New Lovebird

[nicole22]

Hello everyone!
My family recently bought a handfed baby lovebird (yet to be named!). We already have a handfed lovebird in the house, named Kiwi, who was here since October 2009, and he is bonded to me. I have heard that lovebirds are very territorial and jealous birds, and Kiwi is proving this to be true. We tried to introduce them to each other and Kiwi tries to attack the new baby. We put the cages next to each other so they can get used to each other. The new baby seems very eager to make friends with Kiwi, but Kiwi just doesn't seem to be having it! My question is, is this going to be a permanent situation, or will Kiwi eventually learn to get along with the new baby? Will we have to alternate bringing them out at separate times? Other members of my family are playing with the new baby so Kiwi doesn't get as jealous, because when baby flies onto me, he lunges and attacks him! What should we do???:confused:

[CompassionAk]

This Summer I decided to get a buddy for my male Lovie Boo and ended up getting two different lovies.I got Annie from the same lady I got Boo from she was an ex breeder and her and Boo hit it off immediately.I got Pele from the Humane Society and he has always been the out cast here,he tries so hard to make friends with everyone here but nobirdy loves him.

It wasn't until about a week and a half ago that Annie and Pele could sit next to each other with a fight happening.They won't preen each other but at least the aren't going for blood anymore and they can be out together while supervised.

Boo and Annie had babies and I kept one in hopes Pele and the baby would get along,but I'm in the same boat as you with these two.I'm just taking things slow and hoping they will become friends.I've been placing their food dishes so they are able to see one another while eating and I think it's helped a little.

Hopefully over time your two will get along,although it's possible they may never be friends,especially if they are both female.Do you happen to know what sex they are?

[nicole22]

The breeder we bought Kiwi from told us Kiwi was a male. I'm pretty sure this is accurate, because Kiwi will perform mating behaviors towards me sometimes (trying to regurgitate to me, making clicking noises, trying to mount my hand!), unless females will do that too? We aren't sure what the sex of the new baby though, the breeder we bought baby from wasn't too sure either.

I hope these two can learn to get along soon! :)

[CompassionAk]

It's really hard to tell what sex you have unless you DNA test or the bird lays an egg lol.My Lutino male will proposition me like a female does and my female will try to mount her hubby from time to time as well as do a swishy dance like a male.You can get kits from Avian Biotech to do DNA tests and they are super easy to do and only cost $25.

[Pips mom]

It's really hard to tell what sex you have unless you DNA test or the bird lays an egg lol.My Lutino male will proposition me like a female does and my female will try to mount her hubby from time to time as well as do a swishy dance like a male.You can get kits from Avian Biotech to do DNA tests and they are super easy to do and only cost $25.

Ohhhh, I don't like hearing stuff like this! Pip is a BOY, whether he likes it or not! :rofl:
I have a situation here too with Pip and Rudy. Rudy came to us in July so he's been here for six months now. I try and I try to get a sense of whether these two will become friends, but I just don't have a clue! Both seem interested in each other, Rudy more than Pip. They've been out together quite a few times, but I'd say about a third of the time they will go at it and fight. It's even hard for me to figure out who's more the instigator when they do fight. Sometimes it seems like it's Pip but then sometimes it looks like Rudy.....almost like their fighting is a mutual thing! Pip and Rudy always contact call to each other when they are not in the same room, and even when they are, if Rudy starts making lots of noise, Pip will immitate exactly the sounds Rudy makes back to him......they sound like they are communicating and it sounds like a friendly thing. Even some of the pics I've taken of them together, the looks on their faces look like they really like each other, but yet they will fight and I have to keep a close eye if they are out together. Neither of them lunges or goes after the other.....they will just start fighting is one gets a little too close sometimes, so as long as I watch them, they usually do ok. I wonder too if my two will ever be friends....guess time will tell!
As far as Pip being a boy.....I'd bet money on it that he's a boy. I have the DNA test kits here, both the feather one and the blood one. I keep them handy just in case there's ever any blood shed from a bite or broken blood feather, but I don't have the guts to do it myself. Pip is 3 years old now with no signs of being a girl except he can be cage territorial. He seems very even tempered to me....always the same, where everyone says their females can be sweet one day and then mean the next, also Pip is bitey, but never bites hard and has never broken skin or drawn blood. Right now he's been humping alot again and wearing thin spots in his feathers again.....underneath his tail and lower chest area his feathers almost always look ratty or worn! I'd love the excitement of finding out if Pip and Rudy are indeed both boys, but I just can't bring myself to pull feathers or get blood, and I feel pretty confident that they are both boys, so why put them through it.....just because I'd like to prove that I'm right? nope, can't do it! I'll just live with the fact that I could be surprised one day, and boy that would be some surprise if I ever found that I was wrong!! I never underestimate though a lovie's ability to fool us!

[bookworm0550]

it varies w/ each bird. they'll figure it out amongst themselves. two of my birds, Evie and Pantalaimon did not get along at first. she was so mean to him! but now they are a couple. of course that came w/ a price: she is no longer friends w/ joey who is her brother. both her and pan got along w/ joey, but after they paired up, they were mean to him and so now he's pretty mean back to them. but they still call to one another. and evie and her sister, hermes, they both don't get along whatsoever. so i have a lot of birds that get along and don't get along all at the same time. not to mention my parrotlet that hates my lovebirds and the feeling is mutual. but that's another story. it'll take time for them to warm up to one another. my birds usually never like the new birds for at least a week depending on the bird's personality.

[Enko_chan]

At the moment, your Kiwi is bonded with you and sees your home as HIS home, and you as HIS mate, objects of jealousy. These things can take time. Lovebird personalities vary so much, there is no definite rule. Sometimes they take to one another immediately, sometimes they clash at first and bond over time, and others they just don't work well together... but my guess is that if there's only the two lovebirds in the house, they will eventually find common ground. I recommend dividing their playtimes until new baby is feeling more at home. Bond with the new baby yourself. Keeping their cages side-by-side is a great idea- just make sure they're far enough away to avoid toe loss! Slowly start to integrate their playtimes, and watch them VERY carefully. Depending on your feelings re: clipping, you may want to clip the aggressive bird so that the new baby can get away if he/she must.

With regards to gender- is Kiwi male or female, and what is his/her age? Sometimes it can be difficult to have a female that is of mating age get on well with a younger male. It really varies per individual bird, but that is a problem I have experienced in the past. Those two birds became inseparable as a pair, but it took over a year, time for the young male to mature and for the bonding to take place.

Your flock dynamics will change over time, and so long as both birds are happy and loved, try not to get too frustrated by the situation. The more birds there are in the equation the more complex the flock dynamic. Some of us with multiple birds have a common playtime for all of our birds, some of us can have some of our birds out together but not others. With my particular flock, I have species-specific playtimes. Their needs end up worked into my schedule, and everYbirdie is happy. Still, I know how stressful it can be when a major change takes place. We have a new parrotlet that just moved in, and the schedule had been turned upside-down again. Since she is still new, and creating her bond with myself and my husband, we have individual playtimes with her. Our other parrotlet, Benny, is too old for her, but wants to be with her so obsessively that the only time I can play with him by himself is when the new female has already gone to sleep... its confusing for us all. I just think of it as part of the joy of loving these wonderful creatures.

[nicole22]

Thanks for all your help everyone! We named the new baby Mojito! :)

Right now we do still have the cages side by side. I think they are getting used to each other because Kiwi won't lunge at Mojito right away anymore. He will just get aggressive if Mojito flies onto me and he is already there or if they get too close to each other.

Right now we are trying to get Mojito to bond with another family member so they don't get jealous if they both bond to me. Is this a good idea? Also if they get used to each other and start getting along and bond with each other, will Kiwi lose his bond to me? I don't want that to happen! :(

Anyways I am not exactly sure on their age. We got Kiwi in OCtober 2009 and he had just been weened and almost his whole beak was black. Mojito has also just been weened and is starting to eat seeds and millet but he/she has black only on the top of his/her beak, so it is almost gone.

Thanks again for all your help! Any more suggestions or stories will be greatly appreciated! :)

[linda040899]

he/she has black only on the top of his/her beak, so it is almost gone.
The black splotch is completely gone by 3.5 months so I would say it's safe to say that Mojito is 3 months (12 weeks) old. Many hand fed lovebirds will wean at about this age so I think the guess is on target.

Should Kiwi and Mojito form a bond, that doesn't mean you will be left out. How friendly they will be with you depends on the amount of attention you give them. Interact with them a lot and you will continue to be a member of their flock. :)

[bookworm0550]

I have bonded birds that still love me.

[michael]

I have bonded birds that still love me.

I have unbonded birds that still love me. ........:wink: