Coturnix quail fighting

[Tiffy316]

I recently noticed that one of my females has been picking on my male. She was chasing him around and pecking him. I have her separated from the others for now, but I'm worried that I might have 2 males on my hands now. I currently have 1 male and 4 females housed in a ferret cage. They've been peacefully living together for the past couple of months, so I don't think it's an issue of space. What should I do if it turns out that the bully is a female after all. Will she need to be permanently separated from him?

 

[Nabiki]

Have you tried vent sexing to make sure she is a she?

How much space do they have? Do they have enough hiding places?

Try reintroducing her after a day and see how she behaves.

 

[Tiffy316]

They live in a ferret cage. I don't have any hiding places for them. I didn't even know they needed it.

 

[Nabiki]

Ah. That would explain it. Any creature that is crowded and has no place to hide will get irritable. See if you can add a dirt bath and a couple hiding places and you may find that they're a lot happier.

 

[Tiffy316]

Ah. That would explain it. Any creature that is crowded and has no place to hide will get irritable. See if you can add a dirt bath and a couple hiding places and you may find that they're a lot happier.

I think it's actually more of a large rabbit cage. What can I use for hiding places?

 

[Nabiki]

I think it's actually more of a large rabbit cage. What can I use for hiding places?

They don't have to be fancy. A cardboard box turned upside down with two entrances works well.

A rabbit cage is kind of small for five quail as well. They should have at least 1 square foot per bird after you subtract the space used by feeders, waterers, and hiding places.

 

[Tiffy316]

I separated her for about a day and put her back in with the others. It seems like everyone's getting along again. Apparently, if a quail goes missing for most of a day, the others forget about them and the pecking order resets. It's a lot shorter than the time it takes for chickens to forget. I'll see if adding some hides helps as well. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Nabiki]

Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[Tiffy316]

I made a hiding spot for them, but the same female is back to picking on him. None of the others pick on him, and she doesn't pick on anyone else. They weren't doing this before, as far as I know. I guess I'll have to try to make a larger case for them.