Hello dear birdie lovers and owners!

[Nomi]

Welcome to the avenue

Your birds are lovely (and cool names too!)


I have 2 pairs of bonded lovebirds but I do not have a situation like yours. The first pair I have, one was my ¨tame¨ cock who bonded with a hen I found. I have had a super hard time building an interactive relationship with her because she does not need me. Her male gives her all she needs. She will perch on my shoulder and occasionally treats me to stepping on my hand. My other pair are their first two offspring who grew and bonded to each other and so are ¨tame¨.

You say the previous owner of your birds says they were ¨tame¨ so hopefully you stand a good chance of having some sort of interactive relationship with them. It will take time and there´s no shortcuts. You are doing the right things, plenty of millet and occasional trickery Just be warned, there´s a fine line between tricking and forcing.

You didn´t state which sex. (Thunderpants sounds male and Mango female). Try to focus on the bird that is more interested in interacting, while not excluding the other (offer millet to both birds). Once one will come to you, the other will follow suit.

To start; Offer plenty of millet through the cage bars and don´t put any in their cage (like when you see some people hang whole sprigs in there). That way they associate you wth the millet because they have no other way of getting it. Once they know you bring millet you will notice they come over to you when you approach the cage. Eventually, when they are out of the cage, hold out the millet and in time they will come.

Be consistent. It could take weeks, but it could take months... or a year. The key will be to invest time into them and be patient

Good luck!

Thank you for your response!

I do not know the sex of the birds at this time. I do know however that Mango and Thunderpants have not laid eggs before. At this moment in time, I am assuming Mango is a female and Thunderpants is a male, because Mango is more bitey and aggressive, and Thunderpants is more shy and timid. When Thunderpants bites me, it is generally a weak bite and he will usually stop after a couple attempts. Mango is relentless and will chase my hand if it's inside their cage to try to bite me and it's that strong kind of piercing bite (ouchie!) .

They have started to mate a lot recently as well. So I guess I will find out soon if one of them ends up laying an egg?? :S

And thank you very much for the spray millet tip! I sometimes place a sprig into their food bowl for them to munch on. I will make sure to stop doing this, and ensure that they will only get spray millet when I'm around - feeding it directly to them .

I look forward to seeing how Mango and Thunderpants will hopefully slowly warm up to me!!! I will make sure to stay consistent.

I love them!!!!

 

[Nomi]

@Nomi are they flighted? Do you know the gender of both? Siblings?

Yes they are both flighted!
And good question.. I don't actually know whether they are siblings or not. I didn't think to ask this when I bought them off the previous owner 'doh!'
I don't know the sex of the birdies as well. I am hoping they are the same sex so I don't have to worry about them laying eggs

And btw - I think it is so sweet that your lovebird is bonded to your friend's lovebird! It is like they are dating each other and see each other only periodically

How truly endearing it is to see the affection between two lovebirds! It's quite phenomenal.

 

[DoubleTake]

Only reason I asked if they were siblings because that wont stop them if they are male and female.

If they are both females that wont stop them from laying eggs either.

How you interactions with them improved at all? Have you tried bribing them with millet?

 

[Zara]

They have started to mate a lot recently as well. So I guess I will find out soon if one of them ends up laying an egg?? :S

If they switch positions then it´s unlikely that they are a true pair (M / F).

Mango is relentless and will chase my hand if it's inside their cage to try to bite me and it's that strong kind of piercing bite (ouchie!) .

Just so you don´t start with high expectations, This may never change.
I have a really close relationship with my youngest hen Ade. She trusts me a lot. To greet her I pick her up in my hand, kiss the back of her neck while tilting my head back so I am looking straight up and she is laid back on my face..... but heaven forbid I put my hand in her cage and actually touch something!! She comes racing out of no where, beak open, charging like a Rhino!

 

[fashionfobie]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Nomi]

Only reason I asked if they were siblings because that wont stop them if they are male and female.

If they are both females that wont stop them from laying eggs either.

How you interactions with them improved at all? Have you tried bribing them with millet?

Question for you!

When female lovebirds lay eggs, is it just a 1 time thing? Or could a female lovebird lay eggs on a continuous basis?
I had two female lovebirds in the past that were not bonded with another lovebird, and I remember them laying eggs only once. But I have no other experience!

Thunderpants (the blue one) is definitely more meek and will eat spray millet while perched on my finger. I am able to have the two of them on a stick that I'm holding and have them eat millet out of my hands/fingers, with my fingers VERY close to their beak. So yes! I would say there has been some improvement, or trust building .

It's the impulsive/impatient side of me that of course wants to hold them and scratch their heads and everything because I was able to do this with past lovebirds I took care of. I know it'll be a very different journey with these guys though, but it's probably a good thing that I have to learn to be patient hah!

 

[Nomi]

If they switch positions then it´s unlikely that they are a true pair (M / F).


Just so you don´t start with high expectations, This may never change.
I have a really close relationship with my youngest hen Ade. She trusts me a lot. To greet her I pick her up in my hand, kiss the back of her neck while tilting my head back so I am looking straight up and she is laid back on my face..... but heaven forbid I put my hand in her cage and actually touch something!! She comes racing out of no where, beak open, charging like a Rhino!

Yes they do switch positions!!! They're going at it everyday.

Good to know about your interaction with your birdie Ade! It sounds very sweet how you can have her lie on your face! It must be so rewarding and satisfying to have a trust bond that strong with one of your birds .

I shall remain patient, be consistent and keep feeding spray millet with my hands .

I have another question if you don't mind! - Do you let your birdies sit on your head? Mango and Thunderpants sometimes like to fly onto my head and play with my hair. I read on a different website that it could be a dominance thing, and maybe should not be encouraged. Although on the other hand some other users were stating the opposite. Do you have any experience with this?

Thank you!!

 

[DoubleTake]

Question for you!

When female lovebirds lay eggs, is it just a 1 time thing? Or could a female lovebird lay eggs on a continuous basis?
I had two female lovebirds in the past that were not bonded with another lovebird, and I remember them laying eggs only once. But I have no other experience!

Thunderpants (the blue one) is definitely more meek and will eat spray millet while perched on my finger. I am able to have the two of them on a stick that I'm holding and have them eat millet out of my hands/fingers, with my fingers VERY close to their beak. So yes! I would say there has been some improvement, or trust building .

It's the impulsive/impatient side of me that of course wants to hold them and scratch their heads and everything because I was able to do this with past lovebirds I took care of. I know it'll be a very different journey with these guys though, but it's probably a good thing that I have to learn to be patient hah!

Females start to lay around 2 years of age. Lovebirds can breed every season so it is possible the hen could keep laying every season. My lovebird's "girl friend(3 years old now)" started to lay eggs around this time last year. Since then she has laid two more times, 3 egg clutch each time. I've talked to some owners at the store I volunteer at and theirs may lay an egg every few years. It also depends on the environment you give your birds. Some may always be chronic egg layers. Others if you provide them with nests and nesting material, it may make them hormonal and want to lay which is why it isnt recommended to give a female bird a nest/hole/coconut or anything it can burrow in since it will promote that behavior. The scariest part for me is when my Loki starts to lay, I have to worry about egg binding.

I think with your birds being already bond it is going to take quite a bit of work to get head scritches or cuddling. I hope it happens for you but all we can do is hope for the best.

 

[LynnInColorado]

 

[Nomi]

I think with your birds being already bond it is going to take quite a bit of work to get head scritches or cuddling. I hope it happens for you but all we can do is hope for the best.

Yes I hope so too!
I've seen Thunderpants (the blue one) warm up to me a bit more this past week! The spray millet is allowing me to have Thunderpants sit on my finger for quite some time (5-10 minutes) and he even 'allows' or isn't too bothered with me giving quick kisses on his back while he's eating the millet. A couple days ago he also flew onto my shoulder, and sat there for some time on his own too. It was a sweet moment!

Have a lovely week with your birdie friends!