Second Bird Opinions?

[Nikki]

My boyfriend and I got our first bird last fall. We adopted him from a parrot centre where someone else had given him up. We were prepared for behavior problems, which he did have a few, but since then has made huge strides, and is quite affectionate.

We are now very anxious to get a second lovebird, but my concerns are these- He is a peachface, who has finally warmed up to us. I'm worried he'll react territorially with a new bird. I'd also like to get a dutch blue or an opaline, but would the odds be he'd bond better with another peachface? (there were no other lovebirds at the parrot facility we got him from) I'm also worried he could breed if we got a female.

I guess my main question is what are the odds he would get along with a new bird, since he is adopted and originally had some behavior issues. I'm hoping eventually they would bond, be kept in the same cage (after a long trial period apart, to be sure!) and that He would still retain his closeness with us. Is all this too much to hope for?

Also- is 18" x 18" x 26" too small a cage for 2 birds? He already plays mostly outside, and rarely uses huge spaces inside. It seems enormous for him (and is way bigger than the one he came from at the parrot place) but I don't know.

Any opinions or ideas would be appreciated! I'm hoping someone else may have had the same experience!

Thank you!

[linda040899]

Hi Nikki,
One thing I can tell you about all birds. There is absolutely no way to predict how well they will get along with other birds or if they will even accept another bird in their territory. Friendships are something that have to develop between the birds, themselves, and we really have no say in the matter.

Minimum quarantine period is 30 days. 45 days is better, while 90 is the best. Even a vet check, complete with tests, will not guarantee that there is nothing in incubation stage that has not been detected.

Do you know for sure that your lovebird is a male? Has he been either DNA or surgically sexed? If not, that's where you need to start. If you have a male and get a female, you will have offspring and lots of them. Lovebirds are very prolific breeders. Just ask LauraO! If you have a male, 2 males will usually get along very well. Mind you, I said usually! If you have a female, 2 hens may get along but that's the exception rather than the rule. Hens tend to be very territorial, especially if one or both decide to lay eggs. (No male is required for this!)

Hope this information is helpful.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Sorry I am a couple of days late to respond. I brought home a second (female) lovebird about 4 months after my first one (male). They were roughly the same age and introduced at a very young age. Still, it was a long and slow introduction. They even went through a phase this winter where I had to keep them in separate cages for a month because the hen was just so aggressive. At the same time, though, they are very much bonded to each other and they can't bear to be apart. Sometimes I wonder which is worse: Keeping them separated, or letting them stay together and squabble. :roll:

[Janie]

Linda and Jennifer's advice are both, as always, excellent. :)

As far as having two instead of one, that is such a personal decision and I wouldn't know what to tell you to do and especially because, as Linda pointed out, there are no guarantees that any given two will get along.

I have one older bird, adopted over two years ago, that is my mate but I wanted more and didn't feel it would be right to bring in one younger bird since Oliver is between 9 and 10. So, I GOT TWO! :D They are DNA'd males, clutch mates, and have so much fun together. I've had them for just over 8 months and in the last month or so, all three are getting along very well. Oliver is never caged with them but they do enjoy time out together with supervision. It is loads of fun to watch birds being birds! :D It is also wonderful to have a special bond with just one when you have enough time for that one. Good luck in whatever you decide and don't forget the quarantine! :) About the cage size, yes, I do think it's too small for two birds although I'm sure many are caged together in a smaller space. I like to offer lots of toys in their cages and enough space for flying from perch to perch so that when they are locked in, they can still play and exercise.

[sdgilley]

Also- is 18" x 18" x 26" too small a cage for 2 birds? He already plays mostly outside, and rarely uses huge spaces inside. It seems enormous for him (and is way bigger than the one he came from at the parrot place) but I don't know.

Hi Nikki,
This cage would be small for two birds, in my opinion. The recommended size for a lovie is usually 24" x 24" with 1/2" to 5/8" bar spacing for one bird. If you end up with a second bird and they get along, you'll want a bigger cage. They'll have room to climb around and plenty of toys. When I first put my males together, I put an extra happy hut and food dishes inside their cage. That way Peter couldn't prevent Luka (the newbie) from eating or resting. It all worked out and Luka sleeps with Peter and they only have one food & one water dish, too.

Good luck!

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Sorry I missed the question about the cage size. My pair are in a cage that is about 32" wide by 24" deep and 32" high. Believe it or not, there are days when this cage is not big enough for the two birds!

[mangotiki]

In my experience, some lovebirds like each other instantly,:) others hate each other:evil: ...and others do quite well after a long, slow introduction>o . If you don't know what you have, you'd best get a male. As far as if your bird will be friendly with you still, I would say yes if you still spend lots of time with it, but again, no guarantee. Some say that you can' never put two lovebirds together and keep them tame but that is not true at all. But once again, it depends on the bird.
Be prepared to house them separately after the quarantine period incase they don't get along.
I think one love is great, two is better, and more is the best.
But that is just me;) .
Traci

[Keltoth]

If you don't know what you have, you'd best get a male. As far as if your bird will be friendly with you still, I would say yes if you still spend lots of time with it, but again, no guarantee. Some say that you can' never put two lovebirds together and keep them tame but that is not true at all. But once again, it depends on the bird.

Very good advice. When I increased my flock size from one lovebird to five pairs last year from October of 2004 to May of 2005, the reactions of the birds spanned the spectrum. Melody, who was bonded to my wife (we thought), broke that bond and bonded to his new female cagemate. He is still a loving little guy, but nowhere near as affectionate as he was before. Paco, on the other hand, was brought home when he was a chick, bonded to my wife, and then got a new female cagemate. He is fiercly devoted to, and protective of, his hen (who doesn't necessarily return the same level of affection!) - and yet has not lost his bond with my wife and has yet to meet a human he does not like. Myst, our heavily Pied Olive male, is bonded to me and calls out for me to let him out when he knows I am home so he can fly up and ride on my shoulder for hours if I will let him (velcro bird), and yet is also very affectionate to his hen and is the best father lovebird in the entire flock, to the point that he will not only feed his own chicks, but those of other lovebirds if they don't chase him off.

Anyway, my point is that lovebirds are every bit as much individuals as humans are, and the only way you know for sure about a specific bird is trial and error. As Traci said, the amount of quality time you spend with your bird - time spent actually out of the cage and interacting with you, rather than simply let out of the cage and then left to it's own devices - directly impacts on how tightly your bird remains bonded to you. Just keep in mind that propensity to breed on the part of a lovebird does not necessarily mean that a bird will or will not not stay bonded to a human OR lovebird. I have seen males that are will breed with any female that presents herself to him and still remains bonded to their chosen human; I have seen a male that will not even look at any other female, whether she solicits him or not, and who is fiercely loyal to his chosen hen. I have seen lovebirds that have broken thier bonds with their human and bonded to another lovebird, and I have seen lovebirds that are so self-independant that they refuse to tightly bond with ANYONE - bird OR human (my hen Pixie is like this).

Short-Version-of-the-Above: Bonding in lovebirds is a crap-shoot. If you don't want to risk an existing bond, don't introduce a new lovie into the mix.

[Nikki]

Thanks so much to everyone for your responses. We've since decided to just stick with one little guy for now, and with everyone's help it was a much easier decision to make.
Thanks again! What a great forum.