Fighting Birds

[Moonfox]

Hey,

I've had my female lovebird, Alex, for 2 years now and she's never been a friendly bird, nomatter how I tried to tame her. She began laying eggs last month, and so I got her a friend - a creamino male, Tobias, who is about 5 months old.

I've had them seperated for just under a month now (for quarantine), and this week their cages were put next to each other so that they could talk. They seem pretty friendly when there are bars between them, soft chirps and whistles and the like.

But I've had them outside the cages, just running around my room, a few times and Alex gets nasty over everything! Tobias will go to nibble at something, and she'll run over from the other side of the room and scare him off, flapping and clicking her beak.
Just now I had them out and he found a piece of paper, started chewing on it and she went ape! I had to pull her away from him to make her stop biting him. (He's not hurt at all, just some ruffled feathers, but mate was he screaming).

Please tell me that this is normal behavior. She's still nesty, even though she isn't laying - she shreds paper to put in her nest and makes the rrt noise everytime I go near the cage. I suppose the temper is also affecting her relationship with the new boy? Is it possible that once he hits breeding age, she'll suddenly find an interest in him ;)?

I really hope she gets over herself and makes friends. She's one hateful little bugger, I'll tell you. Lol.

Thanks!

[linda040899]

The problem here is that Tobias is too young for Alex. He's just barely sexually mature (if he's sexually mature yet) and he can't satisfy Alex's needs so she chases him. She could seriously injure him so you are going to have to be right there every second that they are out of the cage together, especially if she's still hormonal. It would be much safer to take them out individually right now rather than together. Putting them together in one cage would be a death sentence for Tobias so they need to remain separated for at least another 3-5 months.

[Chickobee]

Hi;

We have two lovebirds, Pixie & Cricket, who are clutch mates. They are just 6.5 months old now. We haven't DNA'd them yet. We ordered the kits online but neither of us has been able to make them bleed to get the sample. Sigh... At some point, if we want to know badly enough, we will get brave enough to do it or take them to the vet to have it done.

We bought another cage when they started squabbling and ankle biting so much that we were afraid they would seriously hurt each other. If the cages are moved apart or to where they can't see each other they continually make contact calls and pace back and forth trying to get to each other again.

We keep the cages right together and we buy them matching toys, etc. The funny thing is that they will both play with the same toy at the same time. It is so comical to see them copying each other. They also eat at the same time too. Little copycats!!!

Most of the time when they are out together they get along great--preening each other and playing with the toys on their birdie gym. Then, at other times, all they seem to do is screech and try to bite each other's feet. (My husband Dave calls them the ankle biters.) When they do that they get put right back into their cages.

Pixie has always been the most dominant of the two and quite frequently she will chase Cricket around the play gym. Each time Cricket starts to play with a different toy Pixie will bite at her until she moves. Pixie is like a kid who won't share her toys, and Cricket just happily moves on to a different one.

They never have really hurt each other. Sometimes they are sparring with each other and it appears that they are trying to each bite the other's tongue. They both stretch up as tall as they can when they are doing this--I think to appear larger--or maybe to be "on top".

In spite of all the squabbling they hate being apart. If we take one bird out, and not the other, they will spend the entire time calling to each other. Even though they seem to fight quite a bit they are inseparable.

Also, we are starting to think we have two hens...

Maybe your birds will learn to like each other if they have more time to adjust and look at each other. Good luck.

Chickobee, Pixie & Cricket

[Moonfox]

Thankyou both for the advice.

I'm always watching them when they're out together, and lately I've taken to sitting about 2 feet from them while they play, so it's easier to step in if Alex gets stroppy.

I'm thinking that maybe Alex is also a little territorial about the whole room - not just her cage. She has been here for years after all. And the only thing that they will both happily check out together is my snake tank (from outside the glass, of course :P), as it's only been there for a few months now. So, since I've bathed the dog today, I think he might be kicked out of the loungeroom so that I can have the two feathered clowns in a new space, to see what happens if nothing else.

And, Chickobee, I've got the same "bash him up when we're outside the cage, and then call out to him if I'm locked up" attitude in my female lovvie. I swear, I'll never work her out :lol .

[Chickobee]

Hi again;

I'm curious about how your birds are getting along now. I hope they are getting to like each other better.

We did the DNA tests on our birds and learned that Pixie and Cricket are both hens. No wonder they squabble so much and can't be caged together. That started pretty young too, even though they are clutch mates.

Since my previous post they have settled down a whole bunch. We got some more lovies and then noticed that Pixie and Cricket were both calmer and less nippy and bitey. They've been learning new songs from the new birds and teaching the newbies theirs.

Lovebirds are just so much fun! What characters! Even when they are bad they are adorable!

Linda

[carrier]

Even when they are bad they are adorable!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That is precisely why my pets are still alive! ;)

Fenway will bite me so hard that tears come to my eyes, and then looks at me with his enormous birdie eyes as if to say, "what?" :rolleyes:

My pets get away with so much because they are so darn cute! :whistle:

[Samzzr]

Hi,
I have about 50 odd lovebirds breed over last 3 years out of which majority of them ar females.

I take care of their diet well by proving grains, fresh green leaves and water every day along with calcium sea biscuits.

Everything was great. But off late they have started fighting between themselves till death with their head fully soaked in blood with no feather around its entire head. I must say the view is not less than a horror movie scene. I have lost about 8 birds jin one week.

Please advice As to what is the concern.

For these 50 odd birds I have sufficient cage but only 4 nest. Could this be the reason.

[linda040899]

You hit the nail squarely on the head! If you have 50 breeding pairs in one flight, then you have to have minimum of one box/pair and a few extras for those hens who insist on claiming more than 1. Losses of this kind are preventable. The other solution is to have smaller cages and 1 pair/cage.