Ask Lafeber

Love bird abandoning their partner

I have a pair of lovebirds (green and yellow). Yellow and green is likely both female. Yellow is 8 months old while yellow is 2 and a half months old. Yellow and green often fights over toys and perches and nip at each other’s foot and wings so i separate them but when i separate them, they keep chirping for each other until i house them back together again. Its like they love and hate each other. I feel like they have never truly bonded as yellow would attack green when she sees any other love birds/images of lovebirds/other species of birds/toy lovebirds. I don’t understand why yellow attacks green after seeing another love bird like it is abandoning green for another mate. Green, when “abandoned” will keep trying to attack the “third party” and try to follow yellow again. Their relationship seems pretty toxic to
Me and I’m not sure if they will ever grow out of it. Please advise me.

Hi,

It is important that you do not apply human concepts to your birds. There is no such thing as a toxic relationship with birds. They may not be compatible or interact the way you think they should, but this isn’t by any means toxic, it’s very normal. Your birds are far too young to form any real bond. Neither of them are even old enough to be sexually mature. Lovebirds should not be paired or allowed to breed until they are 2 years old. Unless your birds have been DNA sexed, there is no way to know their gender. All of their behavior is based on instinct, because these are a wild species, not a domesticated pet. The older bird is like a teenager, and the younger bird is still a child. So it’s normal for them to not always get along. Also, lovebirds argue a lot – even a bonded pair. What you have described is harmless. The only reason to separate them is if blood is drawn, or one is ripping feathers out of the other when they interact, or if one relentlessly chases the other around the cage. These are signs of real fighting and aggressive behavior. It’s normal for the presence of another lovebird to make one attack the other. They can be jealous of another bird and view it as a rival, or they can prefer another bird and want to be with it. Don’t show them images of other birds since it does cause their behavior to change, because it is causing a lot of stress. They are still growing up and will begin maturing, and again, harmless spats are normal. As long as they are both happy most of the time, playing with toys and eating and drinking, then this is all normal. It’s just the way lovebirds interact with each other.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda