will they be friends ???

[ergunm]

Hello, I am new to lovebirds, it has been a bit over 3 months since we got our first lovie. Since there are lots of experienced owners here I wanted to ask some recommendations and also share my experience.

I have two lovebirds now, first one Totto, maybe he, is about 5.5 months old. And the new one, Ringo, is just 2 months old. I keep them in separate cages, but I am hoping that they will be friends so we can get them out at the same time.

It has been 2 weeks since we got Ringo. So far Ringo seems to be a fearless little bird. After she got home she got adapted nearly immediately and was never afraid of us. She got on my hand the second day and wants to get out of cage.

So far inside the cages they are doing fine. As I understand lovebirds take time to get used to other lovebirds, so I gave my older one some time. But since they are very young and doing fine so far this weekend I tried to get both of them out.

It went kind of ok, but with some twist. I was watching out my older bird if he attacks the younger one, but Totto was actually acting very nice, moving slowly to younger one and slowly trying to touch. To my surprise, it was actually the younger one who was a bit aggressive. She looked like she is attacking and aiming his feet, then he got scared and fly away. She tried to chase him but she is no match to him at flying yet so came back tired. Then he came back near her and same thing happened again. To prevent any accident I put them back in their cages. I think Totto is interested to be friends but Ringo doesn't seem to care.

Is it just because she is too young? or do they need more time?

another question is actually if they start to get along. My intention is to keep them in separate cages, but if they like each other, will they want to live in the same cage?

Pictures of both of them attached.


Thanks!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

I think the young one has made his/her feelings clear! Don't push them. I've never seen a lovie change stance on disliking another bird. They're known for being quite territorial and aggressive towards other birds. I can only sort of trust 2 of mine around each other. The rest, not a chance. You may always have to keep them separate. They are both lovely.

(Watch the toes! They love biting each other's toes and most of them will very quickly move to do as much damage as they can to any offending toes on their cage. They will go to great lengths to endanger their own toes for the cause of pestering another bird, too.)

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome! Your lovies are cute!

 

[JaclynBin]

I think that your younger one has chosen you over your other lovebird. At this point, you can work to get these two to build up a tolerance to each other but I'm not sure they'll be conventional friends.

I'd maybe refrain from allowing them to have direct physical contact until your more familiar with their body language and personalities such that you can trust them both to behave.

My two were purchased at different times as well and the older was definitely not a fan of the younger. I began to put their bowls side by side (from different sides of a cage wall) during feeding times in the hopes of associating positive outcomes with each others presence. After a while, I began to allow their out-times to coincide by smaller, yet increasing increments of time, while ensuring that they both had their respective stands and toys to play with. After this, I began to start giving them treats while they were positioned a few feet from each other, then began closing the gap.

Nowadays, they still squabble but they're both mostly flighted (the younger is still growing in his flight feathers from his sad store clipping) and I know that one will back down and that it's mostly all threat. I try to dissipate territoriality by alternating their cages every once in a while and buying multiples of the same toy so I can distract them if they're being little bossy jerks to each other. It seems to be working for us - the two seem to enjoy each other's company and will preen each other but I refuse to put them in the same cage, because they can be such an aggressive species and I don't trust them to be civil when confined to smaller spaces.

Again, it's important to be able to read your birds - I can differentiate between times that my birds are really getting on each other's nerves and might ultimately get aggressive and when they're simply messing around and can act accordingly. This might take time for you to learn to observe, particularly in such young and developing birds.

Kind of a novel here, but the main point is to really take your time in the introductions if you think it can still be done without any harm coming to either birds, otherwise it can still be nice for them to just squeak at the other from different cages as a form of interaction.

Good luck with your little lovies!

 

[ergunm]

Thanks for the replies!

I will give them more time, let's see how it will turn out. When older one was 2-3 months old he was aggressive against my daughter and wife, but now he is ok. Hopefully younger one will also change, but now I understand I should be prepared if she doesn't change at all.

I also put their bowls side by side very close to each other. They are eating at the same time and the daily volume they both eat seems ok, so at least they are not stressed about being close.

Thanks for the warnings about the toes, we need to be careful about that.

 

[nu2birds]

I totally agree with everything Jaclyn says............also, where as you might have had a chance with two of them in the same cage if you had brought them both home at the same time and introduced them both to the new cage together, there might have been a chance of them getting along in that cage together. Your newest and youngest bird is kind of acting like a female already.........but there is no way to tell without DNA or a little "eggy" present someday on the floor, LOL. Good luck with them. I am in the process of visiting breeders right now to see where I am going to get my Lovey or Lovey's from. from.

 

[LunaLovebird]

I certainly wouldn't try and cage them together until they are a decent amount older and settled in a bit. You can try having them out together (slowly), but make sure there is enough for each of them to do independent of one another so you can minimise the chance of fights breaking out. Don't rush it.

 

[ergunm]

Lately they are doing better in separate cages next to each other. More and more I see them being very close at the other sides of the bars and looking and talking to each other. But I am not taking them out at the same time lately. Actually the younger one caught a cold and will drink medicine until weekend, after she gets better I will try again. In the meantime, older one once again started regurgitating on my thumb, he is not successful but trying, so not sure how it will go...

@LunaLovebird, I think our pair will look very similar to Luna & Anakin when they get a bit older

 

[LunaLovebird]

Lately they are doing better in separate cages next to each other. More and more I see them being very close at the other sides of the bars and looking and talking to each other. But I am not taking them out at the same time lately. Actually the younger one caught a cold and will drink medicine until weekend, after she gets better I will try again. In the meantime, older one once again started regurgitating on my thumb, he is not successful but trying, so not sure how it will go...

@LunaLovebird, I think our pair will look very similar to Luna & Anakin when they get a bit older

I'm sorry to hear about your little one being sick. Yes, they will look similar, though Anakin is a different mutation to your Ringo and is more yellow-green than olive green.

 

[ergunm]

you are right, she is darker in color. and Totto is a bit lighter than Luna.

Ringo recovered in around a week, and both of them are doing fine, so I tried getting them out together again.

this time it worked out much better. they didnt seem to be figthing, but just trying to get along. and this morning I noticed that older Totto is maybe getting too friendly. I saw that he is moving around Ringo with rapid steps and making clicking sounds. after that he tried to mount her.... she didnt let that happen, but she didnt fly away either. most of the time they were very close.

I dont know Ringo is he or she but anyway she is still too young. Totto is really acting like a he. I dont intend to cage them together, but not sure what happens if they end up bonding each other. if I get them out separately they are still coming to me and playing.

 

[LunaLovebird]

you are right, she is darker in color. and Totto is a bit lighter than Luna.

Ringo recovered in around a week, and both of them are doing fine, so I tried getting them out together again.

this time it worked out much better. they didnt seem to be figthing, but just trying to get along. and this morning I noticed that older Totto is maybe getting too friendly. I saw that he is moving around Ringo with rapid steps and making clicking sounds. after that he tried to mount her.... she didnt let that happen, but she didnt fly away either. most of the time they were very close.

I dont know Ringo is he or she but anyway she is still too young. Totto is really acting like a he. I dont intend to cage them together, but not sure what happens if they end up bonding each other. if I get them out separately they are still coming to me and playing.

Totto looks to be the same colour, Luna is just a bit older and has been through a few moults.

They sound a lot like my two. I brought Anakin home from the rescue when Luna was about 5 months old. He's an older bird, though we don't know by how much. After quarantine, I introduced them officially to one another and it took all of a few minutes before I saw Luna present herself to him. I've always kept them in separate but neighbouring cages. Luna is just too feisty with Anakin. He seems to prefer the peace. She refuses to mate-bond with him, although they do sometimes mate, and will nip his feet if she feels like he's trying to take her food. She used to go out of her way to chase him and bite his ankles when she was younger. Anakin would only squawk at her and try to get away. She's calmed down a lot since (probably due to age), and they are pretty good friends and tolerates him in her cage when he chooses to go into it while having out time, although Luna does still occasionally go after his feet. She doesn't fully bite him, but it's enough that when it happens she gets separated from him in her cage.

If they do bond, I would cage them together to reduce stress, but probably not until after they've reached maturity. Get them sexed if you can.

 

[ergunm]

that is a very nice case, good friends but no mate-bond. did your Luna lay eggs?

I will ask the DNA test next time I visit the vet. I was thinking I will eventually find out, but I guess I need to be prepared if I have a hen-hen.

 

[LunaLovebird]

that is a very nice case, good friends but no mate-bond. did your Luna lay eggs?

I will ask the DNA test next time I visit the vet. I was thinking I will eventually find out, but I guess I need to be prepared if I have a hen-hen.

Not yet. She's two in September, so I may not see eggs for a while. She has been through hormonal stages twice now, and is currently in the midst of trying to strip everything she can for a nest. Luckily for me, she's absolutely hopeless at it.

 

[ergunm]

Ringo gave some blood this weekend for DNA test, we will know the result in two weeks, lets see if I have a hen and need to deal with hormonal changes and egg laying later...

In the meantime my lovies are still trying to adapt each other. It is funny to watch them.

It seems older Totto decided that he likes her, and now he is trying different tacticts to gain trust.

First he was too pushy, trying to be close and trying to jump on her at every chance. It didnt work.

Then he started to try to feed her. Bobing his head up and down and trying to regurgitate. Bu he doesnt seem to be good at it, I never seen any food come out. So, same result.

Now he gave up on feeding her, but started preening her instead. This one seems to be working better. At least he is allowed to do it for a while

 

[ergunm]

Hi,

We have confirmed that Ringo is a she. Totto is not DNA tested, but I guess it is nearly sure that Totto is a he.

So far they are getting along ok. I see he is preening her, but never saw she is preening him. And he is still trying to regurgitate for her as well.

But sometimes Totto is getting too excited, making clicking sounds and trying mount her. She seems to get angry when he does that and things doesnt go that well, I am separating them if this happens.

Should I do something to dissuade him from getting into mating mode? I read that I could try to reduce the food I give and shorten his days, would this work? Any advice on this?


Thanks.

 

[ergunm]

Totto and Ringo after having a bath together... their relation is still complicated, but doing much better together lately. maybe they will be very good friends soon