HELP! Three parakeets are ganging up on one!!

[acouch]

Help! We bought Charlie 3 years ago, and decided after 6 months that we weren't home enough to keep him entertained (he used to sit with his bell on his head.) Anyway, over the past 2 years we have bought 3 other parakeets, 1 other male and 2 females. Recently, they have begun to gang up on Charlie, to the point where he has started sleeping outside of the cage and seems very depressed and nervous all of the time. We have wondered if it is because he is the one bird that will spend time with us. I have contemplated having the other birds wings clipped and forcing them to spend time with us. Please help, I am really torn on what to do. I love them all, but I will not tolerate them being abusive to poor Charlie any more. Any ideas?

[tappajabba]

what kind of parakeets are we talking about?am i right in thinking you now own 2 male and 2 female?
is the cage they are kept in big enough for 4 birds?
i personally think that clipping should be used as a last resort if used at all that is!
charlie's sleeping outside of the cage could be his way of getting a wee bit of piece and quiet.
are the birds ready for breeding?
if so it could be that 1 pair is trying to keep themselves as a pairand find charlie (another male) a threat to their partnership, and the other female could be making advances to charlie that you mistake for ganging up on him...
try introducing nestboxes and see if this sorts out your problem.i might sort out theirs!!!
best of luck....

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Tappajabba....
helping to promote healthy pet keeping worldwide...

[Remy]

Please reconsider giving nest boxes to your Budgies unless you have a large flight cage, like 4' x 10' minimum. Budgies breed in close proximity, but that doesn't mean that it will stop them from ganging up on your one male.

Male budgies can be real flirts, and keep two hens in different nests, but that doesn't mean that there will be harmony. Having nest boxes may accelerate the aggression, wanting to get the 'stranger" (your Charlie) out of their territory. If it's a small cage (anything less than 3' long by 2' deep and 3' high) and there probably isn't enough room for him to really avoid the others if they are determined to harass him. I think you would be better off giving him his own cage near theirs, where he can see them and not feel abandoned and lonely, but where he is safe. He may be a lot less depressed/nervous with his own secure house. Not all Budgies need to breed anyway, so there is no reason that he can't be happier being celibate and in his own apartment as opposed to the 'dorm'.

Also consider that in the wild, birds will drive ill members of the flock away. They don't want a sick bird attracting predators.
Have you had him to the vet?

[acouch]

I took him to the vet when I woke up and he had some severe wet tail and was leaning to one side. It seems Charlie had a minor ear infection (i.e. the others were trying to drive him out) and experienced some head trama while the other birds were dropping him off of his perch.

We are giving him antibiotics and now hand feeding him 3x a day. He seems much happier, but we are concerned about Charlie's quality of life at this point. He can't even get himself to his own food or sit on a perch. We have separated him from the others at this point. Only time will tell the outcome.

[bugie&dino expert]

That's sad! Poor Charlie. My brother's name is Charlie.

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Sarah

[acouch]

The vet thought that Charlie might have had a stroke. We finally put him down--he wasn't doing very well.

[tappajabba]

sorry to hear about Charlie http://petshub.com/ubb/frown.gif

it does go to show though, that if there is anything seriously wrong with the birds or pets in general, that the chat room isnt the place to stop for an answer, and a veterinary advice should be looked for as soon as possible to help control any unnecessary suffering to the poorly bird or pet.
best of luck with the other three
ali.

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Tappajabba....
helping to promote healthy pet keeping worldwide...