Don't know if I should get my lovebird a mate?

[andrea_45]

Hello!
So I've been looking around through posts here that are related to this topic, but I would prefer to seek out advice that is specific to my situation. I was recently gifted a male masked lovebird, and I have had him for about four months. I'm not sure exactly how old he is, but I was told he was still small. I used to have another masked lovebird named Finn who unfortunately passed away about three years ago, and I feel like my family wanted to give me this new bird after I had some time to heal. I was extremely attached to Finn, and his passing was really hard to get through. What they didn't think about when they got me my new bird, Yoshi, was the fact that I'm moving away from home to go to school in August and I can't take Yoshi with me I know for a fact that my family won't give him the attention he deserves, so I'm really thinking about getting him a mate so he does not feel lonely. I only have two months to do this, so I don't know if that is enough time for Yoshi and a new lovebird to get accustomed to each other, or if they ever will?
If I do get him one, should it be another masked face lovebird, and what sex is best recommended?
I'd really appreciate any advice

Here's a pic of my little baby, Yoshi ​

 

[RawPasta]

Do you want Yoshi to be able to be handled? Because getting another lovebird will rule that out if you house them together. Also, there's really no way of knowing if Yoshi and another bird will get along and not end up injuring (or worse) each other. I've heard only Male cluch-mates should be housed together. I'm sure others have more experience with lovebirds and can weigh in.

 

[Garet]

Do you want Yoshi to be able to be handled? Because getting another lovebird will rule that out if you house them together. Also, there's really no way of knowing if Yoshi and another bird will get along and not end up injuring (or worse) each other. I've heard only Male cluch-mates should be housed together. I'm sure others have more experience with lovebirds and can weigh in.

That's not true. I have m/m and m/f pairs who are still very happy to spend time with me. It takes consistent handling on the human's part, but it's do-able.

And only m/m clutchmates? Males are easier to "pair off" and siblings are more likely to get along, but I've had lots of success with m/m pairs.

With my boys, they seem to readily move in together. My girls are far more picky and territorial, one will not tolerate any other bird near her cage. @andrea_45 Try finding another male eye ring lovebird and see how they get along after quarantine.

 

[RawPasta]

That's not true. I have m/m and m/f pairs who are still very happy to spend time with me. It takes consistent handling on the human's part, but it's do-able.

And only m/m clutchmates? Males are easier to "pair off" and siblings are more likely to get along, but I've had lots of success with m/m pairs.

With my boys, they seem to readily move in together. My girls are far more picky and territorial, one will not tolerate any other bird near her cage. @andrea_45 Try finding another male eye ring lovebird and see how they get along after quarantine.

Thank you for the info. This is what I've always been told, so it's nice to hear differently from someone with experience re: lovebirds. I've only had a lovebird for a short time, I have much more experience with other types of birds. Thank you for correcting that info @Garet

 

[JaclynBin]

I think it's very doable to add another lovebird to the mix - but keep in mind that you're running low on introduction time if you're planning on quarantining the new bird.

You will probably have better luck with another of the eye ring subspecies but you don't necessarily need to rule out a peachfaced. I would recommend getting another male if you don't think you're family will be as involved as otherwise they may need to be more on the ball with watching for eggs or you can end up with a whole lot more lovies.

Additionally, I don't know what housing your guy is in but I would try to get the biggest cage you can for housing a pair. Mine are bonded and cuddle/preen each other but they're lovebirds and are still kind of temperamental - so it wouldn't hurt for them to be able to give each other space when they need it. Especially if they're not going to get a lot of out of cage time.

 

[nu2birds]

I think your best chance would be to get another male...........but even then Lovebirds are notorious for not getting along if they don't choose their own friend/mate. It appears Garet has had some luck, but he is still at home and he interacts with those birds all the time and there is more than one cage (they can visit and go in and out with the doors open. It sounds like your parents might not have the interest or time to watch the birds closely. I have two boys that live together........but they were siblings and have never been apart. Good luck with your decision, he IS adorable, that's for sure.

 

[nu2birds]

Maybe you will find that after your first year you might find a way to be able to keep Yoshi with you. I knew two people in Nursing school that each kept birds in the dorm. One had a Parakeet and one had two little finches. Both moved out from the dorms in the second year into housing. But they didn't have to fly back and forth to college, they had cars and could drive home with their birds in their car. Not sure how far your commute to school will be.