Are my lovebirds gay?

[Sunny_Cloudy:)]

Hello everyone my lovebirds have been mating a lot and I’ve heard that they can mate with the same gender so I’ve assumed they are both males because there are no eggs and they’ve been mating for months and months more than half a year (I think) and it’s really picked up and at first I got so exited because I thought yay eggs! And baby lovebirds but then I realized no eggs might mean that their gay or something but my question is even if they are both boys would they mate so much and make a nest in their nesting box anyway one of my birds seemed a little sick and I thought maybe it was morning sickness LOL but do you think they are gay lovebirds who think they can have chicks or are they straight and can have chicks?

 

[Serin]

Mating for 6+ months without an egg suggests two bonded males but it is not guaranteed. I would not say they are gay, but that they have bonded. Many bonded pairs of either sex will mate.

 

[Garet]

Trust me, you do not want the stress of having a lovebird sitting on eggs. For your sake, I hope they're both boys. It's not just 'morning sickness', it's aggression- potentially both to you and their mate, protectiveness, stress, worrying, trying to check the nest without getting bitten, having to worry about whether or not they'll reject a baby and you'll have to feed it, worrying about your girl, losing out on time you could be spending with them, ect.

For me, personally, my girl's eggs came at just the wrong time, but I had no choice, since her old owner pulled her early and she immediately went back to laying, to the detriment of her health. Ciri died because she was overbred and her little body was too depleted to recover from it.

It also tends to shorten the life of your female bird and can lead to death from egg binding. Guzma lost his old mate before I got him due to egg complications.

 

[Mizzely]

They are bonded birds with needs They could be both female. Or both male. Or someone could be infertile.

 

[Begone]

I don't know why it is important to know if they are gay or not?

But if they are both males they are probably mating because they have no other choice.

because there are no eggs and they’ve been mating for months and months more than half a year (I think) and it’s really picked up and at first I got so exited because I thought yay eggs!

My first reaction is, what are you feeding them? And how many dark and silent sleeping hrs do they get every night?

 

[JLcribber]

my question is even if they are both boys would they mate so much and make a nest in their nesting box anyway

Because you are encouraging the behaviour by providing a nest box. Get rid of that first and foremost. You can't stop hormones but you can certainly artificially stimulate and prolong them with the environment you provide. Change their environment to "discourage" the behaviour.

Hormonal Behavior in Pet Birds - Introduction — For The Birds DVM — Avian Vet

 

[Sunny_Cloudy:)]

I’m feeding them a lovebird and cockatiel diet it’s just lots of seeds and grains I also give them veggies every night they are 1-2 years old and get an average of 9-10 hours of sleep every night

 

[Garet]

What about pellets? Do they have a cuttlebone and mineral block? Seeds and veggies might not be enough for them.

 

[Sunny_Cloudy:)]

Yes sorry the grain I mean as pellets and they’ve got a cuddle bone although I’m not sure how much their using it I don’t have a mineral block should I get one?

 

[Garet]

Because you are encouraging the behaviour by providing a nest box. Get rid of that first and foremost. You can't stop hormones but you can certainly artificially stimulate and prolong them with the environment you provide. Change their environment to "discourage" the behaviour.

Hormonal Behavior in Pet Birds - Introduction — For The Birds DVM — Avian Vet

Yes, this. I had to provide my female with a place to nest as she came to me already heavy with eggs. It's a night and day personality change between when she did and didn't have the nesting site. Even with her big, eggy butt she's been trying to seduce me, my boys, my dad, my girls, her reflection in the bathroom mirror, the bath bowl... I can't wait for her to be done sitting on those things so I can get rid of it and have my lovely girl back.

 

[Garet]

Yes sorry the grain I mean as pellets and they’ve got a cuddle bone although I’m not sure how much their using it I don’t have a mineral block should I get one?

I'd get one if you can find them. One of my girls doesn't like cuttlebones so much, but she's absolutely demolished her mineral block. I also have this dangly toy that has bits of cuttlebone and seashell in it. That might be a good way to introduce more calcium into their diets.

 

[Sunny_Cloudy:)]

Thanks everyone I would have no clue what to do if it wasn’t for you guys!

 

[nu2birds]

I have two boys (Lovebirds)........for sure (DNA tested) and they are regurgitating to each other right now, they dance around and spread their wings, but that is all they do. No nest building or attempted mating (that I've noticed). I do try and give them 10-12 hours of darkness at night. Now that the days are getting longer I am starting to gradually close blinds and get the room dark by 7:00 pm. I open blinds and get them up at 7:00 am, sometimes 6:30 am. I learned on this forum that increasingly longer days and a plentiful food supply is a recipe for hormones, breeding and generally more aggressiveness to varying extents.

 

[Begone]

and get an average of 9-10 hours of sleep every night

To little. Let them have 12 hrs and change their food and see what happens. But they will need some seeds every day so do not only give them pellets and veggies.

I learned on this forum that increasingly longer days and a plentiful food supply is a recipe for hormones, breeding and generally more aggressiveness to varying extents.

Yes sleep is very important. I do know when my birds had slept to little or slept bad, it is a big change in their behavior.

 

[Mizzely]

Yes sleep is very important. I do know when my birds had slept to little or slept bad, it is a big change in their behavior.

Same here. They are lil monsters!!

 

[LunaLovebird]

I would also very strongly recommend ditching the happy hut I see in your DP. It stimulates nesting as well, but the real danger is in the fact that they are known to kill birds (either by their getting tangled, or from crop impaction from ingesting the fibres).

 

[Sunny_Cloudy:)]

Oh god that’s awful they love it so much!

I would also very strongly recommend ditching the happy hut I see in your DP. It stimulates nesting as well, but the real danger is in the fact that they are known to kill birds (either by their getting tangled, or from crop impaction from ingesting the fibres).

 

[Garet]

Oh god that’s awful they love it so much!

You could always replace it with something that won't harm them. There are things like cuddle corners or soft fleece toys made out of more appropriate materials.

 

[Sunny_Cloudy:)]

I’m on a trip and someone else is watching them but I will replace it when I get home the material is like a fleece but tiny bit longer but I saw one that was more like fleece I will get it instead of the cozy hut

 

[LunaLovebird]

I would honestly just get rid of it and not bother replacing it. I’m personally not a fan of fleece because my birds chew, as lovebirds often do, and crop impaction due to ingested fibres is a real concern. They are perfectly happy with just a platform perch.