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First bird Lovebird, second bird?

Littlelovebird

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Hello!
I currently have a very social and clingy fisher loverbird. She is a hen, about 2yrs now. Only had lovebirds before. Would really like to get another bird at some point, maybe a bigger one. My question here is there a species that goes along better than another with lovebirds?

Ive always dreamed of having a caique or a quaker but read that they can be aggressive with other birds, so wondering if thats a big no no? Is that true? Anyone experience it? Or anyone currently has lovebirds getting along with other species that they would suggest?

any experience, stories or tips with lovebirds in same home as other species would be welcome!!
Thanks guys!
 

Gigibirds

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If you want your lovebird to be friends with the new bird, then get another lovebird. Otherwise I have lovebirds and about a billion other pets and birds, and they don’t interact with each other or care about each other. They are fine! There can be issues with a bigger bird’s dust though, and hopefully someone will be able to say more than that about it!! But good luck! :)
 

birdy.929

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i got my lovebird as my first bird, then about a year + a half later i got my green cheek. they are very bonded to each other and love each other very much. i would be wary of the aggressive tendencies of lovebirds, but my conure is actually the bully of the two (they would never actually hurt each other though!!). i would just make sure you have the proper arrangements to have separate cages, playtimes, and even rooms if they don’t get along. also, when you bring home your second bird, follow proper quarantine and socialization procedures to make the transition easier on both birds!
 

Littlelovebird

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i got my lovebird as my first bird, then about a year + a half later i got my green cheek. they are very bonded to each other and love each other very much. i would be wary of the aggressive tendencies of lovebirds, but my conure is actually the bully of the two (they would never actually hurt each other though!!). i would just make sure you have the proper arrangements to have separate cages, playtimes, and even rooms if they don’t get along. also, when you bring home your second bird, follow proper quarantine and socialization procedures to make the transition easier on both birds!
Great thanks!!

yeah of course I would separate them in different cages and rooms and would follow up quarantine and socialization procedures!

i was actually considering a conure too so thats nice to read that you have a good experience with lovebird and conure!
 

Momo & Mido

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I think, when you want what is best for your bird, another lovebird would be best. Otherwise you will very likely end up with two lonely birds. Plus there is big safety risk. As you know lovebirds can be sassy, and towards another, maybe bigger bird, could be catastrophic. Sorry, this might not be a very positive response. But I think I need to tell you. A lot of people before you have asked this question (here on AA) before. Even I was wondering about that when I adopted my lovebird. But your best bet (for your bird) would be to stick with lovebirds IMO
Just read about it. There is a lot of info about it, especially on this forum. Good luck!
 

Zara

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If you are getting the bird to be a buddy for your bird, then get a Fischeri lovebird.

If you are getting the second bird for you because you just want a second bird and think that perhaps your lovebird might like to vocalise with the other bird from their own cages back and forth, then get any smaller bird you feel is a good fit for you and your lifestyle.

If it were me, I would go for the Fischeri. But I like to have lovebirds in pairs, even though I haven´t had success 100% of the time introducing birds.
 

Littlelovebird

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I think, when you want what is best for your bird, another lovebird would be best. Otherwise you will very likely end up with two lonely birds. Plus there is big safety risk. As you know lovebirds can be sassy, and towards another, maybe bigger bird, could be catastrophic. Sorry, this might not be a very positive response. But I think I need to tell you. A lot of people before you have asked this question (here on AA) before. Even I was wondering about that when I adopted my lovebird. But your best bet (for your bird) would be to stick with lovebirds IMO
Just read about it. There is a lot of info about it, especially on this forum. Good luck!
Thats good to know.

I definitely don't want a second lovebird to be honest and Ive only had Fischers in the past. I love them! They are little cuddly demons but I do not want them to mate and become uninterested with humans. If I were to get another lovebird that would be to get Skittles a buddy if we could not take her out as long or often anymore for example. Thats not really the case.

We are simply interested in getting a new bird in the family at some point and are looking into it slowly to make sure we pick the right one when the time comes. If they get along thats great! But if they don't that would be ok too. However, I don't want to worry about finding one dead every time I turn around so if theres two species that are known to get along better than others that would be interesting to know. I often see pictures and videos of different species cuddling or playing together so I understand that theres a risk of course but it seems to be possible too to have multiple birds or different sizes and species.
 

Littlelovebird

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If you are getting the bird to be a buddy for your bird, then get a Fischeri lovebird.

If you are getting the second bird for you because you just want a second bird and think that perhaps your lovebird might like to vocalise with the other bird from their own cages back and forth, then get any smaller bird you feel is a good fit for you and your lifestyle.

If it were me, I would go for the Fischeri. But I like to have lovebirds in pairs, even though I haven´t had success 100% of the time introducing birds.
Im definitely not looking for a buddy for her! Just a new addition to the family!
Im not sure that I understand why you would suggest a smaller bird if its for me? Im not against having a smaller bird and considered a Toui or even a Serin! But I dont understand what you mean and why I would need to limit the choice to small bird size if its for me?
 

Zara

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Im not sure that I understand why you would suggest a smaller bird if its for me? Im not against having a smaller bird and considered a Toui or even a Serin! But I dont understand what you mean and why I would need to limit the choice to small bird size if its for me?
It´s usually safer to keep birds with similar beak sizes.
Having a larger bird could be doable, but you would have to be very strict about checking they cannot escape from their cages, cannot interact physically at all, and keep them separated completely.
 

Littlelovebird

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It´s usually safer to keep birds with similar beak sizes.
Having a larger bird could be doable, but you would have to be very strict about checking they cannot escape from their cages, cannot interact physically at all, and keep them separated completely.
Yes thats not an issue. As I said Im not looking necessarily for a buddy. Im not the only person in the household as well so its definitely easy to create a routine with specific play time for each in different rooms while having a rotation with the family members to make sure the birds are social with everyone.
I actually got other feedback on another group from a lot of people with different size birds that are bonding well and cohabiting well. so while there is a risk, it seems that it works well in some families and is not as rare as one would expect. Im currently in contact with them to learn more about their experience so that should help. So far a lot of people have good experience with both lovebirds and conures in the same house. A few with quakers. So its definitely interesting to learn more about their experience! One of the main tip they give is usually to have them young at the same time so while thats not exactly my case its definitely a good tip to know
 

Zara

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a lot of people with different size birds that are bonding well and cohabiting well. so while there is a risk, it seems that it works well in some families and is not as rare as one would expect.
I don´t doubt that ... but are me and you going to be the ones to try, and potentially end up being one of the unsuccessful tragic stories? I know I won´t be.

So far a lot of people have good experience with both lovebirds and conures in the same house.
There´s quite a few folk here on AA with these two birds in the same house @birdy.929 (above) @Leih @Peachfaced @DoubleTake and more :)
When I said above about a ¨smaller bird¨, I meant like a conure, something that´s a similar size/beaksize to your lovebird - I just reread it and it sounded like I was saying to get a bird smaller than a lovebird, which is not what I meant, I just worded it poorly.
 

Leih

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Lovebird hens are notoriously aggressive, as I'm sure you know. I have a female personata and a male black capped conure. They are both very bonded to me and they tolerate each other, but they definitely aren't best friends. They have come a long way in the past few months. I still have to be mindful of jealousy in both over me, but we can now hang out all three together and they will mostly leave each other alone. The best attitude is to assume they won't get along, but if they do its a bonus. I'll never be able to house them together, and nor do I actually want to, so it all works out for us. Even though they aren't best friends, they're still flock mates and benefit from having the other around.
 

Littlelovebird

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I don´t doubt that ... but are me and you going to be the ones to try, and potentially end up being one of the unsuccessful tragic stories? I know I won´t be.


There´s quite a few folk here on AA with these two birds in the same house @birdy.929 (above) @Leih @Peachfaced @DoubleTake and more :)
When I said above about a ¨smaller bird¨, I meant like a conure, something that´s a similar size/beaksize to your lovebird - I just reread it and it sounded like I was saying to get a bird smaller than a lovebird, which is not what I meant, I just worded it poorly.
Ahh maybe we just misunderstood each other indeed . I wasnt referring necessarily to a really big size bird! I definitely dont have the experience for that anyway! But conures could be a good fit Ive always been quite interested by those!
In my case yes Im definitely gonna try it!I just wanna make sure to get all the good advice to make sure its as safe as possible and that I pick the right one!
 

Littlelovebird

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Lovebird hens are notoriously aggressive, as I'm sure you know. I have a female personata and a male black capped conure. They are both very bonded to me and they tolerate each other, but they definitely aren't best friends. They have come a long way in the past few months. I still have to be mindful of jealousy in both over me, but we can now hang out all three together and they will mostly leave each other alone. The best attitude is to assume they won't get along, but if they do its a bonus. I'll never be able to house them together, and nor do I actually want to, so it all works out for us. Even though they aren't best friends, they're still flock mates and benefit from having the other around.
Ahh great! Thats good to know!
Yeah I definitely dont assume that they will get along! Honestly even if I were going with a toui or another lovebird I would not assume that. I would not put them in the same cage either even if they were the same size or same species! To me its clear its different cages even rooms, with separate play time! But it would be good to introduce them slowly so that they can be in the same room playing or training and tolerate eachother! And get as much good advice or tips on how to get that result! As you said its more a bonus if they bond really well but its not expected

as for the jealousy they have toward you, how do they manifest that and how do you correct that behavior?

did you di anything in particular to introduce them to each other?
 

Leih

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Ahh great! Thats good to know!
Yeah I definitely dont assume that they will get along! Honestly even if I were going with a toui or another lovebird I would not assume that. I would not put them in the same cage either even if they were the same size or same species! To me its clear its different cages even rooms, with separate play time! But it would be good to introduce them slowly so that they can be in the same room playing or training and tolerate eachother! And get as much good advice or tips on how to get that result! As you said its more a bonus if they bond really well but its not expected

as for the jealousy they have toward you, how do they manifest that and how do you correct that behavior?

did you di anything in particular to introduce them to each other?
I think I just let them out at the same time and I hovered nearby to make sure they weren't going to attack each other. My lovebird did bite and cut the conure's ceres one of the first times, I felt terrible! Basically I would go through this for a few minutes every day and then eventually we started doing clicker training together. I taught them both how to wave simultaneously. I read somewhere (and not necessarily the best people for advice) that trick training together makes them work together and start to see each other as flock mates. So during that I would be able to keep alternating my attention on each of them so neither was being ignored. It is a lot of work, you can't take your eyes off them for a second, which can be stressful.

When they are jealous now, it'll be a situation like my lovebird is sitting on my hand getting scritches from me and then my conure will fly over onto my shoulder like "hey look at me!" so then I'll give him some scritches, then back to her, then back to him. Or my conure will have my attention so my lovebird will fly over and land on my head. I just try to make sure that I do my best to share myself with them and they mostly seem okay with it, and I do make a point of spending time alone with just one, too. My conure tends to be more jealous, though, and that is probably just because he's a needy bird. I like to sit with one on each hand and pretend they're dancing but while carefully watching for any sign of aggression and plenty of space between them, about 6". My lovebird makes a sound that sounds like the conure, and when she's chattering sometimes I swear I hear him tell her to shut up they're goofy!
 
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