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[lovezebs]

slwatson

Hi Stacie

I wanted to say sorry about your baby Owls, but my ADD mind got snagged on the Lovebirds.

Were you offering them live foods?
My guys seem to feed flightless fruit flies and mealworms, along with seeds and veggies.

[Rox]

Sorry about the owl babies but congrats on the rest!! Always awesome to have babies around

And I'm still holding thumbs for your blue-caps!!!!

[slwatson]

lovezebs Babs erine

Ok Elana and Babs...now I'm a little nervous about the love birds. They're both fairly young, and the lady wasn't sure if they were male and female, but I guess I'm a sucker for cute! Last night, one of them was hanging upside down from the top of the cage. What do I need to watch for with them? I don't want to breed them, but I want to make sure I'm giving them everything they need!

Erine

I was so surprised by the price! She was also selling sun conures for incredibly cheap, but she said she just wanted to make someone's Christmas a great one by going down on her prices.

[Sally]

So sorry about the loss of the babies. It is not unusual for parents to abandon or stop feeding when they only have one baby. I believe they don't want to waste time with just one, but will get started on another clutch right away. In the same time period it takes them to incubate/hatch/fledge/wean one baby, they can produce a clutch of 5. Mother Nature's instincts at work.

[slwatson]

Sally

Thanks Sally for that info...I feel better knowing that. Poor little baby

[slwatson]

lovezebs

Elana, can you give me a crash course on love birds?

[lovezebs]

slwatson

Well, many moons ago, when you were just a wee child, my two old Canary boys died, within a very short time of each other (and yours truly was left birdless).

Ali, an acquaintance of mine, mentioned that she had a very young Lovebird (by the name of Peanut that she'd got from her boss, and was looking to rehome). Apparently Ali's hubby, worked nights (tried to sleep days), and little Peanut, was keeping him up. Seeing as he was begining to get wild eyed and semi psychotic, and threatening to barbeque the bird, Peanut had to be re-homed asap.

Well, you know me, right ?

I was amazed by this gorgeous looking little baby (peach faced and tropical green) and of course she came home with me. How could I have said no to all that pretty cuteness ?

Peanut, although very young (still had a black beak ) let everyone know that she was home, and home to stay. She put my two inquisitive cats right in their place, with one screech , and cackled happily when they ran for the hills.

Peanut, would get free flight every day. She would sit on my shoulder, play with my hair, eat out of my hand, and take her afternoon showers, in the bathroom sink (under lukewarm running water. She was acrobatic and funny, and loved to hang upside down in her cage and off my fingers. I was in love with this little clown.

Then Peanut, matured into a full grown Lovebird. She began getting a little assertive and demanding, and would bite when she didn't get her way. She was a spoilt princess.

As time went by, her biting became increasingly painful (at one point she almost took a chunk out of my ear lobe, another time she put her hookbill beak, right through the webbing between my thumb and forefinger) at which point I was ready to commit murder.

I got her a huge home made flight cage, and she began to spend less time at free flight (due to the biting). Well, she didn't like that and became even more aggressive. Then she started plucking herself.

Everyone told me (including an avian vet) that she was lonely and frustrated and needed a mate. After doing my homework, and reading a lot on the subject, I went and picked out a beautiful boy for my princess. He was a very handsome green, with a lovely pale cream face.

I brought him home, and shortly thereafter these two 'Lovebirds', were introduced.

Kit-Kat, was smitten. Peanut, said ehh ehh, maybe....and the tone for the relationship was set. She was the boss, and he was there to cater to her and keep her entertained.

She started plucking him, and he sat there with a silly smile on his beak and allowed it. She pulled out all his tail feathers, and for months he went around looking like a tail less baby chicken. She pulled off one of his toe nails and the flight looked like a scene from CSI.

Then Peanut decided that it was time to reproduce.

Kit Katt, build her a lovely nest in the big wooden nest box. She tore it apart and he build her another nest.

She obliged, and laid eggs. Some of the eggs disappeared, and the she hatched a chick, and he disappeared as well.

Finally she hatched two chicks, and both parents started feeding them. Once they began to feather up, all hell broke loose. Peanut, stopoed feeding, wouldn't allow Kit-Kat into the nest box to feed either (eventhough those poor babies were screaming) . Then I started to hear god awful sounds and screams coming out of there.

Screaming and hissing and biting, I pulled her out of the nest box . I checked on the chicks. The poor things were practically starved, and plucked bloody.

I handraised these two little girls, while Peanut continued to torment Kit-Kat (who would not be parted from her), till the day he died (at 10 years old). Peanut lived to over 10 years and passed away (after one of her daughters almost killed her in a gruesome fight.

The two daughters lived on. One very much like her father (Baby), and one (Peaches) a carbon copy of her mother (super psycho). Peaches passed away at the age of 12+, and Baby, went on to live to 18 years old.

Would I own Lovebirds again? Not in a million years.

[slwatson]

lovezebs Rox

Elana-I wasn't offering them live foods, but I have plenty of mealworms at home. I'll start that today.

Roxanne-I swear last night I heard some peeps coming from the cordon bleu nest. They sounded different than the peeps from my gouldians and parrot finch babies. My husband heard them too, and both parents were sitting out on a perch, staring at us, so I didn't dare go and check. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

[slwatson]

lovezebs

Oh Elana, that story just breaks my heart....to go from such a sweet thing to a monster I feel so sorry for Kit-Kat

I hope that since my two are already together, they won't pull a jekyll and hyde. I asked the seller if they could be handled, and she said not really. I think they were hand fed, but she said even with handfeeding, hers typically wouldn't allow anyone to handle them as they got older.

The cage they're in now isn't big enough, so I'm working on getting a bigger one so they'll get plenty of exercise. They'll let me get close to the cage and talk to them, but my son tried to put him hand a little closer to the cage last night, and they let him know they didn't like that.

I'm gonna stick with them and see what happens as they get older, and keep a close eye on them like Babs suggested. What's a good diet for them?

[slwatson]

lovezebs

Do they need a cage that's taller or wider, and do I need to supplement with minerals and vitamins like I do for the finches? I know they like fresh fruits and veggies, and I already have a good seed mix. What about egg food?

Thanks!

[Spreckles]

I am sorry for the losses but glad you have some new babies to enjoy and the love birds. It will be interesting to see how you like them. Post some pics are they purty?

[lovezebs]

slwatson

I would go with a sizable cage, (you know the drill, bigger is always better ). Because they so enjoy climbing, I would go with bars that go from side to side, rather than up and down. A tall cage is fine with them, but I wouldn't go for the really narrow tower things (which are good for nothing , in my opinion).

Regarding diet, if you can find a seed mix specifically for Lovebirds, then all better. If you can't, I would offer a small Parrot seed mix, or a good mixture of Cockateil and Budgie, mixed together.

Greens are enjoyed, but mine didn't enjoy fruit for whatever the reason (although yours might) so you can try it.

I would offer small amounts of egg in moderation, but wouldn't go overboard, so as not to stimulate hormones into breeding mode.

Do you know if they are male and female? Siblings?

Toys will be appreciated. Swings, ladders, rope toys, and different odds and ends to stimulate an active, intelligent brain. It's a good idea to rotate toys every week or so if possible, so that they don't get bored. A bored Lovebird, is not a happy Lovebird.

Regarding minerals etc. Good quality bird grit . A cuttle bone. A mineral block, and a few drops of bird vitamine in their water. I would also offer one of those chew blocks for birds (Can't for the life of me think of the name at the moment) which look almost like their made out of cement. This is a good idea, to keep their beaks trim.

I hope this information is helpful.

Oh, and tell your son (don't know how old he is) to keep his fingers out of the cage. A Lovebird bite, can be quite painful, and they can easily draw blood. If he wants to interact with them, he can very carefully offer the occasional sun flower seed through the bars .

Also remember, that they will chew on their perches, so you have to keep that in mind when supplying them with branches , as to the type of wood you choose. They really enjoy fresh branches from apple trees with the leaves still on, and have a blast with them.

Good luck

[Babs _Owner]

slwatson

Oh dear, I made you all paranoid. So sorry. There are two kinds of birds I cant own hookbills and zebras finches.

That is purely by fault of me, cause they intimidate the daylights out of me.

Lots of people are successful with Lovebird and zebras .

But me, I would be a hot mess. With those species I'd be a

[slwatson]

Babs

Lol! I seriously doubt you would be a loser with any birds you decide to take on...you're having great success! I love hearing about your birds. Honestly, I can't own zebras either. I had a pair at one point, and the male was so mean and nasty, he went after any bird who came within a foot of him, and they were housed in a large flight with very few other birds. There wasn't a nest in the cage either. I ended up finding a wonderful new home for the pair.

[slwatson]

Spreckles lovezebs

They're very pretty...I'll try to get a good picture and post it soon.

Elana,

Thanks so much for the info! I could kick myself for not asking the seller if they were siblings. She just said she wasn't sure about the sex. I don't want to breed them at all, so it might be better if they're the same sex, as long as they get along.

I took a closer look last night and they have some black on their beaks too...she did say they were young.

Those tower cages are a little strange to me....I looked at one last night, and it was pretty tall, but very narrow. Guess I'll be asking for a new cage for Christmas!