Curious Unmatched Pair?

[WenBuck]

Greetings, and Thanks for this web site!

THE SITUATION:
- 8 year old male was regurgitating to his entire cage, obsessed for 5 months non stop.
- I purchased a lovely, sweet female and a large flight cage and put them together after incubation period. (She is now about 10 months old)
- They have been together about 4 months.
- Male stopped regurgitating to cage items, BUT dislikes, yet is interested in, the female.
- Female has begun nesting in ernest and seems to "court" the male begging him to feed her.
- Got her a nest box which she began using almost immediately.
- Two days later male is sitting in box with female.
- No signs of attack or damage to either bird, although female makes go away noises every now and then.

THE QUESTION: Do I leave them alone to work it out, or separate them? I really do not wish to have babies, but will do whatever is in best interest of the birds.

[Keltoth]

Welcome to the boards!

HA! If the hen is allowing the male to come sit with her in the box, I would say they are working things out just fine! No need to remove the box, as they seem to be enjoying it; if you don't want chicks, just take any egg as it is laid (as immediately as possible, before a chick can start forming) and either boil it or "addle" the egg contents by vigorously shaking it for 20 seconds, in order to scramble the yolk witht he white contents and thereby prevent a chick from being able to form. If the hen DOES start laying, make sure you have multiple calcium supplies in her cage for her, such as cuttlebone, oats, kale, broccoli, etc.

While squabbles between two lovebirds can be worrisome, it is really a part of being a lovebird. My proven, matched male/female pairs all squabble from time to time - sometimes to the point where I feel compelled to tell them to knock it off! - so "go away" noises do not necessarily mean she wants him to permanantly go away. The very fact that the hen is allowing your male into her nestbox (and make no mistake - it *IS* her nestbox!) is an extremely good sign that they find each other acceptable.

Good luck on your birds! Please keep us informed on how things work out, as each old male/young female courtship is different. It's interesting and exciting to hear about them, whether they are successful or not!

[bellarains]

Hi,

Your hen is a bit young to be laying eggs. If she hasn't already, I would remove the nestbox and discourage it if possible. If she has already laid eggs, watch her closely, make sure she has easy access to a cuttlebone, and feed them some foods high in calcium such as broccoli, kale, figs, etc... You will be watching to make sure she is not egg bound. Make sure she is pooping, and does not seem to have any labored breathing, loosing balance, etc....

As for if the eggs will be fertile or not, it will depend upon if your pair are mating. If so, and you don't want babies, you can take each egg as it is laid, boil it for about 2 minutes, let it cool, and give it back to her. You can also shake the eggs after laid to basically scramble them. Both sound cruel I know, but you won't have unwanted babies :(

You do want to let her complete her laying cycle if she has laid eggs so that she will not continue to lay trying to do so. That can cause health problems for any hen, but especailly for one so young. Incubation time is approximately 23 days after each egg is laid, so keep track of the days so that you know when she's about done.

Hope this helps.

[WenBuck]

Are the male lovebirds fertile all their lives, or does their ability to fertilize eggs decrease with age?

And THANK YOU for your response!! Newbies like me make SO MANY errors!

[BarbieH]

Hi;

A male's fertility will decrease with age. Whether or not this is the case with your male is hard to say. A lot depends on his overall health.

The hen may also be unlikely to produce any fertile eggs. She is a little young, and may only produce one or two eggs this time. Make sure you peak inside that nestbox every day to check on her; young birds can also suffer from egg binding, a situation where they cannot pass the egg. It can be deadly. Plenty of non-dairy calcium, warm conditions, and a little humidity can help her.

Signs of egg binding include straining, fatigue, and the inability to pass droppings.

[WenBuck]

So far, so good. She's eating and passing droppings. I had been giving her paper every day to shred, but she was trying to nest in her tent bed and I was alarmed she would lay an egg in there and it would roll out.

The birdie bread I make for all the birds has PRIME, pellets, eggs w/shells, and veggies in it. I have 'tiels (always Males), budgie (F), and a conure (sex unknown). This is just my first time with having a female laying eggs. My budgie Cody just passed three weeks ago at age 13 years and we also lost a much loved 'tiel, also 13, shortly thereafter. The 'tiel, Penny, was never a robust bird and seemed to pine for his budgie buddy.

These lovebirds are a whole new dimension for me!!

nan

[Mummieeva]

Everyone gave great advice about the nestbox and such. Please keep a careful eye on the female as egg binding happens often if to young. AS for the male in the nest box. My male and female shared the nest box always. She never kicked him out. Good luck on them and put some pictures in our photo section if you can. :D I like seeing other birdies and dreaming.



Steph

[WenBuck]

I am a little concerned.

Wendy put 3 eggs into the nest box. They are approximately 7-10 days old - just before Thanksgiving. I am as certain as I could be that they are not fertile.

Bucky (our male) has been removed from the cage because he seemed to be "pecking" at the female through the entrance of the box rather than offering her food. I also noticed that she was not coming out enough and her food intake was much lower.

After removing him (Today AM) she has come out to feed and drink more often. At first, she seemed wobbly, but after feeding on birdie bread and millet, she seems better now.

What more can I, should I, be doing? Should I remove the box and the eggs or leave them alone?

Thanks for the help.
nan

[Mummieeva]

Do not remove the eggs. It could cause her to try and replace the clutch. Is he harming her? I would move her food and water closer to her nest box. Let her sit til she leaves clutch or they hatch. After 10 days you cna candle the eggs if you want to know. Even if they are not fertile do not remove them til she is ready. I am not sure what to do about the male maybe someone else does.



Steph

[kimsbirds]

Wendy sounds as though she wants the male to feed her while she incubates her eggs, but he hasn't bonded to her, so he won't feed, but rather beaks her angrily when she begs for food. Because she's incubating, she won't leave her eggs, and ultimately she will starve herself.
If this were me, I would remove the male (as they don't seem to be bonded) and give Wendy all her food very close to, if not inside, her nestbox until she is finished with her eggies and abandons them.
Leaving the male in will stress her out as you've seen already and this will ultimately put her life at risk as she won't eat.
Let us know how things are going...
K

[WenBuck]

Wendy is eating and drinking much better today. Much stronger. Bucky is close by in another cage eyeballing her suspiciously. My family is telling me that Bucky is 10 years old!! I thought he was 8.

A local breeder is telling me to wait until she spends a little time out of the cage and that I should then remove nestbox and all. He said she would "get over it" (being upset) and that she would not try to start another clutch if the box was removed. His females bite the bejeezers out of him, so I don't know if I can trust this advice. Wendy threatens me open-beak if I get too close, but she has not attempted to remove a finger.

I had already put food and water right outside her box entrance to make it easier for her to want to leave.

I'm waiting to see day by day how she does.

I am curious -- should I add another young female at some point, or will this start a war. It's a large cage - flight cage for small birds -- 30" inches wide, 36" tall, 20" deep.

Thanks for all the help.
nan

[LauraO]

Nan: It is important that you let Wendy sit on her clutch and abandon her eggs. You will know she has done so when she starts spending more time out of the box or tries to burry the eggs. She will likely sit on her eggs a month or so.

It is very normal for female lovies to bite while they are nesting. This is true even with the most tame and loveable lovie, and if Wendy doesn't bite and let's you in her cage/nestbox you should count your blessings.

Thanks for the update and good luck :)

[Paulette]

Welcome Nan......Wendy does not need another female added to the cage.....she will fight with a newly introduced bird especially another hen to defend her eggs. She will be fine with her food close and you have already instinctively done that. I have a hen on eggs right now, 4 have hatched and 2 to go. She will come out of the nest box to stretch and get a drink of water or a bath now and then and a little bite to eat even though the male is feeding her. I have been sure to offer her a bath (several days before the eggs were expected to hatch) so she has moisture to aid the chicks in hatching. You can candle your eggs to see if they are fertile since they are 10+ days old...I use a large flashlight with a kleenex over it and lay they eggs on the glass very carefully and slowly. Linda posted the other day that she shines her pin light through the eggs while they are in the nest box without disturbing them....I did try this method with a small flashlight and it worked nicely....and there was no chance of dropping the eggs this way.

Really sorry to hear about the passing of Cody and Penny.....I have heard of that before, a teil and budgie being buddies....how interesting. I have tiels, budgies, zebra finches and lovebirds. The tiels are so sweet. Good luck with Wendy and her eggs.