Am i enough of a “mate” for my lovebird?

[HappyMom]

Aloha,
Happy and I have been “partnered” now for a little over a year. We spend A LOT of time together and he has stolen my heart. We have play stations around the house , he eats off my tongue, and we have games. He is a little male peach face Lutino mix. He seems to be pretty well adjusted based on all that I have read. He is very magnanimous with almost everybody that walks in the house and he has tons of free flight time. (I do not trim his wings) That all being said, I sometimes wonder, (especially when he freaks out, gets frantic when he knows I am leaving) if he is getting what he needs in terms of a mate? When I come back he hasn’t destroyed anything, he throws things on the ground, his toys etc..but that’s it and he seems to be ok and not so frantic..its just when I leave.
Is it ok that LoveBirds are single with only a human as their mate? And should I look for any behavior I don’t know about related to mating? Thanks!

[linda040899]

Sounds like your lovebird is really adorable and definitely sees you as the companion!

There are two ways to view this. Some lovebirds become so attached to their human companions that offering a feathered companion will be an exercise in futility. The end result is that you have 2 birds that want your attention. The other thing that could happen is that he will welcome the companionship of a feathered friend and the flock will increase by one. It will be you and 2 lovies. Hard to predict which way the scenario will play out.

One suggestion, please. Don't let your lovebird eat anything from your mouth. There are a lot of bacteria in the human mouth that can be harmful to parrots. I have a conure that would love to do this and discouraging her can be a challenge at times!

We would love to see a photo of the love of your life if you can share with us. To post photos here, you will need to upload your pictures to an online storage site and then copy/paste the URL here. We don't allow uploading directly from your computer for security purposes. :)

[Chuchu]

Aloha!
Are you from Hawaii? I live on the island of Oahu.
I am my Love bird's mate, mommy & BFF. I have had him for 3 years now & he seems totally happy.
He is a "velcro birdie." He is always hanging out on/with me.

[Maxie]

I only have Max and have had him now for a little over two years. I worry about the same thing. Is he happy with only the family and no birdie companionship? I've come very close to getting another lovebird. Once I went to pick one up that I had seen the week before and she was sold :(.

I really don't know what to say? When I watch clips on line of lovebirds, he flies over and hangs off my iPad looking behind the screen to see if the bird is there 🙁 I feel so bad :(

The good thing is, someone is always home, he's always out of his cage and he gets a lot of love and affection from us all 😊

[HappyMom]

Linda,


I hope I haven't hurt Happy by feeding him from my mouth, he has been doing it for months, my partner does it too...Maybe I should have him checked?

As to getting another lovebird and having two..are you saying that they would BOTH bond with me and NOT with each other? I am worried that Happy does not have enough company with just me. I do not necessarily want to have two birds to take care of, I am happy with just Happy!

Thanks all for your responses.!

[linda040899]

As to getting another lovebird and having two..are you saying that they would BOTH bond with me and NOT with each other?
That's possible. I've seen it go both ways. I have several singleton lovies that are quite happy with no companion, just other birds in the vicinity, and they are fine. Chances are that Happy has adjusted to your schedule and is good with the attention she gets. Hard to say. Z28taxman, member here in the community, has a singleton lovie who is more than happy with just a human companion!

If Happy is showing signs of illness, she's probably fine but exposure to the bacteria in the human mouth is not safe. I can tell you one thing for sure. Birdie beaks are far from the cleanest places. I've had parrot bites that break the skin and I've gotten some nasty infections at the site of the injury.

[akki]

I am from the camp that says lovebirds are supposed to be in couples, they are called lovebirds for a reason. However, it might happen that a lovebird might not accept his new mate, especially if it was separated from parents as a baby. Such birds tend to have more of behavioral "bird issues" - they basically don't know how to be a bird.

The reason why I say this is that - the ultimate love expression is preening each other, male feeding the female, mating (even without eggs), biting each other's legs can't be done with a human. The bird is then deprived of an opportunity to live an ultimate bird life (in captivity).

A single bird can be happy though, if they get enough attention - and let's face it, they don't know any better.. If you just let your bird choose, what do you think it would be?

There are certain things to look at if you get another bird - sex of birds, cage space, temporarily you will def need two cages, etc. So you can't just walk into the pet store and get a bird. And I usually beg everyone I know NOT to get a bird in the pet store or from a "professional" breeder, who breeds to generate an income.

[linda040899]

I also believe that lovebirds should be kept in pairs, but not all lovebirds want a companion. I have several that just prefer their own living space and nothing can entice them to change their minds!