Not sure what I should do...

[Tobi]

I don't think I've ever posted 4 topics in like 2 days being new to a forum before... But here I go!

I've done some research and found that it's virtually impossible for me to get a handreared lovebird where I live. My options are quite limited... My boyfriend's mum breeds her lovebirds but he doesn't know how often and if she even does it anymore. I could ask her to handrear one for me or even do it myself with enough research... I've only ever once handfed a bird before, when I was doing work experience when I was in school, I handfed a baby cockatoo. I just don't know that this would be a smart idea given my lack of experience despite my willingness to commit.

My other option is just buy a young bird and tame it myself.

Both are going to require hard work, I'm aware, but I'm definitely up for it.

What would you recommend?

[Janie]

Hi,

My first lovie, Oliver, was a petstore bird who was parent raised, I'm sure. I adopted him when he was around 7. While he stepped up, his former owner told me he'd never been terribly friendly or a snuggle bird. As you can imagine, I lavished attention on him from the first second he became my bird and he was the sweetest little snuggle bird in less than a month. After two months and to this day, four years later, he is a total velcro birdie. :D

I think that a young bird can be tamed with enough time to build up a good trust. I also (just my opinion) think a male would be a little easier.

I do have two more that were pulled and hand fed at 10 days old. They are tame and very sweet but pale in comparison to my Oliver. My bond with him is the kind of bond I'd have with my dog.

[Tobi]

I'm looking at getting a male/female pair, this is my problem. I thought that if you got them handreared then they can stay tame, but I'm worried that if they've already formed a bond with each other they won't want one with me!

[kimsbirds]

Handrearing does nothing to strengthen the human/bird bond. It only creates a syringe/bird bond.
Socialization and time spent with your baby will ensure a properly handled baby lovebird.
You do not need a handfed baby..infact, many people report that their "handreared babies" are nippier and fiestier than a parent raised baby.
Bottom line, you won't have a 'bond' with any lovebird baby until you've spent time (months) to get to know and trust each other. This means time spent just talking through cage bars, setting up a schedule for maintenance and cage cleaning/feeding/watering etc, general interaction between you and your bird.
You're right, if birds have each other, they are less likely to form a bond with a human. This isn't to say you won't have a relationship with each bird, it just may be modified from your typical "velcro bird" relationship. Your bird won't be exclusive to you, as it has a cagemate.
Time spent with each bird, alone, can sometimes benefit this situation, but it's not a guarantee.

I would recommend buying a parentraised but hand socialized baby if you can find a suitable breeder. This will shorten your time for training, although a good deal of it will still be your responsibility to maintain proper manners and behaviours.
Time is key, and the "click" you'll eventually have with your bird is not something anyone of us can predict. It could take weeks, or months. Your dedication and patience is key to forming this :)

Best Wishes
K

[Mummieeva]

I will second Kim I had a wonderfully tame parent raised lovebird. I also had a hand-fed bird that thought I was the devil incarnate.lol. About getting a male/ female pair I would strongly suggest not getting it. Two birds can get to 30 before you know it. You would need to be sure there were homes for any babies that came and if you look in the breeding section you will notice that lovebirds sometimes double (or more) clutch. Starting out with one would be good. But if you really want two get two males. They can normally get along well and no worries about babies.


Steph

[Tobi]

I called my boyfriends mum up today. She has a pair of lovebirds. They are breeding at the moment and I'm going to go over there a few times a week and play with and talk to the baby birds. She said I can have them once they're old enough to leave their parents. She also talked to me about breeding. Now, I don't know if getting a brother sister pair is a smart idea if I'm thinking about breeding, am I right? I really wouldn't know - some animals it doesn't matter at all, but some others it's a big issue.
She told me that she has a friend who sells birds, and she said that whenever she can't find people to take her baby birds she can just give them to this friend. It's a bit like giving them to the pet shop, only a reliable one who cares about the birds!

So what's the deal with brother/sister pairs? (I know I have a lot more reading to do, so don't worry, I'm not going to just jump in and do this without researching a lot more)

[michael]

Hi Alex. There's fantastic amounts of information regarding the pro's and con's of inbreeding and colony breeding. Much of this is conflicting and very confusing as many facts surrounding it are overshadowed by varying opinions and misunderstandings. In my own opinion, inbreeding along with colony breeding can carry "uncertain" health risks not so much by the direct act itself but due to the inexperience of the individuals that use it whether its for colour mutations, and or physical/health attributes. Some changes that occur by inbreeding simply cannot be identified by even the most experienced breeders, and using this to simply increase the proportions of stock are considered risky and unnecessary. There are also strong ethical standpoints to which I personally feel are enough reason to "not" allow inbreeding to take place. Also, because we have many homeless species of birds already, I feel when simple "breeding" gets to a point where suitable homes are difficult to come by then measures should be taken to avoid those excesses. Abstaining from either one of these practices would be the most humane thing to do for our loved ones...............Michael and Goofy

[Tobi]

We don't have species of birds that don't have homes here... It's actually really hard to find lovebirds for sale where I live, which is weird. That's why I want to do it. It's like with cats and dogs, I hate it when people breed their cats and dogs just for the sake of it and to have cute kittens and puppies, when there are so many in the RSPCA waiting to be adopted... I always thought birds were different because there weren't an "excess" or homeless birds in the city.

Needless to say, I will continue reading and inform you of my decision when I get the birds.

[michael]

I wish we could say the same here Alex. We seem to have more homeless species of animals than any other country on the planet and we've managed to displace a few species as well. There's not too many lovebirds around my area lately. I'm not sure as to the reason but suspect its the threat of PBFD from birds purchased from Petsmart along with many poeple wanting/prefering other species. Oddly enough, even though I've grown up around most other species except lovebirds, I now prefer to remain faithful to them only. Of course I'd take in any homeless bird in a heartbeat, at least until I found it a good home. :) Best of luck!................Michael and Goofy

[Tobi]

It's so odd that there aren't many homeless birds around here - Maybe I'm too naive to notice - but at our RSPCA the most that are there usually are 2 or 3 budgies... compared to the hundreds of cats and dogs that they probably refuse and euthanise... It's a really sad situation, and I can completely understand your reasoning for not breeding birds because it's exactly how I feel about breeding cats and dogs etc.

My birds are ready to hatch soon =] I'm going over again tonight to check on them! I'll try to get some pictures of the parents. They're just beautiful, and just the types I wanted.