Thinking of getting a single lovebird, I'm new here

[jetanlori]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and considering getting a lovebird. The only problem is that from everyone I have heard from, with regard to lovebirds, they have told me that these little ones start out being loving and cuddly and then over time even if handled frequently they change. I know of one that was handled all the time and turned into a very aggressive birdie. She (laid egg) will basically rip your face off and leave you with bloody fingers, she is untouchable. So is it better to get a DNA-sexed boy and does anyone have any experiences where their lovebird is as sweet and loving (non-biting) as the day they got him?

[Mummieeva]

Hens can get bitey with eggs. But males can be bitey also. Some birds hate hands and always will.All birds are diffrent. I have a almost 2yr old hen who is bitey but was not so til her baby was around 3 months old.All birds have potential to bite. I knew this before hand and was ready for it. There is no one gender or type of bird that never bites. Sadly there is no way to know for sure how a bird will be forever. Not to sound harsh but if you can not handle thought of being nipped a bird might not be best idea for a pet for you.


Steph

[Janie]

Hi and welcome. My experience has been this.....I adopted an older lovie two years ago. We assume he's a male because he's between 8 and 10 and has never laid an egg. He was my first pet bird. Oliver would step up from day one and does not bite so it was pretty easy to make him a true family member. I am home most of the day and do have lots of time to spend with him. He is never in his cage unless I'm doing something that he can't participate in, like running the vacuum (which he hates) and he really is a velcro birdy. His former owner, a teenage girl who gave him to me when she entered college, can not believe the difference in him since coming to live with us. She said he was never a real cuddle bunny before. I think that's because she didn't have much time for him and he was starved for love and affection. So, that is my experience with him. I added to more babies, DNA'd male clutch mates who were about 9 to 10 weeks old when I brought them home. They are VERY bonded to each other but had been socialized daily before I got them. They are very tame and even though they love to play with each other, they do allow me to join in and I make it a point to handle and play with both of them several times a day. I think that if I left them alone, only feeding them and cleaning their cage, they would turn completely wild and want no human interaction. IMHO, the only way to keep a bird tame is with a lot of attention and interaction. Even hand fed, socialized birds will revert back to their wild instincts if left alone. I did purposely buy two males because I don't want babies or eggs and everything I'd read about the sexes told me that males are USUALLY (not always) tamer and less bitty. We have several members here who have very sweet hens so there is no way to be sure that a male will be tamer or that a female won't. I think a lot just depends on the particular bird. BTW, my younger two are about 5 1/2 months old now and I'm well aware that they are going to go through some stages, kind of like teenagers, :lol, so I do expect to get bitten some and to see changes in them as they get older. Even my older bird has changed a lot since we adopted him. In his case, more loving every single day. Good luck in whatever you decide to do! :)

[jetanlori]

THanks Janie for the valuable information. It's not like I don't expect to get bitten owning a bird but I was more concerned with a bird that completely changes and I have heard stories of this and actually seen this with lovebirds. That is why I want to hear a story of someone who has had a lovebird since a baby who hasn't changed into a monster and is untame. I found a wonderful breeder near me who has several available so who knows, maybe by tonight I will have a little one home with me. There is nothing quite like the look on a lovies face...don't you agree?

[butterfly1061]

Hi and welcome to the board. I have three lovies too. Molly is a male, Daisy is a female and Piper is unknown at the moment. Daisy is less bitey than Molly actually. Now, she does have her moments, but all in all when she does bite it is not hard at all. Molly on the other hand can bite and draw blood when he feels like it. When he doesn't like something he lets me know by biting. Piper nibbles all the time and I can't figure out his/her DNA yet. S/He learned this biting from the parrotlets that s/he was caged with and even lost a little bit of his/her toe. S/He is a toe biter and I always have to get on to him about it. Now, this biting does not happen all the time. My babies are sweet, playful and all are bonded to me. If I am home they are out of their cage so they are handled quite a bit. I can't imagine my life without my babies. Good Luck in your search. :D

[LauraO]

Hi and welcome to the board. As you see from the responses to your question, this board is very helpful. I currently have 19 lovies that run the spectrum of behavior......I will start off by saying that all lovies go through bitey stages especially as they grow and mature and there really isn't anyway to tell if the sweet baby you get will be a bitey bird or not so there is always a gamble. However, most bitiness can be worked with and the bitiest bird ever can still have a great relationship with their owner. I do know that a good bite will scare a lot of owners and they will spend less and less time with their birds causing them to go wild and the owner to spend even less time with them.

Most nesty hens who really bite can be sweet once taken away from their cage. Spike, one of my bitiest hens will draw blood anytime you get near a place she deems her nest, but take her away from the cage (on a dowel/perch) and she is sweet and literally never bites. My normal green Basil is not afraid of hands and is NOT at all bitey. She is currently sitting on five eggs and has not bitten once. These birds are siblings, raised the exact same way but are very different.

I also have males that bite. My black masked Squeaker shows love by drawing blood everytime he's near flesh. My other male Bocephus is totally handeable, tame and cuddly but doesn't have any pressure control with his beak and he chomps down on flesh even when he's just trying to nibble and show love. I have another male Chewie who got his name because when he was younger he would bite and chew, bite and chew, bite and chew and it drove me insane because all the biting and chewing was usually on my hands or face. He's about 8 months old now and totally grew out of it and doesn't really bite at all.

I will end by saying that all birds bite and for a variety of reasons and there is no way to tell how bitey any bird will be. The best thing is to commit to yourself that no matter how bitey a bird is you will continue to spend time with them and work through it. I would also recommend that you investigate and possibly find a reputable breeder that will answer all your questions and let you spend time with their birds. A reputable breeder will have young socialized birds and will let you spend time with the birds and will not push you to buy a bird just for a sale. There are also breeders who breed for temperament and not just genetics. I would also recommend that you don't get caught up in how a bird looks but how it acts and take your time as there will always be birds available when you're ready.

Good Luck :D

[Z28Taxman]

My little Ditto came to me when he was about a year old. He was a little snuggle bird then and now that he's almost 3 he's even more of a snuggle bird. He'd be with me 24/7 if he could.


Oh and Jainie, Ditto loves to sit on my shoulder while I vacuum. He lets me know when I miss a spot. :rofl:

[Mummieeva]

Jet I am sorry if I sounded harsh. I just have been asked before to suggest a bird that never bites. i am never good at typing things right either..lol. I have a bird named Whisper who was hatched in May of this year. She(not sure female but i call her that) has never bitten me. Even now that she is molting not a bite. My birds spend a good bit of time out of cage. if was not for cats and toddlers I think they would never leave shoulder excpet when I eat. Lovebirds are wonderful things and hams. Good luck and if you get one post pictures..lol.

Steph

[jetanlori]

WOW and thanks for all the lovely feedback. I am so excited, I'm going tomorrow to take a look at all the birds he has. He has sent me literally 25 pictures of all the ones he has and I'm leaning more towards the orange faced lutino or red faced lutino. They are just gorgeous. And they all look like they are smiling. I am getting a male because I think I might have a better chance of ending up with a no-nesty bird. I'll keep you all posted

[jetanlori]

Jet I am sorry if I sounded harsh.Steph

No problem Mum, it's hard to get across expression on email :)

[jetanlori]

Molly is a male,

Jackie, perhaps he's angry that HIS name is Molly??!! (LOL)

[bellarains]

Nah,

Molly's just mad Jackie's not a bird :lol

Sooooo, a little lutino boy huh???? That was my first baby, and he is my sweet little cuddle buggie :D

I won't say mine never bites, but he does not do so with a vengence. We all have our moods though, and if cranky, spooked, hungry, thirsty, etc.... they may tend to nip a little just to get your attention. For the most part a bite or what I call a nip(a bite, but no blood) is given to communicate. As you learn what your bird is trying to tell you, you can avoid the bite for the most part though. Time,love,patience, and everyday interaction is key to keeping a bird tame. With those things you earn your lovies trust, and after you have their trust, bites will be minimal.

I look forward to hearing all about your little one, and pics of course ;)

[Janie]

Nah,

Molly's just mad Jackie's not a bird

Lori, I can attest to that! :D Yep, Jackie named Molly long before he started showing lots (and I do mean LOTS) of male behavior. Once you've called them by the same name for that long, ya just can't change! :D

I'm glad you've found a breeder and hopefully that breeder will be able to answer lots of your questions and address any concerns, etc. you might have and we love to offer advice so don't hesitate! :) I found a great breeder with my second two, Rubygem who is a member of this forum and lives close to me. Just my two cents but since you really don't want eggs or nesty behavior, I think getting a male is the way to go. I would say that males are a LOT sweeter but I'd have half the members of this forum after me if I did so I won't! :lol But, you know what I'm thinking, don't you? :D

[LauraO]

I'm leaning more towards the orange faced lutino or red faced lutino.

Does the breeder you are speaking with get his lovies DNAd? That is really the only way you can ensure that you are getting a Male lovie outside of having them surgically sexed. I don't know about regular lutinos, but I've heard from several sources that male OF lutinos are very hard to come by and if he is truly a male, he should be more money than most other lovies.

Congrats by the way. Lovies are great and I love all mine very dearly :D .

[Janie]

Laura, I'm glad you thought to ask if the breeder does get them DNA'd. It is important to know that is the only way to be sure unless it's a species that eye shape (or eye color ?) can tell the sex other than surgical sexing. That "pelvic" test is about 50/50 on a young lovie from what I'm told.

[butterfly1061]

:rofl: :rofl: I kinda missed the rest of this post. You ladies are too funny. My poor Molly-wally-doodle-all-the-day. Yes, I actually say that the him and he stands tall and whistles at me :D

[jetanlori]

Laura, I'm glad you thought to ask if the breeder does get them DNA'd.
Yes he had them DNA sexed, he sent me about a 25 pictures, I'd like to show you all I know I'm gonna have trouble picking whcih one because I love them all but I am going to let the lovie pick me and see which one I bond with.

[Janie]

I really like that idea....letting the lovie pick YOU! :D I saw the photos, they are beautiful. How does this breeder DNA them? Does he pluck feathers or draw blood and send that in?

[Keltoth]

Lori, I can attest to that! :D Yep, Jackie named Molly long before he started showing lots (and I do mean LOTS) of male behavior. Once you've called them by the same name for that long, ya just can't change! :D

I can attest to that, as we ALSO have a male bird named Molly (although he is a Green Cheek Conure and not a lovebird). He likes me and the kids - but bites my wife Stephanie with great abandon. Come to think of it, she was the one that named him before we got the DNA testing done. Hmmmm, maybe I should change his name to "Mauly, as that might be more appropriate... :lol

-Eric