question about introducing a new bird...

[kikii]

hey all!!

Its kikii-- okay well i just recently purchased a peachface lovie.. and i had a blackmask lovie for 2 months prior..

Do lovebirds get jealous?? is that possible .. and how do u know they don't get alone because once in a while they will chirp in a squeeky tone.. and they seem to be scratchign eachother alot...

i have both birds checked out by a vet however i noticed that with taco the new bird about 2-3 months old his head has dandruff?? or like these flaky things falling out whenever u scratch it.. im worried it could be i don't know bugs?? chee choo never had it and he's about 4-5 months old now..

currently both in the same cage and they each have their own perches and water/food dish ..

i don't know if im doing the right thing by having to lovies because i dearly wanna interact with them and not have them only interact with one another.. so far the new lovie isn't afraid of hands he doesen't mind being petted and going on fingers yet chee choo goes nuts still.. although ever since taco came into the picture chee choo has calmed quite a bit letting me pet him..

i also noticed taco loves to play and get tangled in my hair he has such a strong firm grip specially with his beak but chee choo isn't as rough or strong in that sense.. taco has yet to bite.. very gentle but that might be because he's so new and scared to the ssurroundings??

i don't want to get chee choo upset by payin more attention to taco but taco is new and i want him to get to know me and trust me.. although he does come on me and sleeps in my hands.. how can i make sure chee choo doesn't feel left out?

and input is much needed..

thanks,

Carla, chee choo n' taco

PS.. i just bought taco yesterday afternoon and since i didn't know if they were going to get along i got 24 hour notice that if they don't i can return him.. so im confused.. he's been awesome so far but will they continue to get along? Speculations are going around that they are both males.. is that a good idea? or will they get on eachothers nerves?

so confused and lost..

[mangotiki]

Congratulations on your new bird! what color is he? post a pic of the two of them so we can all see!!!

You could really be taking a chance here...in more ways than one. First of all, you should always quarantine your new bird for 1-3 months, as you never know what they are bringing in. Also, you need to be VERY sure these birds are going to get along...before you leave them overnight together. They might seem ok at first but get into a fight and cause serious injury or death when you are not around. When ever you get another bird you have to be prepared to cage them separately just in case. I have also heard that mixing the different species can cause problems but only have peach face myself...

The chirping while preening each other is normal, mine do it all the time, maybe the preener got a little too aggressive or hit a sensitive spot. And as far as the dandruff, when feathers are coming in they have a casing around them which flakes off. Is he getting some color on his forehead? He might be going through his first molt, which would mean he is about 4 months old.

I am sure you will be getting lots more advice along these lines...

Good luck with your new bird!!

Traci

[BarbieH]

Hi Kikii, welcome; :)

The "dandruff" you are seeing is probably keratin coming off of new feathers. Keratin is the sheath that forms around a feather shaft as it grows in; when the new feather comes in, the keratin flakes off. New feathers can make a bird very uncomfortable, though giving them water for bathing seems to help.

Traci is correct about the need to quarantine your new bird away from your current bird for no less than 45 days; some vets recommend longer. That's because it can take some illnesses that long to incubate, during which time they are undetectable but still transmissable to another bird.

After the quarantine is over, we recommend putting the birds' cages next to each other so that they become more used to seeing each other. After they seem comfortable with that, then you can start introducing one to the other's cage. It is a slower process but it has more positive results -- and less potential injury due to squabbling.

Oh, and to answer your first question: Yes, birds can become very jealous. :eek:

Best wishes,

[LauraO]

Lovbirds can be dangerously jealous to the point of seriously injuring another bird that hones in on their territory :eek:. I will have to say since you've already put the lovies in the same cage I don't know how effective any quarantine will be. I would still consider at least separating them until they get to know each other better and you know they won't hurt one another. They may just be going through a honeymoon phase.

Laura O