Our oldest family members are a pair of cockatiels who have been in our home almost 10 years. It has been an interesting journey to see their relationship grow and develop over the past year and a half. What use to be pure hatred for one another has turned into hidden moments of affection. While they still pick at each other, it has turned into a love/hate relationship. You could say they act like an old married couple now. When we first brought Charlie (Yellow) home, he was very young. As soon as we put him in the cage with Peck (Grey), he instantly looked to her in somewhat of a motherly form- which she was less than thrilled about. She couldn't get far enough away from him and all he wanted was to be right next to her. When we would let her out of the cage, Charlie would have serious attacks of separation anxiety. He endured a couple weeks of torture from her until he finally stood up for himself.
Their first fight was a bad one. We were laying in bed one night and heard them going at it. We think he tried to sneak up next to her while she was sleeping. Both ended up bloody and hurt so we separated them for a few days. Oddly, after a couple days, they seemed to miss each other and seemed rather happy to return to one cage.
After their spat, things began changing between the two. Peck seemed to become more tolerable of him but only when it was convenient for her. She was more than willing to lay her head on his chest while he nibbled her feathers, but when he tried to lay his head on her chest, she would instantly pluck a feather from him. This was how they were for many years, but now that Charlie has gotten older, things have really changed between them.
Peck doesn't not seem to be the head honcho of the cage anymore, instead, they seem to have formed a nice balance. He has learned how to stay on her good side and even what pushed her buttons. Charlie seems to have a sense of humor for a bird and never passes up an opportunity to annoy her. I figure he's making up for those months of being picked on and used for free head scratches.
If she's on a perch above him, he won't hesitate to pull her tail feathers so she falls off. If she's on a perch below him, he will hang upside down and tug on her head feathers. Some days, when I think he gets really bored because he will just follow her every where she goes until she gets irritated enough to bite him.
Despite the obvious acts of torment from Charlie, they have also developed a very close relationship. At night you can catch hidden moments as they "flirt" with each other in quiet little chirps. And, if you're really lucky, you'll catch her actually scratching his head for once. If you wake up early, you can even find them snuggled together on the same perch; however, some mornings you can tell he has been banished to the other side of the cage.
They have definitely developed a love/hate relationship, but I think they would both be lost without each other. I worry about the day something happens to one of them and the other is left alone. Luckily, they are only about a year apart in age, so hopefully they will live a long and happy life together--that is, if Charlie doesn't push his luck too far with her.
Do you have multiple birds? Have they developed a bond with one another?
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