NO MORE PINK ALIENS PLEASE!

[ittyandrita]

it's making me want one! Everybody seems to be have babies right now! I must remain strong, but it's so hard seeing those little baby feather butts...

[carrier]

I will second that request!

Now I want a flock of green, yellow, blue, violet, albino........

Jeez. There must be something in the birdie bread.

[LauraO]

it's making me want one! Everybody seems to be have babies right now! I must remain strong, but it's so hard seeing those little baby feather butts...

Quite frankly, having babies is way more stressful and sad than most realize. It was very exciting the first time we had babies in our house, but it gets old quick. Most lovies who breed don't stop at one clutch, which is one problem, finding good homes for babies is also soooooooooooooooooooo sad and stressful, and things go wrong. Last year one of my hens was eggbound, which was both financially costly and stressful. I've also had to take babies and parents to the vets, had an unsuccessful assisted hatch, and spents countless days and nights feeding babies. I could go on and on and on........... I so wish there was birdy birth control. My birdy life would be so much better .

[butterfly1061]

I agree with Laura! My Olivia is on her second clutch for the year and I'd give anything for birdie birth control. She laid six eggs her first clutch and I'm hoping for less this time around. She hatched three babies and I found a good home for only one. So I now have added lovies to my household that I did not want. It's not all grand!

[carrier]

I absolutely hear and agree with what both of you are saying...it's definitely not something that should be encouraged at all. There are too many unwanted lovies that need homes.

I just wish I had the means to keep lovies in a personal aviary of my own..providing each one with a loving home.

My adoration for animals goes deep, and we all can dream....

[ittyandrita]

oh, I would never let my little ones have babies. Its just driving me crazy to see all the cuteness on this board!
I would be totally unprepared and have no business breeding birds. Emotionally I wouldn't be able to deal with it either. I tear up reading about chicks that don't make it on here.
Also, I know how many unwanted birds there are out there. Seeing all the birds for adoption on petfinder and craigslist breaks my heart and I would never want to contribute to that. Luckily i haven't had to boil an egg yet (knock on wood). I think Rita knows that Jeffrey and Baxter are too immature to be daddies and way more interested in just playing all day

but oh i can dream...

[linda040899]

Rachel,
As a breeder (not as much now as I used to), I take new life very seriously. Each baby needs a good, forever home, be it as a pet or in a breeding situation so that breeders have stock to breed. If all breeders suddenly stopped breeding, the pet trade would dry up very quickly! The key to it all is doing it responsibly and that's something you understand.

[ittyandrita]

yeah, i mean, i wouldn't have my little joys if someone didn't let their birds have babies! I just know i'm not the one to be doing it, unfortunately

[Janie]

Quite frankly, having babies is way more stressful and sad than most realize. It was very exciting the first time we had babies in our house, but it gets old quick. Most lovies who breed don't stop at one clutch, which is one problem, finding good homes for babies is also soooooooooooooooooooo sad and stressful, and things go wrong. Last year one of my hens was eggbound, which was both financially costly and stressful. I've also had to take babies and parents to the vets, had an unsuccessful assisted hatch, and spents countless days and nights feeding babies. I could go on and on and on........... I so wish there was birdy birth control. My birdy life would be so much better .

Laura just summed up why I have males. I'll admit that I was so envious and a little tempted the first couple of years I spent here looking at baby lovies but fortunately, a reality check got me back on track.

[magicbrd]

I became a "breeder" only because my two lovebirds decided on their own to start a family. I got my first lovebird in 1989 a Fisher's named "Pretty Bird". Then six months later I got another loverbird to "keep him company" turned out Pretty Bird was a he and Peachy was a she. Peachy was a rather large pied Peachface. I was new to all this at the time and didn't know that the two were not supposed to like each other, but they didn't know it either. They had several clutches. Because they were actually hybrids I think that made all the babies infertile. I will say it was a lot of work, but at the time I loved every minute of it. The sound of those little babies tweeting every couple hours to be fed. You really can't sleep through it. I took them to school with me to feed them during the day and of course the kids loved it. Sweetpea was one of the babies from the last clutch. I had found homes for the others but he was still there and so I decided to keep him. Just felt like sharing today.

Linda Sunrise, Sweetpea and the rest