Should I buy my lovebird a mate?
I have a lovebird that constantly keeps picking himself. I am pretty sure it’s due to loneliness because he only picks when he is left alone for a while. He wore a cone for as long as 3 months, but I took it off for about a week and he was doing great. He just recently started picking again and I am really considering getting him another friend. I know that if I do get one I have to get a separate cage for a while to see if the interact okay. My question is if it’s a good idea to get one or not and if I do, does it matter if it’s a boy or a girl, I am not too sure how to tell the difference. Also, my bird is about one year old if that means anything. Thanks in advance to any and all answers.
How do i encourage my lovebirds to breed?
First do you have a True Pair, if not then there is no way you are going to get them to breed.are they old enough, they need to be at least 12 months old. Miss Kayla has given you most of the information you need , but it takes time and they will breed when they are ready.
Are there any bird breeds that are affectionate?
Yes!I'm speaking from years of personal experience. I had a Cockatiel, Bodie, for almost 18 years, and an Unbrella Cockatoo, Spirit, for over 30 years (cockatoos can live 60-70 years). I purchased Spirit through the pets section in the newspaper (crazy!) and I never knew his true age, so I'm not sure how old he was when he died. I do know that I loved them both and miss them terribly.Both Spirit and Bodie were very affectionate. They enjoyed playing & getting (gently) hugged, and absolutely LOVED to have their heads, cheeks, and under their wings rubbed. Mine were very cuddly and sometimes would get under the covers with me & watch tv. Both of my birds "groomed" me. Spirit would run each strand of my hair through his beak and also gently removed mascara from my eyelashes. Yep...eyelashes. :DBirds make great pets, but are a very long term commitment, and getting one is not something to be done on impulse. Some larger parrots can live 90 years. They're very smart, social and need LOTS of attention and cuddles, a varied diet (a good, species specific bird food and fresh fruit & veggies), intellectual stimulation, and a vet that works with birds in your area. They need to have a large cage that's size appropriate with plenty of toys, food and clean water, but birds shouldn't be left in it 24/7. They thrive on interaction with their human (they tend to choose one person and might not like others), and should be in an area that's central to the family.Parrots can be destructive, they love chewing on whatever's handy and taking things apart. Spirit got ahold of my computer keyboard and removed every button. They also can be very loud and are capable of giving a seriously hard, painful bite.If you're planning on bringing a bird into your family, do some reading. Research everything you'll need to know to have a healthy, happy bird. Some seemingly innocuous things can be deadly to birds. An example is cooking with Teflon pans. If you use Teflon cooking pans near your bird, it could kill him. It's things like that you'll learn through research instead of the awful way...by killing your beloved bird.Bodie. Spirit.
How do you get lovebirds to mate?
Keep them happy?Severely stressed animals (including humans) tend to under perform in the procreation arena.That is why zoos go to seemingly absurd lengths to replicate the natural environment of wild animals down to the last pebble and blade of grass.Keep your birds in a large, airy enclosure, preferably with non toxic plants and brightly colored toys (make sure that the toys are non-toxic to birds ) love birds are intelligent and naturally curious, make sure they are adequately stimulated.Pay attention to diet, love birds need greens and colored vegetables and fruits in their diet (again, do some research to avoid toxicity issues) and cannot function optimally with just seed in their diet. Ill nourished creatures tend to be less enthusiastic about mating.Good luck.
One of my lovebirds appeared to be humping a perch yesterday. Is this common lovebird behavior?
Yep its normal, they do this when in the breeding mood. If this is embarassing or a habit that you don't like, ways you can stop it is rearranging her cage, moving her into another part of the room, or reducing the amount of sunlight she is getting a day. More than ten hours of light will make them think that its breeding season. If you rearrange/move her cage, it will make her insecure of her "new" surroundings. Birds won't feel the need to mate when they are in "new" territory as they have to be very protective of their young, and don't want to lay eggs in this"new" and potentially "dangerous" place. It will at least buy you time! Good luck!
Do lovebirds usually kill other lovebirds in their cage?
Yes, if you leave multiple lovebirds together even if it is parents and offspring, once the young are old enough the parents do not see them as their "babies" anymore they are just competition. Lovebirds in general are very territorial and not usually very "loving" at all, and need to be carefully placed together. Not all human made pairs end up working. The offspring need to have their own cages, and be watched carefully, if they start to fight once they get older they too need to be separated. Unless you have a HUGE aviary (like an entire room sized cage) 6 lovebirds in any one cage is too much, and they will fight. Separate them into at least the original 2, the first 2 young, and the latest 2 young, and keep a close eye on them all to see who is starting the fights. If any of them fight even in those littler groups they will again need to be separated, lovebirds do not have to be in pairs to be happy. If they have a nesting box or something similar getting rid of that and moving everything around in the cage can help with territorial aggression as well. Once they all have their own space again they might settle down and you can allow play time together out of the cages, but they really need to be seperated before more of them get killed.
Is it best to keep birds in a pair or separate? Will they bond with you either way, whether one or paired?
Pic: Scarlet MacawsExcept for domestic breeds like chickens, most birds are "wild animals," which means they need to be in a social group like a flock to be happy. I have dealt with many captive birds over the years, and I don't advise keeping wild birds as pets. This includes parrots. Humans' activities have endangered many wild bird species by encouraging the illegal pet trade. Deforestation is also restricting many parrots' natural habitat.Wild species are also noisy and very active. They are not a pet that can be ignored or they will be miserable and destructive.That said, many bird species are fascinating, beautiful and intelligent, and they can bond closely with humans when raised in captivity. Again, I don't recommend keeping wild species as pets, but I know this won't stop the practice, so here are some suggestions.Obtain birds from responsible breeders who hand-raise the babies from a captive breeding pair. Hand-raised babies bond best to people.Unless you will be with your bird constantly (providing constant social stimulation) a bird should have at least one other conspecific as a companion.Captive birds require a LOT of space and a diverse and varying environment in order to thrive. They need room to move around, and things to chew and explore. A small cage is not appropriate housing. They need a wide range of foods and access to water, not only for drinking but for bathing as well. Many birds like to be sprayed lightly with water and lots of birds will willingly shower with their human caregivers.Final suggestion: many Australian bird species are plentiful (think: parakeets (budgerigars), cockatiels and cockatoos.) If you're determined to get a pet bird, I recommend one of these species instead of the more endangered South American species such as Amazons and Macaws.Pic: Sulphur Crested CockatooThe scarlet macaw (Ara macao)Yellow-crested cockatoo - Wikipedia
Can two female Lovebirds Mate togeather?
I wanted to breed my lovebirds they were very bonded i got them a nest box but theey never mated so i figured there both females i bought a new male and seperated the females and put him with 1 of them they mated a little bit but not much about a month later i put the two females i had in the begining togeather and took out the new male and they started mating alot the one that was alone got on top Can this mean that i really had a male and a feamle in the beggining or can females mate togeather? These are lovebirds by the way.
How do I get my female lovebird to lay eggs?
I have two lovebirds a female and male. I bought them 4 months ago. I just bought a nest from petsmart but I dont see her around it. I was wondering if it will work or what do I need to do to have her lay eggs. Thanks