Lovebird arguments?

[Two2Tango]

Hi!
I am wondering if I should be concerned about my two's behavior lately. Ever since I added Tango in with Figment he has been in love with her (?), but recently I noticed that they will occasionally start biting at each others legs. I know how hard their bite can be and I am afraid that someone's leg could get severly damaged or worse. It seems to happen atleast once a day while I am home and who knows how often when I am not. I know they get along well since they spend all day basically cuddled up with each other and preening each other but this new behavior concerns me. Any thoughts?:confused:

[Janie]

This sure does sound familiar to me! :D I have not seen actual biting (and never blood) between my two bonded brothers but one of them is definitely the "Alpha" bird and he chases his brother often. He gets first dibs on food/toys/perches and anything else he wants! :D BUT, they do cuddle, preen and sleep together in their happy hut most nights. Sometimes the Alpha bird, Shy, sleeps inside and Big Boi sleeps on top. :D

Do keep an eye on them and if you see blood, I'd separate them but that's just me and I'm not sure what others who have experienced this will advise you to do. Also, they need to be in a big enough cage so that one can get away from the other. Age and sex can also be apart of this behavior. They can get a little "testy" while going through puberty.

[Two2Tango]

Thanks-glad to hear someone else has the same issue. As far as cage size goes-trust me their cage is pleny big enough-I bought the cage large enought for and African Grey size bird if not bigger! I am hoping that it is just a puberty thing and it will eventually end but in the meantime I just keep a close eye on them!

[LauraO]

I have 7 pairs of lovie and each of their relationships with one another is different. Some are more contentious than others but they all love their mates. As Janie said, just make sure there's no blood, or other bodily damage, and everything should be fine :D .

[Mummieeva]

Lovebird spats are like human ones. As long as nobodys bleeding they are ok. My pair fight and fuss together. Baggy will nip Whispers leg is she thinks Whisper is not moving fast enough. Normaly when they are playing on me.lol.



Steph

[Janie]

Normaly when they are playing on me

Steph, that really rings a bell! :D If any bird is on me and Shy jumps aboard, whoaaaaa, and get out of the way! Oliver was quick to learn that and he flies right off but poor little Big Boi, he tries so hard to get to stay but Shy, very nasty birdie that he can be, will not allow it. If they are in their cage and I stick my finger through the bar to rub Big Boi on his belly or head or anything that's close, that darn Shy will lunge from the other side of the cage and knock him away from me and then stick his head close so that he can get that rub. Gosh I love him but he can be so hateful to his brother sometimes. :roll:

[LauraO]

If any bird is on me and Shy jumps aboard, whoaaaaa, and get out of the way! Oliver was quick to learn that and he flies right off but poor little Big Boi, he tries so hard to get to stay but Shy, very nasty birdie that he can be, will not allow it. If they are in their cage and I stick my finger through the bar to rub Big Boi on his belly or head or anything that's close, that darn Shy will lunge from the other side of the cage and knock him away from me and then stick his head close so that he can get that rub. Gosh I love him but he can be so hateful to his brother sometimes. :roll:


It's hard to believe, but Shy beating everyone up to get a scritch means he loves you A LOT!

:rofl: :rofl:

[Janie]

It's hard to believe, but Shy beating everyone up to get a scritch means he loves you A LOT!

Laura, sometimes I get a very high opinion of myself and think the same thing.....other times, I think he's just doing that to be mean to the other two! :lol Shy really is close to being the "perfect" bird and I've told Jeanette that several times. He's very good when he's on me (never bites) but he is also happy when he's playing alone or with the other two. He is scared to death of my hubby and two sons but will fly straight for me and I guess that is to be expected since I interact with all of them so much. Big Boi will step up for everyone in the family and of course, Oliver likes everyone. I "think" that Shy is the smartest of the three and therefore more suspicious of other people. :confused: Who knows? But, I sure do enjoy all three of them! :D That's what I kept telling myself when i was cage cleaning yesterday! :lol

[fpmeehan]

Boy, I can relate to the sibling rivalry. My Bernie will walk across to my opposite shoulder if I am snuggling with his brother, Aster, and get in front of him so he gets the attention! If Aster gets something, Bernie will check things out to ensure that he's not missing out.

I try to give Bernie some preferential treatment, like being picked up first or taken out of the cage first or placed on the highest perch when going back into the cage to reduce his jealousy and aggression towards Aster. Bernie is my first bird so he got all my love and attention for several months and the adjustment isn't easy for him.

To be fair to Aster, I'll take him out of the cage away from Bernie's sight and spend a little time alone with him. Aster is my newer lovebird and he's learning how to get along, but it isn't easy with Bernie's aggressive behavior. He gets chased around the cage alot! I swear, though, it looks like he's smiling when this happens and sometimes I think they're having fun.

A little history...when Aster first arrived at home with us, he would knock Bernie off his perch if he was afraid of something and was trying to avoid it. Or he'd watch tentatively while Bernie was playing with a toy, then jump on it and knock it over. Bernie would look at Aster like, "hey, I was playing with that. Where's your manners?" It was funny to watch.