Single lovebird (about to lay eggs) How to handle?
Joseph Jagiello
Help,
My single, handraised, handfed lovebird is sitting on the bottom of the
cage and only goes out to chew on the wood wall taking the splinters back
to her(?) cage to continue building what looks like a nest . If she is
about to lay eggs; how do we deal with this. She has not been bred. If we
try to remove any eggs secretively will it cause our bird to become
"mean". Can a lovebird even lay eggs without having mated. We are new to
all of this; we love our bird; and we don’t want to turn it "mean" on us.
We don’t want to mate it because we have heard that usually they then so
concentrate on each other, that you lose them as pets. Also, we have never
had the bird sexed; and we are afraid that if we add anew bird to the cage
they may kill each other. I know I am asking a lot of questions---but
then, these little creatures are very new to us and unlike many of the
other birds we have had in the past. Could someone please help us.
Joe Jagiello
JJagi...@aol.com
jjag...@worldnet.att.net
Martin St. John
JOE,
Go and get your lovebird a mate. A bird only becomes wild when you don't
spend enough time with it. I am very, very experienced in this and I
guarantee that if you continue to spend time with your bird, she will stay
tame.
Yes, she will lay eggs even though she has no mate.
No, they will not hatch.
Get a breeding box.
Get a book that teaches you how to select a mate and how to introduce them.
(Or ask your breeder)
Supervise them (24 hours) for the first five or six days.
Get your breeder to agree to a "warrantee" if the birds don't get along,
bring it back for another.
Besides, once you have babies, you can hold and fuss and hand-train and
also have a group of them attacking your hands --- ouch --- sitting on
you (shoo) -- fussing with you -- (do you minnnd) while you're trying
to type on the commmmputer. (Hey) Just like me! (Okay - what do you
want me to type.. ouch)
Love from us all!
Amanda
The...@ix.netcom.com
In <4oep2c$j...@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net> Joseph Jagiello
Joan Napolitano
your lovebird could be male or female. Building a nest is done by both
sexes. Females usually will shred paper and stuff it in their
tailfeathers. Try giving your bird some clean, black & white (no color)
newspaper to shred. this is a natural instinct and you really can't stop
them from this type of behavior. If your bird does not mate, the egg will
not be fertile. If it is female, she can lay eggs without a male present,
but the eggs will not hatch. Some people take the egg away but others
don't. Sometimes when you take them away the bird will just keep laying
more which can lead to health problems eventually. Make sure your bird
(if female) has a source of calcium available to her. Either cuttlebone
(if they chew on it) or a mineral block. There is also powdered or liquid
calcium you can sprinkle on food or add to water.
Female lovebirds can be wonderful pets, but odds are if you add a male to
the cage it will not be the pet you know now. Male lovebirds can co-exist
happily and still remain pets. Female can be known to become vicious if
nesting.
Good luck.
Joan
Jo Vandewall
Joseph Jagiello <jjag...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Help,
>My single, handraised, handfed lovebird is sitting on the bottom of the
>cage and only goes out to chew on the wood wall taking the splinters back
>to her(?) cage to continue building what looks like a nest . If she is
>about to lay eggs; how do we deal with this. She has not been bred. If we
>try to remove any eggs secretively will it cause our bird to become
>"mean". Can a lovebird even lay eggs without having mated. We are new to
>all of this; we love our bird; and we don’t want to turn it "mean" on us.
>We don’t want to mate it because we have heard that usually they then so
>concentrate on each other, that you lose them as pets. Also, we have never
>had the bird sexed; and we are afraid that if we add anew bird to the cage
>they may kill each other. I know I am asking a lot of questions---but
>then, these little creatures are very new to us and unlike many of the
>other birds we have had in the past. Could someone please help us.
If your bird is a she (most likely - 3 out of 4 are) then she will probably lay
an egg (or eggs). Leave them in her cage. If you take the egg(s) out too soon
she will probably just lay more. She will probably sit on them for a while but
when nothing happens, she'll lose interest. You can then remove them without
upsetting her. It's possible that she will go through this every now and again.
It's not a problem unless she does it too often. I would recommend against
getting her a nest box because that just tends to stimulate egg-laying. I also
recommend against getting her a mate. Males often do become agressive toward
other lovebirds (male or female) and it can happen months after they have been
sharing a cage (unfortunately, I speak from experience). Also, male lovebirds
are hard to find because they are so hard to sex and proven males tend to be
rather expensive because of this and because they are rarer than females.
As someone else recommended, do get your bird cuttlebone and a mineral block.
These are good for both males and females. If she starts laying eggs, I would
also try a calcium supplement, at least while she is laying.
Good luck. Let me know how it goes.
Mike Laferriere
In article <4oep2c$j...@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
jjag...@worldnet.att.net says...
>
>Help,
>
>My single, handraised, handfed lovebird is sitting on the bottom of the
>cage and only goes out to chew on the wood wall taking the splinters back
>to her(?) cage to continue building what looks like a nest . If she is
>about to lay eggs; how do we deal with this. She has not been bred. If we
>try to remove any eggs secretively will it cause our bird to become
>"mean". Can a lovebird even lay eggs without having mated. We are new to
>all of this; we love our bird; and we don’t want to turn it "mean" on us.
>We don’t want to mate it because we have heard that usually they then so
>concentrate on each other, that you lose them as pets. Also, we have never
>had the bird sexed; and we are afraid that if we add anew bird to the cage
>they may kill each other. I know I am asking a lot of questions---but
>then, these little creatures are very new to us and unlike many of the
>other birds we have had in the past. Could someone please help us.
>
>
I have a single luvbird that likes to lay egg's. I get her those
little $4 nest box's that hang on the side of her cage that look kinda like an
enclosed basket.I think they only come as large as canary sized but I usually
try to find one with a larger hole for her to get in an out of. She always
likes to fill her tail with "nesting material" and 99.9% of this falls out
when she goes in. :-) Keeps her busy though I guess. :-) I leave her egg's in
there until she starts neglecting them and toss the whole thing out and use a
fresh new box each time. She will lay egg's whether or not they are
fertilized. Supposedly they dont like to come off their nests when they have
egg's but mine will always wander off to play on her swing or get her tummy
tickled but will just stay out for a minute then go back to warming her egg's.
When she doesnt have egg's though she likes to forage for nesting material.
Beware printer paper! :-) When she does start getting fat before laying her
egg's make sure she's getting enough calcium with those calcium lick thingies
or a decent diet... If a new bird lays egg's in her house it means she's
pretty well settled in as they wont lay in a place they dont feel secure in. I
dont think its torture or bad or anything to keep a luvbird single. Mines
bonded with me just fine and knows my voice and walk and greets me even when
her cage is covered at night. :-)
Nicole Jones
I'm very curious as to where you got the information that 3 out of 4 lovebirds
are female, and that male lovebirds are hard to find and more expensive. I
have found absolutely nothing to indicate this, nor have I ever heard it
before.
If you are taking about Lutino Peachface Lovebirds, then yes, you are correct.
But if you are taking about lovebirds in general, then I must disagree with
you. Of course, this may also apply to some of the rarer species, but I would
assume the original poster had one of the more common varities.
I own the Lovebirds Mailing List as well as being the author of the Lovebirds
FAQ. In my research and in all the talking I've done with other breeders, I
have yet to hear this information. With the exception of the Lutino Peachface,
as I said before.
Nicole Jones
In article <4olb30$a...@kaleka.seanet.com>, j...@seanet.com (Jo Vandewall) wrote:
>If your bird is a she (most likely - 3 out of 4 are) then she will probably lay
>an egg (or eggs). Leave them in her cage. If you take the egg(s) out too soon
>she will probably just lay more. She will probably sit on them for a while
> but
>when nothing happens, she'll lose interest. You can then remove them without
>upsetting her. It's possible that she will go through this every now and
> again.
>It's not a problem unless she does it too often. I would recommend against
>getting her a nest box because that just tends to stimulate egg-laying. I also
>recommend against getting her a mate. Males often do become agressive toward
>other lovebirds (male or female) and it can happen months after they have been
>sharing a cage (unfortunately, I speak from experience). Also, male lovebirds
>are hard to find because they are so hard to sex and proven males tend to be
>rather expensive because of this and because they are rarer than females.
---------------------------------------------------
Nikki & The Featherbabies
nikj...@spots.ab.ca
http://www.spots.ab.ca/~nikjones/
Join the Lovebird Mailing List
http://www.spots.ab.ca/~nikjones/lovebird.html
---------------------------------------------------
jes...@djo.com
JJ>My single, handraised, handfed lovebird is sitting on the bottom of the
JJ>cage and only goes out to chew on the wood wall taking the splinters back
I'm not exactly sure what you are refering to, but it doesn't sound like
good chewing material. Keep that away from her beak for starters...
JJ>to her(?) cage to continue building what looks like a nest . If she is
JJ>about to lay eggs; how do we deal with this. She has not been bred. If we
JJ>try to remove any eggs secretively will it cause our bird to become
JJ>"mean". Can a lovebird even lay eggs without having mated. We are new to
Probably and yes. She will most likely be quite the twit while nesting,
but after she's out of that phase she will (hopefully) return to her
sweet self. Just never let you know you are afraid of her bites.
Birds most definatly can and will lay unfertilized eggs. (most chickens
eggs are this way) If you pull the eggs as she lays them, she will
continue trying to lay them. Once she starts laying, she will lay one
egg every other day. Count 25 or so days after the last one is layed
(or as soon as she abandones the nest, if she does), and then pull them
all. In the meantime, be sure to spruce up her diet with Petamine,
fresh food, etc Even if she normally sticks her nose up at bean mixes,
she may accept them now. Fertile or not, egg laying can be quite a
drain on their nutrient supply.
Jesica
Rose Aviary
www.teleport.com/~necranom/rosebud/
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jes...@djo.com
SO>Beware printer paper! :-) When she does start getting fat before
laying her
SO>egg's make sure she's getting enough calcium with those calcium lick thingie
You didn't clarify how often she is laying. Regardless of how much calcium
you are supplementing with, constant egg laying will wear on her health.
While it is fun for her, and might be a nice treat for her ton get to nestes
a couple times a year, it would be better for the bird to not encourage
it more than that (ie, don't give her a nest).
Jesica
Rosebud Aviary
Jes...@DJO.com
jes...@djo.com
I have always been very careful about wing clipping, but this baby
didn't even have full feathers yet, and I didn't think it could
fly...so we bopped into the Office Depot store where baby's future owner
worked (for those of you w/o office depot's, just imagine a big, big
warehouse with REAL high ceilings). I took the lid off the carrier, put
my hand down to get baby, and WHOOSH! Straight up to the ceiling. This
was 8:30 this morning. I got home about 3. Yes, that's how long it
took to get him.
The way we finally got him was by using another baby (severly clipped
now) as bait. Those of you with lost birds may want to consider using a
mate or friend to attract the bird. Took not 3 mins after we used the
"bait."
No flames please: I usually clip religiously, and will be doing so even
more now. The baby had a ball, and was recovered w/o injury.
Jesica
Rosebud Aviary
Kevin Chu
In article <tcpnntpd.16.6.3.16.16...@news.djo.com>
that I received on my home planet, <jes...@djo.com> wrote:
} warehouse with REAL high ceilings). I took the lid off the carrier,
...and most if not all of the warehouse-type stores I've been in
have many, many ceiling fans, so make sure you get those ceiling
fans turned OFF!
Kevin
--
Kevin Chu
kev...@wimsey.ca (preferred)
cps...@vcc8.langara.bc.ca (unreliable)
waseemc...@gmail.com
> Help,
> My single, handraised, handfed lovebird is sitting on the bottom of the
> We don’t want to mate it because we have heard that usually they then so
> concentrate on each other, that you lose them as pets. Also, we have never
> had the bird sexed; and we are afraid that if we add anew bird to the cage
> they may kill each other. I know I am asking a lot of questions---but
> then, these little creatures are very new to us and unlike many of the
> other birds we have had in the past. Could someone please help us.
>
> JJagi...@aol.com
> jjag...@worldnet.att.net
If lovebird is giving eggs take a bowl and keep soft cloth for the eggs and she will feel hot and lay the eggs.