Getting worried - 3 hurt feet now :(

[Gill]

The other day Bobble bit Stickys foot which made it bleed, then yesterday Sticky bit Bobbles foot, really bad! A huge hole in one of her toes and blood which i managed to stop very quicky with flour (god, i use more flour on them than i do cooking!) now today, Bobble has bit Stickys other foot!! More blood but not a lot at all, looks like it may be under the skin. Im lucky ive been here and not at work.

These two really are going for each other, is it because Bobble is being a manic nester at the moment? Their fights seem so much more ficious than before and im worried about being back at work after the Easter break. When theyre not fighting theyre always together! Do I split them up?

Sorry for the questions, this is the first time ive witnessed this season with birds and its tough :very_sad:

[linda040899]

If these 2 are both females, the time has come to give each of them their own cage! You can put the cages side by side and let them socialize with each other when you are there to supervise but otherwise, one could seriously injure, even kill, the other.

[Gill]

Thanks for the reply Linda. I have a male and a female. During this time that Bobble is nesty they are so close, Sticky doesnt leave her side preening her or siting right by her, he doesnt even come out of the cage when i open the door which is what he lives for but when they have been fighting it is a little worse than their usual scraps. They havent fought since the one this morning and seem to be getting on fine fingers crossed, is it worth seperating them if they are male and female?

[linda040899]

You may want to give poor Sticky a break from Bobble's attitude, even if it's only for a short time! I have one pair I have to do this with, as Lucinda will chase her mate all around the cage (they are a proven pair so I know I have male/female) unmercifully if I don't! It's going to be your call on whether you do it and how comfortable you feel with Bobble being ugly to her mate. With hormones in control, it can be hard to predict what will happen when you are not there. That's my big concern!

[Gill]

Yes, that is what I was thinking, he does hate being away from her though but its for his own good! :)

[Gill]

Oh dear, spoke too soon, had to break up another fight with Stickys foot ending up sore again, he is in the living room and she is in the cage, she doesnt seem bothered he isnt there so will be letting Bobble live in the smaller cage for a while, im cant leave them fighting whilst im at work :(

[linda040899]

Sticky definitely needs some away time!

[Gill]

Yes, bless him, at least he will be able to get to the millet without her jumping in! Ill put them near each other so they dont go too crazy without each other.

This was why i initially wanted two males at the beginning! I wouldnt change her for the world but knew itd get hard in the future! Thanks for the help Linda :)

[Pips mom]

I'd also watch those injured feet for infection. I have a cleaning solution I can use with injuries that I got from my vet when Boss had an injury from flying into something. I used that when Pip bit Boss's foot some time ago because it wasn't too bad and I didn't take her to the vet for it. With Ivy they gave her antibiotics to prevent infection. My sister knows someone who had a larger bird that died from an infection in it's foot. Lovies are small little guys so I'd just keep a close eye on those injured feet, make sure they heal up and look ok.

[Gill]

Yes, I am already thinking of this thank you, I have seperated them which is very hard :( I cant put Bobble in the small cage because she goes mad trying to get back to the big cage and Sticky hates it in the small cage, he just wants to be with Bobble, even though she beats him up! I'll put the cages next to each other in the day and put the birds together in the evening so I can keep an eye on them! When does this season end? Does it go on for days or weeks? Please dont say months! :)

[LovelySydney]

I was worried Gus would be a foot biter but he's been great - he does it just enough to annoy his brother but not too much where its dangerous. Sorry to hear about your little one's sore feet! Maybe two separate cages is a good idea!!

[mangotiki]

just wondering, has anyone had any luck with interrupting this type of interaction by rearranging the cage or moving it? of course you dont want to take any chances, but i have heard that this can interrupt "nesty" hens...

[Pips mom]

You can try moving things around......moving the cage to different spots, anything to make them feel a little less settled in one spot....also giving them more sleep time at night. I guess it does work for some birds, but others not. My two tiels were mating while at my parents house when we were on vacation......they were in a new house, without us, a different cage! and they were STILL mating! so sometimes no matter what you do, they're just gonna do what they want! Luckily though my girl doesn't lay, so they can mate all they want, as long as I don't get eggs!

[Gill]

Well, she was up all last night, neither slept at all for some reason. They both always nibbled each others feet but this is hard biting and screaming :( really scary, i have to go in and break them up! She is definately intent on buildng a nest out of anything she can find! I think Sticky needs time to heal, even though he hates being away from her, the whole time Bobble has been like this he is always siddling up to her and watching her or preening her constantly but sometimes she will just go for him! :(

[Gill]

They have been in seperate cages today until I got home from work, Sticky wasnt too happy last night being in there but he has been so good today, think he may be glad of the break although they have been sitting opposite each other by the bars the whole time! Bobble seems to be alot less nesty today and actually spent "out of cage time" out of the cage for the first time in about a week, she did spend a bit of time up my knitted top sleeve though (she looked so cute) Sticky being in another cage seems to have taken her attention away from nestyness, but when Sticky went in the main cage (whilst I supervised) he went to pick up her chewed up paper towel and she went for him so I think this is why they are fighting? I cant wait to all is calm! :) Thanks for all the advice, i will be prepared for next time!

[michael]

I've heard those nesting materials can get pretty valuable sometimes.........:roll:.........Especially with the economy the way its been!.........:rolleyes:

[Gill]

:D Sticky was very grumpy this morning so I let him see her at lunchtime and hes in the cage with Bobble now, so far theyre minding their own business!

[BarbieH]

Hopefully she will start to appreciate Sticky a little bit more. It sure sounds to me like eggs are on the way. George (clever boy) learned how to keep himself out of Gracie's way when she was on edge, but we occasionally had to move him into another cage and give them both a break. She always treated him better afterwards.

[Gill]

They have been together all day today and apparently Sticky has been preening her loads! It is so cute to watch, he wont leave her side!