Multiple Linnies together

[Rob]

Hello all.

I currently have a lone male linnie, and I'm most likely picking up a male/female pair tonight who have been together for approx. 2 years. My instinct is to say it wouldn't be wise to put all three in the same cage, but I'm curious if that's true. I plan to breed the pair eventually, so I imagine they'd want to be alone. Would it work to put the cages near each other, so he at least doesn't feel lonely?

Any thoughts/suggestions are welcome, specifically tips for breeding linnies.

Thanks!

[lovezebs]

Rob

Hi Rob,

Did you get the pair?

I found some interesting information on this site...

http://forums.avianavenue.com/index.php ... ts.106651/

I would definitely not put them all together, but close by should be okay in my opinion.

[Rob]

lovezebs

Thanks for that link. I remember reading it before I got my first linnie. It definitely suggests against three in a cage so I'll keep them separate.

I ended up getting them, the deal was too good to pass up, and they seemed to be in great health and they came from a local breeder (you and I both know him) which I was happy to hear.

They're not tame, especially the female, but I bought them so I could try breeding them more so than a pet. The female got out when I was transferring them back to the cage they came with, and gave me some nasty bites when I picked her up. The male didn't mind being held at all. Unfortunately she flew at my firefinch cage, and the pair almost abandoned the eggs The male eventually went back in, but I think the female stayed out for the night (he's a young guy, whereas she's a couple of years old, and I think he wants his first clutch to be successful just as much as me)

I never knew linnies could be so loud! They started calling to each other from across the house. This was also worry some with the firefinches being so on edge. I ended up taking the new linnies upstairs so they could settle in without disturbing anyone.

I'll post some pictures in a bit.

[Rob]

[Flight Feathers]

Beautiful birds!! Congrats!!

[Hilary]

Cuties!

[lovezebs]

Rob

Hi Rob,

Congratulations, they are pretty birdies .
Did you get them from Kevin?

Sounds like you had a bit of an adventure with your escaped girl, lol. Sorry you got bitten in the process. When handling small hookbills who have not been handled or handraised, I would suggest using thin leather gloves, unless you have skin like an armadillo ( going back to my years with Lovebirds, who bite like mini sharks ).

If the male is not a biter, you can work with him to come to you for treats like apple or spray millet. If the female sees this, she might come around as well. It will probably not really tame them, but it will make them more friendly, and easier to live with.

I hope your tiny Fires went back to their eggs and stayed there .

[Rob]

lovezebs

Hi Elana,

The person I got them from had gotten them from Kevin about a year ago (on average. one was closer to two years ago, and when one of them escaped, she got another one from Kevin about 6-8 months ago). It was $100 for the two birds, a fairly large cage with toys and a nest box, and some food and misc. accessories.

Before buying I was able to hold the male, and hold him up to my ear and heard no issues. He nibbled on my fingers, but very softly. I'm so thankful I didn't do that with the female! A bite on my ear would not have been nice. I will use gloves with her next time, and try the hand feeding. I thought for sure I was going to bleed, or have a nasty blister, but she didn't puncture the skin. I play guitar so the tips of my fingers are calloused, so that probably protected me from those bites.

I'm hopeful with the fires for now. We'll see though.

[lovezebs]

Rob

How are the new kids settling in?

[Rob]

lovezebs

So far so good. They seem happy. I cleaned out their nest box and put some new material in. Not sure what if anything I need to do to encourage breeding, but I'm in no rush.

[lovezebs]

Rob

Good to hear that they're doing well.

Good luck with future eggs and babies .

[Susannah]

Beautiful pair of birds - that was a great deal...they'll make good use of those toys, as they love to chew anything - I'm always making and buying chew toys...we were wanting a friend for our single bird 'Flint', but after being told of the horror stories from other Lovebird owners, we decided on not getting one...they are loud at times...our little guy seems to know just when to be incredibly noisy lol - both my partner and I are studying at uni and when we have an assignment to do, he gets up on one particular perch and screeches every sound he can make to optimum intensity
We recently bought an Indian Ringneck, now Flint's best friend, which is in the cage beside him...they are given the same treats/foods at the same time etc. - this has been good for him, able to see he is not the only bird buddy we have and he doesn't seem as spoilt, either
Flint is hand tamed, he comes out to play on his gym and I take him out in the garden, while I have a cuppa, but I don't like him up near my ear and earrings - too much of a invitation for him to bite, I feel
All My Best for your two.