Should I get a second lovie?

[krizzteena]

Ok Everyone I need some advice...

I have my LuLu a dutch blue peach faced lovebird that I brought home from the shelter that I work at . I have had her know for about 4 months and things are going well. She started off very noisey and still from time to time goes through these noisy spurts for a few days at a time. I have oftened wondered if she would like a friend as she is very social and she wont let ya walk by without talking to her ( not that I mind) It just so happens that another lovie has come into the shelter and I am considering taking it in. I am sure that LuLu is a female ( she is a peachfaced but there is quite a space in between her pelvic bones and she definetly shows many nesting behaviours). This one is a pied peach faced and has a very small space between the pelvic bones so I suspect he may be male. It is about 2-3 yrs old and does have a band ( can you tell sex from coding on the band? IF so how?) So my questions....am I going to have 2 screaming lovies? How should I introduce them? Will LuLu not want to interact with us as much? She is a little hand shy now but will sit on your shoulder and climb around me and talk with me etc. Am I going to have issues if it is a male? I would appreciate anyones info or insights. Thanks gang!

[linda040899]

Very, very first consideration should you find yourself with male and female is offspring. Lovebirds are very prolific and I can almost guarantee your flock would grow considerably if they should turn out to be as persistent as some of the hens that own our members here! Would you be able to find loving homes for the babies?

With that said, chances are that Lulu would like a companion. Most lovies do, even though it may take a while for them to decide they like each other. Lori (bellarains) has a male that is very bonded to her and it took a while before he accepted his female companion. Since Lori pays lots of attention to both of them, they are both friendly with her. In other words, you get back what you put in. :)

Choice is yours.
~remember 30 day quarantine...~

[krizzteena]

Okay a question then about breeding...could I not remove the eggs to prevent the further progression of offspring?

[bellarains]

Kris,

I also believe they need a companion of their own kind. I'm not saying a single lovie is not loved, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted my Bela to have someone 24/7 that would love him the way we all should be loved. That is my personal opinion, but I know some that have single lovies, and theirs are content, and well loved also. I just work 8-10 hours a day, so my decision to get Lacey was based allot upon that.

I would suggest that if you have any doubt to their gender that you have them DNA sexed. You can know the results withing 7-10 days after sending in either a blood sample, or plucked breast feathers to www.avianbiotech.com. Two hens getting along in the same cage is not unheard of, but is more the exception than the rule. This is why I suggest this.

Maybe you could keep the other lovie on a temporary basis until you have the results, or you could see how things go after quarantine, and decide from there. Be prepared though to love them both, and if need be have separate cages. That is just a chance you take when trying to introduce any two birds. It could still be a good arrangement though, even if they don't get along well enough to cage together, they would still be good company for each other, and they could even enjoy out of the cage time together.

Geez, all that said, this little one needs a good home, and if you are willing to provide one, I say, GO FOR IT!!!!!:)

Added: Yep, you could remove the eggs as laid and boil them to prevent babies. That is, if you do decide you don't want more of these adorable little buggers:lol

[Janie]

Kris,

I want to add my 2 cents to the good advice you've already been given. I had a single bird, older and adopted by me 3 years ago. He did and does get a lot of attention but I wanted another one and felt it would only be fair to the new one to get two so that they could be a pair. I did not expect that Oliver, my older lovie, would like any new bird and was really getting another one because *I* wanted more lovies. So, I did get two and they are DNA'd brothers. Here is the shocker, Oliver really, really enjoys their company and they enjoy him. While the three of them are not caged together, they do spend time out in their bird room for the better part of every day. At night Big Boi and Shy share their cage and Oliver has his own. I never dreamed that three would get along so well or that Oliver would seem so much happier with other birds. He is still my velcro birdie but he often chooses spending time with them over me! :D I am so glad that I did get them and realize now that I probably could have gotten only one of them and that one likely would have bonded with Oliver. They both try to feed him! :D I do want to add that Oliver is a very sweet and laid back little lovie and any bird would be nuts not to like him! :D

As Lori suggested, you can keep the eggs from hatching if you end up with a male/female pair. That is what I would do since I don't want babies, couldn't find good enough homes for them. I realize that there are no guarantees that any two will get along but in my case, having a buddy(s) has been great for Oliver.

Good luck in whatever you decide. I think it's great that you've already given LuLu a home and are considering giving another bird a needed home. :)

[krizzteena]

Thanks for your responses:D

Well it didnt take much twisting my arm. KeKe came home tonight with me and I just saw HER this morning for the 1st time when I went to work...didnt take long. It appears that I may have been mistaken earlier I think she is a female. I compared the spaces between the pelvic bones today and they seem similar in both LuLu and KeKe. And KeKe saw a piece of paper and immediatly started ripping strips and tucking them in her tail feathers.:lol So it was interesting when i brought KeKe into the house they immediatly started calling each other and when I put the cages side by side it took under 10 min for them to be sitting next to each other on the same height perches. The spent some time together outside of the cage and seemed ok. I think they have some dominence to work out becuase when LuLu was hiding behind her favorite pillow on the couch and KeKe tried to enter they had it out. This happened about 4 x each winning 2x.lol So I will keep them separate for now and slowly introduce them and hopefully ( fingers crossed :wink: ) The can be caged together soon. Any tips on trying to cage them together?

[Mummieeva]

you need to move your new bird to a new room. Lovebirds need a 30-90 day quarantine. That is to protect both birds from un-seen things. Also be warned often 2 females will not get along. it cna happen but not norm.I am nto sure i agree with how birds pelvic regions feel as a good sexing tool. I had a bird with narrow area and was a girl after all.




Steph

[bellarains]

Kris,

Wow!!!!! You must have that thing tattooed on your head that most of us here have. I would say, "Sucker", but I think it's more like "Big hearted" when it comes to fids:)

Slow introduction is key to get any two birds to accept the other. You will want to try and figure out which one takes on the role as dominant, and if you do try to put them together, put them both in the less dominant birds cage. This can help the more dominant bird to give a little. I'm not saying it's a for sure thing, but it may work.

The time when you may have problems is nesting time. Some will allow it, some will not. Be aware that they are quiet capable of killing each other, and don't leave them alone together until you are 100% sure they can co-exist with no problem.

OK, now to the important thing. Pics please:D

[Janie]

Kris, yep, you did it! :D Seriously, a minimum 30 day quarantine is a good thing for the safety of Lulu. Separate rooms, separate cages.....pain in the butt but worth it. :D Oh yeah, a vet check for the new birdie, too.

I'm looking forward to photos, too! :)

[sdgilley]

Kris,
Congratulations on your new lovie! I hope they end up as good companions after the quarantine period. As far as sexing by pelvis, I know some folks go with that. My vet feels their pelvis and then grins and tells me there is a 50/50% chance of a boy...:lol DNA sexing is the most accurate way to know the sex. Hens have hormonal periods and can turn from loving to vicious during that time. If you have two hens, it's good to know so that you can be particularly sensitive as you introduce them over time.
Good luck, and did someone mentions pictures??:happy: