Adding a second lovebird

[Overthecoocoosnest]

Hi I'm new to the forum and I've checked a couple of the other questions about introducing a second lovebird to an existing cage. However, my circumstance is a bit different. I just bought a tame baby lovebird that was bonded to another. The pet store manager would not let me buy them both. I have a 6and 8 year old and a 3 year old children.

After bringing the bird home. It's been about 3 weeks and she is starting to warm up to us. She finally comes out willingly when we open her cage.

My two older kids are fighting over the bird and want to get another so each can have their own. I know that we need to be careful introducing the two. I found another 5 month old lovebird that we want to get and put in with our bird. Is there a better chance they will get along with each other and with our family since they are still youn?

 

[EAI]

Aww, glad to hear shes warming up and getting confy!
Just wondering, why did the manager forbid you buy both?

Also, you might want to take into account about how your children might lose interest in their birds and might move on from them.

Anyways, back to the actual question, getting three young birds and letting them socialize together could better help with them becoming friends but it's important to do the quarantine/health check first. As long as they all get interacted with and are constantly being socialized, it should be okay.
However, having three new birds might be a bit more challenging --- they might be more interested with the other birds in the house.

 

[EAI]

I would also advise you to (try) get all the same gender to stop potential breeding because they breed nonstop!!!

 

[Overthecoocoosnest]

Thanks EAI, I will definitely get a health check. The store manager wanted the other bird for breeding because it is a color mutton he doesn't have breeding yet(Lutino opalo).

I would only be getting one more not three. My 3 year old isn't interested. Or are you saying three would be better than 2?

As far as the older two getting disinterested I am prepared for that and my wife and I are really taking the responsibility to care for and play with the bird.

She actually loves my wife most a this point it seems.

Do you think it would be a quicker/easier process of getting the two in the same cage since they're both young and were each bonded to another bird already and are both new to the cage, or does that not matter?

 

[EAI]

Oh sorry, I probably misinterpreted on how many you were planning to get lol!

I'm not advising you *not* to get one, but (personally) I would want to work with your lovie now and make sure she's completely socialized and hand tamed before getting a 2nd one.

I wouldn't put the two together because theres a way higher chance that they will socialize to each other and everyone else will become 3rd wheels. And it would be better to get one of the same gender to stop them from breeding.

 

[mh434]

We've paired up several lovies over the years. In every case, they became largely "wild" as far as humans were concerned, because we've provided them with a more appropriate "mate". They're still happy...just not with us. They will fly about and land on us, but hands are now for biting, not for perching, despite the fact that ALL were fully hand-tamed & hand-friendly before their new mates came on the scene.

BTW, even two females together will lay eggs...lots of them, in some cases. We have two pairs of females among our flock at the moment - one pair is sitting on 4 eggs, and the other pair has laid one each. None, of course, are fertile, but the lack of a male does nothing to prevent egg laying!

 

[Overthecoocoosnest]

Update: she started pulling all her feathers out. We took it back to the store and it was placed back with its mate. Now she's so happy again we still visit her weekly. I wish they would let us purchase both birds