lovebirds together

[laura]

Hello to everyone!
I'm new here, I'm Laura and I'm gonna get a lovebird or two, I have not decided. I am a student (so I am out for 6 hours each day) and need to know if I should get a pair of lovebirds or if one would be ok alone. I do want the bird(s) to be as happy as possible though. How tame would the lovebirds be if I had a pair? would they ignor me?

Thankies
Laura :)

[Janie]

Hi Laura and welcome! If you're only gone for about six hours a day, either one or a twosome would be fine. If you do get a single lovie, be sure you have a nice cage with lots of safe toys to keep him occupied. Same thing applies to two. I think a single lovie is easier to bond to it's flock member (that would be YOU, :D) but I just got two baby boys and I interact with them every single day, several times a day, and they seem to like me pretty well. :) I also have an older lovie who I adopted two years ago when he was between 6 and 8 years old. He is VERY bonded to me and is my velcro birdie! :D When I'm home, he is always on me or on top of his cage. My twosome will probably always prefer each other over me and that's fine (it is SO MUCH FUN to watch two of them play together, :D) but I still want to keep them friendly to me, too. If you do decide on two, keep in mind that sometimes (not always) hens do not get along together in the same cage. Males are easier to house together as buddies. Also, if you end up with a male and a female, you'll likely get eggies and babies so if that's not what you want, it's worth it to be sure of the sex before you buy. I bought my boys from a breeder (she's Rubygem on this forum) and I had them DNA'd before I bought them because I only wanted males. If you can find a breeder in your area or if you have bird fairs in your area, that is a great place to find one or two. Bird Fairs are also a great place to find cages and toys and other bird supplies at a better price than a pet store. If you only get one, you don't have to worry with a quarantine and if you get two from the same breeder that have already been together, again, you don't have to deal with a quarantine. I do always recommend a vet check by an Avian vet when anyone buys a bird. I would also recommend you look for a younger bird(s) that isn't totally wild and will take a lot of time to tame. Good luck and keep us posted! :)

No doubt I'm forgetting a lot so take a look at the thread, "Your Attention Please" on this forum. Loads of great info. there.

[Rubygem]

Laura,

Welcome to the group, and this is a great place to start to learn a lot of great information about lovies.

Depending on what you are looking for from your new member of your family, would help to make up your mind on how many you would like to get. If a bird has another bird they can bond with and talk to, then they will chose to bond with another bird, because the bird talks the same language as they do…vocally as well as the body language. If you are looking for a bonding companion, then I would recommend just one lovie. As long as you get a spacious cage with plenty of toys, then going to classes will not be a problem…..you just have to remember to spend time with your new member of the family as much as you have time for when you come back home. You have to remember a lot of people have jobs, or classes, or other commitments during the day, and if being away for hours at a time was an issue, then no one would have birds….Now after typing that, I will add that it is the quality of time that you spend with your pets that makes a difference, just as it would with children. :)

My teenagers are at school during the day (of course…LOL) and they both have their own lovebirds, and the birds do great with entertaining themselves while the kids are gone, but the birds are gotten out and played with during any spare time. My daughter even does homework with her birdie, and finds time to play with the baby birds too. I suggest you take a good look at your situation, and realize this is a 15 + year commitment, and figure out what will work out best for you. You need to look ahead into having relationships as well, because birds are funny, and they pick who they want to be around and not be around…..(right Dave? ;) ) I will tell you that having birds in your life is like having nothing else. It is a lot of responsibility but a lot of rewards too.

I look forward to hearing what your decision will be, and I hope you can find out lots of great information here, like the rest of us have done. And again welcome to the group. :)

Rubygem