What is the best thing to do?

[linda040899]

Hi Carol,
I'm so very glad to hear that the birdie sleeping situation is resolving itself. I can see where it would tend to make everyone happier!

Many lovebirds begin maturing sexually when they are about 6 months old. I've known 7 month old hens that have incubated and hatched a clutch of eggs. (They were not my birds!!!) I have any number of female/female pairs that get along quite well, no squabbling at all. While you may not know their gender, the fact that they get along so well is encouraging. Hopefully, it will continue in that manner.

[Carole]

They do get along well. And they just took food from my fingers through the cage!! When I've tried to do that before, they always went to bite. But this time they took the food without trying to bite!! I'm so excited I want to do the dance of joy!!

Also, when I just fed them through the cage, when one took the food he/she shared it with the other one. Isn't that a trait of a male and female?

Carole

[Carole]

Also, at the birdie store, they told me that if I kept them covered for 12 hours a day, that if one was a female, it would stop her from going into breeding mode. Is that true? They also told me if I did find eggs in the cage to remove them after 3 or 4 days since the two are siblings.

Carole

[linda040899]

Isn't that a trait of a male and female?

Nope. Same sex pairs can mimic the behavior of a male/female to perfection, exception being either no eggs are produced or the eggs are infertile.

In order to slow down the onset of breeding mode, you need to allow the hen 8 hrs of daylight so 12 hrs won't do anything. Removing the eggs will usually only encourage the hen to lay more to replace the ones you took away, so that's also not a good idea. Should one of these 2 start to lay eggs, the best thing to do is hard boil each egg right after it's laid so that nothing will develop inside of the eggs. Then return the egg to the hen so she can continue to sit on it. It's never a good idea to mess with a hen's breeding cycle.

[Carole]

Oh, thanks, Linda! I'll do that.

They are so cute right now. They are cuddled together on their perch and having a little morning nap

And they took food from my fingers again this morning! Now I know how to get them to eat their fruity zupreem I have no problem with their seeds as they devour it every day

[Janie]

A Mockingbird singing at midnight will make a louder noise than a couple of lovebirds! We have a Mocker in my neighborhood and he loves to sit on the peak of my neighbors house and just sing his heart out.....starting at midnight!

I had to laugh when I read that, Linda! When my son was a freshman in college he called to tell me that "some bird" was making such a loud noise at night that he could not sleep. Of course, it was a mockingbird. I told him to buy ear plugs!