Gender

[Lovebirdy1122]

Hey, I have a question. i have a lovebird at the moment i don't know its gender. i would like to know its gender because i want to get a second lovebird. I don't really want to do a dna test because I don't want to take off any feathers. a little bit about the character of my bird: he is tame but doesn't like to cuddle, he's a bit terretorial about his cage but he doesn't bite me, he has a little too much fun with his perch if you know what i mean haha . I don't know if it is any indication that he is a man but he is 14 months old and has not yet laid an egg. what do you guys think which gender he is and would you recomment getting a second one?


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[Rozalka]

I'm not lovebird expert but males and females have a bit different shapes (females have flatter head and their legs are in wider positon). Maybe somebody would be able to say it by photo (but not me, I'm just repeating what I had read)

 

[abababa]

Hey, I have a question. i have a lovebird at the moment i don't know its gender. i would like to know its gender because i want to get a second lovebird. I don't really want to do a dna test because I don't want to take off any feathers. a little bit about the character of my bird: he is tame but doesn't like to cuddle, he's a bit terretorial about his cage but he doesn't bite me, he has a little too much fun with his perch if you know what i mean haha . I don't know if it is any indication that he is a man but he is 14 months old and has not yet laid an egg. what do you guys think which gender he is and would you recomment getting a second one?


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An experienced owner/breeder can make an educated guess by feeling the tailbone; if it's narrow, it's a male. But you need a frame of reference (i.e. to have 'felt' (!) many males and females, to understand the difference, as it's relative and hard to put into words.

Obviously not egg-laying is a simpler indicator. 9-12 months without a mate is the internet indicator. In experience it can be longer. Not laying an egg by 12 months is in itself not a reliable indicator.

I'd say it's probably likely it's a 'he', but not certain.

The 2nd lovebird dilemma has a lot of bad info online. Lovebirds bond with a soulmate; this can be human or avian. A solo lovebird bonded with it's owner can be perfectly happy if the owner returns the affection (i.e. it's out all the time, and gets to snuggle on a shoulder). A 2nd bird will mean the likelihood is the birds bond with one another, and will tolerate human contact but not crave it like a single bird would.

Really, the decision on a 2nd bird is best based on whether you want a single, snuggly, affectionate bird that you hang out with for extended periods daily, or want a pet that you let out for a few hours a day and is otherwise happy in the company of its mate. If you do introduce a 2nd bird you also need to be aware there's a chance they will not get on (this is not very gendered), and can kill one another. This is especially the case if the first bird has bonded a lot with you, and therefore sees the 2nd bird as a rival.

In short it's a myth 2 birds are happier than 1; it depends on the context.

Bear in mind also if you introduce a potential biological mate, you will have to understand breeding, which is very complex, and can be horrific (dead chicks) if you're naive.

Imo, I would keep the bird for another year or so before making any decisions. I would also do a DNA test, since if you're skeptical about doing that, your're probably not in a good place to deal with the complexity/cost that comes with potential breeding.