We got a pair of lovebirds in December. The seller stated they were a pair and already had a clutch. They seem very bonded, and have each tried to mate each other so we thought perhaps we had the male and female mixed up. But doesn’t seem like they have successfully mated and no eggs yet. Their nesting box the seller used before has been in place for over a month already. What should we do. Do you think they will mate again?
Hi Karen,
I’m always a bit guarded when a bird breeder sells a “proven pair”. Often this isn’t the case at all, or they have some issue such as small clutches or failure to care for the eggs, or sometimes they just don’t produce the color mutations the breeder expected. Since the seller has remained in contact with you, then most likely the pair is what they represented them as. I think most likely the failure to lay eggs yet is related to being in a new environment. It takes time for birds to settle in, and for breeding pairs, it can take much longer for the pair to feel like they have a safe environment to raise chicks. They need to be in a quiet, private area with little human interaction other than when you feed them or check on them. Most pairs will not breed if they are in an area with people around them most of the time. I’m sure the seller went over where to hang the nest box – as high as possible. Also diet needs – a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets or our foraging diets, and not a loose seed mix. You should also offer leafy greens, chopped veggies and some fruit. And while you have them set up to breed, it’s good to feed an egg food – cooked eggs with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs or a commercial egg food. This is only fed when they are about to lay eggs and then until the chicks are weaned or removed from the parents to hand feed. It’s also very important not to let a pair breed too often. They breed and lay eggs once per year in the wild. In captivity, a limit of 2 clutches per year is recommended, with the nest box removed for 6 months after the chicks leave the box each time. They don’t need the nest box when they are being rested for 6 months from breeding. You may get conflicting advice on this, since some for profit breeders fail to limit clutches. But for the best health of your parents and their chicks, 2 clutches per year is enough. It takes a lot of work for both parents, and forming and laying eggs, and then incubating them, is hard on the hen’s health if she does this too often.
I would just wait and see what they do. You can’t make them lay eggs. All you can do is provide what they need and hope for the best. It takes a lot of patience to breed birds, and it can involve a lot of waiting. But since this pair has produced before, I’m sure they will settle in and lay some eggs before too much longer.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
