Why is my female budgie's behavior hot and cold with her mate?

Thanks for reaching out about Bird. Not all birds get along. Maybe the male wants to breed and the female doesn't. There should be adequate perches and hiding areas, to get away, to lessen stress. Good luck.

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.

Laying so many clutches of eggs and raising that many chicks can be taxing on a bird. Ideally, a breeding hen should have no more than two clutches per calendar year. Remove the remaining chicks from the cage if they are eating on their own. Remove the nesting box as well. Separate the male and female. Drop room temperature by a few degrees and gradually limit her amount of daylight she is getting. This may get her out of "breeding mode" and stop her egg laying. She should be seen by an experienced avian veterinarian to make sure the inflammation around her vent is not infection.

Have Sky examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet to diagnose illness or injury. You can also move the cage away from direct sunlight and limit daylight hours using a cage cover. This may stop his mating behavior if that is what it is. Limit any interaction, such as beak wrestling, that may foster mating behavior as well.

Thanks for reaching out about Quiz and including photos. They still might or not breed, individual variation. There are certain things to remove that might decrease the likelihood of egg laying, such as no nesting material or nest boxes, adding a little stress as re-arranging the perches occasionally. Seek a veterinary visit is additional advise needed. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out. Sitting quietly, fluffed on the bottom of the cage is not an indication of laying again. It is more probably a sign of illness and should see a veterinarian. Wheezing and respiratory clicking sounds are an indication of a respiratory infection, necessitating the need for systemic antibiotics. The second budgie, loosing feathers, could be a stress molt, but several viral disease could also be the cause. See your veterinarian. Good luck.

Birds do not recognize themselves in the mirror, so this would explain the mating behavior of regurgitating. I know it looks somewhat concerning, but it is more of a behavioral thing and is not concerning from a medical standpoint. If she seems more hormonal (like she's displaying a lot of mating behaviors), then you should expect this to pass within a few weeks. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to stop her from doing this at this time...you'll have to just wait for this phase to pass. If she doesn't seem to be keeping any food down or is continuing the behavior for longer than a month, then it's best to have a vet check her out. There are a few different infections and conditions that cause chronic regurgitation, so it would be good to rule these out as a cause.