female button quail attacking male

[GuineaFowling]

So my female lost her mate around early june and I couldn't find a boy anywhere local so I got her a cot hen to be friends with. She bonded with the cot hen and was happy for a while but then she suddenly became depressed and wasnt acting like her normal self. She was hand raised and was very tame but now she is skittish and flighty. She even started jumping at the cot hens face to peck her.

They finally had buttons at the feed store so we picked one up and brought him home. He isn't tame at all and will fly at any given moment. After a while we brought the female in and put them together in a spot that they are both not used to. The female was surprised at first but then started acting normal and even became tame towards us. We put in seeds for them as a treat and the female was eating (she stopped accepting treats when she got depressed so this was an improvement). The male didn't move from his spot and just watched. They were doing well and the female even started walking past him to get around. They both made happy noises but then my brother brought in the cot hen. Kili, my female button, saw the cot hen and immediately started making that noise they make when they feel threatened. You know that chat chat chat one. At first we thought she was doing it to the cot hen but it turned out she is doing it to the male. The cot hen is perfectly happy with the male. She doesn't attack or even care for him. My female button started attacking the poor male. Her behavior was so well up until she seen her friend again. They are now inside a breeder bird cage with a divider between them inside the pen that I keep my cot hen in. The female button calmed down but will still lunge at the male if he goes near the divider. Will she accept this new male? I really liked how her behavior improved and how she doesn't seem so depressed anymore. Now she's just riled up. When I got her first mate she tried to attack him to but warmed up to him by the end of the day.

Also the buttons are inside the cage that kili and the cot hen sleep in every night but I don't have any where to put them that they both aren't used to. I introduced them under a crate but I can't have them in there all day. All my cages are occupied. I am hoping she warms up to him within a couple of days.

 

[dc3085]

With buttons I usually keep the cages side by side for a week then put them in together. Keep a close eye on them though they are territorial and prone to being very aggressive when they feel threatened. THey seem small but you'd be really surprised how quick they can kill each other.

Do you have an empty aquarium? those make good button quail cages. Or a big plastic tote with a piece of wire dividing it. Buttons don't need much.

 

[GuineaFowling]

I no longer have an aquarium but I do have a tote. The female button is really calmed down now and has become 'best friends' with the cot hen again. The male is in the cage and the cage is currently inside the large pen with the cot hen and the female button. The cot hen is the sweetest little thing. She doesnt even care for the male and already accepted him.