Hello

[Lynne]

Hello
My name is Lynne, and I and my family own a 2 yr old peachie who we purchased at a bird fair. The breeder told us he thought the bird was a male, luckily we named him Kiwi which could really go either way, because after about a year he starting layig eggs! So he was a she, but we still slip up sometimes and say he!
Kiwi is a beautiful little bird, very enjoyable to watch, but she'd like nothing better than to kill us all, so we can't handle her. She bites, very hard, if we put fingers anywhere near her cage. :evil: Even though we can't handle her, she is still pretty spoiled with bird toys and good foods......it's the only thing we can do for her! :)
So that is a little info about us!
Lynne

[linda040899]

Hi Lynne and welcome to our community! :)
Trust me. You are not alone in your experiences of owning a lovie hen, although some are more aggressive than others. We have an entire forum here that is dedicated to biting so you may want to read through it and see if there's anything that might help you with Kiwi.

Looking forward to seeing photos of Kiwi and hearing more about her! :)

[Elle]

Hello Lynne and welcome to the forum. Your story reminds me of Sam. I've had a lovebird for 10 years that I was convinced was a male until she laid an egg. Of all location, she laid it in my hands. I could hear her breathing very hard and with a lot of difficulty and thought she was dying. So I grabbed her out of her nesting box, almost panicking, not knowing what was going on until that little hard thing fell in my palm. The look of pride on her little face when she was done was precious!
If you bird likes socialsing with you and your familly, there is still a chance to teach her not to bite. they do become worse when they are nesting, there is no doubt about that. By any chance, are her wings clipped?

[mjm8321]

Hello and Welcome Lynne! I am no stranger to a bitey hen as well. Actually I am blessed with two biting hens in my flock. The trick with them is to get them away from the cage and the aggression goes away. Might be a good trick for you try with Kiwi. Hope to see you around the board.

[butterfly1061]

Hi Lynne,

Welcome from Atlanta, Ga!

I am owned by three lovies. Molly (she is a he :whistle: ) is just over a yr old and a Lutino Peachface. Daisy (my fiesty hen) is just over 8 months old and a Creamino. And last is Piper, who is my baby about 5 months old and is a Pied.

Hope you enjoy this board as much as we all do - it's great! If you get a chance, post some pics of Kiwi. We love pictures, don't we Lori? :D

Again, Welcome!

[Mummieeva]

Welcome to the group. I to have a bitey 1yr old hen named Whisper. She is a joy to have but loves to keep me in check with a bite. I also have her 4 month old offspring named Whisper. This is a great board and maybe the biters section can help you with your lovie.


Steph

[Janie]

Hi Lynne and welcome (again) from Atlanta! :D Yep, Jackie ^ there and I have been known to get into a little trouble at a bird fair or two. I called the guy who's in charge of our bird fairs and alerted him to Jackie's problem, you know, can't leave a bird fair w/o another bird, :lol, so now she's on a list and isn't allowed in unless I'm with her! :D And visa versa!

It's nice to hear that you enjoy your little lovie even though you can't cuddle with her. I did have to laugh a little when you said that she'd like nothing better than to kill all of you! :D I've read about a few hens with that same attitude. Hopefully, you'll learn a few tricks here that will help tame her some.

I have three....one older male that we adopted two years ago when he was around 7 or 8 and two more little boys, clutch mates that are 4 months old.

Elle, did I understand you correctly? That your lovie was 10 years old before she ever laid an egg????? YIKES, if that is the case maybe my sweet little Oliver could still lay an egg. :omg: He was never sexed but because he hasn't laid an egg and has such a sweet disposition, I've always assumed he's a he.

[Angelwing]

Hey, welcome to the boards. Yes, you'll find a lot of great information here, as well as tips to prevent your baby from biting. Luckily, none of my babies bite (although the nine year old budgie gets cranky from time to time). I look forward to seeing pictures of Kiwi.

Elle: that must have been a joyous day, to have a *male* birdie lay an egg in your hand. :D

[butterfly1061]

Janie,

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: I don't doubt you'd call the sponsor. No wonder he gives me strange looks :whistle: Yep, I'm a birdfair junkie :D

[Elle]

Elle, did I understand you correctly? That your lovie was 10 years old before she ever laid an egg????? YIKES, if that is the case maybe my sweet little Oliver could still lay an egg. :omg: He was never sexed but because he hasn't laid an egg and has such a sweet disposition, I've always assumed he's a he.


No! I'm sorry if I typed it wrong. :eek: I had Sam for 10 yeas. She laid her first egg when she was around two and half, three years old. She was still laying eggs when she was 10. there was no way to convince her to stop. But she didn't lay her fist egg at that age.

So sorry for the confusion!

[Janie]

Elle, a BIG sigh of relief here! :D Thank you for that clarification! Music to my ears and I guess my boy really IS a boy! :D

[bellarains]

Hi Lynne,

Welcome to the board. Kiwi sounds like a henny penny, but I'm so glad to hear that you all love her in spite of the bite :)

From what you've said Kiwi is very territorial of her cage, as most hens are. I have a sweetie pie that is the exception, but when nesty, she will defend her box with a very vicious look. God bless her, she really doesn't know how to bite though.

One tip is to take Kiwi out with an extra perch, and take her away from her cage. If she can see her cage, she will want it, so taking her to another room may reduce her territorial instincts. As mentioned a wing clip would be good before trying to interact with her also so she can't fly away in a panic. This is for her safety, and so you don't have to chase her around.

I look forward to seeing you around the board, and please post us some pics of Kiwi in the photo forum when you can.

[Lynne]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Kiwi has so many toys that she is fun to watch, and she makes really great noises, so we do enjoy her. There is a bird fair near me this weekend and we are going. I was originally going to get Kiwi a friend, but after reading I may have gone off that idea. Sounds like adding a lovie is kind of complicated!!
Kiwi will get some new toys from the fair. We are looking for the swing I saw in the lovebird cage at the bird store. Rope material, but triangular in shape. The lovebirds in the store were having a ball!
Lynne

[Mummieeva]

I have a swing like that. If I were you I would buy 2...lol. My birds need a new one as they sleep on it. Adding another love bird is a bit of work. But I love having two and one day will have more.



Steph

[bellarains]

Lynne,

I also have that swing, I think you can get it www.drfostersmith.com if you don't find one at the bird show. I also have what they call a rocker swing. It is made out of the material like a comfy perch, but is round and hangs from three chains that meet in the middle. That one is my fids favorite.

[Z28Taxman]

Lynne,

I also have that swing, I think you can get it www.drfostersmith.com if you don't find one at the bird show. I also have what they call a rocker swing. It is made out of the material like a comfy perch, but is round and hangs from three chains that meet in the middle. That one is my fids favorite.

That's where I got Ditto's rocker swing. he loves it almost as much as his boing! Especially since climbing on and swinging from chains is one of his favorite things to do. :cool:

Welcome to the board Lynne!

[Janie]

That very swing was on my list when I went to the bird fair and nobody there had it! :( I can buy it at my favorite bird store but was hoping to get it for less at the bird fair.

[LauraO]

Lynne: Welcome and glad you found us. My name is Laura and I have 19 lovies and 2 Meyer's Parrots, and I have more than one nesty bitey hen :rolleyes:.

The key to a bitey hen is getting her away from her cage without bloodshed. After that she will likely not be bitey, or at least that's been my experience. Is Kiwi at all handtame or does she know how to step up? If she does know how you can quickly teach her how to step up on a dowel that way you can bring her out with the family and she can start ruling your entire house instead of just her cage :lol :lol.

Hope to hear more about Kiwi :D

[mjm8321]

2 Meyer's Parrots

Laura?????!!!! C'mon, fess up.

[Z28Taxman]

Laura?????!!!! C'mon, fess up.

I was wondering about that too. She said that a couple days ago in another post and I didn't see any other mention of when she got the second one, just that she was thinking about it.


So, yeah Fess up and post pics! :rofl:

[mjm8321]

I think all of us know about Cookie, but when did Cookie get a friend? Inquiring minds WANT to know

[Lynne]

My name is Laura and I have 19 lovies and 2 Meyer's Parrots, and I have more than one nesty bitey hen

WOW....19 lovies?!?!
I was considering a friend for Kiwi and became spooked by all the challenges I read about when introducing a new bird. How do you have 19? I am impressed.
Everything I read says that adding a bird to an established lovie could led to violence or worse :(
I really thought she might be lonely and would love a playmate, but it sounds like we could just as easily end up with two birds in seperate cages as we could with two loving firends. Not sure if I want to risk it. Kiwi is approx. two, how old would you all consider too old to introduce a new bird? If they didn't get along in one cage would they still entertain each other from seperate cages?

We bought her a toy with a mirrior in it a few weeks ago. At first she tried to kill the toy, but now she snuggles up to it, and frequently perches next to it. I guess she recognized that the "other bird" was kinda stinky, but has now grown to love her! <VBG>

We bought her a new mix of seed last weekend at the bird store back home where I grew up. It is two hours away from where we have settled, so we don't get there very often. She seemed to like the seed, so I am going to have to make another trip north soon. If I don't find the swing at the fair, I'll probably have the bird store order me one! Seed and swing will be a good excuse for a trip home! I think I need a bigger cage to add a swing, so we will look for that at the bird fair this weekend too.

Lynne

[linda040899]

We bought her a toy with a mirrior in it a few weeks ago. At first she tried to kill the toy, but now she snuggles up to it, and frequently perches next to it. I guess she recognized that the "other bird" was kinda stinky, but has now grown to love her!
Hi Lynne,
Sorry to say this, but the mirror has to go. Not a good idea with lovebirds. They become bonded to the reflection in the mirror and they don't realize that the reflection is not real. Lovebirds form strong bonds to those they love, so I think you can understand the danger of this toy.

[bellarains]

Here's a link to the triangle swing on Ebay if anyone is interested. It's a decent price. I think I paid $12.00 for mine, but I did get it a bird shop when I was in MI.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7716443062&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT

[LauraO]

Laura?????!!!! C'mon, fess up.

See what happens when you don't chat. You miss all the good stuff :D

[Paulette]

Hi Lynne.....you are among the few with only one lovie......and good for you. I have several birds and my flock just keeps growing.....budgies, tiels, lovebirds, zebra finches, one dog, one cat and one little beta fish.... all in a little house in Missouri with a one butt kitchen. Project tear off the side porch so we can add a living room begins tomorrow! And then once that is complete, project GIANT KITCHEN begins!!!and I can't wait!....storage...cabinets....middle island....ok, now I'm getting carried away.
Look forward to visiting with you and hearing about Kiwi....lovebirds are a hoot.