Will my lovebird pair abandon their clutch?

[RJ_K]

I bought my first pair of green black masked lovebirds yesterday. They are about 4 years old and proven, from what their previous owner tells me.

The hen laid her 6th egg Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning before I picked them up yesterday afternoon. The pair seems to have settled in but I’m wondering how likely it is they will abandon this clutch. Both male and female have been spending a lot of time in the nest box. Is this because they’re scared and stressed out? Or because they are actively incubating the eggs?

The hen doesn’t seem to be sitting on all 6 eggs. Two are directly under her and the other 4 are next to her. Does this mean she has abandoned some of her eggs? I touched the eggs this morning to see if any were cold but all felt warm. Is this normal?

They have been on a diet of seeds and pellets that are mixed in. I bought a calcium/vitamin block yesterday and have also given them millet. Is there anything else I should be giving them? They have shredded wood toys and perches and used that as nesting material. Should I provide them with anything else?

If the eggs do hatch, my plan is to hand raise the babies. I have experience hand feeding a few parakeets and a sun conure but haven’t gone through the process with lovebirds.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Maybe the eggs she isn't sitting on aren't fertile? Or maybe she does sit on them, just not at a time when you can see. If she does neglect her babies, you definitely do need to hand-feed them, but I think you've got that. I hope Mommy takes care of all her babies

 

[Kitekeeper]

Welcome RJ_K!

how likely it is they will abandon this clutch.

Unlikely

Both male and female have been spending a lot of time in the nest box. Is this because they’re scared and stressed out? Or because they are actively incubating the eggs?

Because they are most likely actively incubating the eggs. Even before the hen lay the first egg, they were probably spending a lot of time in the nest box. It´s normal.

Two are directly under her and the other 4 are next to her.

That´s probably because you opened the hatch and she moved aside. If the eggs are infertile, she would most likely keep incubating anyway. After six days you could try to candle the egg to determine if they are fertile or not. The first egg is now 12 days old, which could be easily identified if fertile or not by candling. I would wait until the sixth reach six days old to test them all for once.

Should I provide them with anything else?

You are doing fine. Just add some fresh vegetables and that´s it.

If the eggs do hatch, my plan is to hand raise the babies.

You might have to. Currently I have a pair of peachfaced lovebird raising four chicks. Since yesterday I have had to feed the two younger babies as the parents looks a bit tired and are missing the young ones. It has been 10 days since the first one hatched.

 

[RJ_K]

I waited a week and candled the eggs but unfortunately none of the 6 were fertile. They have since been moved into a new cage without a nest box.

This made me question if I was really sold a m/f pair so I had the birds DNA tested through HealthGene. I got the results yesterday and surprisingly I do have a male and female! Since the female did lay eggs, does this mean the male is infertile?

Should I move them back into their original cage with their nest box and let them try again?

 

[Kitekeeper]

Oh, it´s quite common to have blank clutches before a full fertile clutch.

Give it a try, they will most likely provide you a fertile clutch.