# Over exaggerated Territorial Behavior



## BAK (Jun 27, 2009)

Hi,

My youngest tiel (5 year old male) Duster is acting very unsettled and we have no idea what is wrong with him. I've read that fall can be a "nesting" season for tiels as well as spring and he is acting a bit more hormonal than usual. But he's being very territorial sometimes when with his female companion, a 7 year old female lutino, Dex. He's always been very obsessed with being with her constantly. And over the summer they spent most days in the same cage. Because he seems to be so unhappy when he is not with her, and seems to have no clue whatsoever as to what to do regarding mating (and we don't want any babiess- so that's just fine) we had decided it would be okay for them to share a cage. He won't even preen her head for her when she puts it down right in front of him. He'll either peck her head or walk away. And yet he can't stand to have her out of his sight. 
In August we had two other female tiels in our home being birdsat. He was fine with that, but not particularly interested in them.
For the last few weeks Duster has been crying/squawking constantly all day.
I've tried taking him out in the other room for some quiet time with me, but he can't relax and is just dancing to get back to Dex. I've tried sitting in the bird room for a while because the birds like to have human company when were are home, but this doesn't seem to calm him. He usually always wants his head scratched when we pass by his cage. But then he goes back to squawking and pacing.

About a week ago we decided that Dex and Duster were doing well together and why not let them share the same cage overnight too. That went fine.

This past week he's started being aggressive with me occasionally when he's out on the play gym or I go over to his cage to see him. He will lunge and bite, but its not all the time. This is behavior we saw when the two birds had separate cages and he knew he was about to be separated from her for the day after the morning play time, or if she was in visiting him for a day (which we did occasionally during the non-breeding season).
Today he was being very vicious to Dex while they were out playing on the gym. He attacked her and bit her until she had to fly away in defence. (His wings are trimmed short so he doesn't tend to follow.)
This is behavior we had seen in the past during spring breeding season and we assumed it was in anticipationg of being separated from her. He'd drive her away just before it was time to go in their cages so she would fly away and not go in. So why is he doing it now, when they are together when out to play and when in their cages? He was not mean to her when they went in the cage this morning. He was too busy crying and pacing. 
He appears to sleep okay with her in there.

Any ideas as to what is causing him to be so unsettled? 

Thanks.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

It could be hormones http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-beh...d-small-bird-behavior/hormonal-cockatiel.aspx The way you were describing the pacing sounded like he wanted to come out to play  Spike is being very moody right now aswell. He will peck my hand and sometimes not want any scritches. Then a while later want to give you kisses and will accept scritches


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## BAK (Jun 27, 2009)

Thanks, and I'll check out the website.


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