• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Should I get a male bird?

Gigibirds

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
2/15/21
Messages
1,035
So, miss Mango is the reason for my post again. She still lives in the aviary with her two kids, but she always prefered Kiwi to Guava. I am now 99% sure that Guava is female and Kiwi is male, and Mango is definitely a female because she's their mom! But now, Mango and Kiwi are acting a little more romantic. She's acting the same way right now that she used to do with her old mate, Oliver, just before they built their nests. Usually, I would be really happy that Mango finally has a good friend, but this is her child! I don't want them to even attempt any breeding behaviour, because they are related and that's just gross. And yes, Kiwi is very young, but Oliver and Mango built their first nest when Oliver was just 3 months old, and now Kiwi is that same age! (don't worry, he was older than that when they had kids, of course, but still) But I have finally determined that Mango absolutely hates female birds, given as she hated every single female she has ever met before (except Ginger, but that was only because she needed her help to raise the babies - but before that she hated Ginger, too!). But I can't really separate Kiwi and Mango, because they live in an aviary, and they are not going to move inside. And if I did separate them, Kiwi would have to stay with Guava, but Mango couldn't live alone with no friends! That would be so lonely! I wasn't planning on getting another bird any time soon, but I know that having an odd-numberd flock is usually a bad idea, anyways. So should I get an unrelated male bird to be Mango's friend? I think I have 2 females and 1 male, so I'm pretty sure that would be a good mix. Thanks for any ideas!
 

Zara

♥❀Livin´ in Lovebird Land❀☼
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
1/8/18
Messages
31,366
Location
Reino de España
If Mango likes Kiwi, and Kiwi like Mango. You can for sure add another male... but that male might end up with Guava, and kiwi and Mango stay together.
You can´t force pairs in an aviary, they will just run to who they want, even if that is a sibling, parent or offspring.

I like the idea of keeping lovebirds in an aviary, and it´s great for them, but breeding in an aviary is a whole other ball game. You can´t just add single birds with the intention of them pairing with a certain bird. You would have to introduce bonded pairs into the aviary, and then remove chicks as they leave the nest to pair them up, and return them to the aviary when they are bonded with a ¨suitable¨ mate.

While the birds are still young (kiwi and guava), I would add a fourth bird and let them choose their mates - hopefully you end up with two pairs.
If you don´t want any family pairs, sell Kiwi (or bring him indoors to a cage), and then introduce two male birds that do not know each other, and allow them to pair up.
Your choice should also be based on you and how dilligent you will be collecting eggs. If you think there´s a possibility you may miss one, or you have to be away for a week and someone else may miss the eggs, then I would go with the second option.

Ultimately, the idea of keeping 3 lovebirds in an aviary sounds like it can only end up in that classic third wheel scenario and someone could get hurt.
 

Destiny

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/6/20
Messages
2,088
Real Name
Destiny
You might want to get your younger birds DNA tested before making too many assumptions about their genders. Behavior can be quite misleading at times.

As far as introducing a new male to your aviary, as Zara already pointed out, there is no guarantee that it would resolve the issue that you are trying to fix. Mango might hate the new bird. Or the new male might end up bonding with Guava, while Mango and Kiwi remain as a bonded pair. Once you add a bird to an aviary, it is free to pick its own friends, so that might not be Mango. Even if everything works out as desired and Mango likes the new guy, wouldn't that leave Guava and Kiwi to bond to each other? Being siblings won't necessarily keep them from mating with each other any more than being their mother would stop Mango from forming a mating bond with one of her adult offspring. Hormones are strong and parrots will be parrots.

Regardless of what you end up doing about the current situation, I would look at your set-up and do your best to remove any nesting locations and other hormonal triggers. Even if you can't stop mating, you can discourage it. And more importantly, you can prevent undesired reproduction by removing any eggs that are laid by any of the females in the aviary.
 

Gigibirds

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
2/15/21
Messages
1,035
Thank you for the great ideas! Yes, I am aware that another bird might not solve my problems, but it was just an idea ;) I’m not going to sell any of my birds, because I am far to attached to them! Also, I think the others would be sad. I definitely will not let any eggs hatch, should Mango try to lay some. But Mango is the happiest she has been on her entire life, so I think I’m going to let her stay wi the Kiwi. But Guava will probably be lonely, so I might try to bond more with her. I do want to DNA test them, but given as they are untamed birds (so far) I would hate to grab them and pull a feather out! I’m really working on building a bond with them, so I won’t do that quite yet. I’ll give it some more time, but if Guava gets really lonely and doesn’t want to be friends with me, I will re consider getting another bird, but this time it will be for her! Thank you so much for the thoughtful replies!!
 

Zara

♥❀Livin´ in Lovebird Land❀☼
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
1/8/18
Messages
31,366
Location
Reino de España
if Guava gets really lonely and doesn’t want to be friends with me, I will re consider getting another bird
I think you should introduce a friend for her anyway.
3 lovebirds in an aviary just doesn´t sound like a good idea. You can´t possibly be there all the time, and she will try to seek a relationship with one of the two and it could end up in fighting.
Guava needs a friend so that they can be together and not need to seek anything from Mango or Kiwi.
 

Gigibirds

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
2/15/21
Messages
1,035
Guava needs a friend so that they can be together and not need to seek anything from Mango or Kiwi.
Well I do want all of my birds to be happy, and right now, they are! The thing is, though, I don't want to get another bird, only to have it be rejected. I don't want to break up the peace in my aviary, and I don't want to it to be lonely. But you're right, with some Covid restrictions letting up a bit, I won't be spending as much time with them, so an even number is probably a good idea.
So let's just say that Guava is a female, Mango is a female, and Kiwi is a male. They are all some sort of fischer's hybrids. And say that I am going to get a new bird. This might seem like a silly question, but could it be a different colour? My current 3 are all shades of green, with some red and orange and yellow. So do you think they would hate a blue one (for example), or would any colour be ok? (Ginger was yellow and orange, but they all have that colour. I did once have a violet lovebird in that aviary, but that was before Mango had babies, and she still had her mate back then, so she didn't really care about any others)
I'm also not going to be breeding any of them, so would this hypothetical new bird need to be a fisher's just like them, or would a peach-faced/other type be ok? Ginger was a lutino peach-faced, and they all loved her, so I don't think they would mind too much....
And lastly, if my assumptions are correct about their genders, would a male be a good choice? Or would a female be better? Again, I don't want to breed them, I just want a peaceful aviary full of happy and healthy birds! Sorry for all of the questions, but I would really appreciate any help, since you have quite a bit of lovebird experience!

Thank you for all of your other answers though! :)
 

Zara

♥❀Livin´ in Lovebird Land❀☼
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
1/8/18
Messages
31,366
Location
Reino de España
Well I do want all of my birds to be happy, and right now, they are! The thing is, though, I don't want to get another bird, only to have it be rejected. I don't want to break up the peace in my aviary, and I don't want to it to be lonely
I can understand that. Just remember when the young one who is alone starts seeking a mate, that's when things will change. While he's still a baby, I'm sure everything is perfect between them all.

Given that you won't breed, you can choose any lovebird species you like between the common three. This includes hybrids.
Though I don't remember what mix yours are now, keep in mind that a roseicollis hybrid with a Fischeri or Personatus will be infertile anyway...

This might seem like a silly question, but could it be a different colour? My current 3 are all shades of green, with some red and orange and yellow. So do you think they would hate a blue one (for example), or would any colour be ok? [...]
And lastly, if my assumptions are correct about their genders, would a male be a good choice? Or would a female be better?
Those are some good questions, and there are no answers.
All you can do is take a wild card.
I will be moving house soon and I have intentions of getting my youngest a friend at some point over the next year or two, so I will be in your shoes making the same decisions and hoping everything works out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tka

Gigibirds

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
2/15/21
Messages
1,035
Ok, well thank you for your thoughts :) I've found a couple of beauties that I am considering, but they are all 'unknown sex', so I guess that will just be a mystery! I'm looking at a ones with more bluey-green colours, and I'm hoping that they would accept a colour like that since its pretty similar to their own colours. I'm not going to make any decisions quite yet, but I'm pretty sure that I will be adding to my flock. :)
I hope you find the perfect friend for your youngest, too! And congrats on the move!! :)
 
Top