MY LOVEBIRDS ARE FIGHTING

[tarvster]

I hve two masked lovebirds. One is 4months old and the other is 8 months old. Over the last week the younger lovebird is constantly biting the older bird around its neck and feet? They have been together 3 months. We think they are both females - but I was wondering why is this behaviour happening and what can I do to remedy it.
I tried seperating them all be it for 10mins and they were quite fretful.

Hoping someone can help with this

Thanks
Karen

[linda040899]

If you have 2 females, which you probably do, the only solution is to separate them or one will eventually kill the other. You can have their cages side by side but I would not let them remain together. This is not uncommon with hens. Males can live together and be happy campers. Females are not always the same way. If you want them to be able to play together, time out of cage would need to be supervised.

[tarvster]

Do you think I should go to the Pet shop and try and find a compatible male for one of them? Why has this happened after 2 months of being together and no problems? Thanks for your help

[linda040899]

From the behavior, you probably have 2 hens but that's not a guarantee. I would DNA sex them to make sure. You could also have a pair that just don't like each other. I've had that happen before. Why now and not earlier? Hard to say. It's possible that one is hormonal and it's causing the aggression. Lovie hens are more aggressive than lovie males and it will go in spurts.

Once you know what you have, then you could go to the pet shop and look for a DNA sexed male. Sexing by pelvic bones is a guess, at best, and you only have a 50% chance of being right. Also remember that, if you get a male companion for a female, offspring are almost guaranteed!

[tarvster]

Hey thanks for that - what would happen if I just had the one lovebird? Would it die without a companion?
Thanks

[Cathy]

A single lovebird can become a wonderful pet but you MUST spend time with your lovebird everyday because you are all the lovebird has and you become their mate and reason for living. It is an awesome responsibility but so very rewarding. I have a male and a female lovebird that are not paired but kept in separate cages that I do not let socialize together very much. They are both very sweet with me but they need a lot of time out of their cages.

[linda040899]

There are members here that have only one lovebird and they do fine but they also need a LOT of attention. Lovebirds are very social birds and you need lots of time to devote to just one. All of my lovebirds have companions, at least the ones who want them.

[sdgilley]

I have two males together that sometimes bicker, but it is nothing like fighting. I have a hen that is housed alone. She likes to talk to the boys and tease them, but I can't allow them to socialize (I know exactly what they have in mind). As a result, I have her out of her cage (when she's not on the nest) quite a bit every day. The boys get a session out, but she gets more one on one time.

I think you got some good advice. Just remember, if you pair them with the opposite sex, they'll have babies. I'm not equipped to handle babies (and mine are different species, too) so that is just not an option for me.

[rmhand]

Thanks for the fighting tips. I just started having this problem with my two Lovies. One is 8 months old and the other is about 5 months old. I got Squeeky in July and probably put him/her in the big cage with Tweety, the older one, the first week of August. They have been getting along just fine for the last three months, but now all of a sudden Friday evening they went to squawking and fighting in their little birdie tent (Hide N Sleep). I had to separate them as they were making an awful noise and pecking at each other. The older one, Tweety is content being in the big cage all alone, but Squeeky is having fits in the smaller one. I know Tweety is a female because she laid two or three eggs when she was only 5 months old. I don't know if Squeeky is a he or she, but it sure wouldn't back down. My guess is after reading this post is that both are females. I'll keep them separated except for play time on their gym and in their outside cage. I was hoping they could live together in the big cage, but now I'm having doubts.

[linda040899]

If they should both turn out to be hens, it's quite possible that a confrontation between them could turn deadly and only one would survive. Better to be safe than sorry.

[rmhand]

Thanks for the advice. I will keep them separated until we figure out if Squeeky is a female. I guess if it is a she an egg will come along eventually, am I right? My husband agreed to keep them apart. We don't want either one to be hurt by this behavior. I've been reading some more on the board and learning a lot. There is no visible signs of injury to either bird. We checked them out. I'll keep you posted.

[DebSpace]

Oh the raging hormones! Two (possible) females in same cage with a cozy tent, yikes. :eek: Yep, separate cages asap to avoid the consequences already described by others. Unfortunately, that is the only option if both are female.

Confucius say...when 2 lovebirds in same cage, male & female "Proven" usually = bliss; male & male = guys night out; female & female = oh no, no good, get vewy angly:mad:clazy females, fight all time.

[rmhand]

Thanks for the humourous response. That's cute. They're living in separate cages right now, but I'll need to go get another larger cage since they're destined to live apart!! Squeeky is hating it alone, but Tweety's as happy as can be. Maybe one day, if I'm brave, I'll get them each a male mate. I'm not ready for any babies right now.:lol