what to do about my little birdie

[scooziee11]

i was wondering if any of you could help me...i am going away to college in a year and i'm not sure how my little Petrie will take this, since i can not take her with me. I was planning on leaving her with my parents or boyfriend who both Petrie is familar with and i know will take good care of her. but i was wondering if getting her a new friend whould maybe help. this way when i do have to leave she wont take it so badly, since i am the only one who cares and plays with her. also i thought maybe this would help my parents/boyfriend in not having to play with her as much as i do. i'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. please give me you feed back. thanks!

[dani]

Hi :)
well, I don't know Petrie personally, but if i was in your position, I'd leave her with either one who is able to spend more time with her. I think that someone interacting more and spending more time with her might be a better bet than adding another lovie. Keep in mind, she may not like the other lovie, or they may fight, and your bf or parents might not know what to do. This might complicate matters. I would advise you to get Petrie lots of toys. What you can do, is in the coming year, introduce Petrie gradually to your bf or parents. You have a bit of time, so this might ease the transition for her. Let them play with her, and interact with her more and more.
Hope this helps
Dani

[michael]

I agree with Dani. An additional lovebird could later develop into problems, even if they start out well in the beginning. Either way, that would increase the responsibility needed for proper care when your gone. My :2cents: is wait until you return, and when you can commit to giving time that doesn't include lengthly absences, then maybe think about an additional lovebird.........Take care......Michael and Goofy

[Janie]

Oliver's former owner going off to college is exactly how I ended up with him. Her parents did not want him and I happened to get lucky and be at their house at the right time....the day before she left.

I think you are very smart, thinking this far ahead, and I'm sure you'll figure out the best situation for her while you are away. As Dani and Michael said, adding another bird might not be the best solution, it's impossible to know that till you do it. I would want her to be with the person(s) who would give her the most attention. Good luck and keep us posted. :)

[scooziee11]

thanks for all your help. i do agree that it may cause problems bringing another bird in, but i had the chance to e-mail the breeder i got Petrie from and she says she doesnt think it would be a bad idea, then petrie would have a companion. i am still not sure about this...maybe the breeder just wants me to buy another one of her birds?

[Janie]

thanks for all your help. i do agree that it may cause problems bringing another bird in, but i had the chance to e-mail the breeder i got Petrie from and she says she doesnt think it would be a bad idea, then petrie would have a companion. i am still not sure about this...maybe the breeder just wants me to buy another one of her birds?

Well, there is no doubt about it, your breeder does stand to make a sale if you buy another bird. :D I would suggest this....if you're going to add one, do it sooner rather than later so that you have time to quarantine them, get to know the new one and to watch them together so that you'll know if they can be caged together.. You might end up leaving two birds, caged separately, next year but hey, what's one more? :D They could still be great company for each other, even in separate cages. :)

Do you know the sex of your bird (I know you refer to her as a girl but has she been DNA'd?) and if you do and you have a male, I'd get another male. Two males are more likely to get along than two females. If you have a hen and add a male and they get along and are caged together....WATCH OUT! You will end up with lots and lots of babies which I'm sure you wouldn't want to do when your getting ready to leave.

[Eliza]

Are you certain that you can't bring sweet Petrie to school with you? Back when I went to college housing allowed residents to have "finned and feathered" pets. For the most part people had betta tanks or budgies...
That said, I think that it's great that you are thinking ahead. Janie offered some great advice in regards to adding another bird to the picture and like her, I'd suggest doing that sooner rather than later (if you choose to do that after all).

Best of luck, regardless... both to Petrie and to you!

-e-

[scooziee11]

i wish i could bring her with me, but sadly i cant. we are only aloud fish..or things that are underwater. no birds. thank you all for your help. i still am unsure of what i am going to do. but i do ahve one last question...i have noticed lately that petrie is getting more territorial...for example when i put my hand in her cage to move a toy or to get her food she will sometimes attack my hand. or when i mess with one of her toys outside her cage she will stop what shes doing and come over to make me stop playing with her toy. she also likes corners of her cage...when she is in the corners you cant come near her without her getting mad. is this normal or is there something i could do to fix the problem.

[Pips mom]

Birds are not allowed in college dorms----I know of someone who tried and got caught and the bird had to leave----Some birds make noise, and can be loud----especially lovies! so, no they are not allowed. I also got my lovie from someone going away to college.

[Kathryn]

How old did you say Petrie is? Is your baby DNAed a female?
Sounds a little like nesty behavior. HMMMMM

[scooziee11]

How old did you say Petrie is? Is your baby DNAed a female?
Sounds a little like nesty behavior. HMMMMM

she is not DNAed a female but the breeder i got her from said she is most likely a girl...i dont remember what her reasoning was..somthing about feeling how far apart something is..idk.

[Mummieeva]

They probably based it on the pelvic spread. But that is only 50% chance of it working. I had a bird in the past they swore was male and turns out was female.lol.


Steph