Second lovie, or not?

[nfmgirl]

This has probably been asked a million times, but I wasn't sure how to go about searching for past topics on it without turning up dozens of unrelated threads.

I'm debating on whether I am doing a disservice to Odie by keeping him alone. He is bonded with me, and I think we have a very good relationship, despite his current nippy stage. Odie is about six months old.

So what are your feelings on keeping a lone lovebird? If you get a second lovebird that he/she gets along with, will he maintain the same relationship with me? Or will I lose my buddy?

I understand that every bird is different, so it may be hard to give a generalized response. But generally speaking, what is the consensus? Lovies are okay living alone as long as they get enough human interaction? A lovie who befriends another lovie will lose it's tight bond with it's human, or not?

Thanks for any input.

[linda040899]

Most of my lovebirds have at least one companion. Those that are tame will remain tame as long as they get the same level of attention. Yes, they will tend to form a bond with each other, but you don't need to be left out of the equation.

The biggest issue is whether or not they will get along with each other. Do you know if Odie is a male or a female? If not, it's advisable to find out, as two males will usually get along but two females may or may not (usually not). Male + female could very well = offspring so you may find yourself with more lovebirds than you bargained for!

Lovebirds can do very well as single pets, but I just love watching mine snuggled together when they go to sleep!

[nfmgirl]

Thanks, Linda. Yeah, I'm sorta curious to see how two bonded lovebirds would be together. I had a lone lovebird in the past (actually he was caged with a cockatiel, which I only learned many years later shouldn't have worked out as well as it did!), so I haven't gotten to see that interplay between the two birds. I think it would be enjoyable to watch!

[Jally]

I struggle with this issue as well. Peanut is a lone lovie, but he has budgies and a tiel to interact and chirp with. He is not caged all day like he was before, so that has helped with his boredom. But, again, he is the only one of his kind in the bird room. Peanut is very bonded to me still and I'd hate to have that stop. Although, people have told me that if I were to get another lovie, use the Q period to bond to the second lovie and then I'd have 2 tame lovies. So very tempting!!! :)

[Janie]

I had a lone lovie for two years and because I did not think he would bond with another bird (he was already 8 at the time) I bought two more so that Oliver could still have "me" and they could have each other. As it turns out they all three get along well (all three are males and I had the second two DNA'd before buying them) and in my case, Oliver seems to be a much happier lovie with the company. As far as his bond to me.....just as strong as it ever was and the other two have also bonded to me.

I guess a lot of whether they need a buddy or not depends on the amount of time you can devote to a single bird. How happy is he/she alone in the cage and how much time is the bird out with you. I was home a lot but still felt guilty leaving Oliver alone.....not any more! :D I would not try to talk anyone into or out of adding a second bird. It always depends on the individual circumstances.

I do want to add that adding another will be twice the mess, twice the toys/food and vet bills but in my case I'm so glad I did find a couple of nice buddies for Oliver. :D

[SammySamantha]

Sam is a solo babe and seems pretty happy with her lot in life. I work a full time job so she is caged while I am gone. Roomies may or may not let her out during the day. She is a velcro birdie, so when I get home I suddenly grow a feathery lump on my chest.

Like you said, every situation is different. My only concern would be rocking the boat. If everything is good and you are comfortable with the level of attention Odie is getting, I don't know if I would throw a monkey wrench into things. But hey, a second lovie could be great!

As long as your decision is an informed, well though out one, you can't go wrong. Good luck.

[Cindy N.]

The biggest issue is whether or not they will get along with each other. Do you know if Odie is a male or a female? If not, it's advisable to find out, as two males will usually get along but two females may or may not (usually not). Male + female could very well = offspring so you may find yourself with more lovebirds than you bargained for!

If you do decide to get a second lovebird, best to find a DNA'd male, as a companion and leave any nesting material out of the cage, just in case yours is a female, if you don't want babies.

Personally, I find that my birds seem happiest, when they have a companion, even if there are a few arguments during the day.

Also, if you find a really sweet, "tame" companion, your bird could also become sweeter by learning from it's mate. If you want to keep them sweet, then you just have to spend some time with them individually (especially females), as well as, the three of you as a group.

Cindy

[nfmgirl]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I want to take my time in my decision, but I don't want to wait *too* long and have him/her get more ornery and set in their ways, and less inclined to take to another bird.

I'll just keep watching Odie and thinking about it. My biggest concern is if they DIDN'T get along and I had to keep the second bird in a separate cage. I live in a little place that is probably about 700 square feet, and already have Odie and four cats squeezed in there. It would be a little tricky squeezing in another big cage!

[nfmgirl]

She is a velcro birdie, so when I get home I suddenly grow a feathery lump on my chest.

Yep, that's Odie! I can take him to work and leave him out for four hours, and he will not leave my body the whole time. He runs up and down: on my shoulder, around to the other shoulder, up to the top of the head, back down to my shoulder, around my chest to nibble on the necklace, climb down to the arm, out to the hand, nibble on the rings, run around on the keyboard, over to the other hand up the arm, to the chest, repeat...

I bought him a playgym soon after I got him, but quickly learned that I *was* his playgym! :roll:

[Pips mom]

Pip is also a lone lovie.....he has us, and other feathered friends, but my tiels really don't care for him much because he's too crazy for them! Pip seems to me to be a pretty happy bird. He has lots of out time and he's just a happy, well adjusted little guy! Thoughts of giving him a lovie friend have crossed my mind, but I am more concerned about him being able to get along with that lovie without any feet nipping! Even when Pip was first bought by his previous owner, apparently he was harrasing his clutch mate, so I am thinking there's a good chance another lovie would end up with his own cage here! That plus how happy Pip seems with how things are, made me decide that he doesn't really need a lovie friend....he's not missing out on much I think and he still has other birds here as friends.......so no second lovie for me or for Pip! at least for the time being! I just can't see how there can be any big improvement here by getting another lovie......things are just great the way they are! :D

[cp.lovebird]

I had a pair of bonded lovebirds for 13.5 years when the hen, Blue Meanie, died in November 2007. That left my male Squeaky alone for the first time in his life. I felt devastated by Blue Meanie's death and very sad for Squeaky.

I debated about another bird for over 6 months as the members of this community well know! :)

After Squeaky was boarded at the avian vet's for 2 weeks for our vacation, he came back home more playful, chirpy and energetic. I really think he enjoyed the company at the vet's office.

So I adopted Ducky about a month ago - a 10 month old peachfaced lovebird highly suspected to be male (he was "courting" a female at his previous home.) The DNA test confirmed he is indeed a boy.

The quarantine period was 5 weeks and after a well-bird exam including virus scan tests, Ducky has been cleared and his cage is next to Squeaky's.

They have a lot of fun chirping to each other and now check out the outside of each others cages when they come out separately. In another week or so I'll let them out together under very close supervision to see if they might get along.

I thnk that Squeaky likes to have somebirdy to chirp to. I know Ducky likes it too! I don't worry as much about Squeaky being on his own while I am at work.

Squeaky was never a velcro birdie - he was bonded to his mate, not me. Ducky is a velcro birdie - we bonded during the quarantine period. I realize that may change if the two birds end up being caged together.

It is more work, cleaning, feeding and playing with 2 birds but it is worth it! I really love having two birds and I really missed that after Blue Meanie's death. I got Ducky for Squeaky and for me too! The vet actually told me not to get another bird just for Squeaky as they may never get along. He told me to get the bird for me. :)

Good luck with your decision! I know it is a tough one.

[Mydoona]

WELL I had one lovebird and thought I wasn't spending enough time with him so got him a mate and its a 50/50. My Keiko was bonded to me and HATED the new bird and was SO clingy it made getting the new bird tame impossible.
Mardi is the new bird and I have had her for three months and she STILL isn't tame but IS getting there...she lets me go right up to her but wont let me touch her.Everytime I go to spend time with Mardi, Keiko squarks and carries on and they fight alot, but now they are ok with each other and will preen each other when I am not there (spying on them thru the window)but when I come in the room they always seperate unless I pretend not to take notice of either of them.Keiko is still bonded to me and 'puts up with' Mardi and its good for him to have company during the day when I am at work...I wish I had taken Keiko with me to pick a new bird but you can't with the quarentine rules etc.I am hoping when Mardi reaches puberty they will bond even more as there is a 9 month age difference between them.

[Mummieeva]

I wish you great luck in your choice it is not a easy one. My husband and I are debating on getting a second lovebird. But my situation is different Drac is not tame(unless you my 1y old daughter..lol.she does not touch him but he loves her). We are thinking about finding a male as a buddy for him who is tame. But it will be a long time since hard to find lovebirds in my area.

Steph

[nfmgirl]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Yes, it is a tough decision to make.

I've also been trying to decide on whether or not to get a Senegal. That is what I was actually going to get instead of Odie, but then I decided to get a lovebird (I always wanted another lovebird and said I would get one after my tiel died). So I decided to go with the lovebird instead.

However I still feel myself drawn to a Senegal, and think maybe I'll wind up heading in that direction eventually. Still on the fence about a second lovebird and will have to think long and hard on it for awhile.

Perhaps I'll try to make it to the bird show in September, so that I can see lots of birds and maybe get a better perspective on what direction I want to take. I want to keep Odie's best interests in mind in whatever I decide to do, and don't want him to suffer because my attention is being directed on another bird. I'm trying to be honest with myself about how much time and attention I have to give when I already have four cats in the household. It makes time out of the cage difficult. (Actually I have five cats at the moment. I'm fostering a "foreclosure cat". Her owners had to give up their home and their new apartment doesn't allow pets. I learned they had left her behind in the house and were feeding her while they tried to figure out what to do with her, but the power was going to get shut off and if would be stifling hot. I had my boyfriend convince them to surrender her to me. I think I have her a new home next week. The shelters are all full here, and she would only be given a few days at Animal Control before she was put down, so I really did NOT want to take her there. Our area is #1 in foreclosures in the entire country! Of course, animals are the silent victims in the whole housing disaster.) <end of rant>