My little boy Willow.

[Lori]

Well, I found out yesterday that Willow is a he birdy. :) It drove me crazy not knowing. If he had been a she I was going to get a boyfriend but now I don't know. Time will tell. All those post I read about having babies is kind of scarry. Plus, I'm afraid if they have lots then what will I do with them all?
I'll just have to keep reading. I kind of like the idea of just one pampered pet.
I guess you probably can't get birds fixed like you do cats and dogs. Can you? >o

[Paulette]

Hi Lori.....Lovies are very addictive.....but I think you are right having one very well trained lovie would have it's advantages....the males are more mild mannered......but the females are the ones easier to train to talk....but of course if you get another one.....they will bond with each other. My tame male Jake.....does make some fun sounds....and whistles.....so they can be taught. I really want a wild type green pair. ;) ....I only have 6 lovies at the moment.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Congratulations! It's a boy! :)

Hubby asked my vet once about fixing one or both of my pair. The vet said it's just not done on such a small animal. He said that there is a significant enough risk that the bird will not wake up from the anesthesia, that he won't put a bird under unless it's a life or death situation.

I started with one little boy birdy and got him a girlfriend about 4 months later. Like you, I am concerned about eggs. What if she lays eggs, what if they hatch, what if she doesn't feed the babies, where are we going to put all of these baby birds, etc. You can do things to discourage a hen from laying eggs, but once she puts her mind to it, I don't think you can stop her. What you can do is prevent those eggs from hatching by either boiling them or shaking them as soon as she lays them to prevent anything from developing inside them.

[linda040899]

Hi Lori,
If Willow is a he, you can get him a male companion if you wish and you won't have the problem with eggs. Males are usually happy campers together but you would have to look around with your decision based on the bird you want being male.

You are wise to consider the fact that lovebirds tend to be very prolific. All birds deserve good homes and it's better not to have a pair capable of breeding than to find yourself with a lot of offspring and no homes for them. Kudos to you for your forethought. :)

[Lori]

Paulette,
Only 6 doesn't sound like an "only" to me. But compared to some I've read here I guess it is just a few. I "only" have four children and maybe when they're gone I can have more lovies. Jennifer and Linda, Ya'll both had ideas but I might have to be kind of secretive about destroying the eggs with my two 9year olds around. They are pretty tenderhearted. Also, with two boys and some of the things I've read on here how obvious would it be to children if they were "fooling around" with each other? The same goes for a boy/girl pair. I have never seen birds mate.

[linda040899]

Lori,
If you are seriously considering a companion for Willow, my choice would be a DNA sexed male. Many pairs (male/male or male/female) don't show a lot of discretion when they mate or when they do the self-satisfaction thingy. Even Willow has a sexual side so you can run into self-satisfaction even with one bird. That's the bottom line of all of it. With birds, this is a perfectly natural thing and that's how I would explain it to my kids. Trust me. I had 3 daughters when I first got into breeding and my youngest was 9. :)

[LauraO]

Lori: Congratulations on the test results :D .....If you are able to spend a lot of time with Willow and he is happy there really isn't a need to get him a friend unless you want another lovie. Although I agree lovies can be very addictive :whistle:....Lovies love to love and they are rarely discrete about it and this is true whether you have one or a whole flock :rolleyes: .

[Mummieeva]

Congrads on knowing for sure. I need to get Whisper sexed. I have 3 kids at home and at current pet count which is 18..lol. I know if Whisper is sexed female means a new cage and maybe a new bird(or 2..hmmm maybe 3..lol). But that being said If you spend alot of time with Willow then no need for a mate..and Willow could very well think your his mate. I have seen a baby lovebird go from 1day old-almost 6 months old. It is an amazing thing for sure. But not for every one for sure. I admire all the ladies here with lots of lovies who have had babies. If you want Willow to have a cage mate then like Linda suggested a male will do well.


Steph

[bellarains]

Lori,

Well, that's what ya thought, and you were right :D

If you do consider getting Willow a companion, I know a couple of good breeders around here that would DNA sex for you. One is in Franklin, TN, the other in Franklin, KY.

My only suggestion would be, if you are seriously considering getting Willow a buddy, you might want to do this early so that he will be more accepting of another bird. It does depend a bit on the bird, but the younger ones tend to accept another bird easier than one that has become set in their ways.

It was a decision I made to get my Bela a mate, and many have their reasons, but mine was I wanted to Bela to have the love of his own kind. I love him to pieces, but in my mind that's just not the same. Lacey is also a constant companion, which I can not be. I gotta work, to buy toys, treats, food, etc...... At least that's what I tell them when I leave in the mornings :lol

Here's a link to LaSandra's site, just in case you want to look around ;)

http://www.hookbillhaven.com/

[Janie]

Lori, congratulations on....IT'S A BOY! :D

I agree that if you want a mate for him, get a DNA'd male. Personally, I do not want babies or eggs for all the reasons you mentioned and especially finding good homes for them so, when I just added two more, I got DNA'd brothers. My older lovie (adopted 2 years ago) has never been sexed but he's very laid back and has never laid an egg so at around 9 years old, I'm pretty sure that Oliver is a he. :D Good luck in what ever you decide to do! :)

[butterfly1061]

WOOHOO! It's a boy! :D How exciting to finally find out.

When I bought Molly it never crossed my mind to get another lovebird. Then I started feeling guilty leaving him alone while I went to work. So I bought Daisy when Molly was about 9 months old. Well, Molly DID NOT like Daisy at ALL! Still doesn't. So I bought Piper for Daisy so that Daisy would quit chasing Molly everywhere. Daisy & Piper get along fine until Daisy gets tired of Piper and then she becomes a momma's girl. So, see they might/might not get along, but I love them all the same. Their personalities are different and I love to watch them interact with each other - well, except for Molly :rolleyes: Molly is bonded only to me. So if you do want another lovie, I agree with Lori about getting them while they are younger.

[Lori]

Thanks for all the advice. If I don't go to any bird shows it might be easy, but they all look so wonderful when I'm there. I do hate the time when Willow is alone. That is only for two days a week and only about 7-8 hours on those days. I love my alone time. Although I think that only started after I had at least 2 kids. We'll see. I know I will probably be going to that bird show in April with Lori and it will be hard.