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My 3 Other Lovebirds Are Coming In A Week, and The Last 3 Next Year - Should I?

Aurornis

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So, my hand-fed Peach-Faced, Black-Mask and Fischer (all DNA males) are coming next week, and the current breeder is hand-feeding them together with no issues. They were not born far away from one another (1 weeks to days difference). I also have a Black Cheek & Nyasa expected late January/Early February next year, and still in the lookout for a Madagascar male (I'm only collecting males Lovebirds) as life-long pets, and I don't want babies but want to enjoy the character of each breed. I've kept Peach-Faced and Fischers in the past (hand fed, but this was 20 years ago, so I'm just getting back into African Lovebirds).

A few questions and thoughts...

1. The 3 new males will come to me almost weaned, and I will have to hand-feed them still for about a week. Should I keep them together and get a bigger cage if they continue to get along. My plan is to provide each of them with two of the biggest vision cages: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0012DOXFC/ref=emc_b_5_i and https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0012DOXFW/ref=emc_b_5_i. I have a client that runs a pet store and he can give me cages for free similar to these sizes. However, if any of them can be caged together with a much bigger cage even than the above, I would rather have that for space saving reasons.

2. If caged separately, is there a benefit to having the birds be in a different cages daily, every other day, or weekly? Can this potentially reduce any possibility of cage aggression?

3. Can I keep the hand-fed tameness of every bird if they end up bonding with another bird (assuming I handle them daily and interact with them, socialize and rewards)? Would keeping them together in the same cage be a problem in terms of maintaining their tameness assuming they get along?

4. I definitely want to keep my Abysinian (as well as the Peach-Faced if it shows aggression) separate as they are larger, but is it okay to leave them unsupervised with the smaller Lovebirds in a 16 feet long, 10 feet high and 6 feet wide indoor playroom wherein food and perches are well-provided for every member in various locations. In normal circumstances, I would like to always supervise or semi-supervise, except my work got changed to now in-office, and it will be a sad thing if I have to leave them in cage for 9-10 hours before I can put them in the playroom after I return, and even then they will only have 2 hours to play in the room before it gets really dark (indoor playroom is a cemented floor, glass-covered balcony converted into a playroom with heating).

I don't have to go bank in office until end of the month, so I'll have time to observe and supervise, and see how it goes, I guess, but just taking some constructive input.

Regards....and thank you in advance!
 

Zara

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No, cage them all separately. You can keep them together for a few days while they settle in to your home, but after that, get them established in their own homes (own cages).

is there a benefit to having the birds be in a different cages daily, every other day, or weekly? Can this potentially reduce any possibility of cage aggression?
I would give them a cage of their own to establish boundaries between the birds, give them each a safe retreat.

Can I keep the hand-fed tameness of every bird if they end up bonding with another bird (assuming I handle them daily and interact with them, socialize and rewards)?
Yea, it´s certainly possible. Just keep up the interactions you have with them. I have a ´tame¨ bird housed and truly bonded to a very ¨untame¨ hen, and he´s still a big softy with me.

is it okay to leave them unsupervised with the smaller Lovebirds
Like you said, you will want to observe and see how they get on. n an aviary setting, they should be ok with each other 99% of the time, and if you notice any ¨trouble makers¨, you can pull them and leave the others. But definitely with enough space, plenty of perches and lots of foraging opportunities, it´s possible for them to be ok.
There´s not that much in lovebirds, it´s not like leaving an african grey and a lovebird alone in an aviary. The similar beak sizes of the lovebirds will go in their favour :)

Going back to the housing question... If you see that two of the boys bond, then go slowly, but you can start working towards them sharing a cage. It´s important they are actually bonded, not just friendly. And if in doubt, don´t house together.
 

Aurornis

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Amazing...thank you for the input.

I'm just a bit worried about the Aybsinnian taking a lucky shot with one of the smaller Lovebirds since they are younger and won't be able to defend themselves or flee..I'll just have to supervise immenely...thank you!!!
 

Zara

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since they are younger and won't be able to defend themselves or flee.
Oh, will they not be flighted? Until they are fully weaned and flighted, I wouldn´t put them in your aviary together.
 

Zara

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is it okay to leave them unsupervised with the smaller Lovebirds
To come back to this, I was just talking with Aldora, and you know, she is a really big Roseicollis, her mate is a really small bird, there´s quite a difference between them. My other pair, Sydney and Adelie, again, he is a really large lovebird and she´s a bit smaller. I have seen the eye-ring type lovebirds and they´re not that much different, not really. Ultimately, theire beaks are the same size more or less, so I wouldn´t worry too much about it. It will be their personalities to watch out for, which birds get along, and which really don´t.
 

Aurornis

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Oh, will they not be flighted? Until they are fully weaned and flighted, I wouldn´t put them in your aviary together.
The Abysinian is currently wing clipped and can only fly a few feet but can spot land decently now. I think he or she will be fully flighted by the end of January 2023.

The rest will never be wing clipped.
 

Aurornis

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I'm bit worried because the Aybsinian bit the leg of my Turq parakeet while in the cage; it just took 30 seconds for this to happen while I was distracted. He climbed to their cage and bit her leg through the cage when the parakeet was clmbing the cage. Fortunately, nothing get severed, though it bled and it's fine now. The parakeet did not even have a chance to fly away as she it was done through the wire cage. Fortunately, the wire cage was not large enough to get a hold of the full leg. Hopefully, during the playtime if this happens, the other LB wil not be silly enough to just stand there and will at least fend off and fly away....
 
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