weeks leading up to the mating season.

Will they ever be friends again? Gouldians are sociable so I think they will.

[rtanner77]

I had the pair of Gouldians in a 24" by 14" cage. At the moment, I only have the female in there, as I removed the male and put him in a separate, hopefully temporary, cage. Their diet is a seed mixture, along with greens, and I give them a vitamin supplement about 2 times a week in their water. The female is very calm, but the male seems to be angry at the world!

[JezeKat]

you know this helps me i was having the same issue with my javas. they where getting along great then i put my zebras cage next to them and they started to fight

i will move my zebras

[AndreasLon]

Don't forget a bit of egg food for protein (but that's not what's causing him to be angry).

I bet he's just in breeding mode and she isn't. Keep them separate but keep the cages near each other and try to reintroduce the boy in female's cage in a week or two.

[MLaRue]

Do you have pictures of your hen? It just might be that she isn't ready to breed and the male is and because she isn't he is being ugly and territorial with the others too.

What color is the hen? There are certain ways to tell if the hen is in breeding condition - one way is to look at the color of her beak.

I have found when in cages of that size - one pair is more than enough. The Gouldians will become very aggressive towards any other bird that is not his/her mate. The hens can be just as aggressive.

[rtanner77]

Her beak is completely dark now, which I've read is a sign of readiness to breed. I don't really want them breeding at the moment, I just want them to get along.

About two weeks ago I placed in the male Gouldian in a separate cage, which I kept near the female's. He would sing and when I would take his cage into another room, they would call to each other.

After two weeks, I put him back in her cage, and he immediately goes to her and attacks, by pecking her face. She does the same to him, and now he chases her around the cage. After a few minutes I hear him singing to her and he's doing his little dance, and she's right beside him. After a bit, he attacks and chases her again. I can't have this. I don't want to keep them in separate cages, because I just don't have the space for i. Plus, the cage that I had him in is very little, and not appropriate for long-term use.

Should I give it up and get rid of him and get another male? Any more advice?
regards,
Ralph

[L in Ontario]

Chasing around the cage is not a problem unless it's non-stop. What do you mean by "pecking at her face". Again this is normal beaking (getting to know you) if it's done lightly by both of them.

[lovemyfinch]

Sounds like you now have 2 frustrated gouldians that are wanting to breed.

[rtanner77]

He pecks at her and pulls out feathers. One of the biggest reasons I removed him before was because the area behind her beak was raw and featherless because of his pecks. Its got infected and swollen before. She's all better, so I returned him to the cage. They just can't sit together without fighting. It's not constant chasing, but it's happening a lot. My only concern is that he will injure her again.