Housing separately

[ellen7]

I'm thinking about splitting up George and Jack. I thought George's bullying would be better but in fact it's gotten worse and I simply don't know what else to do. I bought a small cage the other day but haven't used it yet in hopes that the bullying would stop.

How long can they live in 2 separate cages? The nearest pet store is 2 hours away and I'm unable to make the trip for another 10 days to check out if they have Societies. I'd call first though. Sometimes they have finches...sometimes they don't. And to get lucky at 4 males in one visit might be a miracle. Adopting the flock at the rescue is no longer an option.

I'm thinking about buying a large flight and housing them in with 4 other Societies. Is 6 a good number? If not, what is? I need help. I'm pretty upset about this and feel so badly for Jack. I must do something.

(Maybe I should find a new home for them and buy a Betta and call him my only pet. Nothing against Bettas...I've had them before and they're beautiful, but....sigh...)

[Gracie85]

They will be okay for 10 days or more alone. you can also put the cages side by side, so that way they are not totally alone, just not able to get to each other.

[Sheather]

They could live in adjacent cages indefinitely, but eventually would be happier in a group. Getting each a female would also work, I've never seen a male bully a hen.

[ann]

ellen7

I have a suggestion, something that worked for me, but it's not a popular solution. I have a male red faced parrot finch who is the meanest, horniest bird in the world. His mottos is "Every bird, every hour." Doesn't matter if they are male or female, he is an equal-opportunity rapist. And so at the beginning of April I clipped back one of his wings severely. He absolutely cannot fly. He can climb the cage sides to get to his food and water, but he spends most of his time on the ground.

The difference has been amazing. There is peace in the cage - my other birds can eat and play in peace, without that maniac attacking them. He is now showing signs that he's going to able to fly soon, but as soon as I see him up to his old tricks he will get the "trim of shame" again.

[sparrowsong98]

ellen7 I intend to keep mine apart until the abused ones feathers grow back. I f they are in the same room they should be fine for a while.

[Sojourner]

If the 2 you have wont get along, then 6 is better than 4. If you get a large enough flight, you can house more birds, which is likely to reduce the pressure from your current bully. For one thing, when he pairs up with somebody it should give him much less time to or interest in bullying his current cage mate - and his current cage mate will likely pair up with somebody and now have a friend to comfort and protect him.

The Prevue F040 is 30" wide and something like 43 inches tall. I think you could easily put 6 to 8 zebras in there. Bang two of them together and you could go up to a dozen easily. I wouldn't go more than that myself (not up to 16 in the double cage) except maybe with societies.

Be sure to put in stress perches or fake greenery so everybody has their own place to kick back and rest (or hide) when they get tired of company. Stress perches and hiding places help to reduce aggression, as does putting in multiple watering tubes and feed cups.

Actually - have you tried stress perches or fake greenery to make a hiding place for your current pair? That might be enough to get the bully off the other one's back, or at least give the bullied bird enough respite that he isn't being harassed to the point of exhaustion.