Finding a friend for a lovebird. Same or different kind?

[luuksteitner]

Hi, I have a male lovebird. He's almost 4 years old. Last month I have moved to a bigger house, so now I have room for a bigger cage (which I have already bought) and I am thinking of finding a friend for my bird.

I also got married this week. My wife needed some time to get used to the bird, but now she really likes him, despite the loud noise he often makes. The noise however, is a concern.

I noticed he only makes loud noises when he tries to get the attention from other birds who are outside, or when he hears high pitched tones which he may perceive as other birds. So, I wonder what will happen when I add a second lovebird. Will the noise be reduced because they don't have to shout for attention, or will the noise double?

If the noise is likely to double, I thought it may be a good idea to combine my lovebird with another kind of bird, which makes less noise. But the question is, what kind of bird would be a safe match?
I know lovebirds can get aggressive sometimes, so the other bird should be able to defend himself (or herself). By the way, my bird isn't aggressive at all, and never bites (except for playful biting). I do understand this could change when another bird would be added.

I hope you could enlighten me on this subject.

[longobongo]

Hello! Congratulations on your bigger home & wedding :) The thing about adding another bird to your flock is that, nobody can answer your questions, unfortunately. It truly can go in any direction because lovebirds - all birds, have their own personalities. Because of this, your new bird and your resident bird could get along splendidly, bond perfectly well, and be able to cohabitate shortly after you bring the new bird home. A sound piece of advice I've gotten on this very board, when I was looking to expand my own flock, was: Don't get a new bird for your current bird, get a new bird for yourself, if you have the time to spare. If they get along, all the better. If they don't, you will have two birds that will need relatively equal bonding time with their human friends.

If/when you do get a second bird, they cannot share a cage at first. If you look online there are many guides and "procedures" to adding a second bird to your home. You should try to do as true of a quarantine as you can, where the birds are separate (maybe on separate floors of your home?) for around 40 days, is what my vet recommends. From there, you can add them to the same floor, to the same room, side by side, but it is not recommended for them to share a cage right off the bat. You should also always supervise out of cage time, if they are both out together. They just don't know each other yet, and they both have to establish their "place" in your home, and within the flock.

As for the noise, I have two lovebirds and one cockatiel. My lovebirds are both loud when they want attention from me and my boyfriend, their human friends. They're also loud when one of them is out of the cage and the other is not. They do contact calls when they cannot see each other. I would expect your new lovebird to pick up all of the habits of your current bird, good and bad. Now my cockatiel, on the other hand, I have not had for a very long time but he is relatively quiet. His tweets are not very high-pitched. However, a lovebird and a cockatiel, barring very rare and unusual circumstances could never be housed together. If you're looking for your two birds to eventually share a cage, your best shot is to get another lovebird.

I hope this post wasn't too long-winded. Good luck and congrats again!

[luuksteitner]

Thanks for your reply! Sounds like good advice :)
I'll discuss this with my wife to see what see thinks about it.
I would love to get a cockatiel, but I have already read on this forum this is a huge risk when combined with a lovebird, so I'll forget about that. We really prefer to have two birds in one cage, so we have think this through carefully.

[longobongo]

I definitely understand. It is a risk taking on a second bird, because you just never know how well it would go. Is your current bird a DNA-confirmed male?

[luuksteitner]

Is your current bird a DNA-confirmed male?
Nope. I just observe the behavior of the bird to tell the gender. So far I've always been right. After four years with my bird I'm pretty sure it's a male, but I came to this conclusion within the first ten minutes. I'm not sure how I know, but there is usually a big difference in behavior between males and females.

[longobongo]

Often that is true, pelvic exams are also good for a rough guess. If you plan on housing your birds together, I would opt for a DNA-test, just so you're positive with what you're working with. Sometimes behaviour can be deceiving. :) My own hormonal hen regurgitates sometimes when she's especially hormonal, which is usually a male-specific behaviour. Good luck again! :)

[linda040899]

So far I've always been right.
Operative words here are "so far"....... In my breeding career, I've had a lot of lovebirds and I've been fooled completely but one, in particular, that I can remember. This was a BIG Fischer's Lovebird and I swore it had to be a hen. Couldn't tell by behavior so I offered various males, only to find no interest. No aggression, just no interest! (I was being lazy and didn't DNA.) I made one final offer to "her" for a mate, and it turned out I was wrong again. "She" was a he and probably very unhappy with me because each prospective mate as the same gender. When I finally got it right, he was a very happy camper, indeed!

I agree that you need to add a second bird for you, not as a companion for your lovebird. The calling you hear when he hears outside birds are contact calls. He's looking for an answer and the fact that there are other birds around is exciting for him. Chances are you are correct about gender and if you choose to get a second lovebird, look for a male. Male + female = offspring and that can get pretty unnerving if you aren't prepared. Males tend to be happy campers and get along well.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.