Is there best cage for lovebirds???

[Rainbowings]

I wonder why the original owner paired the parents? Ugh Just hoping the babies will be alright now. This makes them more susceptible to health issues, right?

 

[Rainbowings]

Ordering a cage here soon after some more research! Everyone still seems totally happy & healthy for now. It seems like Moose & Blue are bonding a bit more than Sprout since Sprout is littler. They aren't mean to Sprout, just more able to connect with each other. I will play it by ear as they get older.

Took some more pictures as well, including Moose's little butt lol! Look at those gorgeous blue tailfeathers coming in! Sprout's eyes are more open too. And Blue turns out to be green after all oops

 

[Leih]

Look at those little cuties! I secretly want another lovebird but I don't think I have the time for another, so it's best to stick with one.

 

[Zara]

And Blue turns out to be green after all oops

Hehe it's not the worst. My grandads back labrador was called BLUE. They are beautiful!! But are those pics from the same day? Like, is that the size difference between the 3?!

 

[Rainbowings]

Yep same day pics!!! The difference between Moose & Sprout is huge! They obviously hatched a few days apart but Sprout is catching up fast.

Moose is barely pecking at millet & trying to climb out of the nesting box already & I don't want him/her to fall & hurt him/herself... But Blue is still content in the box & Sprout is still pretty little & unfeathered.

SO what should I do guys? Do I remove Moose into a separate cage & keep Blue & Sprout with the parents OR move everyone into an open brooder type setup inside the parents' cage until Sprout is on solids?

 

[Rainbowings]

Here's more pics from today too! Moose, Blue mid blink lol, & Sprout

 

[Zara]

Wow that's a BIG difference in the chicks. I have a similar prob, the 3 eldest are growing well, eyes open etc however the youngest is extremely small .

 

[Rainbowings]

Sorry you're having the same issue. Currently finding that the parents are starting to ignore the smallest, Sprout. They are more interested in the older 2 who can play & wander the cage a bit. I supplement feed Sprout about 3-4 times a day & it eats plenty but I still worry! Especially concerned I'm keeping him/her warm enough. The older 2 have already paired off & left Sprout out. Not sure what to do about that! May have to either find Moose & Blue a home or Sprout a home. Was hoping all the chicks would get on as a trio but not looking that way.

 

[Zara]

Sorry you're having the same issue. Currently finding that the parents are starting to ignore the smallest, Sprout. They are more interested in the older 2 who can play & wander the cage a bit. I supplement feed Sprout about 3-4 times a day & it eats plenty but I still worry! Especially concerned I'm keeping him/her warm enough. The older 2 have already paired off & left Sprout out. Not sure what to do about that! May have to either find Moose & Blue a home or Sprout a home. Was hoping all the chicks would get on as a trio but not looking that way.

It was inevitable that 2 would pair and leave the third one out. You can decide how many birds you want to keep and rehome some or all the chicks. All 4 of mine will be rehomed, I had decided from the start I could not keep any. My friend is coming to pick up 2 birds on the 27th/28th.

Yes Sprout is rather small. I´m also concerned about warmth, my smallest is smaller than sprout but mine has a pal to snuggle up to. I don´t know the answer to that but I´d love to know how you get on. Maybe some sort of fleece or soft fluffy warm fabric for him to sleep in? (in the warmest part of your home)

When I bought Sydney and Jaime they were both younger than Blue is. I fed them formula and weened them. And your eldest is old enough to go to a new home if you wanted to rehome them. Sprout is still too little.

If you took the elder 2 out of the nest, the parents would snuggle with sprout and keep him warm and also feed him as there would be no competition for food. I think that would be a good idea.

 

[Zara]

I just checked. Yes Sydney was younger than Blue is when I got him/her. But my Jaime was actually older, more like moose is.

 

[Rainbowings]

Very cute babies! I hope everyone is getting on okay in this current clutch! I just got the DNA sexing results back. Moose is a girl, Blue is a boy & Sprout is also a boy.... So now confused how to pair them off. Keeping Moose & Blue together is now a bad idea me thinks lol! I hate separating them but I don't think I have a choice now.

I definitely need to decide something soon as far as pairing & who to keep I know. I think keeping them all is out of the question at this point unfortunately. Makes me sad. I just want to make sure it's a good permanent home

 

[Zara]

Blue and Sprout would be good together as theyre both male. How did you do DNA test? How long did it take?

I´m not keeping mine, but I´m not selling them either. 2 will go to my friend and I still have´t got a home for the second 2. I´m hoping I can find another friend to take them. I had a few people showing interest however I didn´t want to promise them to someone incase they didn´t make it. Once my youngest is growing well, I will find them a home.

I´m sure it will be sad giving them away but as long as they go to a good home where they will be loved it will be ok
You could keep them all, but they would need an extra cage... I have 5. Aldora +Jaime the parents and their first 2 chicks Nube and Lapis, and I also have Sydney, unrelated. I have 3 cages. (I have 4 cages but one is my ´´travel cage´´ aka small cage that i have so i use in the car or for new babies etc)

 

[Rainbowings]

I got the DNA testing online here in the U.S. but there are other companies, one in Spain I saw on Amazon.com. with mine, I entered the name & species online, then chose the collection type. The choices were eggshell, blood, or feathers. I collected the blood onto the printed sheet by nipping their nails just a bit into the quick to make it bleed. Then I mailed the samples out. Got the results in about 8 days or so total. It was really easy, though having to cause the babies discomfort was not nice! It was probably more stressful to me than them though lol

I am thinking I will find Moose a home & keep Blue & Sprout but I will see how things unfold. I really bonded with Moose so it's really hard for me but I don't want her to be the odd bird out, stuck in a cage by herself.

 

[Zara]

I found a place online that does DNA testing but I´m too soft to pull feathers out soooo. I´ll just leave it. Time will tell

It is only natural to bond to the chicks... I´m scared of the attachment I have to my youngest. The constant checking on him and caring for him. Hence no names for mine. I refer to them by number. The youngest is called Number 9.
I didn´t name the last 2 birds either. Only when my man said he wanted to keep them I started to even think about names, plus by then they had their feathers so the mutations were showing. I called one of the chicks ´´Nube´´ -it means cloud, I´m sure you can tell which one he is by looking at the photo.

My Sydney lives alone. I thought he was male but recently I had been thinking she is female... Sydney was my first and lives alone so I bought a harness and take him out with me. It´s a working progress, and It is my goal this year to get Sydney confortable in the harness. I wish I´d got one years ago when he was a baby, I´m sure it would have been easier but hey ho

 

[Zara]

 

[Rainbowings]

That's so awesome! I've heard about people free flying as well but I'm too, err chicken lol! I will look into harness training though if I do end up keeping the boys! I love that Sydney has that kind of freedom. So wonderful!

 

[Zara]

I don´t know if lovebirds are a good bird to free fly, especially bonded birds (an untame bird wont come back) You will have to research that
It´s nice to get Sydney out and about. My other birds all have a buddy. Sydney has noone so I want him to join me when I´m out walking. We´ve only been out a couple of times, hopefully he´ll get more confortable and I´ll be able to take him out even more.

 

[Zara]

I don't know if I mentioned before, but just and FYI if your birds do end up with more chicks, it is highly unlikely they will be blue. They will be green. Green is dominant and blue is recessive. Hense why you have green babies.
Also you could tell before the feathers come through. Yellow down is a green bird. Grey or white down is a blue bird. Thats why our chicks look different.
Sprout is a green series lovebird.

 

[DoubleTake]

Lovebirds don't make good free flyers, even if recall trained they are stubborn enough to say eh... maybe later.

 

[Rainbowings]

I have no plans at all for free flying just think it's nice for birds who aare trained for it. But I do want to look into harness training!

I actually went off of the down coloring when I named Blue! He was much paler & more whitish than any of the other chicks, which is why the green was a shock lol... I definitely was expecting blue but love him either way. I was reading on hybridization & different markings. I *think* daddy Sunny is a pied??? Which from what I understand is like the mere mutation in dogs- it removes bits of color from the main coat. Basically like splashing bleach on a colored shirt for example. I'm thinking maybe that caused some of my confusion with Blue. He is a touch lighter than Moose even still. No green is showing through on Sprout yet but I know he is not Lutino as I don't think his eyes are red... but if I understand, the pied mutation can even cause full yellow in lovebirds. But yellow is not the same as full Lutino of course