LOVEBIRD ADVICE PLS!!

[sunysaurus]

( posted this to a wild bird forum on accident <\3 )okay so . about a year ago me and my mom rescued a peach-faced lovebird that was a baby, it couldn't have been more than a few weeks old (was still grey w/o all his colorful feathers) and we got him checked out and he didnt have any diseases or ANYTHING, so we decided to keep him and im taking pretty good care of him i think! (i buy him regular toys and hes on a chop diet and i spend hours a day w/ him )
im a teenager so its hard to get all the stuff i need for him but luckily! we moved a few months ago to somewhere close to a shopping center where i can buy what i need : D!
HERES THE KICKER THO,,
i was reading some stuff about keeping lovebirds as pairs and how its not too much extra work , and i wanna do it, but i have a few worries???? first, i'm not scared of him liking me less cause even though i LOVE him to death and that would break my heart, his happiness would make that feel better :]]]
second!! we dont do anything to make him that way ofc but hes always been a little aggressive (or like?? fiesty? ) so id be worried about the two birds hurting each ofher if they hated each other , or smthg like that
im alsooo worried about any underlying sicknesses a bird could have and give to him? he doesnt have any so i dont know how that would affect him, but its still a concern !
OK ALSO!! ive been saying "he" but we dont know 100% what his sex is so thatd complicate things, i would wanna get a test for that before doing anything
if anybody can offer me some advice or thoughts i would LOVE TO HEAR THEM!!!i want my little guy to be happy and i believe he is rn but i wouldnt hesitate to make him even happier ^^^

 

[zoo mom]

I am tagging someone who has love bird experience. @Zara There are many others here with lovebirds but she is always the 1st one I think of.

 

[Zara]

Hello, Welcome to Avian Avenue

Well, as you say your bird is "fiesty", it's possible they are female. I had a single male for a long time and he was just an angel. My boys are all very sweet with me, and are only fiesty to other birds to protect their mates. Hard to say, a DNA test will definitely bring your some closure, or wait and see if an egg turns up.

keeping lovebirds as pairs and how its not too much extra work , and i wanna do it, but i have a few worries????

Yes, keeping a bonded pair of lovebirds is basically the same as keeping a single bird. The costs are doubled, but you can interact with them together in the same time, and bonded birds live in the same cage so same cleaning.

Getting a pair of lovebirds to bond is not an easy task. It is not so black and white, and they are not as sociable as a bird like a budgie who have greater chance of making friends.
You can only house a bonded pair of birds together, so if you were to bring home a second bird, you will need a separate cage for that bird to live in and only once and if they bond can they be housed together. And you must plan for the "what if" scenario if they don't ever bond. Even if they become friendly but don't bond, you will have to keep them housed separately.
I set out to find a friend for my first bird, and it was only bird number 6 who actually took any interest in him.

In an ideal world, the best way to pair lovebirds when you only have one bird, would be to foster another lovebird, quarantine and then see if they get along. If they bond, file to adopt permanently. You would have to be upfront about your plans though to be sure that it would be possible to adopt. You don't want to allow birds to bond and then have to separate.

So as much as bringing home a second bird would be nice, and not much extra work (just additional costs: toys, vet, food), the decision to bring home a second bird is one to really think about. If you were to purchase a bird, what would happen if they never bonded?

worried about any underlying sicknesses a bird could have and give to him?

New birds should be quarantined, as far away as possible from your birds room for 4-8 weeks. In that time, take the new bird to be tested and wait for neg test results. Wash hands thoroughly and change your clothes when moving between the birds.

 

[sunysaurus]

Hello, Welcome to Avian Avenue

Well, as you say your bird is "fiesty", it's possible they are female. I had a single male for a long time and he was just an angel. My boys are all very sweet with me, and are only fiesty to other birds to protect their mates. Hard to say, a DNA test will definitely bring your some closure, or wait and see if an egg turns up.



Yes, keeping a bonded pair of lovebirds is basically the same as keeping a single bird. The costs are doubled, but you can interact with them together in the same time, and bonded birds live in the same cage so same cleaning.

Getting a pair of lovebirds to bond is not an easy task. It is not so black and white, and they are not as sociable as a bird like a budgie who have greater chance of making friends.
You can only house a bonded pair of birds together, so if you were to bring home a second bird, you will need a separate cage for that bird to live in and only once and if they bond can they be housed together. And you must plan for the "what if" scenario if they don't ever bond. Even if they become friendly but don't bond, you will have to keep them housed separately.
I set out to find a friend for my first bird, and it was only bird number 6 who actually took any interest in him.

In an ideal world, the best way to pair lovebirds when you only have one bird, would be to foster another lovebird, quarantine and then see if they get along. If they bond, file to adopt permanently. You would have to be upfront about your plans though to be sure that it would be possible to adopt. You don't want to allow birds to bond and then have to separate.

So as much as bringing home a second bird would be nice, and not much extra work (just additional costs: toys, vet, food), the decision to bring home a second bird is one to really think about. If you were to purchase a bird, what would happen if they never bonded?



New birds should be quarantined, as far away as possible from your birds room for 4-8 weeks. In that time, take the new bird to be tested and wait for neg test results. Wash hands thoroughly and change your clothes when moving between the birds.

THANK U SO MUCH!!! IT MEANS SO MUCH U REPLIED OMG