My older Japanese quail is pecking the new one. What should I do?

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 reaching out about Peekaboo. Not all birds get along but can often be trained to get along. Suspect this is more dominance that anything else. Allow to interact in neutral territory so no one is defending their home territory. Allow to interact with plenty of feeding stations and for short periods of time, to get acclimated to each other. Good luck.

If they were fighting or your older bird was causing distress to the new one, I would wait and try introducing them again later to see how they get along. It could be that the cage you have is too small for two birds and they are being territorial, or your older bird is just stressed out by the change. Making sure the cage is large enough, and there are multiple food and water dishes available so they can't be possessive over one or the other can help reduce fighting. Adding in extra perches along with barriers such as toys or clothespins can also help break up the space to avoid one bird chasing and picking on another.

Thanks for reaching out about Charlie and including photos. The female could be becoming territorial due to hormones, trying to protect her prospective nest. Agreed that cage in picture is too small for long term habitation. Can you place a divider in the cage, acquire another larger cage? You can even try re-introduction but with more perches, food/water bowls. Sometimes these are temporary squabbles until hierarchy re-established. Good luck.

That's a lot of questions! When getting a new bird, it is best to keep them in a separate cage for a few weeks (quarantine) to make sure they do not spread any illness to each other. Once the new bird checks out safe, you can keep them near each other to get used to hearing/seeing each other, and then gradually introduce them, whether on a shared play pen, or in a cage that is large enough to comfortably house both. Make sure you have extra food and water dishes, toys, perches, etc so that they cannot fight over these resources or become territorial. Each bird will have different markings depending on the type of coloration the bird is (there are different varieties of markings) so this will greatly depend on if you purchase a bird with similar markings or not.

It may be that there is something leading up to the fights such as too cramped of quarters, not enough food and water dishes, or other shared resources. Sometimes, adding in extra food and water dishes, some toys that can break up the perches into sections so each bird has a "space", etc can help reduce fighting, especially if they are otherwise happy to be together. If the fighting is bad enough that it is causing stress or injury to one or both birds, then separating them to different cages or moving them to a much larger one where they each have space is likely the best option.

Thanks for reaching out. Juvenile guinea pigs should be separated from the mother/infants, especially if in a confined space. Too much competition for social hierarchy. Also, you need to get the boar castrated if wanting to keep together. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out. Not all animals get along. The biggest question is are they fighting or trying to establish hierarchy. Separate then for now and introduce them slowly in a neutral territory. Neutering them to lower testosterone might help. You should contact the store, to see if they can help also.

While it is not uncommon for one bird to bully another, it certainly isn't behavior we want to allow or encourage. Birds can become ill, withdrawn, malnourished, and experience physical trauma from bullying behavior. I usually recommend owners try to determine what might be causing the bullying (disputes over food, water, toys, perches, cage space, attention, etc.). If you can figure out what the cause is you might be able to stop it. For instance, if the female is being picked on every time she sits on a particular perch you can remove that perch and add a few more options so they don't have to share. I have also had owners who have gotten a second cage and will separate the two birds for a few days when one bird starts to pick on the other. It is also not a bad idea take these guys to your veterinarian to make sure there isn't a medical problem with either bird. It can certainly happen that if one bird gets sick the cagemate will target the sick bird with bullying behavior. Best of l

They may be fighting because the cage is too small, to protect space or resources or simply because they are incompatible (as in the case of two males). If they are causes injury to each other, separate them immediately. Seek veterinary attention and treatment for any wounds.