3 Lovebirds in one cage?

[joshbirdlover]

Hello I am new here and I need to know everything about my lovebirds I read this thread in I Need Help Now and in it there was a tragic incident happened to 3 lovebirds in one cage so I Want to know what I should do I have 3 lovebirds in one cage they are siblings they have been together they are a month old Please what should I do for them?

[Tango's_Mom]

definately separate them, either into their own cages or into 1 pair and 1 single bird, however if you do pair two of them, you want to be sure that they continue to get along as they get older and that they don't reproduce since they are siblings. Right now they are very young and probably get along, but as they approach maturity 2 of them will likely gang up on the 3rd and can severly injure or kill it. I think the rule of thumb is 2 or less or 6 or more in even numbers (provided the cage is very large) but someone with more experience with multiple birds will probably chime in.

[luluxoxo83]

Hello...
I am the one that had the tragic incident. I do not recomend 3 to a cage. I had all three of mine in a cage for about 4 months all got along great and then it all shattered. So please please please 2 in one cage and 1 by him or herself. Its the wors feeling when you lose one of your lovies! Good Luck!

[lemonypickett]

I agree, SEPARATE! Before it is too late.

I too had a tragic experience with a rescue that was badly injured by its 2 cagemates.

[linda040899]

You can count on the fact that you will have to separate them at some point. They may be getting along right now but that can change overnight!

While you are separating, I would DNA sex them so you know what you have and what you can do with them later on.

[joshbirdlover]

how much money is a DNA sexing? and is there no other way to tell gender like my cockatiels you can tell by the beak

[joshbirdlover]

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pet/926533845.html

I was looking around CL and found this what about the bigger cage would that work for my lovebirds to be able to seperate them since I don't have another cage for them?

[BarbieH]

A bigger cage still wouldn't give them the separation that they need. But you could still get a bigger cage and put the pair into it, leaving one bird in its current cage. I'm not sure about the one in the picture; from what I can see, the bars look too widely spread apart for a lovebird. They can get their heads/beaks caught when bars are spread too far.

[lemonypickett]

Josh, stay away from the cage in the top two pics. The bottom one is small, but the top one has a horrible shape for a bird. They need much more horizontal space than vertical.

Be wary buying a used cage as well. They can be disease carriers. A bleach solution should be acceptable if you are up for scrubbing.

[joshbirdlover]

what I was talking about was getting a cage (the top one) for the pair and the one I have for the single one but like you said that it is the wrong shape for them so I will look for a another one and yes I am looking for a used one because of my budget I need it to be cheaper and I don't mine scubbing with bleach

[linda040899]

Round cages are unsuitable for birds. Due to eye placement, round appears as a solid wall to them and does not represent security. Square or rectangular long are ideal and you need 1/2" or 5/8" bar spacing. This is going to be a home for them and you need them to be comfortable!

[joshbirdlover]

ok I will look for one any idea where I can find a good cage for them for around 50$ maybe used or new?

[lemonypickett]

Try a website www.birdscomfort.com - great cages, great prices.

I believe that is the one, let me know if it doesn't work.

[joshbirdlover]

http://www.birdscomfort.com/top_bird_cage.html

how about this cage guys what do you think? but my problem is if I get this cage it will be for the pair but I do need a better cage for the single guy which would mean I really don't have to much money for that I would need a really cheap cage but nice to :) but I like the play top I think that might work somewhat what do you guys think that maybe I could seperate them but put them out side on the play top or would they still fight?

[linda040899]

Bar spacing is wrong for lovebirds. Look at suggested birds listed.

[joshbirdlover]

http://www.birdscomfort.com/flight_bird_cage.html

this is the only one I could find with the right bar spacing bummer I was hoping I could find one with a play top cage with the right bar spacing what do you think will this work?

[linda040899]

That one will definitely work. Have you thought about adding your own play area to the top? I've done that with several of my cages.

[Chickobee]

I would highly recommend this last cage. We have four of them and we love them. They are easy to clean and the doors secure very well.

This is a very well made cage for the price they charge. We paid nearly double this for cages that weren't as good, and definitely not as easy to clean.

The bottom tray and the bottom grate will both slide out so you can clean them frequently. This cage is also powder coated so there is nothing toxic for the birds like some older cages you might find that are used. A few more $ now could save you headaches down the road.

The only thing we didn't like about it is that the cart and the cage are separate. We found that when we moved them around the cage would sort of slide on the cart. We solved this by using zip ties to secure them so they stay together as one unit.

This one comes in lots of colors too. The birds won't care, but you might. When we put our birds into these cages they were at home and happy immediately.

You could still have the single bird right next to the other birds in a separate cage so they can all keep each other company. They can also play together outside of their cages as long as you are watching to be sure they are getting along.

I also had three young siblings together for a while. One day they were all getting along and then I noticed that one was being chased around so I moved her to a separate cage. They were already all DNA tested so I knew I had two girls and a boy. Now I want to do more shuffling so I don't have any sibling pairs together either.

Some people say they can tell by the pelvic bones or by how the birds stand on the perches which are males and which are females. I've heard they are correct 50% of the time! :whistle:

[joshbirdlover]

Linda where can I get a playtop can I build one? I do like the cage but for the single lovebird could he go in a cage like this?

http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr90/joshbirdlover/?action=view&current=P1010002.jpg

http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr90/joshbirdlover/?action=view&current=P1010001-1.jpg

[linda040899]

Yes, you can use those for a single lovebird. If that one is 30" long, it's the same one I use for breeding cages.

You can build your own play area to attach to the top of the cage or you can buy one already built.

[michael]

Josh. Whats nice about obtaining a separate playgym is it allows the benefit of placing it where you feel it works out best, like on top the cage or on a table nearby. Here's one I thought was kinda interesting...http://www.birdieboutique.com/kcppacr.html...Because lovebirds legs and feets are set back farther than many other species, most their activities revolve around the use of their beaks. My particular lovie likes when everything is right within easy reach. Like on a silver platter!............:roll:

[joshbirdlover]

so if I got one of those playgyms could the lovebirds be out together playing on the gym or would they still fight?

[joshbirdlover]

hey what about this for the single bird is it to round what about bar spacing does it look like it might work?

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pet/927416542.html

[michael]

so if I got one of those playgyms could the lovebirds be out together playing on the gym or would they still fight?

Even for birds who get along, there's always a chance for squabbling. You have to figure, if one bird has it, the others may want it too. Best you can do is closely supervise your birds interactions outside their caged environment even if they must be housed separately. Should their activities take a turn for the worse, playgym or not, you may have to opt for individual time out.


hey what about this for the single bird is it to round what about bar spacing does it look like it might work?

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pet/927416542.html

For the money it looks to me like your basically going to get what you pay for. No bargain here Josh. For ten or twenty more you may find a larger new cage that offers more lateral space. Maybe try the HQ cage site and see what they offer for smaller birds. Although maximum bar spacing for lovebirds is 5/8in, many feel more comfortable with 1/2 - 9/16 inch spacing. Keep in mind, many cages (regardless of their cost) may still need a bit of modification to make sure their safe. Especially those with guillotine style doors such as the one shown in your link. If necessary, you can use zip ties or other suitable fasteners so your bird doesn't become trapped/dead trying to squeeze out.

There's also more information provided throughout the "Lovebird Resource Library". Try going to the "Must reads" section, then down to "Robin's new owners guide". The "First day home" topic discusses cage requirements in fairly good detail.

I think right about now we could use a little BUBBLEKING input! I heard he was eventually going to develop several parrot hotels along with a human zoo somewhere's nearby for parrot entertainment. Hopefully in the meantime some others will also share their views..............:)

[joshbirdlover]

ok thanks for the info I will wait and see what the others say about it to get there opion :)

[joshbirdlover]

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pet/920711066.html

what about this cage for the pair it is smaller but it is alot cheaper what do you think?

[Anneka]

This cage IMO does not have enough width.

[joshbirdlover]

ok thanks anneka

[joshbirdlover]

alright I have a really nice cage for them it is in good condition but it is slightly rusty (it is used) so is there something I can do to make it not rusty?

[Bubblelady]

Um, have you already bought it? I, personally, wouldn't buy a used cage that is rusty. I don't know if you can fix it, safely. But someone else will come along who will know either how to fix it or if you can't fix it. Sorry.

[joshbirdlover]

well I didn't buy it it was givin to me I have it at my house now

[NickyBeth]

You cannot use a rusty cage. Many cages contain Zinc, which is covered by the "nylon" spray that is on the metal bars to the cage. Rusty bars signify to me that the finish is work in that spot, and the moisture from the water dish has now made the bars rust. If your bird ingests this rust, you'll wind up with a birdie that has Zinc Poisoning or worse....a birdie DEAD from Zinc Poisoning.

If you want to PROPERLY re-finish the cage, you would do the following.

Clean the cage with Tri-Sodium Phosphate. That will prep the surface for painting. You then need to use #0000 Steel Wool on the bars that are rusty in order to prep them for some Spray Primer (either Hammerite Anti-Rust spray primer or Krylon Anti-Rust spray primer) and let cage dry for 24 hours. After cage dries, you can then spray the cage with Hammerite (preferably) or Krylon Enamel and let cage dry for 48 hours before placing bird/pet in cage.

I used to work in a paint store years ago. This is what we would tell all customers that walked in that wanted to re-finish a cage for live animals. As Hammerite and Krylon were owned by the same company -- that is the list that they would tell us to refer the customer to in order to have a safe living environment for the animal. I'm not saying that this is SAFE for your bird, but that is what you would need to do in order to prep the cage.

Cost of this would run you about $30 bucks. In my opinion, not worth it. Can buy plenty of nice cages for that!

[joshbirdlover]

this cage is way more than 30$ this cage is around 300$ brand new

[NickyBeth]

Then by all means, you can attempt to re-finish it. The trick is to spray lightly and do 2-3 coats so that you get an even finish.

However, there is no guarantee that the rust won't eat it's way back through the bars again. Rust is very tricky and hard to get rid of. It's like a disease that keeps growing and growing. The only way to put it at bay is to STOP it before it gets worse and treat what is damaged.

I'll let others chime in as well.

[joshbirdlover]

thank you very much for that information

[Tiki's Mom]

the care home where my mother in law lives had just got 3 lovebirds
she has them in one cage. I told my husband about this and he said the lady at the store said they were a family

I fear for the safety of all three birds

I should talk to her about this

[linda040899]

There's no easy answer to this question except that it depends on the individual lovebirds, themselves. They may all very well get along. I have several cages that have odd numbers and everyone is just fine. If all are males or you have 2 males and 1 hen, the lovies could be just fine. I have a couple of "pairs" of hens that also get along just fine, even when they are both laying eggs.

When you say they are a family, are you saying parents and a baby? What are the ages? Have they been together for a while?

[Tiki's Mom]

the pet store that sold them to the care aide '' said they were a family'' one way to make a buck and the care aid never owned birds before
I have no idea what sex they are either

I want to check it out my self

I am concerned for the birds