Help! Males hurting female

[Mikhail]

My 2 male buttons were chasing one of my females around and I saw that all the feathers were picked off her lower back. She's completely bald there, although I don't think she's bleeding (she was moving too fast to tell for sure). I think there was a tiny dot of bleed near her beak though.. Anyways, I separated her from them immediately and put her in another cage that has 1 female and 1 male. the male immediately started chasing her and plucking at her bald spot. It has calmed down now, but I'm afraid they'll start doing that again.

Also, now since I had to separate the female from those 2 males, they're alone together and I'm afraid they might start fighting themselves (since males often fight). I have 3 cages. Cage #1 - 2 males. Cage #2- 1 male, 1 female. Cage #3- 2 females, 1 male.

What should I do? Should I put her back in with the 2 males she used to be with? Will they stop chasing/plucking out her feathers?

 

[Mahonri]

Get rid of all but one male?

 

[KattyKillFish]

maybe keep her with a few other females rather than any males? poor girl. my first ever baby buttons hatched out on the 26th-27th. this gived me a heads up on potential problems...

i hope your girl is okay

poor thing, picked on by mean men... i can relate to her problems. i think she needs some support from her lady friends

maybe breeding isnt best for her until you can find a calm submissive male for her to live with. i hope she's okay.

 

[citalk2much]

Poor babies

Button quail really only should be cages in pairs. The female that is injured if there is blood should be removed and put on her own until she heals.

What type of caging are they in are there places to hide?

Little Buttons can be very mean. They will tear the skin right of each others heads in a heart beat. I keep mine in 90qt starlite totes with the lid cut out and screen out in works great only cost about 15 bucks a cage and I have them on a metal shelf space saving! I have had two boys alone do just fine thou it is far better to have pairs and never have the males out number the females

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
I second this info. Pairs are best anything more and you're asking for potential problems.

Also wanna add one thing some pairs NEVER want other birds in their territory (as they are territorial) so you putting that hen in with that pair is just asking for a lot more damage and stress. I'd start making new housing arrangments and kepeing that hurt hen by herself until she's healed because they can kill her.

 

[Mikhail]

I do have pairs, except I have 7 buttons, so it didn't work to have all pairs. Before the boys started hurting her I had 2 pairs and 1 trio (2 males, 1 female).

No, I'm not getting rid of any of my buttons and I can't get anymore either (My parents wont let me). I'm not trying to breed, these are pets. They are housed in wire cages with about the same amount of space as a 105 quartt bin.

If I house her with only another female, then someone is going to be lonely (because I have an odd number of buttons). I had to have one of my boys on his own once and he was lonely, but as soon as I put in a girl he perked up. Also, I had all my buttons together at one point but two of the males didn't get along with each other so I had to separate them and give them females. So, they are used to each other, they're not strangers or anything.

So.. I guess my only choice is to house her alone or with a girl? Will those 2 males never get along with her again? I figured they're just in a mating frenzy or something right now.. And will those 2 males start fighting since they dont have a girl?

 

[citalk2much]

Two males with one female is never a good plan they will breed her to death and more then likely kill each other over her. When she heals you can try one male with her but not before she heals they have quite the blood lust.

 

[Mikhail]

So I can't put her in with them after she's grown her feathers back?

 

[citalk2much]

Quote:
Not with both males no they will just hurt her again

 

[NancyDz]

Can you put some wire in one of the cages and divide it? Then keep her separate but still near the others for company?