Mating Behavior Or Playing?

[summer 0]

 

Dave has recently started to put his foot on Shelfie's back a lot. He's also being super attentive and bobbing and warbling around her a lot. He's so young is he just playing?

 

You can see in the picture he's molting now and still has his bars. Shelfie is still molting too. You can see in the picture she' of tan across the bridge of the nose and light blueish on the sides. From what I gather this means she's not ready to mate...unless it means she's really a boy.

 

Do you guys have any thoughts?

 

I've not had much luck taming them either. If Dave is in the other room he just wants to get back to Shelfie. He won't eat millet or play and then he starts panting. If Shelfie is in the other room she becomes frozen. No biting (remember she's the vicious budgie). I can pet her back but I think it's just because she's too scared. Neither one of them want to step up on my hand in the cage.

 

As long as I can lure Dave to millet without Shelfie meaning near I can get him outside of the cage while he's eating millet. He'll do some stepping up. Shelfie will attack both him and me if I get near her and him but she doesn't come and attack.

 

I'm at a bit of a loss what to do. They are very happy by themselves and seem to enjoy being talked to by me.

 

Thanks again for your time reading this.

 

Summer

[Elly 0]

It is a "play" mating and a ritual, do not introduce anytime of nesting material or box and it should be okay. Budgies can have recreational sex but nothing happening, they are too young to breed but they are not too young to experiment so to speak.

 

You can also help reduce this type of behavior by keeping them covered for 12-14 hours (yes increase it) for at least a week and then always at least 10-12 hours a day this will help keep this type of hormonal behavior in check.

 

As with training you are going to have to work with them together separating them is causing anxiety in both of them. Work with your most confident bird and the other one will follow.