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jayandamanda
Egg

Posts: 1
(12/9/03 11:54 am)
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semi-new lovebirds, lots of questions
first off ill introduce myself, im jay, my girlfriend is amanda, were both 15 and bought 2 lovebirds around 4 months ago. There names are melody and madeline:lovebirdsinging , but i have a few questions...first off, we usually have on love bird at one of our houses at the same time, so we each have one at any given time, when we get to see eachother, we bring the lovebirds, so they are together when we are, is that ok, or should we have it some other way(both together etc). Also when i put my finger in one of their cages when both of them are in there, melody will bite me(or try), this is normal right?does this give a hint at which one is female/male? Also can anyone give me some tips on caring for lovebirds, ive had them for a while, give them everything they need let them out whenever i am home, give them 2-3 hours of attention a day, but they still arent very affectionate like i wish they were, they used to kiss me all the time now it seems like they never do?how can i get them to love me more? ok ok one more thing, alot of times our lovebirds will 'click' or make some sort of noise thats not a chirp, i read that this means there sick but they show no other symptoms and are always the same, does this mean something?

thank you VERY much for any responses.

GratefulDead
Egg

Posts: 45
(12/10/03 4:20 pm)
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Re: semi-new lovebirds, lots of questions
Hey there, Well hmm where to start. First off, about one being male and one being female. One biting and other not isnt really reliable indication of anything as far as sex goes. In fact with lovebirds finding out their sex is pretty rough. The only really reliable way is to have them surgically sexed at a vet or to send in a feather or blood sample to have DNA tested. It cost a little over 20 dollars. Look at Avain Biotech, they have a website with alot of info on how to sex your birds. What makes you think one is male and on is female? Or do you think that? I see the names are girls. Just because you bought them as a pair in the store doesnt mean they arent both boys or both girls. Having two male Lovebirds together should be fine but if they turn out to both be females you will have to make sure the arent housed together because they can become territorial. As far as you each keeping one, i think thats fine if it works out the best although make sure the birds get enough attention, for if it doesnt have a birdy friend its your job to fill those shoes.

AS far as getting them to be more affectionate that really just takes time, you need to work with them alot and get them to trust you. Its very possible to tame the birds down a lot but as soon as you stop working with them all that work can quickly be forgotten.

I buy a taste deterrrent like bitter apple or Bitters from the pet stores when iwork with birdsthat like to bite, i spray it all over my hands. Some birds dont even care and they still bite away although a few of my birds have learned NEVER to bite a finger because they hate that taste. Its worth a try. Like i said somie birds taste it and wont bite and some just dont care.

Some people believe giving birds pellets on top of their seed diet is very important but it sounds like you are giving them a nice array of foods.

The chirping clicking noise is most likely very normal, my birds make all kinds of sounds like that and they do mock you if you make kissy noises at them and stuff, you should notice that if you repeat anything to them they will try and mock it I always click at my Walter bird and he can click just me now. Maybe you can get lucky and teach them some words! I am trying to teach my newst lovebird words, she just seems so vocal i think she may be a good talker with time.

Have you offered the birds a bath at all? I always thought that was one the best things about having new lovebirds, watching them frolic in a bowl of water. Just set a big dish of water up and see if they bathe. Good luck!
I hope you are enjoying your new little sweeties!

:wave

RIKNIKNOKNIK
Egg

Posts: 7
(12/14/03 1:21 pm)
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Just to add my 2 pennies.
Hi welcome to tailfeathers. I must say that the most affectionate birds you will find will be birds that you raise yourself. I just finished hand raising my birds and well (hold on they are crawling all over my hands.....) Ah hem! okay where was I? Lovebirds are very social animals. Therefore they love company. Although it is not necessary to keep them together for thier survival. They would be much happier together. Now of course you guys probably love your (own) little birdies so a mirror in their cage will help mimic having another in with them which is highly reccomended by most avry groups. About the birds being once so affectionate then retreating this affection , I just have to ask -could you have possibly scared them at some point? i.e. got mad or threw something? Love birds are just like us when they see a violent act or feel threatened they might take time to build trust again. Try to feed them a snack from your hand that they will just love like a cracker or animal cracker. This will help to award thier trust again. Also be patient in earning that trust. Oh and the clicking noises are normal. They sound like dolphins huh? I dont know exactly why they do it by mine do it and I know they are not sick.



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