Recently got 1 lovebird--should I have gotten 2?

[PipsAmber]

Hello!

Long story: when I was a kid (All them years ago) my dad got me a lovebird. He insisted on a single handfed male because he would be "tamer", and he was, for the few months he lasted before breaking his neck in his cage (Bars were too widely spaced) This was one of the few pieces of information I retained when I went about seeking my own lovie as an adult.

So on July 26th I picked up my lovie from his breeder. He's 10 weeks old, DNA sexed male, and hand raised. While I was getting him she asked if I had any others, and offered to sell me a second boy if I wanted while I was there. I was sure it would be all fine with one.

Watching Pip, I can tell he's lonely. He cries a lot and tries to interact with everything--my fiance's Quaker, the cats, the dog. He's desperately trying to seek connections with anything he can find. I played YouTube clips of Quakers for Q, so I found some lovie clips for Pip, but it just distressed him. He was so distraught I felt putting him in his cage was the best plan, and he went to his little hut and curled up and cried in there. It was so sad.

I've contacted his breeder and she still recommends I get one of his brothers to keep him company. I am not averse to adding another bird to my family, however, I wanted to go to the lovebird people and get more opinions.

Will Pip and his brother get along long term, or will I have to separate them as they age?

Because they are young, could they develop such a strong bond that I end up with human-aggressive, un-handleable lovebirds?

Is this just a "phase" that Pip will grow out of? He's very young and has only been without his family for just under two weeks, so am I jumping the gun feeling so bad that he's alone?

Are there any other things I may not be thinking about having two lovebirds? Things like, for example, if you get more cats, you need more litter boxes, but not everyone thinks of that. If I get another lovebird, are there exponential things that I might not be considering? Vet care, everyday cost, time outside, etc are being considered.

Thank you!

 

[JadeB]

Aw poor baby! Maybe it's just because he is so young, you know how puppies cry the first few nights in their new home?

From everything I've read, the consensus seems to be that one bird will bond more with you, and two will bond more with each other, but that you have to interact a LOT with a single to keep him tame and happy.

I got two lovebirds, not knowing their sexes. They got along great. They even laid eggs, but the eggs weren't fertile. Of course after the eggs didn't hatch, Lupita pulled out a bunch of Tito's feathers, so I had to separate them. I introduced a third bird to Tito, who ended up having PBFD. She's ok but Tito died. So now I have two birds in two separate cages (so Lupita won't get it too). They can see/talk to each other but not cuddle.

Anyway, so multiple birds do bring multiple problems. Personally, I'd give it a few days.

 

[PipsAmber]

His first couple of days seemed rough. He just wanted to cuddle in his hut and with me. He'd bury himself into my lap or my elbow and just snuggle down and cry.

If it keeps my birds happy and healthy, I wouldn't mind having two boys who are bonded (Birdy bromance?) as long as they remain human-friendly. I do want the option of taking them out to play or cuddle without worrying about one or both of them attacking me. It's part of the reason I don't want any hens,I've heard when they get broody they get mean.

I'm just considering it now, so early after getting him, because three of his brothers are still available. He was from a clutch of 5 and had one sister. The breeder also has a blue masked baby and a Fischer's baby left from her recent clutches that he was able to interact with. I feel like bringing in a brother who he already knows would be the safest option, as opposed to buying a bird he has never known or interacted with.

He's hanging out at the top of his cage peeping up a storm right now =)

 

[Cobuscus87]

I have had lovebirds before (2... Single birds at separate times) Herbie (first attempt) was great, he was very hand/human tame and cuddled a lot. I always have let my birds roam free on their own (making sure there are no hazards to them) and he seemed to enjoy it. He would ride on my roommates' dogs' backs and he would get along great with my parakeet...

Then the was Elphaba/Elphie (named after the wicked witch of the west lol) and she fit her name to the 't'... Aggressive, protective, territorial, loud, nippy... And the list continues. She wouldn't come out of her cage or let me hardly even change her food or water without ending up with battle scars.

I would say to give it a bit and really interact with him... Set him in the room while you eat so he sees he is not your food, and also where you sleep, birds only sleep with members of their flock, if you sleep around him you must be accepting him as your flockmate. And you also have to accept that he may have one of the personalities that is just harder to get through to. I believe with a little patience and hard work he should be able to really connect with you.

Good luck!

 

[PipsAmber]

Thanks for your input! I had a similar situation with Lovebirds when I was a kid. The first bird was wonderful and sweet; the second was a nightmare. Even a smart child can have trouble with a biting bird if they don't have help, and I didn't.

But Pip's definitely not having "bonding trouble" with me. He's already learning his name (Or, at least, to follow my voice) and is starting to trust when I hand him new, strange food that I'm not trying to kill him. When he sees me wake up in the morning he's excited to come out and he loves to groom my hair and nails, but is a bit of an overzealous biter.

He's still exhibiting a lot of the "lonely" behaviours, even though he was able to interact with my fiance's Quaker for playtime today. He was so desperate to share with the Quaker, but Q is kind of protective, so he wasn't so happy when Pip started climbing all over my fiance. Hearing, "Ouch!" was enough to send Q into a rage and chase Pip off of his person! But they shared cheerios and peanut butter and preened each other just a bit.

In his cage there's still lots of time spent staring at me during the day. I haven't played any bird sounds, but he's started crying when he hears birds outside, and hiding in his hut when he doesn't get a response. He's still being active--climbing all over, playing, eating, drinking, preening--but he seems like he'd be happy with a friend.

I don't know, maybe I'm attributing too much emotion to his behaviour...

 

[JadeB]

I don't know, maybe I'm attributing too much emotion to his behaviour...

Maybe. What do you mean by "crying"? How old is he? Perhaps I have never heard this type of peep. Rita was probably about 3 months old when I got her (still had a black beak) but I never heard anything I would describe as crying. She was really quiet at first, didn't start talking to the other two for awhile. My girls cheep, chirp, scold, squawk, and do a different type of little cheep that means "I'd rather that you were not holding me"...but I don't know that I've heard anything I would describe as sad.

 

[Pajarita]

I will just say this: there is a reason why lovebirds are called lovebirds and it's that they love their mates with a passion not equaled by any other species, in my personal opinion and experience. In French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, the species name is Inseparables -does that answer your question?

 

[PipsAmber]

JadeB, Pip is now 3 months and 3.7 weeks old.

Most of his crying has stopped, but he still tries really hard to interact with Q. By crying, I meant that he would spend a lot of time in corners or cuddly things making multiple low-pitched peeps, often after expressing visible distress at hearing other birds. He often "talks" himself to sleep still.

I've called the breeder and am having a brother delivered, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[MikeyTN]

Lovebirds are fine alone! Its a common mis-conception that they need a mate cause of the name Lovebird. They can sometimes be very hateful even towards their own kind. I used to raise them and they did fine alone, one of them after giving him a mate he became very aggressive towards me. Even if your getting a second Lovebird that's young you should still keep them caged separately until they're used to one another! They can be mean to one another even at a young age...

 

[Strawberrylemonade57]

When you get your other lovie try (if you want) keeping them in separated cages but next to the other, that way they can see echother from there cages and they still bound to you my sisters lovie and mine have there cages back to back and they se echother and ply together but there not bonded with echother, if you try this I hope it helps!

 

[Urgula]

My lovebird interacts with other species all the time.
It's ok as long as it's safe. It's fun for him.

I did got him a female in the past, but he didn't pay too much attention to her unless she had babies.

He would mate her, then the teddy bears, then my cat.

A single lovebird is ok as long as u can provide him lots of attention.
Don't put him in the cage when he tries to interact with ur quacker or cat unless it's unsafe.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I had a great little loving lovebird years ago, then I got a second one and she never wanted to have anything to do with people again.