bird sitting a biter and a plucker

[bubble]

i am sitting 2 nine year old lovebirds, the female is a biter and the male plucks himself around the neck and tail area. their daddy did warn me about the biting but i never expect it to be so bad, she wouldn't let go even though i held her beak with a bit of pressure. the first day she bit my finger but didn't draw blood, today she bit my nose and drew so much blood that i thought a chunk of my nose was gone, she was determined not to let go.

the male, gaby, on the other hand never bites but preens himself all the time. all the feather around his neck and tail area is gone.

there was no toys in the cage when they arrived, they were eating budgie seeds + sunflower seeds. the space bar of the cage is 3/4" apart and the cage itself is way too small for 2 lovies. apparently there was not much human interaction and they go to sleep way too late at nite (around 11pm).

i feel so sorry for them living for 9 years like this and i don't blame them for not being friendly. i know if i ask their daddy if i can keep them he would be more than happy to. the question is whether they can get along with my 14 fids?? would the biter be going after my fids??

i have given them a lot of toys but they don't seem to be interested. i also gave them some veggies and they ate some. they are also allowed to come out of the cage at least 2 hours a day so they can fly around my room, by the way they don't fly too well even though their wings are not clipped at all. they are staying with me for a month, is there anything i can do to make their lives better?? i am also worried about the space bars of the cage but i don't have an extra cage for them.

any suggestions?? i would like to them to stay with me and being loved.

[DebSpace]

Wow, you are in an awkward situation. :2cents: If you have 14 fids, I'd say slowly introducing these two after the proper quarantine might actually help them. They probably don't have a clue what they have been missing, though their physical condition may show signs of it. You can always say something like, "I would love to add them to my flock if you ever need to find a new home for them." The owner may welcome the offer or say "no way." If you have the means to take 2 more on, showing an interest in having them might even be viewed by the owner as compliment. If they don't want to part with them, perhaps the owner needs someone like you to make a few helpful suggestions, such as nutrition and safety recommendations (and an introduction to the great info available at this website). If worded correctly, I believe this could be done tactfully enough that the owner would not get defensive: i.e. "you know, something that has worked really well for my fids is..." and "my birds just love eating veggies (pellets, etc.)..." Please don't take any of this as gospel, it is just the approach I would take if in your situation. >o Best wishes,

[BarbieH]

Gracie used to bite like that. My first advice to you is, don't handle the hen. She doesn't want to be handled and she is letting you know. You need to respect her wishes. You can love her and bond with her without having to handle her -- I know this from experience. :) Go slow!

Regarding Gaby, has he been checked for any physical cause of the plucking? When was the last time a good avian vet saw him? Like Deb said, you need to keep this pair quarantined from your 14 birds, whether you adopt these new ones or just sit them for a while.

Best wishes,

[sdgilley]

Mimi,
You have a great heart. :) You got some good advice above. I'd add, if they don't seem interested in toys, it may be they don't know what to do with them. Like baby birds, they may have to learn. If they can see other birds playing with them, they might "get it".

I'd go real slow with the hen, like Barb said. I wouldn't introduce them outside of the cage to any of your fids for some time. If you do get to that point, it should be away from cages.

The fact that they don't fly well, is probably an indication that they don't get out to develop those muscles. That may improve.

You've already improved their lives! Whether you decide to adopt them (if their owner is willing) or not, you've given them some love, better food, and a better environment. If you don't adopt them, you can make suggestions to the owner. It may be simply ignorance on his part that they are in too small a cage and not given the right diet. If they'd been to an avian vet, you'd think he'd have been told what food & what size cage, but you never know.

Good luck with your decision.