| 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 |
Hi,
I am very new to noting and also new with bird ownership.
I have questions and this seems to be the arena that has
the answers.
I have acquired the birds I have through people passing
them on to me. My first pass on was a lovely cockateil
that lived with us for 2 yrs., he recently died. It was
quite devastating and certainly a shock. He never appeared
sick and was just lying in his cage when I woke up one
morning. I would like to own an other one or two but
want first to become more educated. I live in Colorado
Springs and would like to know if anyone can recommend
a good reference for seeking out a new bird?
The second birds I acquired were from my sons school
class. Someone brought in 2 love birds for the class,
they were so disruptive that they were asked to leave.
They moved in with us, adjusted quite nicely, were
never hand tamed but lost their nervousness after a
month. The identified female was a notorious cage
escapist and while I had them out sunning on the porch
one day my youngest son decided it had become his job
to feed them... The dog was outside sunning as well
and when my little girl let herself out my dog just
caught her in-flight and broke her neck. Needless to
say it was an awful experience and after two weeks of
her being gone I am still bummed. My son was crushed
and we've worked hard on dispelling the blame. My
question with this is, will the male be alright? He
seems to be fairing fine but I'm really worried. I
don't think that I can deal with anymore loss. And
if I were to lose him due to heartbreak, I would be
crushed. They were very close companions. Should
I bring him in an other companion?
I am so new to birds and feel as though I've only
operated on ignorance so far. If there are noters
from Co., that are willing to impart their wisdom
and direct me to knowledgeable resources, I would
be truly grateful.
Mods, if this is not the correct place for this note,
please move to the appropriate area. Thanks.
Genie
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871.1 | Pairing Lovebirds, etc. | MRKTNG::COMPTON | Wed Jun 22 1994 15:29 | 71 | |
Hi Genie,
Welcome to Pet_Birds. This is the place for all your questions and
to share stories of living with birds, sad stories and happy ones.
I am moving to Colorado Springs with my husband in September, so
when I am out there, I'd love to meet you and your birds. I have
bred lovebirds and cockatiels and other birds for years. Let me
offer my 2 cents with regard to your questions:
1) sudden death of a cockatiel - might have been older than you
thought, so it was just his time to go - if you get another cockatiel,
disinfect the cage and everything in it with a bleach solution before
you have another bird in there, just to be on the safe side, in case
your other bird had something contagious that would still be present
in the cage
2) losing your lovebird - I warn folks about dogs more than cats
because it is nearly always fatal to the bird when a dog decides
to do what is natural for it, especially the hunting dogs, and
'catch' the bird. Cats are also dangerous, but more birds seem to
be able to escape from a cat's first attempts to trap it than from
a dog's quick action. Re: guilt. A hard lesson to learn for the
family, certainly, but guilt will only bog you down and make you
afraid to have your other bird enjoy the freedom it was used to.
The dog is likely to repeat what was natural to do, so for safety
do not allow the dog and the bird out at the same time in the same
place, even under supervision.
3) new companion or not for single lovebird - since the bird was
used to a friend, it will probably benefit from a new friend. A
difficulty with lovebirds is that they are fairly loyal to their
mates, unlike parakeets, so are sometimes hard to mate up with a
new bird. Also, you don't know the sex of either of the birds and
may not know the sex of the new bird. If you get another bird,
house it separately, putting the second cage next to the other's
cage after the new bird is out of quarantine (keep the new bird
completely separate from your other bird for 30-45 days--ideally
in a different room).
After a couple of weeks or more, take the birds out of their cages,
rearrange the perches and toys and dishes so one of the cages you had a
single bird in 'looks' different to the birds and requires them to
readjust to moving around in it to go from perch to perch, food cup to
food cup, and toy to swing or whatever, then put both birds in at the
same time under close supervision.
If one is hostile to the other, beware that lovebird hens are known to
kill another lovebird they don't like, male or female, so separate
the birds. If the birds are neutral or one is friendly and the other
neutral to the approach of the other, leave them together. The bigger
this cage is the better, to allow some separate space within the cage
in case the birds still need some private space at first.
If you have a choice, get a lovebird that has not been paired before
you acquire it. Also, if your other bird is parent-raised, rather
than handfed, get another parent-raised bird. And finally, the new
bird should not be much younger than yours. A young handfed that is
put in with an older parent-raised is going to have a tough time. A
parent-raised adult bird (9 months or older) has a better chance of
it with yours.
I have a friend in Colorado Springs that has pet lovebirds. Contact me
directly and I'll put you two in touch. She can help you with advice
on behavior and she knows some local sources for birds.
Linda Compton
DTN 264-4926 (leave message)
DTN 264-1239
Home: 603-424-9543 (Merrimack, NH)
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| 871.2 | The major number = 38 days ;-) | NPSS::CREEGAN | Tue Jun 28 1994 16:46 | 18 | |
I like Linda's estimate 30-45 days.
Denise Bourgault sold us an English Buggie for my daughter's
birthday present. A year later we went back to Denise for
a female. Denise gave us the instructions of different
cages at first. After a week they would sit on the same
perch level at the closest point to each other only in
separate cages. My daughter was begging me to put them
together. I did. For 37 days they pecked at each other
and squawked when one got too close to each other. On
the 38th day they were "making - out" like crazy. Now
they sit next to each other and groom each other's
feathers.
Denise also explained to Erin that the first parakeet
would no longer want to be handled, because now he
has a girlfriend. And in an exercise of love, Erin
gave up her pet's friendship, so he could have a
mate. It was a very good experience for *ALL* !
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