Silly Question

[Derbyan]

I'm sure someone has asked this before but my search-fu is lacking.

Is it possible to keep two birds of the same species but different genders in the same house (separate cages, of course) without breeding them?

The reason I ask is because I am thinking about getting both a male and female derbyan (I have one already but still waiting on DNA test results) but I DO NOT want to breed them. I feel like this is a question with an obvious answer that I'm just missing...

 

[Mekaisto]

The only sure-fire way to prevent them from breeding is to have one de-sexed, which is a very rare procedure - usually only used to prevent over-production of eggs in females.

The other option is to destroy any eggs laid, but there is no way to prevent them from breeding or bonding. Taking eggs will eventually cause the birds to dislike you, unless you're extremely stealthy or the birds are heavily imprinted.

 

[Derbyan]

Thank you. I had a feeling that was the case.

 

[thekarens]

I keep both a male and female sennie. They are caged separately and they don't interact (they are only out with supervision) I don't see why you couldn't do the same with derbyans

 

[Mekaisto]

Sorry, I missed the part where you mentioned they'd be caged separately - I thought you planned to cage them together.
In that case it's certainly possible to keep them without them breeding
They may still bond, so be prepared for that, but as long as you keep up interaction with them they shouldn't start ignoring you.

 

[Terry57]

My friend has 2 pairs of Derbys that she keeps caged separately, and the love to interact when out together but are fine being in different cages after play time

 

[Derbyan]

Great! I just need to figure out if I have the space/time for two birds.