jane_l
New member
Hi everyone.
This is a post about re-homing my two lovies. Sorry it’s long, but this is very difficult for me and I wanted to give as much info as possible.
I have a pair of peach-faced lovebirds in my family - Pearl & Jeff Bridges! They’ve been together for about 5 years. Before that Pearl had another mate, Bruce (who was a black-masked), who sadly passed away. Pearl is about 9 and Jeff is 5 and 1/2 ish, they are both sexed, and we’ve had them both since they were fledglings.
I am in touch on here (and a couple of other forums) because my circumstances have now drastically changed, and I am in a position where I need to re-home my beloved friends. This is terribly sad for me as Pearl has been with me for nearly 10 years. She is my dearest friend and family member, and I love her so very much. She is very tame, will step onto your hand or arm, and will snuggle on your shoulder, but she is a feisty character and will bite sometimes too. I love Jeff too of course but he is less tame and newer to me. He allowed us to get only a certain level of closeness that he wanted, and we respected that, so he’s a little shy for that reason. He was aviary raised so he is slightly wilder too!
Pearl’s got folliculitis on the back of her neck and the base of her tail (you can see it in the pics), which has been there for most of her life. It doesn’t seem to bother her, it’s not red or painful looking, and Jeff preens her to keep it in check. I think (but am not sure) that the stress of Bruce passing away may have triggered the problem. She also seems to have gotten more bitter with age (don’t we all!) and she can be a bit bitey when stressed out.
Pearl is a keen nester - if she had it her way she’d nest all year round! I’ve kept it in check by not providing her with anything shreddable (any of the time - it makes her so stressed!) and keeping her light hours and amount of food down at certain times of year, which works well. When I do let her nest in spring, I let her lay one or two eggs, then replace them with plastic ones to shop her laying any more. This also has worked very well.
They’ve had a really good life with me - massive wooden edged cages, loads of free time out of the cage, they've travelled with me a lot (within the UK), and in our last house they had a whole box room to themselves which we'd converted into a little aviary to give them plenty of room for flying. They always had loads of ropes, ladders, perches, toys, foraging toys and food, fruit, veg, pellets, occasional seeds and treats, and lots of love and attention. This is the standard of living I’d like them to continue with if at all possible. I’m not going to be content with them living only in their cage for the rest of their lives. They’ve known a certain level of freedom, and it would be unfair on them to have anything less now I feel.
But alas… I don’t think I can offer them that life any more. It’s breaking my heart, but I want them to live out the rest of their days with someone who can give them the time and freedom they so deserve. They are such characters and they given me so much joy. I want only what is best for them.
I don’t yet know when I will have to re-home them, but probably early 2019 or Spring.
If you think you (or someone you know) might be able to offer this life for Pearl and Jeff, please get in touch. I will be forever grateful
Please see pics and vids in the link here (hope it works)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yum6c876djgzz3l/AABvx8ZDhPBvbwWAGZpq7C1Za?dl=0
We are currently in Dorset, UK. I am happy to drive anywhere to drop them off.
Thanks for your time.
Jane x
:smile016:
This is a post about re-homing my two lovies. Sorry it’s long, but this is very difficult for me and I wanted to give as much info as possible.
I have a pair of peach-faced lovebirds in my family - Pearl & Jeff Bridges! They’ve been together for about 5 years. Before that Pearl had another mate, Bruce (who was a black-masked), who sadly passed away. Pearl is about 9 and Jeff is 5 and 1/2 ish, they are both sexed, and we’ve had them both since they were fledglings.
I am in touch on here (and a couple of other forums) because my circumstances have now drastically changed, and I am in a position where I need to re-home my beloved friends. This is terribly sad for me as Pearl has been with me for nearly 10 years. She is my dearest friend and family member, and I love her so very much. She is very tame, will step onto your hand or arm, and will snuggle on your shoulder, but she is a feisty character and will bite sometimes too. I love Jeff too of course but he is less tame and newer to me. He allowed us to get only a certain level of closeness that he wanted, and we respected that, so he’s a little shy for that reason. He was aviary raised so he is slightly wilder too!
Pearl’s got folliculitis on the back of her neck and the base of her tail (you can see it in the pics), which has been there for most of her life. It doesn’t seem to bother her, it’s not red or painful looking, and Jeff preens her to keep it in check. I think (but am not sure) that the stress of Bruce passing away may have triggered the problem. She also seems to have gotten more bitter with age (don’t we all!) and she can be a bit bitey when stressed out.
Pearl is a keen nester - if she had it her way she’d nest all year round! I’ve kept it in check by not providing her with anything shreddable (any of the time - it makes her so stressed!) and keeping her light hours and amount of food down at certain times of year, which works well. When I do let her nest in spring, I let her lay one or two eggs, then replace them with plastic ones to shop her laying any more. This also has worked very well.
They’ve had a really good life with me - massive wooden edged cages, loads of free time out of the cage, they've travelled with me a lot (within the UK), and in our last house they had a whole box room to themselves which we'd converted into a little aviary to give them plenty of room for flying. They always had loads of ropes, ladders, perches, toys, foraging toys and food, fruit, veg, pellets, occasional seeds and treats, and lots of love and attention. This is the standard of living I’d like them to continue with if at all possible. I’m not going to be content with them living only in their cage for the rest of their lives. They’ve known a certain level of freedom, and it would be unfair on them to have anything less now I feel.
But alas… I don’t think I can offer them that life any more. It’s breaking my heart, but I want them to live out the rest of their days with someone who can give them the time and freedom they so deserve. They are such characters and they given me so much joy. I want only what is best for them.
I don’t yet know when I will have to re-home them, but probably early 2019 or Spring.
If you think you (or someone you know) might be able to offer this life for Pearl and Jeff, please get in touch. I will be forever grateful
Please see pics and vids in the link here (hope it works)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yum6c876djgzz3l/AABvx8ZDhPBvbwWAGZpq7C1Za?dl=0
We are currently in Dorset, UK. I am happy to drive anywhere to drop them off.
Thanks for your time.
Jane x
:smile016:
