need help

[lovebirdos]

I have got 2 lovebirds.The one is a black masked and it is about 7 years old and a lilian's lovebird which is 3. I placed them in a cage together for 6 months and they were continuously fighting and the black masked was injured in its eye.Then when spring started,they were kissing and both moved their heads up and down sometimes and the lilian's lovebird licked the other's head.So,I bought a nest for the cage but then they were arguing about which would get inside it.Could they be a couple?Should i seperate them?

[linda040899]

HI and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community!

First problem is that you have paired up 2 different species of lovebird (Personata and Lilinae) and they need mates of their own species to breed properly. Their breeding habits are very different and should offspring be produced, you could easily see behavioral problems as a result.

Second problem is that you most likely have 2 hens that are fighting over the same breeding place. You need to separate them immediately before one fatally injures the other.

[Enko_chan]

Linda's post gave very correct and excellent advice.

I would love to see photos of your birds and hear more about them in when you have a chance.

Lilinae are unusual in my area and I am very interested in hearing about them. My curiosity has been piqued.

[personatus]

Lilianae are smaller than masked and have a more striking posture. Lovely birds! As the previous replies state, they are 2 seperate species and shout never be bred. It also sounds like you have 2 females.

[bird-brain]

Would love to see pics! Agree, two hens. :)

[lovebirdos]

I have some more questions.Do the lovebirds lay eggs if they are female without mating? There is a black masked lovebird at my school (a pet).I could put my lovebird with this one to mate,but wouldn't it become upset?

[michael]

I have some more questions.Do the lovebirds lay eggs if they are female without mating? There is a black masked lovebird at my school (a pet).I could put my lovebird with this one to mate,but wouldn't it become upset?

Hi lovebirdos. .. Welcome to Lovebirdsplus. .... First question...Yes, lovebirds can and often do lay eggs without a mate. ... Keep in mind though, regardless whether a hen mates or not, maintaining a diet that supports the additional nutritional needs of egg production is extremely important in helping to avoid "egg binding". ... Just as important with pairs, is the decision of whether or not to allow full term breeding to actually take place. .. That is, although its inevitable that pairs will breed, should you allow them to actually produce young, are you willing and prepared to care for them in the event you cannot find suitable homes? .. There are options of course. .. That would be to either boil or replace her eggs with dummy eggs, then allow the female to complete her cycle to the point where she finally abandons the eggs. .... With single hens, while you need not boil or replace them (they are not fertilized by a male, therefore cannot hatch) most owners will remove whatever materials might be used for building a nest (BEFORE she produces eggs) in hopes of slowing down the whole eggie process.

Would your bird or the other bird become "upset" if paired together? .... Yes, they can. ... Once again, unless your certain as to their genders, pairing up two hens can be deadly. ... On the other hand, whenever attempts are made at pairing up any male/female, or any two males, great care must be exercised in order to make sure they get along. ... Usually, this is accomplished by placing their cages at a relative distance from each other, then carefully monitoring their reactions. .. Hopes are, you can eventually allow them time out together in a neutral territory whereas they may just get along. ...(Please read through our forums for more insight on this process, or ask more questions) ... Please note, there are NO guarantee's any two birds will ultimately get along.

When introducing birds, we highly recommend a 30-40 "quarantine". ... This helps assure that no disease or illness is spread from a sick bird to an otherwise healthy one. ... Have these birds ever been examined by a vet? (well bird exam?).......Hope this helps. .........:)