wondering if i should get another lovebird for my single one

[pommerouge]

i got 5 lovebirds,one is a pair and 3 are brothers-sisters don't know gender ,and i separated them so now i got 1 pair together ,

the other was a pair and one single, i remember when i had their parents as i gave them away to a friend the single one used to be all the time next to the mommy,wonder if it was a boy as the father wanted the attention of the mother ,i feel

sad that the single one (Soya its its name:) ) is alone in its cage i had bought another lovebird and i put it together after weeks of introducing but after some months i found it dead on the cage ground thought Soya struggled the other bird but i

didn't see no blood ,think it just died like that ,they did fight tho sometimes and the one that died was more smaller and very quieter compared to Soya,i am just in a dilemma as i see the other 2 pairs have each other and Soya is alone in the

cage,what do u guys think?Soya has no one to share the food like the others , is it just me being too sensitive? thanks .

[linda040899]

With lovebird, gender matters when it comes to companionship. 2 males will get along and be happy campers together, no babies produced. Male/female pairs are fine and you will most likely have a hen laying fertile eggs that you can allow her to hatch, so your flock will increase unless you can assure good, forever loving homes for babies produced or be prepared to keep them yourself.

If Soya is a known hen, the problem becomes more complex. While a have a couple of pairs of hens that get along very well, that's not always the case and you never know if females will get along until you try. Before you make a decision, find out what gender Soya is and we'll go from there.

[pommerouge]

thank you for replying to me,where i live its hard to do a dna test,thinking if i do get one

it should be a male since if soya is a male or not ,they wont have a problem ,but do you

guys think Soya feels lonely among the 2 couples ? or is it just me:roll:

[michael]

.........but do you guys think Soya feels lonely among the 2 couples ? or is it just me:roll:

Despite overwhelming opinions that lovebirds are meant to be in pairs, some can and do manage quite well on their own. .. Difficult for us to answer because we don't share in their environment, as primary caretaker, your decision is really better left to your own observations. .. If you feel he/she is lonely, there must be a reason. Couple things that might help you decide, are whether or not Soya participates in any flock activities. How much time does she spend outside her cage? Is she tame enough to handle, and if so, do you spend any one on one time with her?

Regarding the DNA sexing, you can order a kit thats relatively inexpensive from AvianBiotech. Maybe check them out and see what you think. Here's a link to their website > http://www.avianbiotech.com/SexingCenter.htm

[pommerouge]

Soya is not tamed,the three siblings where born in my house and i had to separate them ,

2 were bonded together and Soya was left alone,they are scared of me and i don't know

why,so i keep both cages next to each other,i do take them out but the 2 of them don't like

Soya ,but they always sit next to soya next to the cage, i don't take them out together

lately cause i cant recognize who is who and i am scared i will put the wrong one in the

other cage, seriously tho how do u put them back to their cage when they r out? its a

very stressful situation for me as they don't like going bk to their cage when they are out.

[michael]

......seriously tho how do u put them back to their cage when they r out? its a

very stressful situation for me as they don't like going bk to their cage when they are out.

How large of an area are they allowed to venture into? .. Have you ever worked on "step ups"? .. The larger the area, the more difficult it will be to round them up. If you haven't limited their space already, try limiting it to one room, which should help the process. .. Having their favorite food or treat on hand would be one way to entice them back into their cages. Eventually, they will get hungry. .. If you can teach any of them to step up (see our taming and training forum for tips), dimming the lights really low may help assist in returning them to their cages. In conjunction to dimming the lights, or in cases of emergency such as a fire, others have suggested using a towel, however, great care is needed so that you don't cause any injuries. .. Last resort is wing clipping, although frowned upon by many, remains a personal choice.

As for identifying Soya from the others. I have seen breeders place a tiny drop of pure vegetable food colouring on the back of a chicks head just so they can keep track of who's who. Many though, still use required legbands, which can, if not placed properly, cause problems in themselves. ...........:)

[pommerouge]

well the one pair of siblings the couple is very afraid of me ,so makes the rest of 3

lovebirds to be afraid of me ,so there is a terror for me ,even tho the other pair is calmer

as they are 7-8 year old ,the siblings are 1 year old, i let them fly in my room,but when

it comes to them to go bk to their houses they aint going,only the couple goes back the

calmer ones,but i don't take them out same time because the 3 siblings are so evil in a

good way;p ,i just cant control them plus they are afraid of me.As for Soya ,its the most

calmer from the other 2 siblings but when the 2 are scared of me they are all scared so i

am the terror to their eyes :very_sad::very_sad:

i do let them stay out for 2-3 hours so i can see if they will go home but they dont,the

truth is i dont remove their food or water but they dont go in to eat or drink.so the light

helps them go in their home?

[michael]

.........so the light helps them go in their home?

Because birds don't see very well at night, dimming the lights down very low can help. Of course, if you can train at least one of them to step up, that might help the whole process. One idea, is to work with the tamest of them all, which in this case sounds like Soya may be a good candidate. If you can somehow gain the trust (form a bond) between you and her, the others may get curious and follow. One method, is to work with Soya alone in close quarters such as in a bathroom or smaller bedroom. Things to bring with you, would be millet, an 8-10 inch wooden dowel or perch, lots of sweet talk, and a boatload of patience. .. Although sometimes a long process, this method might work out to your advantage, unfortunately though, there are no guarantees. ...........:)

[pommerouge]

thank you guys for all your advices, will try to do that if i can.

is it a bad idea to have the 1 single bird Soya next to the 2 frigtens siblings? or its really the same if i put it somewhere else.

[michael]

Even though they must remain in separate cages, keeping them near each other shouldn't be an issue. Sometimes though, regardless of where their cages are situated, lovebirds will visit each others cage top. For those instances, you'll just have to watch out for any toe biting :omg:..... Sounds like you have an interesting flock. ......:wink:

[pommerouge]

is it a good idea to let all three sibling fly in the room in the same time? even tho the couple doesn't want Soya in their gang? the thing i see is that when they are free in the room 2 of the birds open their wings and dances like the way they want to mate dance ,is that an indication of female or male ? or we cant tell .