Lovebirds fighting... how much is normal?

[peachface]

I have a pair of lovebirds from the same clutch. I was told they are brother and sister, but I don't know for sure. They were a few months old when I brought them home, and they were the best of friends. They are 6 months old now, and for the most part, very happy birds. They get 2 hours of full-spectrum lighting every day, as well as at least one hour daily to fly around and play outside of their cage. Their cage is very large (with the correct bar spacing for their size) so they have a lot of room to play, climb, and fly from perch to perch.
My question is about their recent fighting. I am wondering if it is a hormonal phase, or if trouble is brewing in paradise. I'll explain...

Abbi is the girl. Well, that's what I was told. She is blue with a white face and peach forehead. She is the braver of the two, and has always been the first to come to me when I have a treat, or come to the cage bars to interact with me. She liked me pretty much right away.

Louie is bright green with a red face, and he's the skittish one. He took a while to get used to me, and if he does fly to me for a treat, it's never on his own. He will only come if Abbi leads the way. He is more of a rascal too. He chirps louder and plays harder. He is the first one to take off out the cage door when I open it for them. In the last few weeks I've also noticed he is into chewing his wood perches and ladders, while Abbi prefers softer chew toys and cardboard. They used to sleep together, side by side, but lately they sleep on separate sides of their rope ladder.

It has been a few weeks now that I've also noticed Abbi is more aggressive. She will chase Louie around the cage, go after his feet, and makes a fuss when Louie go nears her when she's in a mood. For the most part, the two get along. They have moments of being true "lovebirds." Cuddling and preening each other. They often regurgitate for each other. They will pass a piece of corn back and forth, and take baths together. They play nicely outside of their cage. In fact, they are never in two places at once when they're out, and the two of them will sit on a swinging perch for hours and grind their beaks. That's what makes it so confusing and sad to see Abbi going after Louie in their cage! She will push him off perches, bite his toes, screech at him, and chase him. It doesn't look or sound like fun, but then they go back to being best friends again.

So, my question is this: Does this just sound like normal hormonal behavior? They are molting and changing colors (they're more beautiful every day!) But I would hate to not be here if Abbi really was being too aggressive, and I don't want Louie to get hurt before I realize they should be separated. Any advice, suggestions, or answers are appreciated.

[Pajarita]

Sounds like you have two females. You can have a male and a female pair or two males together but you cannot have two females. The more dominant (aggressive) one will hurt and even kill the other. You need to put them in separate cages or you will come one day and find poor Louie badly hurt or worse.

[peachface]

Thank you for responding! Not the best news, but I appreciate your input.
It's tough, cause I have a "Bird Lady" friend who has had lovebirds for about 15 years, and she says it's normal for the two to fight, and that Abbi is just showing Louie she's the boss. At the same time, it is my responsibility to protect them, and I don't want Louie getting hurt.

I am thinking the next step for me would be to separate them until I can have their sexes confirmed. I would like to know for sure, and maybe that will tell me if this is a female fight-to-the-finish, or just a lovebird squabble.

Thanks again!

[Pajarita]

Sometimes, when the hens get hormonal and the cage is not large enough, they get testy with the boyfriend but I would still make sure you don't have two females (you can have the test done for very little money on an online avian lab).