Lovebird sibling questions

[Ironhideforever]

I recently got 2 7 week old handfed Lovebird siblings. The first day or so I had them, I would be able to take them out and play with them with no problem. They would walk on me and nibble on me, and seemed to be very happy.

However within the past 4 days,I have noticed it is much harder to get them out of the cage. They usually run and hide with any attempt I make , and most books I have read say not to make the experience violent or scary for them, but it also says to make sure you play with them daily so they become used to you.

They usually hide in their little house and make no effort to come near me when I stick my hand in the cage. I don't want them to hate me or become permenatly scared of me, so I am not really sure what to do.

[Janie]

Wow, this sounds familiar! :D I got two DNA'd brothers when they were about 10 weeks old. They were also hand fed and had been socialized daily. I kept them in an upstairs bedroom during quarantine (I have an older lovie so it was for his protection) and the first few days were fine but as time went on, one of them was wild more often than tame. The breeder suggested that I separate them but they were so bonded that I just couldn't do that so instead, I took each one, one at a time, into a small bathroom and worked with that bird for about 15 minutes. I sat on the floor (close the john and cover large mirrors) and let the lovie explore me and the room. This is where each leaned to step-up, etc. I did work with them about 4 times a day, every day. After about a month, the wilder one of the two, Shy, did start behaving. Now, a year and a half later, Shy is the bird that I can't keep off me! And, btw......these two are not really very bonded to each other anymore. Both of them prefer Oliver, my older lovie. I still cage them together at night but each has his own happy hut and when they are out (all three of them) in their bird room, they both go straight for Oliver. LauraO mentioned to me that sometimes siblings drift apart, loose that bond, when they mature and it certainly is the case with my two. I'm fortunate that they do get along well enough, no biting or blood, but that bond is gone.

7 weeks is very young for a lovebird to be weaned from hand feeding formula. Are you sure about that age and are they eating well? Flying well? Mine were given a "baby" wing clip by their breeder the day I picked them up but they had been flying well for over two weeks (and eating well on their own for that long) before she clipped them. A wing clip is very helpful in the taming process. All three of mine are flighted now but that's only been in the past few months and the younger two brothers still get a clip when they get too zippy.

[LauraO]

Janie gave some great advise. I just wanted to add that you want to try and limit grabbing the birds straight out of their cage. For some reason, even tame, lovies don't like this and it damages trust. I suggest if you want to bring them out you open the door to their cage and let them come out on their own. It's also very important to get them comforteable with the step up command as this is the only accepteable way to put your hand in the cage to retrieve birds or to get them where they need to go.

Good luck and don't give up:)

[Ironhideforever]

Thanks for your advice!

I am almost positive about the age (7 weeks). The breeder was very friendly; I spent some time with the birds beforehand and they were flying around quite a bit and seemed to really like her husband. When I got them, she clipped their wings (for the first time) and while they were a bit shaky at first, now they love to climb around their cage. They still sit on their perch and flap their wings for exercise, but seem to have gotten used to not having as much ability to fly. As far as eating goes, they seem to be eating fine as well. They loved the millet that I had in their cage, but I worried that they weren't eating their other food, so I took that out and now try to use it as a reward if I can get them out of their cage.

The female, Buckbeak, seems more protective and much more guarded than the male (Chicken). This is just the opposite as it was when I got them.. maybe because there's a little nest "hut" in the cage now? I'm just worried that after the first initial days - basically after I returned to work (I got them over New Year's so had a couple days off) they got used to being alone. I've sitll tried to spend time with them every night but when I take them out one at a time, they cry for each other.. and getting them out of the cage is a little stressful for us both, I think.

LauraO, do you know how long it will usually take for them to want to come out? At first they seemed to love it, but now if I put my hand in the cage they run to a corner or run in their house. I'm just really worried that they aren't ever going to want to come out. I'll still try to entice them with the millet, and will take the advice from both of you on not forcing them out. (It doesn't seem good for either of us at this point!) Hopefully a little time is all they need.

Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it! I just want my birdies to be happy. :)

[linda040899]

At age 7 weeks, you literally have 2 baby lovebirds. They are away from everything familiar and I would be frightened under those same circumstances, too!! Once they learn that they are safe, they will start to explore and venture out of their cage without any difficulty. I would almost expect, in a few months, to read that now they stay out of the cage and they don't want to go back in! :lol

Trust must be earned and it takes time. Each individual bird is different so it's hard to say just how long this might take. They are very young and have no bad experience so I'm going to say that it probably won't take that long.

[Janie]

I'm curious, did the breeder DNA these two for you? If you do indeed have a male and a female, they'll eventually breed which if fine but I'd boil any eggs (or use some kind of method to stop them from hatching) that might be laid to avoid off-spring from a brother and sister pair.

[Ironhideforever]

She didn't DNA test them.. she had a lot of birds (separate cages for each "family," I guess) and when she gave me Buckbeak and Chicken, held them in her hand on their back and pressed near their feet. She seemed to be able to tell that way..?? I was kind of put off by that (and so was my boyfriend), but Buckbeak does display characteristics of the female lovebirds (more aggressive, territorial) whereas Chicken is a little smaller and a little more timid.

I reeeeeally hope they don't mate. They had a little triangular hut in their cage for a couple of days, but I took it out today because Buckbeak is getting to the point where she doesn't want to leave it at all, and I don't want to encourage her nesting. (Is that bad?)

Besides all the questions, they really are wonderful birds. They definitely have their own personalities..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/boyknife/winter%202006/birdies.jpg

:)

[Janie]

Your breeders method of testing is nothing more than a 50-50 guess. Personally, I would have them DNA'd and especially since they are siblings who are caged together. If you do have a hen and a cock, chances are very good that they will mate eventually. No, you do not want to encourage nesting and certainly not at their age. If possible, most people try to keep a hen from nesting and laying eggs until she is at least one year old.

BTW, they are beautiful! :)

[Ironhideforever]

After about three weeks, the birds are coming out of their shells a little bit!! They really like my boyfriend; whenever he comes over, they huddle up in a corner to "talk" to him and they also play hide-and-seek. :) (He will crouch down by the cage, then duck so they can't see him - and they do look for him, and then when he pops back up they run over to him to play again. It's really cute.)

Today we opened the cage door and Buckbeak (the female) hopped out! She climbed up on top of the cage and hopped around for about 20 minutes. We both got worried that she wouldn't get back in the cage.. she's still terrified of hands, and dowels, so we pretty much had to wait for her to figure out where the door was so she could get back in. She would jump on my boyfriend's back occasionally, if he leaned forward near the cage, but cowered away from his hand (or nipped at it). She still seemed kind of frightened when she was out, but more curious this time. Should we continue to let her adventure out, or wait until she is more tame to people?

Chicken (the male) still sits in the cage and seems a bit resentful of people. It seems like we have a big problem with jealousy; Buckbeak really likes attention - especially getting her beak rubbed, ironic due to the biting - so she tends to make sure she's the center of any human interaction taking place. If we pay Chicken any attention, she hops in front of him, but while we're placating Buckbeak, Chicken will start biting at her feet and at her beak. He was doing this the whole time she was on top of the cage.

I worry about them fighting; I hear them squabble sometimes and they like to nip at each other's feet and beaks. Is this normal or will I have to separate them eventually?

Thank you for all of the helpful replies.

[Janie]

You will need to watch them closely and yes, you might need to separate them. Not what you want to hear, I know, but you might have to do that. Squabbling is OK but if it goes beyond that as in toe biting or anything that draws blood, separate them. And, unless you have them DNA'd (for real) you are only guessing at their sexes.