Lovebirds are very social birds. Generally speaking, it is believed that keeping them in pairs rather than alone is crucial for their wellbeing. If you have a lone lovebird, you have to give it the social interaction it needs because another bird isn’t giving it. These birds form ferocious bonds with their mate or caretaker.
Aside from being gregarious with you or their partner, they can be very hostile with other birds. Make sure that every pair gets along with each other and that they are actual “pairs” and not mismatched. Do not mix species of lovebirds as they will fight. Throughout the breeding season and throughout the year, bonded pairs will continuously groom one another and feed each other from the crop.
These birds are constantly on the move, grooming themselves, chewing on wood or chew toys, and flying and climbing. They adore all kinds of toys, including wooden gnaws, swings, ladders, mirrors, and seed bells. Since they are natural paper shredders, make sure you give them play paper that is free of dyes. Since lovebirds like to explore, they will not stay on their playpen when they are not in their cage. Make sure your lovebird is not playing in a space with open doors or windows, water containers like drinking glasses and toilets/sinks, or anything close to a hot stove. When your bird is not in its cage, you should always keep an eye on it!
Taming involves acceptance and trust between you and your bird. It entails giving your bird plenty of attention every day. Start with talking softly and making slow movements. When your bird feels at ease around you, you can start hand-taming it. Offer the bird a treat as you carefully press a dowel against its chest to get it to climb up onto it. This may take many tries. Once it feels secure enough to step up onto a dowel, replace the dowel with your finger.
Lovebirds typically use climbing and chewing to keep their nails and beaks in good condition. However, consult your vet about nail trimming.
The need of living in pairs.
As we have stated many times before, lovebirds have a strong inclination toward reproduction. Breeders encounter challenges each breeding season, but one of the things that gives their lives purpose is breeding. Their instinct is so strong that we are the only ones who can regulate how frequently they breed without endangering their health. As soon as one clutch is finished, they want to begin breeding again. Since we won’t release them to allow nature to regulate their reproductive instinct, it is our responsibility to provide for them in a way that most closely resembles their life as wild birds. We must ensure that they are able to fulfill the three essential roles that all living things have: feeding, socializing, and reproducing.
After assuming that every animal we house in captivity receives enough food, we will concentrate on the remaining two fundamental roles. As we already said, socializing is crucial. Their interaction with their surroundings and other birds of the same species is essential. We will give them a pleasant, spacious area and the companionship of other lovebirds to make this possible. Let’s focus on the next function: reproduction. A single lovebird is frequently inquired about as a pet by new owners who do not want to have a pair that would eventually breed. To avoid breeding, some breeders advise getting two lovebirds of the same sex so they can socialize.
Lovebirds, as the word indicates, are the birds of love. When you stand in front of a lovebird colony’s aviary, you can see how beautifully they live.
Without a doubt, naturally formed pairs make the greatest pairings. When lovebirds breed in an aviary, we will see that shortly after they begin eating on their own, at the age of about 60 days, they begin to search for their mate. They will break free from their parents and siblings as soon as they form a close bond with their partner. Breeders don’t always act morally; on occasion, we are to blame for preventing them from selecting their partner, leading to the selection of one of our choosing. In my experience, when two people decide they want to be together and I verify that their genetic makeup and blood type match, they stay together. However, we must acknowledge that breeders frequently desire to produce tangible offspring, so it is necessary for a male of one mutation to mate with a female of another mutation. Contrary to what I previously stated, in this situation we would need to use a cage, albeit temporarily. The length of time the lovebirds would need to spend in the cage would depend on their age. In other words, it would take much less time for a young male and female to mate than it would for two adults. For the adults, it might even be wise to confine them to a cage until they begin reproducing.
Additionally, if we want to mate two adults (or one adult and a younger one), we will also need to use a cage. It is not a good idea to rush in this situation, so we need to take our time. Using a breeding cage with a divider will work best. Until we see that they are interacting, especially the female, we will put the male on one side and the female on the other. In this kind of situation, females are more dangerous, so the male is more likely to be hurt. Avoid putting the male in the cage where the female resides if we are using two cages to allow them to interact briefly. It’s usually best to go the other way, with the female inside the male’s cage. Because they are highly protective of their space, females may perceive an invasion. If we simply keep them in the cage and restrict their interaction with other lovebirds, we won’t have any issues. We can be certain that they will eventually mate in this way. No matter if we breed in an aviary or a cage, we might come across a pair that we like that doesn’t bond. This case is not very usual, but it happens. In comparison to a cage, there are more opportunities for this to occur in an aviary. They will eventually become accustomed to one another despite being in a cage. It is preferable to select a different pair for them in the aviary until they are totally independent of one another.
There aren’t many incompatibilities between couples, but we’ll highlight the most well-known ones. Despite the fact that it makes sense, the first thing we should determine is whether or not we have a pair of male and female To determine their sex the safest method is DNA sexing. Male and female must be of the same species. Many hybrids, some of which are even sterile, are constantly appearing. This is something we should avoid at all costs. Additionally, even though it appears that different species of lovebirds can coexist, it is not recommended to have them breed in the same aviary. When I first began breeding personatus and roseicollis in the same aviary, some of the issues I encountered were unfaithfulness, nest invasions, attacks on other offspring, and arguments. Having said that, some breeders have successfully traded chicks of different species. Additional incompatibilities that could develop have to do with the differences between the male and female There are two primary mutational incompatibilities that we should try to prevent: having two Dark Factors and being Ino in a pair. The two Dark Factors may alter the structure of the feathers, and ino mutation may make the chicks weaker.
Chicks in both scenarios will inherit their parents’ mutations; in the first example, it will be the Ino mutation, and in the second, it will be two Dark Factors. Some breeders are skeptical that the Ino mutation can weaken the chicks in any way. Actually, this will depend on the number of the chicks’ ancestors who carry the same mutation as well as the species—Agapornis Roseicoillis is the less likely species to experience this condition. There are two kinds of combinations that, although they might not seem incompatible at first, would not be of interest to us because one of them will “cover” the other. For example, we won’t be able to detect these final mutations, at least not fully, if we have an Ino lovebird that is also Marbled o Dilute. Additionally, there are some ugly combinations, such as combining diluted and marbled mutations. Due to the reduction of eumelanin caused by both mutations, the color would be dull.
How to successfully pair Lovebirds together
When discussing animals, it is uncommon to consider “everlasting love.” Humans believe that animals should not be able to feel that way; only higher beings should. Nevertheless,.
When discussing animals, it is uncommon to consider “everlasting love.” Humans believe that animals should not be able to feel that way; only higher beings should. However, some species can coexist for a very long time—even a lifetime—with the same pair. Most of those animals that are considered “faithful” are birds, but some mammals, like elephants, wolves, and killer whales, also live in pairs. Otters are a fascinating illustration of this phenomenon since they live, travel, chase, play, and in some cases, even sleep together while holding “hands.”
Lovebirds are gregarious animals that inhabit flocks with distinct hierarchical structures and live in pairs. Many of the various mutations found in lovebirds bred in captivity do not exist in nature; the most common variation is dark-factored lovebirds. They are the true of an ancestral bird.
FAQ
How many lovebirds can you put together?
Can you keep 3 lovebirds together?
Can 5 lovebirds live together?
Can 2 female lovebirds live together?