I'm getting a pair of lovebirds...what do I NEED to know about them? [Archive]

Lindades264

02-12-2007, 12:58 PM

Hi Tia, I have only ever had lovebirds. There is alot of information on this site, so spend time going through the resource area. What I would like to emphasis though is that Lovebirds are very social and require alot of attention to flourish. They need stimulation as they are very intelligent. I always look at my 4 birds as 2 year old toddlers, very curious and forever exploring. Good luck to you.

bellarains

02-12-2007, 12:58 PM

You will find that lovebirds are allot more active than your quakers, so they will need a fairly large cage. Minimum size recommended is 18x18, but larger is better. They love their toys, ladders, swings,boings, etc... so you'll find you need a large cage to accomodate all of those things.

Diet consists of a good seed mix, fresh veggies and fruits, millet spray 1-2 times a week, nutriberries, nutriberries popcorn, and do check out the recipe section in the care section to find some really good things that you can pre-make,freeze, and serve when needed.

I look forward to hearing all about your little ones. Let us know when they get there, and post us some pics when you get some.

DebSpace

02-12-2007, 03:09 PM

Welcome to our flock. Wow, that is exciting! It is very difficult to have a short response to your question, though. You probably should refer to the Lovebird Resource Library for specific categories of information or search threads using keywords.
http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/resource.html

I don't have experience with Quakers to have a common frame of reference between the two species, but I expect that you would not want them out of their cages at the same time (I doubt they would socialize well together). :)

I have 4+ lovies: 2 blue black-masked, 2 white-faced Dutch Blues, and 1 on the way from SLC to OKC from another member here(Keltoth). My husband is a firefighter and we have a teenage son. Also have two wild and crazy dogs!:rolleyes: :happy:

We're happy you joined us. There is sooo much information available here that it staggers the mind. The members are wonderfully knowledgeable and supportive, too. We look forward to hearing more about your Quakers and your two new lovies (we like pictures, too!).;)

Janie

02-12-2007, 04:16 PM

You need to know what has been posted already and one more thing, THEY ARE ADDICTIVE!!!! :D

Like Linda, I've only ever had lovebirds and they are a ton of fun! :)

mjm8321

02-12-2007, 04:44 PM

Lovebirds are more active than Quakers, also more bold. I cannot have Quakers and lovebirds out at the same time and wouldn't recommend it, nor do I let them near each other's cages (no missing toes wanted). Lovebirds can be very nosy and also tend to think everything is theirs. Quakers tend to be cage protective and aggressive to anything getting in their space (especially a small, fast lovebird).

Lovebirds are quieter than Quakers, don't eat holding their food with their feet, don't purr (I adore a purring Quaker) and don't speak like Quakers.

Lovebirds are a lot of fun in a little package. What type of lovebirds are you getting?

mewant1

02-12-2007, 10:38 PM

Thanks for all the responses! And yes the purring of the quakers melts my heart! We have an upstairs and downstairs but our birds are cagefree. 2 quaker and 3 tiels and soon to be 2 lovebirds. The quakers sleep downstairs...one is allowed upstairs and one is not. The one who isn't is a rescued bird who we had had for a month. I am the only one who is allowed to handle him and I still get bit from time to time....it's almost wrong but I swear he is my favorite bird! I love him so much and cry for him when he bites me??? I am planning on keeping the lovebirds in my son's room assuming it works out. If not they will be kept in a spare room upstairs until adjusted. I'm not sure of the exact type of them. They are sort of a rescue and I'll know more tomorrow after I get them. They are a breeding pair....and no I'm not an experienced breeder. Although my tiels lay eggs but I think the male is sterile? I have 2 females and 1 male and after many eggs none have hatched:roll: not that I am trying to have them breed but whatever LOL. I have always LOVED lovebirds and oooohed and ahhhed over them at the pet store. But, my attitude towards the pet stores has dramatically changed over the past few years. Their willingness to sell any animal to anyone with the money irritates me :mad: I'm glad I found this site...there seems to be a lot of great info!

Kathryn

02-12-2007, 11:46 PM

Glad you've joined us.
Can't add more to the advice already given.
Pictures would be nice when you can share.

mewant1

02-13-2007, 01:43 PM

okay I got them and they're all nice and cleaned up now.....boy did they come from a bad place :omg: One's missing an eye, they owners were using kerosene to heat their home....just plain icky environment! I'll try to get some pics up soon. They seem smaller than I thought they would be. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me but they don't look as big as the ones I see in the pet stores? Is it possible that at some point they were mixed with a parrollet? Guess you'll have to wait for the pics to answer that one :rofl: I'll have to start getting their diet up to par also. I'm sure all they ever ate was seed. They seem like nice birds though....one steps up really good.

sdgilley

02-13-2007, 01:53 PM

Hi Tia,
I hope you will be able to get them in to see a vet right away. Considering the environment they came from, it would be my first act as new owner, if I were you. Plus, the vet can give you a weight on them.
There are some links in the resource forum, you should read. Also, if you need help finding an avian vet (if you don't already have one) there is a link for finding a certified vet.

Good luck.

mjm8321

02-13-2007, 01:54 PM

Glad to hear you've got them somewhere safe. Size in peachfaces can range from fairly small to large, most of that depends upon breeding and what their diet is. Fischers and Masks are smaller than peachfaces. We'd all love to see some pics. You might consider weighing them, even a smaller lovebird can be a good weight. I've got a very tiny peachface hen that weighs 52 grams. Her size is very deceiving. A good weight for a peachface is somehwere in the 45 gram range; obviously less for a eye ring lovie.

mewant1

02-13-2007, 02:54 PM

Okay well that explains it one is a masked...not sure the exact style but he's got a black masked face with an red/orange beak and she told me the other one is a peach face. I'll see if I can get some pics up. Until I can get them into the vet I'm keeping them seperate from the other birds just to be safe. Plus I figure it will help them settle in better. I saw the posts about the loveyhut so I guess I'll have to take it outta there in the mornings. But I'm gonna leave it in there for today. They moved, had their wings clipped, had a bath, got a new house and toys, ect so I say they need it for right now. But I don't want them breeding especially since I know their diet isn't anything what it should be.

zlatushka

02-13-2007, 03:00 PM

But I don't want them breeding especially since I know their diet isn't anything what it should be.
plus you won't want hybrids ....

I'm assuming they were caged together before? If so, you might want to keep watch on them...your poor little lovie lost an eye somehow, and I would bet it was from a squabble. Do the seem to get on alright, or do you think they're too terrified still from the change to tell?

Tango's_Mom

02-13-2007, 03:27 PM

plus you won't want hybrids ....

I'm assuming they were caged together before? If so, you might want to keep watch on them...your poor little lovie lost an eye somehow, and I would bet it was from a squabble. Do the seem to get on alright, or do you think they're too terrified still from the change to tell?

I was thinking the exact same thing, breeding hybrids is not an accepted breeding practice, not only that, but you need to be able to ensure good homes for any babies, which is harder to do with hybrids (I have one and love him dearly, but I do worry about what became of his siblings in the petstore).

I would also tend to agree that the eye might have been the result of a squabble between the birds and I would watch them very carefully to make sure they get along, fights between these little guys can get pretty serious pretty fast and if they are fighting, one or the other may not survive a future battle.

I'm glad you're keeping the new additions separate from your existing flock, we normally recommend a minimum 30 day quarantine, in addition to a well bird exam with your avian vet, and given the conditions these guys were in I think getting them looked at by a vet asap is a good idea, you could also get your vet to DNA sex them for you, that would also tell you if you need to be concerned about them breeding, you may have 2 of the same sex, in which case you don't have to worry about them breeding. Or you can DNA sex them by sending a sample to avianbiotech avianbiotech.com

Best of luck with your new fids, I hope they settle in nicely

Janie

02-13-2007, 04:05 PM

I'm so glad you got them out of the terrible conditions they've been living in. If you decide that you want to keep them together because they are bonded and really get along, you can allow them to breed but boil each egg laid in the first 24 hours (I think it's 24 but it may be less), return it and let her sit on her clutch as long as she normally would if they are fertile. I am putting the cart before the horse here but just wanted you to know there are other options if you want them to remain together but don't want hybrids to hatch.

As Rachel mentioned, the missing eye is cause for concern if it did happen during an attack from the other lovebird. If they are not getting along or even if one is getting slightly bullied, I would separate them immediately.

mewant1

02-13-2007, 08:59 PM

Thanks everyone. Well I uploaded a pic of them on a my space thing. maybe someone can tell me what kind they are?? http://www.myspace.com/158512718
There is also a pic of my 2 quakers...one is the stressed one...can you tell which one LOL? The loves are in my son's room for now. They step up for me but the boy bit my son, my daughter, and my hubby....hehehe but only bit me while I was trimming his wings. Other than that they both step up for me....I guess these ones will me *my* birds too :whistle: Supposedly the girl is the biter but I have yet to see that. In fact she seems more tame than the boy although they both seem preety nice....especially considering where they came from >: Hubby came home from work to find we had more birds :clap: He had no idea. hahahaha! Actually he was pretty excited about them though.

In response the the above....They seem well bonded to eachother. She claims she rescued the girl from someone else :roll: I don't even wanna think about what she supposedly rescued her from! I was told the eye was gone before she introduced these 2 together....I tend to believe that as they seem highly bonded to eachother. She let them breed and they had 3 clutches. I dunno what she did with the babies. :( What is wrong with hybrids and how do I know if they will have them? She said they've been together for the past 6 months w/o breeding since she took the breeding box away. Help....what do I do now???

zlatushka

02-14-2007, 12:09 AM

Hybrids are the result of interspecies pairings. You've got a Peachface and Fischer's so their babies would be hybrids.

Tango's_Mom

02-14-2007, 12:13 AM

any babies resulting from this cross will be hybrids, you have one peachface (some one else will have to tell you what colour mutation) and a fischer's (I think?), they will be sterile, from what I understand they can have some behaviour and personality issues because of conflicting instincts between species (kind of like my mixed breed dog, strong herding instinct and strong prey drive, makes for some interesting moments), that being said I can't give you any first hand examples of this, although I'm sure others can, because I have not noticed anything with Tango, yet. He is also my first bird, so maybe I just don't know what normal is:p. I think the main problem with breeding hybrids is that it muddies the gene pools for the birds we have in captivity, and since what we have is what we've got, breeders should be aiming to keep the lines as pure as possible to ensure that there are quality genetics left in the gene pool for future generations. I don't think this is as much a problem with the sterile hybrids as with eyeringXeyering crosses (which are not sterile) because the sterile birds are the end of the line genetically speaking and can't enter into the gene pool. But you are still left with the problem of being able to guarantee quality, non-breeding homes, that are willing to deal with any personality and behaviour issues these birds might have for ALL possible offspring, which is no easy task, heck finding good homes for the "normal" birds is no easy task. If and when the female decides to lay another clutch, you can either remove the eggs as they are layed and replace them with fakes, or boil the eggs on the day they are layed to stop a chick from developing (Note - you are not destroying a growing embryo at this point, just stopping one from developing). Like I said I love my hybrid dearly, but the practice of breeding them is frowned upon for a reason...

mewant1

02-14-2007, 10:20 AM

Tango's_Mom

02-14-2007, 10:37 AM

for right now, as long as you're not wanting to breed in the immediate future, there is no reason they can't stay together, as long as you make sure to boil any eggs as they are layed. If you do want to breed them in future, then yes, you would need another peachface for the female and another fischer's for the boy. I really have no idea about the logistics of separating aa bonded pair and pairing them up with new birds, so hopefully someone else will be able to chime in with some info on that. It is a myth that lovebirds need to be kept in pairs, as long as the bird gets social interaction from it's person, it can live quite happily without another bird, my lovie Tango is a single bird, and there are a number of other members who also have single lovies who are quite happy. If they are well bonded and getting along I see no reason to separate them at this point.

Janie

02-14-2007, 11:28 AM

ok thanks for the info! So in the future IF I wanted to breed them (seperately) what would you guys suggest I get for their mates? Am I supposed to get another peachface for the girl and another fischer for the boy? And would they ever even take to another mate if the two are so closely bonded? They let them breed and they've been together from what I understand for a year. It seems like the lovies should be kept in pairs but I'm confused as to what to do now.

I think splitting up a bonded pair would be tricky and not sure that they'd "click" with another mate. If they were mine, and as long as you're sure they are getting along and not causing harm or injury to each other, I'd leave them together and when and if eggs are laid, make sure they don't develop.

mjm8321

02-14-2007, 01:57 PM

Your peachie looks like a Mauve (means two dark factors) Dutch blue and yes, the other is a Green Fischers. Honestly, with what these two have been through, I'd keep them together at least for a while to not stress them. If they do mate and lay eggs, you can always boil them so nothing hatches. Breaking up a bonded pair can be tricky and since they've both been through a lot, they might do best kept together.

mewant1

02-14-2007, 09:10 PM

ok, I'll keep them together which is what I think they want at this point anyway. They both seem to be adjusting well...although with all the great benefits who wouldn't ?? I'll just have to decide later on what I wanna do.

mangotiki

02-15-2007, 12:20 AM

I have been following along...kudos to you for taking this poor pair in!!

I wanted to add something...you had mentioned that they supposedly had three clutches together already? If so, and if they have only been together for a year, then is sounds like a break is in order, particularly since it sounds like they were living under terrible conditions. I can't recall if you mentioned their previous diet or not, but a poor diet would be another thing that would make breeding hard on them.

It sounds like keeping them together but discouraging the breeding thing (with each other and with new mates) would be a good idea...even if they were not different species.

:2cents:

Yes, we hand out alot of :2cents: here! ;)

Traci

mewant1

02-15-2007, 08:25 AM

yeah she said she had them for about a year and they had 3 clutches which seemed excessive to me especially since their last clutch was 6 months ago? so they supposedly had 3 within 6 months :omg: She said as long as the breeder box was in the cage they'd breed. The cage she had them in was really small and then to think that she kept the breeder box inside the cage too?? I don't know what in the world she was thinking....but given the care and environment I found them in it fits >: And as far as their diet is concerned I'm sure all they ever had was seed and even then I would bet that there were times they went w/o even that. She had *tidied* up the cage (only for my benefit I'm sure) and put some food and water in the cups and on the way home while driving they were eating which leads me to believe that they must have been pretty hungry to be wanting to eat while being disturbed and moved. Even after 2 baths they still stink like kerosene...any bright ideas of how to de-scent them? I guess it'll wear of eventually. They seem to be settling in nicely. They seem happy and they love all their toys. I haven't been able to get them to eat anything but seed so far. They are enjoying my kids playing with them as much as my kids are enjoying playing with them! They are really sweet birds.

mangotiki

02-15-2007, 11:09 AM

Given their past history, I would watch them really closely for any signs of illness. What concerns me is the wire and bead thing that was in their cage (could have been a poisonous metal) and the kerosene, of course. The lack of excercise (the small cage) would be another reason to discourage any egg laying as much as you can.

mewant1

02-16-2007, 08:20 AM

mangotiki

02-16-2007, 11:15 AM

okay well they were out last night and the girl decided to play peekaboo/hidenseek with the boy. She went under the blanket and started squeeking and then would peek out every so often waiting for the boy to join her. It was pretty cute. It seemed like they were just playing though....not doing other things under there:roll:

:rotfl: she is saying, "hey!!! this looks like a nice spot to raise the kids!" but after 3 clutches he is pretending that he doesn't hear her. Or you can only hope....:rotfl:

I can just imagine the two of them...sounds so adorable!

Lindades264

02-16-2007, 12:40 PM

Hi, I am just jumping in here, all I can say is "Bless you", these birds really need you.

mewant1

02-16-2007, 01:23 PM

yes that's what I was thinking. especially since they are only allowed to have their lovehut at bedtime and as soon as morning comes out it goes. and she is sooooo not even a fan of that:rotfl: she chases the hut outta the cage every morning like hey where you taking that?? I hoping that they don't decide to pull an all niter one nite and make "use" outta the hut LOL. I really don't want her to have any eggs but I guess if she does I can boil them like you guys said. They are really starting to play and chirp more and more. It's great to see them feeling so good :blush: They are protective of eachother though...if you are only holding one of them they chirp back and forth to eachother making sure they are okay and still around:p

Tootsie's Mom

02-16-2007, 02:13 PM

mjm8321

02-16-2007, 02:52 PM

I think it's great that you're getting lovebirds, but are you sure you want two. Lovebirds bond with humans better if there's not another bird there. So basicly if you get another lovebird, it'll bond with the other bird, not you.:)

The pair she got is a rescued pair and are already bonded to each other. You can have individual relationships with more than one lovebird, even if they are a bonded pair.

mewant1

02-16-2007, 04:09 PM

yep they came as a pair...well I guess I coulda said I only wanted one but there was no way I was leaving anybody there :x I also really think the bonding thing will vary bird to bird no matter what species....I have tiels, quakers, and now lovies. The tiels are bonded even though there is 1 boy and 2 girls :p But they still insist on sitting on our shoulders and chase us around the house and climb up our pantlegs. The quakers are just starting to get along but there are supposedly both boys and we've only had the one for not quite 2 months. The lovies are completely devoted to eachother but yet they will both step up except I noticed in the morning the girl is a little nippy. But I also think her missing an eye also has a lot to do with that since the light is just coming on and she's just waking up and adjusting. Plus we haven't even had them a week. And I've also noticed they have their favorites. Like one of the quakers is completely my bird but the other one flies to hubby no matter who else is holding him. It just depends on the bird and your personality. My quaker just needs love but his quaker just wants to play all day :clap:

Janie

02-16-2007, 06:50 PM

I think it's great that you're getting lovebirds, but are you sure you want two. Lovebirds bond with humans better if there's not another bird there. So basicly if you get another lovebird, it'll bond with the other bird, not you.:)

From my personal experience, that is not true at all! You most certainly can have a bonded pair that is just as bonded to you as to each other and I know that cause I have that.