To mate, or not to mate?

[Boyd75]

My Quaker, Roman, Is coming into sexual maturity I suppose. He's Humping huts and hands. Im curious about getting him a mate.
He's very tame, to me lol He'll nip other people and laugh.
My questions. .

Would adding a mate to the equation jeopardize his relationship with me, introduce aggression or discontent for human interaction?

If I do get a mate, it will most likely be younger to build the bond, would that cause any issues housing them in the same Hut.
(cage, we call his cage the hut)

Is there anything I may be overlooked or advice?

 

[Dinosrawr]

I guess first and foremost - are you willing to raise the babies? Or are you going to discard of the eggs? If you do discard of the eggs, are you prepared to deal with a female that may become egg bound?

Allowing a male and female to mate isn't inherently bad, and it doesn't mean that your relationship will definitely be damaged. It depends on how much effort you put into socializing those birds and ensuring that you have a strong bond with each of them. Don't be surprised that during hormones or mating that they choose to protect their nest over being your friend, though.

And also don't be surprised if neither of them ever get along and never mate. It's a very possible scenario. If they choose not to mate, you now have two potentially sexually frustrated birds. And there's no guarantee they'll happily oblige being in the same cage all the time. These are worst case, but sometimes it's best to think about the worst before decided about the good it may bring about.

 

[weco]

One other thing you'll need to consider is that an older male can become aggressive when paired up with a young hen that is not yet ready to mate, so if you decide to get him a mate, cage them separately while you build your trust factor & relationship with the hen, letting them get to know each other through the cage bars.....

Good luck.....

 

[SilverSage]

Here is an article I wrote on this very issue. If you like, you can skip down to the part that say "what not to do when your bird wants to have your babies" please read to the end.

Handling Hormones ? Silver Sage Aviaries

 

[Boyd75]

I finally read this and these are all very valid points. Thank you.

 

[Boyd75]

What would be your opinion on getting him a friend and not a mate, say a sexually incompatible species or another male bird of the same species? Would this likely cause problems as well? Of course is the risk of them being separated and unfriendly competing for attention, but possibly play mates?

 

[Boyd75]

Here is an article I wrote on this very issue. If you like, you can skip down to the part that say "what not to do when your bird wants to have your babies" please read to the end.

Handling Hormones ? Silver Sage Aviaries

I wasnt sure if youd know that i had responded since it has been a while for my response and im also uncertain that "quoting" your comment will notify you any better but i tried just in case.

 

[SilverSage]

A friend might be good, but may or may not impact his behavior. I never suggest a second bird as the "fix" for an existing problem. Follow the steps outlined in my article and get the hormones under control BEFORE adding another bird, and be sure you have the time for two birds who may hate each other forever before bringing one home. Also, I suggest taking him to meet new birds first and seeing how he reacts to me. If his first reaction is aggression or high levels of fear, a "friend" will likely not please him at all.

 

[veimar]

I agree with all things stated above, but just want to share a funny way my fids solved this problem. One of my male budgies is mating with my lovebird sometimes when they both get too hormonal. The budgie is actually bonded to my presumably male gcc, but he doesn't mind to have an "affair" on the side. I was against that behavior at first, but it didn't happen often and helped them both to relieve the tension.
And also the hormonal stage will pass, and he'll be back to his normal self again.