For those with more than one lovebird

[Lovie-NC]

Hi,
I am new to the board and have learned so much here. I am getting a baby lovebird in about a week or so, when he is fully weaned. From everything I have read so far, single birds bond to their owners best while two will bond with each other and not people. Do those of you with multiple lovies find this to be the case? I am home most of the time(stay at home mom) so the lovie will get plenty of attention if he is the only bird, but I wouldn't mind getting two so that he has birdie company. Any responses would be greatly appreciated,thanks!
Tanya

[Ilovelovies]

Hi Tanya and welcome!
I have three lovies, two are bonded and the other is in a cage next to them. The bonded pair, while they are bonded to each other, when they are out, they still love to be on me and as a matter of fact sometimes they get into squabbles competing for my affections.
So even if i am not seen as their "mate", that does'nt mean they don't love me!

As far as the other one, he would much rather perfer not to be on me. He will tolerate it, but he is just as happy to not be the center of my attention.
I guess what im trying to say is, just because you have a bonded pair, does'nt mean it's any less rewarding than having a single one :)

Sharon

[Janie]

Hi and welcome! :)

I have three and the first was already around 7 when we adopted him four years ago. He was friendly from the first day and would step up and loved being on my shoulder. Because I wanted more, I did add two more 2 years ago, never expecting them to all three get along but in my case they do. All three are VERY bonded to me. I can't walk through their room w/o having all of them hopping on me. I did spend a lot of time with the new boys, individually and together, in the first month after I got them to be sure they'll consider me as part of their flock. They were hand fed and socialized when I bought them but if I had not spend a lot of time with them from the beginning, I'm sure they would have bonded to each other (only) and not to me.

I think a single bird getting a lot of attention is a happy bird but I am sure that my first lovie, Oliver, is a much happier bird since I've added the company of two more for him to enjoy. He still gets by far the most attention from me but he also let's me know that he's ready to go back to the bird room to see his buddies. I do want to make it clear that I do not have the three of them caged together, just together when they are out of their cages which is several hours every day. At night the younger boys share a cage, each with their own cozy, and Oliver has his own cage.

DNA sexing is definitely something to consider if you are going to have more than one bird and don't want to breed. Males generally get along better together than females. Since Oliver had never laid an egg when we got him it was safe to assume he was a male but I did have the other two DNA'd before I bought them so that I could be sure I was getting two more males. I think a hen would have upset the harmony here and decided I'd be better off adding boys.

[LauraO]

Welcome to the board! It's great you're reading up before your little one comes home:D .

Over the years, I've found it harder to make generalizations about lovebirds and their behavior. So it's hard to say if you get one or two birds what will happen. I have 18 lovies and most of them have mates, but most also spend time with my husband and I when we are around. If you get one lovie and you're home a lot and you raise them with kids they should be happy and well adjusted. If you get two lovies and spend time with them individually and together they could both love being on you and spending time with you while they are bonded to each other. A lot of members on this board start with one bird, build a trusting and loving relationship with them and then bring in another bird at a later date. The key, whatever your decision, is to spend as much time with them socializing and playing with them as possible. Lovebirds need ongoing attention to remain tame and happy members of the family.

To make things easier it's best to find a bird that's been well socialized. While many in the lovie world still believe handfed=tame, this is not true. Socialization is the key and it's easy to tell a bird that's been well socialized. They will be comforteable around you and humans when you go to pick them up or visit them. A bird that's scared and skittish at 8-10 weeks likely was not socialized by humans. You still need to build trust with a socialized bird but you are started miles ahead of those that have unsocialized birds.

Good Luck :D

[Lovie-NC]

Thanks for taking the time to provide me with such detailed responses ladies!
My children and I went to visit our little Remy today and found out that he will be ready to come home with us on Wednesday. We are very excited! I think I will wait on getting another lovie for now. I know that he is going to be getting plenty of attention. The store that I am getting him from did a great job in raising him, he is extremely cuddly and friendly! I will post pictures when he comes home!
Tanya

[butterfly1061]

Hi Tanya and welcome to the board. Here's my story - I started with one and one was all I thought I needed. HA! Then I got another and they didn't get along, so I got another. Well, the second and third got along until I got the fourth. Then the second and third broke it off and the second paired up with the fourth. Then the first and third became buddies. Then the second & fourth pair had babies I gave one away and kept two, so now I have 6. Whew! Did you get that? :lol

In all honesty, it does take time when you add birds after you've had one for a while. My first lovebird Molly has always been very bonded to me. Even though he is now buddies with Piper, he still considers me his mate. All my birds fly to me when I enter their room like Janie's do. I spend a lot of time with them and I really believe that's what helps them bond to you. Can't wait to see pictures of your new fid :D

[Mummieeva]

I would stick with one then see how it goes. I have had single and multiple lovebirds. My last 2 lovebirds were a mother /child pair of peach-faced and both were bonded to me and each other. Like someone said before it all depends on the bird. Some are happy ruling the flock of humans alone. Others want help in turning the humans into love-bird slaves.:rofl:

Steph

[Christine9]

Welcome!

I have five lovies, and out of all of my birds, my lovies are the most clingy when it comes to me. They play with each other, but they LOVE to climb all over me. I can't picture any of them being more bonded to me if they had me all to themselves. They are very social creatures and have no problem treating you as part of the flock.

[shylevon]

When you have ten lovebirds, you can only hope they will bond to each other and leave you alone. Some days I feel like I am covered with mosquitoes, all the little toenails poking into me. That's like 80 toenails at a time.

Birds will bond to whomever is there. They will see you as a flockmate if you present yourself as such and they will want to spend as much time with you as they do with any of the other birdies. It's like they just don't know any different.

[Janie]

When you have ten lovebirds, you can only hope they will bond to each other and leave you alone.



:rofl:

Shy, I could not agree more! With only three there are days I wanna scream, "Leave me alone!" :D

[LauraO]

When you have ten lovebirds, you can only hope they will bond to each other and leave you alone.

Truer words are rarely spoken;) . I know the last few mornings I've had ten plus birds on me biting me, my earings, each other, my clothes. They want to play, get kisses, get scritches, and it's all fun for a little while but then I'm happy they can leave me alone and have all that fun with their mates and flock8o 8o .

[Tango's_Mom]

Trust me, stick with one for now, you'll find ou tsoon enough that your hands are more than full.

But seriously, I have a single bird and he is very happy without the company of another bird, he is a real snuggle bug and is quite content to either be with me or do his own thing (some day's he's a velcro bird, other day's he's more independant).

[Eliza]

Trust me, stick with one for now, you'll find out soon enough that your hands are more than full.

I feel that way about Beetle some days :wink: Not that he's demanding or anything... It's just that some days make me think that bringing another lovie (or another parrot species, for that matter) would be MADNESS :lol


...he is a real snuggle bug and is quite content to either be with me or do his own thing (some day's he's a velcro bird, other day's he's more independant).

That describes Beetle almost to a T. I'd say that he's more independent overall than cuddly but he has his moments :blush:


Tanya, I have no doubt that you'll make the best decision for you family AND any parrot(s) that you bring into the home. Regardless of what you decide you must be sure to post pictures of Remy :evil: Folks get upset if they don't see photos :D

Best of luck,

-e-

[michael]

So I quess its possible that when I eventually add another lovie, they will each stand on a shoulder and argue over who's gonna get the most attention, whilst hair falls out and hearing loss sets into my weary head thats stuck in between them? I can handle it! Five or ten? Carry me away!

Tanya, I have a two and a half year old male lovebird named Goofy who's an only child. One reason I thought having another additional lovie (a prefered male) was in hopes of adding an overall quality of life to Goof's daily structure. Occasionally 8 hours will go by without any contact, and sometimes depending on socialization, toys and food and such don't always provide the stimulation that lovebirds need. Without children in the home or another family member I can count on I know he suffers from neglect/boredom, whichever you choose to call it. In mine and Goof's case an additional family member, whether they get along or not, may benefit in the long run and at least be interesting to all three of us in a sense. And I'm sure, depending on your views, it can be a positive experience either way.

Taking into consideration who will be caring for Remy, and for how long, may help in deciding whats best for everyone. Two birds will equal more time and care, but may be easier for one person to manage in the event the others may lose interest. And give some piece of mind that Remy is not going to be left all alone. We do understand most children and young adults don't have the best track record when pet care is involved, and lovebirds need plenty of care and love, and of course a lot of understanding. Please don't think I'm judging yours as I believe most of our children are perfect anyways, at least in our eye's. Lately I've been leaning towards the idea that lovebirds fair better in pairs, but I do know there are a few exceptions. At times the only difference me and Goof have are us humans being viviparous. Otherwise we have total fun together and he's a very happy individual. Granted if there were more humans around I might not consider another lovebird. Really though, how do we know? If we only knew what they were thinking.......Hope all goes well and welcome to the community..........Michael and Goofy

[Lovie-NC]

Thank you to everyone for your advice! We will be going this morning to pick Remy up, I will post pictures soon!
Tanya