sexual behaviour

[bonnie]

My male bird is very highly sexed and he wont give the hen a minutes peace. Apart from seperating them, which causes them to get very stressed, is there anything else I can do.

[linda040899]

How about offering some extra foraging toys to distract the male? Perhaps making them forage more for food might also help. This is really a hard question, as some male lovies are not distracted easily!

Separating them for even a couple of hrs/day may be what you ultimately end up doing just so your hen can have some uninterrupted peace!

[bonnie]

Hi Linda, when I seperate them they get so stressed and the noise is unbelievable, even though they are side by side. I have given them plenty toys to keep them occupied and spend loads of time with them but he is very protective with Bonnie and tries to nip if I go near her. Even when she is sitting on eggs he is their mating with her. I dont encourage breeding but she lays eggs all the time. Even when she has been sitting on chicks he will mate with her. I feel she is mating far too often and it is becoming something I am not experienced enough to deal with. :confused: I am at a loss as what to do. Breeders in my area have no success with mating lovebirds and normally stick with breeding budgies, so they have been unable to advise.

[thebubbleking]

Hrmmm tough one...what about a substitute like a small plush bird toy or something...i know they have avi agra mabey they have something that does the opposite..wish i could help more..welcome to spring!!!!

[linda040899]

Hi Bonnie,
If she's laying eggs that often, you may have to talk to your vet about giving her Lupron to put a halt to it. She can deplete her calcium level and become egg bound as a result. Make sure you offer foods high in calcium or a good calcium supplement and either pellets or some form of egg for Vit D so your hen can use the calcium she's taking in. Figs, collard greens and broccoli are the best sources for calcium.

[bonnie]

Thanks for the advice, I think I am going to try another vet as my usual vet knew very little about lovebirds and I didnt have much confidence in him. My hen is sitting on another two eggs which will end up being 4 or 5 again. It was only a couple of months ago she had laid 5 eggs which didnt hatch, some were fertile, some were not, when I checked. I dont encourage breeding at all and have not got the experience to deal with all these matings and eggs. On occassions I have even removed the eggs and have been left feeling awful doing this but I was hoping to break the cycle as I feel they spend most of their time on the bottom of the cage nesting.

I will let you know once I find a vet who specialises in lovebirds and what advice he gives. Thanks

[Enko_chan]

Have you tried boiling or shaking and replacing the eggs? Many hens will continue laying to replace the lost eggs, but if you let them keep the eggs and sit on them, they will abandon them of their own accord once they realize they aren't hatching and be less likely to lay again very soon. You can also use fake eggs.


Some will lay, raise a clutch, and lay again immediately- but with the hens I've had in the past, if we shook the fertile eggs and replaced them, they seemed to become discouraged and not lay again soon. There are people on this board with a lot more experience than I have, but that's my 2 cents!