| Title: | Captive Breeding for Conservation--and FUN! |
| Notice: | INTROS 6.X / FOR SALE 13.X / Buying a Bird 900.* |
| Moderator: | VIDEO::PULSIFER |
| Created: | Mon Oct 10 1988 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jun 03 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 942 |
| Total number of notes: | 6016 |
A little over a month ago I got a couple of 14 wk. old peach faced
lovebirds. One is very active, loud, and domineering and the other is
very quiet and submissive. It's the quiet one I'm worried about, she
spends much of her time very ruffled up, on one foot, head behind wing.
He lets her lean on him, so he sits on two feet, and he preens her
feathers and has preened a few of them right off the top of her head.
He seems very sweet and caring with her though, so I don't know if it's
*too* caring. She is eating very well. I keep them in a well
protected area at about 70 degrees. When she is not sleeping, she is
trying to build a nest at the bottom of the cage. She succeeded in
forming a round shape with the paper and chewed all the edges of the
paper. Other odd behavior is she gets down on her side and pushes
herself around the outside perimeter of the cage, kicking everything
aside with her feet. Is it possible she is sick, moulting, or trying
to get ready to mate? Will they mate without a nesting box? If they
were really 14 weeks old wouldn't they be too young? Their markings
indicate they are very young birds. Any ideas would be appreciated.
-Julie
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 329.1 | Sounds Strange To Me. | SWEETP::EAGER | Mon Mar 19 1990 11:12 | 39 | |
Hi Julie,
Are you giving them any vitamins? That might help. Either
way, you might want to contact a Vet. I have been breeding Lovebirds
for a year or so and I have never see the leg-kicking routine. It
doesn't sound normal to me. To be on the safe side I would find a
Vet who knows Birds and have the bird checked.
I keep my birds nearer to 80 degrees, but 70 shouldn't be any
problem. Make sure there are no drafts hitting the cage area just to
be sure.
Normally the female is the dominate of the pair, and she also is
usually the one who sets up the nest but not always so. The male's
tail feathers are usually closed up to a point while the female's
is usually fanned out. Also, when the female stands on both legs she
normally stands with her legs farther apart, then the male. He will
usually stand with his feet side by side. Unfortunately these methods
of determining the sex of a lovebird are not 100% accurate, but
together they can help you get a good estimate of who is who, (until
the hen lays some eggs that is).
If they are 14 weeks old then, yes they are two young and you
should not see any mating activity yet. Other then by comparing their
colors to a know adult, I know of no real way to accurately determine
their age. The younger bird is usually not a brightly colored as the
adult.
You could try hanging a nest box on the outside of the cage. One
disadvantage to that is that the birds may spend most of their time
inside the box, so you will have to check on them alot. You can also
try feeding them some fresh or frozen green peas. Mine seem to like
them and it gives them some of the vitamins they need. I mix a small
amount in with their food each day. I also change them food every day,
giving them a tad bit more then they would normally eat in a day just
to be safe.
Good Luck!
Mark
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