Love birds breeder pair age difference
Sir I have a love bird pair. Around 15 months old for the male and 12 months old for the female Given that the female is three months younger than the male, I would like to know what the appropriate age difference is for this pair.
Their age difference isn’t that much. But until they are around two years old, I do not advise pairing lovebirds and putting them up for breeding. They aren’t quite ready, but even at this age, they will breed. Although they are still developing physically, they are not mentally prepared, which is more significant. They are immature and prefer to play and mate rather than settle down to tend to the eggs or chicks. In order to get the female to mate with him again, some young males will end up not helping and may break or eat the eggs. Additionally, some females will either break, eat, or ignore the eggs. They frequently won’t be suitable as breeding birds if they acquire undesirable habits. Additionally, there is a greater chance that young females will die from egg binding. Allowing them to reach adulthood will increase their chances of successful mating and make it easier for her to lay eggs. Additionally, both are more likely to become comfortable sitting on the eggs and taking care of the young.
I would put them in good shape over the course of the following year. I would not put them in the same cage yet. Give them some toys so they can play and exercise and clear their minds of everything. Instead of giving them a loose seed mix, feed them a balanced diet like pellets. Also offer dark leafy greens, chopped veggies and some fruit. This kind of diet is necessary for them to maintain their own health as well as the health of their offspring. They should make a better breeding pair in the end, so waiting will be worthwhile rather than starting them too soon.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda Have a question?
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Introducing a male love bird to a older female lovebird
Hello, I recently acquired a male lovebird because I already had an older female that has been producing eggs for the past few years. I thought she could use a mate. She won’t even let him eat, though, since I put him in the cage. I thought I was doing her a favor when I purchased him from a recent bird show, but should I raise the food dishes in the cage? I would appreciate any advice.
Before she murders him, the first thing to do is to remove the male. Lovebird females are fiercely protective of their nests, especially after they have begun to lay eggs. She has no use for a young male. Before putting them together, he must be at least two years old, and even then, she might reject him. Lovebirds are misnamed because of how violent they can be to one another. She believes that a young man hinders her ability to date a mature man and has nothing to offer her. She would never select an immature bird as a mate; instead, she would select one in the wild. When attempting to acclimate birds to one another, they ought to be roughly the same age. Should there be a pair of birds, they ought to be mature enough to reproduce. In the event that the new bird becomes ill, it should be kept in a different room for at least 30 days. Stress can lead to the disease taking over in pet birds, even though they appear healthy. Given that it originated from a bird market, there’s also a possibility the bird stole something from another bird. Following the quarantine period, you place the birds in cages next to one another so they can get acclimated to one another. You can try placing them in the same cage if they begin to spend a lot of time sitting near to one another and calling to one another. You must always have equal amounts of food and water cups for each bird on either side of the cage. This prevents one bird from depriving the other of food or liquids. When they’re together, you need to keep a close eye on them and separate them if they start chasing or fighting. Then wait a few more days and try again. She may not accept this bird, even if he is old enough, because she has been keeping eggs and views the cage as one large nest. Then, switching cages and giving the new bird time to adjust to her new home can be beneficial. You know you have one female, but unless the seller provided a blood test result, there is no way to know the sex of the new bird – it is literally a 50/50 guess no matter what they told you. Since these are lovebirds, what proof did the seller provide that the new bird is a male? I understand that you are upset by all of this, but knowing now is preferable to discovering him dead.
Therefore, I would advise having a veterinarian send out a DNA test to determine the gender of the bird if it is young and you will have to wait for it to get old enough. You must make some adjustments in the interim to deter the female from laying eggs. It’s very hard on her system to lay eggs. In the wild, they only breed once a year. Therefore, they were never meant to consistently lay eggs, unlike chickens. They don’t receive environmental cues to cease breeding until the following breeding season because we offer such a stable habitat. To prevent a female from laying eggs to the point where it kills her, the owner must make adjustments. Sorry, more bad news. But the changes aren’t difficult and usually work. If they don’t, you’ll need to get her a hormone implant from the veterinarian. Even if they eventually breed successfully, you will still need to give the pair time off in between each clutch to prevent them from reproducing repeatedly.
All of these actions are necessary to deter egg laying. Remember that in order for her to lay eggs, she requires longer days, warmer temperatures, an abundance of food supply, and a peaceful, private space. Your goal is to reverse these conditions.
Cover the cage early every evening to limit her light exposure to 8 or 10 hours.
Give her nothing to use as a nest, such as boxes, bowls, bird huts, or tents. Take out the food bowl if she chooses to sit in it and replace it with smaller cups.
Give her nothing to shred, like cardboard or paper.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Once a week or whenever she exhibits nesting behavior, such as settling on the cage floor, move the cage. Her vision of having a secure location to lay eggs and raise chicks is upset by this.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, give them up for a few weeks, and then only give them in moderation, perhaps twice or three times a week. Normal feeding can be resumed later, once the birds have stopped acting hormonally.
When she is released from the cage, keep her out of any cozy, dark areas and restrict her freedom of movement.
When interacting with her, refrain from petting her anywhere other than her head and neck. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. Please refrain from touching my body; we are not a couple.
If the cage tray isn’t covered with a metal floor grate, leave it bare and give it a daily cleaning instead of using any bedding or paper.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda Have a question?
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FAQ
How do you know if your lovebirds are mating?
How can you tell how old a lovebird is?
What month do lovebirds lay eggs?
What is the best age to get a lovebird?