Quail pecking other Quails toes

[William Mellor15]

Hello,

I've recently acquired 2 quails and they're living together, male and female, they were from different shops so this is their first introduction to each other, yesterday i noticed he started pecking and pulling her toes out from under her, as if he's found some sort of worm. He does the same things to twigs and real worms and stuff. he's kept at it and now her foot is just minor swelling, i'm not worried at this point but if he continues i will be. He's not aggressive and i'm thinking that maybe he's thinking that they're mealworms under her or some sort of bug. I've separated them and i checked them both, no sign of any major sickness or anything. They've both got lots of space. Any idea what I should do, and will he continue to do this forever?

Thanks

 

[Nabiki]

How old are they? This is aomeuthat that young chicks do, but they usually grow out of it quickly. If he keeps doing this, you might see if a bitter apple spray or something stops it.

 

[bhaugh]

Are they the only two you have? I wouldn't keep just one girl and boy together. Get some more girls for the male

 

[Bugbiter009]

Hello,

I've recently acquired 2 quails and they're living together, male and female, they were from different shops so this is their first introduction to each other, yesterday i noticed he started pecking and pulling her toes out from under her, as if he's found some sort of worm. He does the same things to twigs and real worms and stuff. he's kept at it and now her foot is just minor swelling, i'm not worried at this point but if he continues i will be. He's not aggressive and i'm thinking that maybe he's thinking that they're mealworms under her or some sort of bug. I've separated them and i checked them both, no sign of any major sickness or anything. They've both got lots of space. Any idea what I should do, and will he continue to do this forever?

Thanks

My quails can be soothed with a simple rendition of ‘Silent Night’. They find it soothing (so does quail mama!!) and I find they’ll stop pecking my toes for about an hour after that

 

[William Mellor15]

Are they the only two you have? I wouldn't keep just one girl and boy together. Get some more girls for the male

Yes i only have two, whats wrong with 1:1 ratio? Other than the pecking he's quite good to her, brings her food, warns her and he's not aggressive

 

[William Mellor15]

How old are they? This is aomeuthat that young chicks do, but they usually grow out of it quickly. If he keeps doing this, you might see if a bitter apple spray or something stops it.

I can't be sure of their age, but i'd guess around 3-6 months for both of them

 

[William Mellor15]

My quails can be soothed with a simple rendition of ‘Silent Night’. They find it soothing (so does quail mama!!) and I find they’ll stop pecking my toes for about an hour after that

Wait i can't tell if this is a joke or serious

 

[Nabiki]

I can't be sure of their age, but i'd guess around 3-6 months for both of them

That's too old to be doing that and getting away with it. Do they have enough hiding places?

If they are coturnix, I'd get at least two more hens. If they have several hiding places already, I'd separate them for a day or two and try introducing them again.

 

[William Mellor15]

They're Japanese quails, idk if that's coturnix? I haven't introduced any hiding places yet, i was planning on making some today, so far they're separated and are still communicating. I'll try what you suggested and see if it does the trick

 

[William Mellor15]

Also i bought them from the local pet shop, so i'm just guessing they're age. Both fully matured but i truly can't be sure of they're exact age