My budgies are fighting over food. Is this normal, and what can I do?

Thank you for the additional pictures! I see what you mean about the purple coloration around the top of the cere (around the nostrils). Just below the nostrils, there looks to be a darker rim - as mentioned before, this looks like it may be starting to turn brown. Typically when we see male budgies start to turn colors, that it is more of a true blue color initially and not as much of a purple color. Based on this, I still think that Snowflake is mostly likely female. Thanks again for the additional photos!

Thanks for your question about your budgies. It isn’t typical for the pair to start fighting, but it wouldn’t be unheard of either. I didn’t see if this was their first clutch together, but sometimes that can make a difference. I would recommend ensuring that there is a great deal of space for them to get away from each other, and lots of resources available. Multiple food dishes, numerous hiding spaces, etc. Also, keeping any additional stress to a minimum would be important - things like new people coming over, loud sounds, etc. I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach! Your budgie who's cere was pink and is now light blue is female. Males usually have a lavender to dark blue cere. We have an excellent webpage devoted to information about budgies; I've put the link below: https://www.petcoach.co/article/budgies-melopsittacus-undulates-species-profile-american-an/ I hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any other questions!

If they are at least 12 months of age, you can determine gender by looking at the color of the cere (nose). In males, the cere is a blue color. In females, it is tan/brown. If they are younger, you will need to wait or you can have them sexed by DNA using blood or feather samples.

Both your birds look pretty young still! Cere color changes are normal as parakeets reach sexual maturity. Females will typically get a pinkish or brownish cere when they are ready to breed, while makes will often get a deep bluish cere. Younger birds can have a mix of colors that will deepen/change as they become mature. As for taming, if you find they have a favorite treat, such as a piece of fruit or spray of millet seed, etc, you can use this to help them get used to you. Every time you approach their cage, you can offer a bit of treat until they are comfortable having you around. From there, you can move onto offering the treat to be taken from your hand, and then work up to petting or even handling them, each time offering a treat. If they become too nervous or upset, simply go back to the previous step they were comfortable with and try again from there.

Budgies are born with blue Ceres. As they age the females Ceres with fade to a yellow brown color. Based on your description, it sounds like Diego may be a female. I recommend using a nesting box that you can pick up from your pet store. It may take some time before Diego gets used to using it.

It might be that they don't get along, or your female is being a bit territorial/jealous, especially if this is happening when you are interacting with them. Training one at a time in a separate area may help with any bullying. if you have any nesting material or nests in the cage, removing it may help some with territorial disputes. Placing fake plants, or even clothespins on perches can also add a barrier of 'separation" in smaller enclosures to help your male get away and be picked on less easily.