My 3 Lovebirds

Question
Hi Jennifer,
I currently have three 7-month-old lovebirds. They are actually the offspring of two lovebirds from my mother. So they are siblings. I brought them to my home when they were old enough to care for them selves. They fought in the first cage we had them in so we bought a bigger one. One also seemed to be the aggressor so we separated them. since then they've been in and out of both cages, but they seem to want to be together. Problem is 2 have seemed to form a pair and beating up on the other one. Its getting more violent. Should I separate them for good? and also One of the pair opens up its wings and tail feather high in the air, are they trying to mate? if so the other two dont seem to know what to do. what should I do?

Answer
Hello Lionel,

At 7 months old your lovebirds are moving into adulthood. With this does come expected behavior changes such as the ones you are experiencing. Lovebirds can be quite aggressive especially if they are in a breeding situation. They will naturally protect their nest, food, etc. The display you are seeing is a solicitation for mating or a territorial display.

Since your birds are related please do not encourage breeding. The results would be offspring that may suffer from poor health and/or genetic deformities.

To reduce the environmental signals related to breeding hormone production;

1. Increase their dark uninterrupted sleep time from 10-12 hours to 12-14 hours every night. Increased light is the strongest trigger.

2. Do not allow access to anything that may resemble a nest, such as cozy huts, the floor, under tables, chairs etc. Do not provide any nesting materials.

3. Limit your pets to head scritches only. Any contact to the back, wings, tail, etc is sexual to them. Only a mate would have contact with these areas and only for the purpose of breeding.

Beyond breeding the most common reason I see for birds fighting is not enough space or food and water bowls. Very few cages are made that can sufficiently house more than one bird. A single lovebird should have a minimum of size of 24"x24"24". For three a minimum of 36" in width would be necessary. Width is the most important aspect of cage sizing. If your birds are still fighting then their cage is simply not large enough with enough perching, food, or water bowls. Your options are to provide a larger cage or aviary or to separate them.

My website has links to several parrot websites that you will also find helpful.

Jennifer
www.feathersandscales.com