I have a pair of masked lovebirds :)

[diljaa]

I just got them home. They were for free so I couldn't say no.
The plan is to breed them but I have to get some meat on that hen before I even think about it. Right now they have an all cheap seed diet but were on Harrison't before. So changing their diet shouldn't be a huge deal.
They're really scared but they look friendly and they are very pretty!
Their feathering isn't as good as it could be but lets hope that a good bath and better diet fixes that up soon. Having your cage bound birds drink from a bottle has it downsides.
They've never been in a cage this size before so I'm hoping they will explore all of it and not get lost in it.
They are very pretty and I hope the sound os Pixel and Dreki makes them less nervous.

I just sneaked a peak at them and they were sitting on perches but not huddling up in the corner like in the picture.
The female is the green one and the male is grey (slate?) He is molting so he looks extra ragged.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5042/5266917966_42faf4ab07_z.jpg

[thebubbleking]

Eye ringed lovebirds are a bit skittish just be patient very pretty babys

[diljaa]

It's almost bedtime and they haven't eaten yet. I just covered half the cage and I can hear them vocalizing. Pixel is calling them like crazy and they are answering him so they are definitely feeling a bit more secure. Just hoping they eat a bit before bedtime.

[linda040899]

You've got a Green Mask and a Mauve Mask (Dark Blue). For the protection of Pixel and Dreki, I would have a well bird check up done and ask the vet to test for PBFD. PBFD is more common in the US than most people would like to believe and if it's the same where you are, it would be money well spent. Quarantine, quarantine, quarantine!

[diljaa]

No case of PBFD ever reported here. That's one of the good things about living on an isolated island. We don't have any of the contagious diseases here, the only thing my vet mentioned when I asked her is the nose mite thing (the thing that messes up budgies beaks) I just can't remember the English term for it for the life of me.

[linda040899]

OK. If there isn't any, then there's no need to test for what couldn't be there! :) Things vary from place to place around the globe and I've learned a lot of those members who don't live where I do. :)

[personatus]

Nice birds :) Are you sure the DD blue one is the male? If so he's a very big male!

The feathering of the DD blue bird looks pretty good already to be honest. THe doube dark factor shrinks the spongy zone in the feather, leaving the feathers further apart than normal, so most double dark birds have very lose, fluffy feathering, often leaving them looking a bit scruffy. For this reason, it's never a good idea to pair DD X DD.

They will produce nice looking young. The extra dark mask on the green bird, with the slight orange suffusion around the collar will balance out perfectly when mixed with the slightly pale mask of the DD bird :)

To help the feathering, get some brewers yeast. A couple of teaspoons mixed in with some eggfood or other soft food will work wonders. Great for preparing birds for breeding and raising young aswell.

[diljaa]

Nice birds :) Are you sure the DD blue one is the male? If so he's a very big male!

The feathering of the DD blue bird looks pretty good already to be honest. THe doube dark factor shrinks the spongy zone in the feather, leaving the feathers further apart than normal, so most double dark birds have very lose, fluffy feathering, often leaving them looking a bit scruffy. For this reason, it's never a good idea to pair DD X DD.

They will produce nice looking young. The extra dark mask on the green bird, with the slight orange suffusion around the collar will balance out perfectly when mixed with the slightly pale mask of the DD bird :)

To help the feathering, get some brewers yeast. A couple of teaspoons mixed in with some eggfood or other soft food will work wonders. Great for preparing birds for breeding and raising young aswell.

Thanks Sam. Interesting about the feathering of the dark one, I had no idea. They look better today than they did yesterday. The girl had to get them out of the cage and grabbed them with a towel and that messed them up a bit. I see this with Pixel too. After a bit of preening the dark one looks better :)
I have no idea if the dark one is the male, that's what their previous owner said so I just took her word for it, could be the other way around for all I know.

They are definitely feeling more confident today and I saw them checking out toys and I've seen them both sitting at the food bowl so they found their food alright. There's been a lot of vocalizing too.