I've had my budgie Salty for almost 3 years - and he's always been kind of runty. He used to share a cage with two other (very dominant) birds, and he was always at the bottom of the pecking order. He didn't get quite as much food as the others, and I would usually have him separated from the other birds or the other birds locked out of the cage so he could get enough food.

Well, the other two birds died, and I was hoping he might put on a little weight, since the vet told me that he was underweight.

I've tried converting him to pellets in order to improve his diet and possibly make him a bit healthier... I'm still working on that, but because he's not a particularily fussy eater I'm sure it will work soon.

But the problem is this: while he did gain a little bit of weight when he was the only bird in the house for two months, he's began to lose it again. Now tyhat we have Aderyn, he tries desparately to get out of his cage while he's in his and she's in hers (they are a few feet apart) and won't eat. Then he spends all the day on top of her cage, then flies back to his cage at night when I'm putting them to sleep and eventually eats.

I've tried putting a food dish for him on top of Aderyn's cage, but he won't eat it. I leave the cage door of Salty's cage open, in the hopes that he'll fly back to it and eat during the day, but he usually doesn't. In fact, it's Aderyn who likes to break into his cage and eat his food.

I'm confused as to what to do - I can't separate the two birds in different rooms of the house because I have a terrier, and my room is the only bird safe (in other words, the killer dog cannot get into it) room in the house.

Should I put their cages together? I've been thinking that might make him happier to stay in his cage and eat rather than trying to get to Aderyn all day...