Fight?

[blackscell]

How does a lovebird fight look like?

Today my lovies made alot of noise, so I went to check them

They were standing next to eachother and hitting eachother with their head/beaks..

is this playing or fighting?

[personatus]

fight...bickering... most of my couple have the odd domestic now and then! :D

[michael]

I really think their behavior is worth keeping an eye on. ... You mentioned in your earlier posts about one being adult, and the other a baby. ... Do you by chance know the adult birds gender? ... As personatus mentioned, this could very well be just a little "domestic" dispute.....but.....it does take an experienced eye to determine if thats the case. ... Do you have an extra/spare cage just in case things get more serious?

[LauraO]

I agree with Michael and Personatus. Most lovie pairs beak spar at times, but it could also lead to a serious fight. It really does take an experienced eye to know the difference. Michael is especially right if one of the lovies is a youngster. Older lovies rarely like youngsters and they can end up hurting or killing a younger lovie in their cage. I have never personally put youngsters with older lovies due to these dangers. So I would consider separating them. They may build a relationship as the youngster gets older and housed separately.

[thebubbleking]

My lovies beak battle but you can tell when they are serious or not, a couple of clues is one or the other does not back off quickly (a minute or more is not good), also if it involves other body parts such as feet and more serious neck eye and wing area, theres a differeance between asserting dominance and trying to kill, but always have a back up plan regardless.

[Chickobee]

Right on! Birdie jousting is common at our house but generally doesn't last more than a few seconds--less than a minute. By then one bird has just turned and walked away, or flown to a safer perch. Often this happens when a bird is defending it's mate from another bird who got too close.

Younger birds seem to do this to prove who is in charge. As a general rule there is never blood because one bird gives up before it gets bad.

This is something to keep your eye on though. Playtimes should be supervised until you know your birds and how well they get along.

[personatus]

Yeah thats very true. My 2009 birds are now at it to find out who the chief is! I knew from the day 1 it would be the HUGE dd blue female...she really is built like a tank! I have called her beefcake! :D

[blackscell]

Yes the 1 is older and the other 1 is a bit younger ( 2 weeks younger I think )

It's not really long, usually when the baby flies away he stops with hitting him..

They have been together since they were a baby, but I do not know their gender..
They also sleep/eat together

[personatus]

sounds like a normal couple having a little row to me.

[Gill]

My two do this, but when they really fight (during eggy time) they will actually roll around on the floor with each other or one will grab the others tail, its horrible to watch so you have to get in there quick and get very hurt before they do! :(

[bbslovie]

Hi, I would err on the side of caution here and watch them very closely. Not to be an alarmist but fights can turn deadly very quickly and I'd rather be safe than sorry in this situation. I'd seperate them for now and then if you still want them to spend time together make sure it's supervised time until you (and they) figure out if they like each other! You can put their cages close to one another so they can still keep each other company but this way you ensure both birds are safe!

Just my :2cents:

Barb :)

[thebubbleking]

personatus : Ah not always the case my alpha hen is the smallest bird in my flock, i personaly think its not so much size as aggresion and stubborness which explains why most flock leaders are hens! lol

[donna1064]

when I first introduced Baby and Kiwi, I could only let them out together for short periods of time, because usually Baby (my hen) would start going after Kiwi's feet. Over a period of weeks we did this till they had a chance to bond, then they spent short periods of time together in a neutral cage, then they visited each other in their own respective cages (their own doing) and then once we saw they were mating, we figured it was time for them to move in together. Now we have a lovebird family of 7 (5 in the nestbox).

There's still an occasional squabble, and its usually over the food dish. When that happens we jiggle the other food dish (2 food dishes in the cage) and that usually puts and end to it. Although lately its been Kiwi going to the food dish and then feeding Baby since we still have 5 little ones (ages ranging fron 2-3 weeks) in the nest. Ray says sometimes when they squabble like that they sound like and "old married couple".:rofl:

Any confrontational issue is worth keeping tabs on. It may be that they still need their own territory right now as it was in the case of my birds. Of course Miss Baby, true to her being-ness as a HEN, positioned herself as the ALPHA BIRD! And Kiwi seems just fine with that.:whistle:

[Lawrence]

Don't forget hormonal issues when it's their cycle, the hens usually become more aggressive during this time. If the cage is big enough then the other bird can just fly or walk away from the issue. Seriousness aside, the beak jousting is kinda funny to me, it's like they are slapping each other, lol.