What is going on?

[bird101]

I would love some advice. I have 2 lovebirds my first is a peach faced and second is lutino fischer. I adore these 2 babies but I see a huge difference in personality. The fischer lovebird is not loving at all, I have given him time and tried my best and he is jumpy, super scared of me. He has just been weaned and it feels as though I have to try to calm him down he does not naturally want to be with me. I was hoping to pair him with my other baby but although they cuddle at times my husband told me he pecked on the little one while I was gone so we separated them just in case. I am giving Mango to my mother in law as she has a big aviary and he would have lots of space so I am happy. Here is my question. I LOVE the fischer lovebirds, I believe they are stunning but I am trying to figure out what I should do next. The breeder and I spoke and we are considering getting a smaller one so I could hand raise from a week old and see if this way he or she will be more tamed. Should I go this route or just stick with the peach faced? I am just so connected to my peach faced baby, I have raised him since his eyes were closed. I would love that same bond with a fischer. Any tips from my fellow bird lovers would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Anneka]

I handraised my Fischer's. He was 3 wks old when I got him. He is 5 yo now.
He is mostly hands off bird, protective of his sleeping basket and hut, nippy, but loves my attention and when I give him kisses.
Wonderful bird though.
Although there are exceptions, Fischer's lovebird tend not to be as cuddly as PFs.

 

[Ankou]

Honestly, once they reach around a year old it doesn't matter who handfed them anymore, as far as I can tell.
They aren't babies then, and it's time to "leave" mom and dad and find a mate. You can still have a very close bond after this, but it will not be like when they were babies usually.

I brought my peach faced lovebird home when she was fully weaned and fledged, I can't remember her exact age but she still had the black markings her species has on their beaks when babies. I never once handfed her as she grew up at the breeder's home. (Though when I brought her home she did want comfort feedings, so I fed her mushy foods like yams off a finger tip.)

I cannot imagine our bond being any stronger if I had been the one to raise her. (In fact, the thought scares me a bit. So many things can go wrong handfeeding a baby bird! What if I'd done something wrong and killed her? )
It was more than enough to bring her home when I did and just be loving and patient.

I'm told the eye ring species (Fischer's and black masked) are more flighty but I've seen very tame ones too. Maybe they just need more time and patience?
How much time had you had him? It can take weeks, often months, for a bird to learn to trust us. It's also best to let a fearful bird work at their own pace, and come to you, if you didn't know. (Even then some birds will always prefer not to be touched.)

 

[bird101]

Honestly, once they reach around a year old it doesn't matter who handfed them anymore, as far as I can tell.
They aren't babies then, and it's time to "leave" mom and dad and find a mate. You can still have a very close bond after this, but it will not be like when they were babies usually.

I brought my peach faced lovebird home when she was fully weaned and fledged, I can't remember her exact age but she still had the black markings her species has on their beaks when babies. I never once handfed her as she grew up at the breeder's home. (Though when I brought her home she did want comfort feedings, so I fed her mushy foods like yams off a finger tip.)

I cannot imagine our bond being any stronger if I had been the one to raise her. (In fact, the thought scares me a bit. So many things can go wrong handfeeding a baby bird! What if I'd done something wrong and killed her? )
It was more than enough to bring her home when I did and just be loving and patient.

I'm told the eye ring species (Fischer's and black masked) are more flighty but I've seen very tame ones too. Maybe they just need more time and patience?
How much time had you had him? It can take weeks, often months, for a bird to learn to trust us. It's also best to let a fearful bird work at their own pace, and come to you, if you didn't know. (Even then some birds will always prefer not to be touched.)

Yes you are very right, I only had him one week! And hand feeding is a hard job, I do love it though. And I agree the peach faced tend to be a bit sweeter than the others. I already gave the lutino fischer to my mother in law who is drooling over him, she is deeply in love and is already looking for the little pair. She is not so interested in taming them, she gets pleasure from just drinking her morning coffee and watching them play. If they come to her great and if not great so I feel its a perfect home. I went yesterday and got 2 different siblings, I believe one is a double dark violet and the other is too young but def. not a a DD and I do see what you mean, they love to run around everywhere! Funny little things. Love and patience is the key. I just feel like they live for so long, I want to give them the best life possible long term. I do not mind if they are older the breeder had some peach faced and white ones that he could not rehome and I may be taking some to try and tame, they are still young 4-6 months old so I think there is always hope. Just little by little, I am going to need a whole new thread for help with that LOL

 

[cosmolove]

Fishers are known for being not as hand friendly as PFs. Peach faced lovies are supposed to be the most people friendly ones. Its also not usually recommended to mix the species as I believe Fishers are much more aggressive than peach faced lovies.

I don't think getting a younger one would help either, birds change as they hit maturity. A super tame bird can turn into a completely hands off bird when he/she hits maturity. That's what happened with my conure, Dexter. He was nippy when he was younger but he was tame and loveable. Now he's almost completely hands off.

 

[bird101]

Fishers are known for being not as hand friendly as PFs. Peach faced lovies are supposed to be the most people friendly ones. Its also not usually recommended to mix the species as I believe Fishers are much more aggressive than peach faced lovies.

I don't think getting a younger one would help either, birds change as they hit maturity. A super tame bird can turn into a completely hands off bird when he/she hits maturity. That's what happened with my conure, Dexter. He was nippy when he was younger but he was tame and loveable. Now he's almost completely hands off.

Thank you for taking the time to respond! Lots of great & informative info!

 

[itzmered]

that cute cuddly baby bird frequently changes behavior when they reach maturity, so there is no guarantee that if you hand raise one they will stay cuddly when they get older