i need help to choose a lovebird !!!!!!

[doro]

hello, i am new here. i just startet resently to learn about lovebirds, there is so much info on the net, wish is also confusing.

i am interested to get 1 blue masked or a fishers green. thats the colours i like. today i read some stuff on the net and the blue masket is supposed to be aggressive. is that true ?
i went to see a 6 week old baby today and the mother is very aggressiv (all the time) and the father is supposed to be nice.

so what i do know, i have to make a reservation, but i have 2 kids and i would like to spend a lot of time with the bird.
the baby was very calm, he or she almost fell asleep in my hand, but also try once a while to bite.

people say that males are better and less aggressive. but how do i know? the 16 year old girl who sales the babys dos not know. i know it is hart to know the sex.

i would be a firsttime lovebird owner. what would you recommend. is there a different with the charakter and colour ?

are the fishers better for a beginner ?

please , i need some help. thank you doro

[Mummieeva]

The choice of which species to get is a personal one. I have never had a Fischer before so I can not help there. Generally males are more calm then females. But there are exceptions to the rule. I have had masked before and they are so beautiful. Even though mine were never tame I loved them very much. I had two tamed female peach-faced and they both would bite sometimes. You just have to learn their ques and know how to avoid them. I have never heard about color effecting how they act so do not think that should be a worry.As long as you are always watching children they can interact with the birds also. I have 4 children and my oldest is 10 and has been my helper with the birds since she was 7 years old. She helps me clean cages and feed our bird.


Steph

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

I've had male peach faces and a male fischer... and I looooved my fischer. I miss him lots.

Fischers are a little smaller than peach faces, and can be a little more delicate, but definietley feisty! How feathered are the babies you're looking at? I have no idea how fully feathered they are at 6 weeks....

I'll take some hits here becuase I know you're not supposed to judge the sex of the lovies without DNA testing, but I've always had luck with the shape of the tail....providing they are fully feathered.... this is just a suggestion, and you could try it & still be wrong...but in my experience, the girlies have a wider stance & a blunter tail... more of a slightly straighter & little more fanned out.... the boyos stance is feet closer together, and a more slender, pointy tail. If they've been flying around, the tail fans out, so it's hard to tell if they've been playing around or climbing the sides of the cages.

I chose my last 2 lovies like this & I lucked out...both boys. My mom brought her lovie home with black still on the beak, I looked at lovies tail and told her my guess was "girl"...and now that lovie is a professional paper shedder & has popped out one eggie....which she completely ignored & now my mom keeps it on the entertainment center bc she thinks it's "cute". :rofl:

At any rate... I have to say that I'm not a breeder or a professional anything, so I might just have been lucky. Boy or girl, you will love your lovie!!

[michael]

hello, i am new here. i just startet resently to learn about lovebirds, there is so much info on the net, wish is also confusing.
i am interested to get 1 blue masked or a fishers green. thats the colours i like. today i read some stuff on the net and the blue masket is supposed to be aggressive. is that true ? i went to see a 6 week old baby today and the mother is very aggressiv (all the time) and the father is supposed to be nice.
so what i do know, i have to make a reservation, but i have 2 kids and i would like to spend a lot of time with the bird. the baby was very calm, he or she almost fell asleep in my hand, but also try once a while to bite.

people say that males are better and less aggressive. but how do i know? the 16 year old girl who sales the babys dos not know. i know it is hart to know the sex. i would be a firsttime lovebird owner. what would you recommend. is there a different with the charakter and colour ? are the fishers better for a beginner ? please , i need some help. thank you doro

Hi Doreen. Much of the information I've read regarding masked and Fischers lovebirds indicates they tend to be a little more aggressive than their more common peachfaced counterparts. I'm told with a little extra handling that even for a beginner they can still become a wonderful companion whether its the blue masked you prefer or the fischers. Concerning the gender of these two species of lovebirds, both are monomorphic meaning they "lack" the usual differences between the sexes. While there are physical and behavioral characteristics that may result in a person guessing the odds with some reasonable success, the only sure way to tell is through DNA profile. Are the males less aggressive? To be honest more poeple have mentioned that they do in fact feel the males are not as aggressive as the female "hens". But, I must also add here that I personally know of "no one" that would be willing to give up their little "fraulein" unless of course she's paired with a male who tickles her fancy....Hope this helps a little............:)

[LauraO]

Something to keep in mind is that ALL BIRDS BITE. It's not a matter of if, just when. Now, how much and how hard a bird bites is dependent on the bird's personality and, unfortunately, this isn't a behavior you can predict in babies. It's also important to understand that lovebirds go through a lot of growth and personality stages their first year or so of life. So you are likely to get a moody bitey bird at some point in that time.

While it's true that males are usually less bitey than females, this is not written in stone. I got a nice bite last night from one of my male lovebirds, and lifted one of my hens off eggs with no blood or concern.

If you do decide to get a lovie, I suggest you go by personality rather than color. This is a hard thing as lovies come in so many beautiful colors and mutations, but if a tame family bird is what you want then personality is key. I've had way more experience with peachface lovies, a few masked birds, and no fischers experience. My two cents, is to look for a peachface and possibly get it dna'd before you buy it. This may cost more money but having a male peachy may be a great place to start for your family. My masked were handfed but not tame and very flighty, which seems to be a known characteristic.

You may also want to consider an older tame bird that needs a new family. There are tons of birds that need homes, and the great thing about older birds is the personality you see is what you get. My husband and I adopted a hybrid lovie a few months back that has been an abosute delight. We also got a young lovie who was totally handfed and tame, but has turned into a terror as she's gotten older.

Lastly, if you get a baby you want to make sure it's socialized. The bird world still believes that handfed=tame and this just isn't the case. A baby should be comfortable with you and your family when you visit it and not run away or be really scared.

Good luck:D

[doro]

hello, thanks so much for all the help. i am still not sure what to do. i think i will wait i little and choose carefully. i have the cage, so i will take my time.
i also think maybe its not such bad idea to get a older one, since i will see the charakter and maybe even know the sex.

i was thinking it is better to get a baby bird.......so i can "form" him.

but with all your tips, i see it could turn out not the way i want it.

thanks so much for the help and tips..........doro