a loving mate

[IAN.SPOONER1@BT.COM]

i haad a pear of peach faced lovebirds for 2years,sadly one died.
I wonder if after being on his own for one year he would welcome a new friend,or would he be attacked by him.
Any sugestions in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[Janie]

I'm sorry to hear that you lost one of your birds. So, your bird has been alone for a year? Does he seem happy? Is he a tame bird that you spend time with out of his cage? I think a single bird can be a very happy bird if he's getting attention from a flock mate, whether it be of the bird kind or of the human kind. If you feel that he's lonely, first off, I'll ask you if you are sure your bird is a male? If he is a male and you don't want to end up with eggs/babies, my suggestion would be to add another male. Again, you got to be sure of the sex through DNA testing that the bird you add is what you intend to buy, sex wise. Two males do tend to get along better in one cage than two females and a male/female combination usually means babies. There are no guarantees that any two lovebirds will get along, no matter what the sex or the age but again, males often do. Just be prepared that you might end up having two birds in separate cages forever....they could still be company for each other, even if not caged together. Since your bird is only two years old (is that right?) he's still young so I don't think adding a younger bird would be a problem. I adopted an older bird and, IMHO, too old to consider a cage mate so *I* am his mate! :D He does get lots of attention and out of cage time so I think he's perfectly happy. I just added two more, DNA'd brothers who do share a cage and everything else. They adore each other and have a great time playing together but are never left alone with my other bird. They go after him and he is not fond of them! :D

If you do decide to add another bird, it is necessary to quarantine the new bird for 30 to 60 days (another room, another cage) and I strongly recommend an avian vet check as soon as you bring in a new bird. This is protection for your existing bird. Good luck in what ever you decide and tell us more about your bird! :)

[IAN.SPOONER1@BT.COM]

Dear Janie.
Thanks for your advice, i will let you know what i decide to do and how we get on.Frankie(LOVE BIRD) is 2 years old,he is a happy bird bird playing with his many toys,but some times very very noisy and he seems to get frustrated.
Once again many thanks. :wink:

[Paulette]

Have you noticed that the noisy and frustrated times are the normal breeding times/seasons? Fall and Spring. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, a single bird may have a mirror and it does help with mourning. A mirror with several birds in one cage causes defense and agression. I lost a tame lovie back in the summer and the survivor Jake searched and searched for her, so I got him a replacement hen close to his age. She happened to be a breeder and we've had a clutch of 6 beautiful babies. I introduced her in a separate cage beside his cage for a couple of weeks. They would play together during out of cage time and then he began feeding her and I let her be in his cage during the day only while I was in the room with them, at bed time I would transfer her back to her own cage and this went on for several days until I could trust them toghether to be sure there was no fighting. It was love at first sight. They are two peas in a pod now. After the babies had all hatched they would open the nest box and run all around the bird room. I would check the babies and their crops were stuffed full, isn't that just like good parents.....get the babies ready for bed and then run around.