Ask Lafeber

Aggressive bird

Hi. I have two lovebirds that are about 8months, one male and one female which where both raised together to be breeding pairs. However the female who’s bigger than the male constantly pecks at his feet whenever he tries to perch next to her or when he plays with the toys. She’s also very aggressive to anyone who puts their hands next to their cage and loves to destroy everything in and around their cage. This only started a week ago and before they used to be very close. I have tried separating them but they pine and try very hard to get to each other. So right now I’m out of options and I could use some advice on what to do.
Thanks

Hi Kayla,

You need to separate them for now because they are both too young to breed. She sounds like she is getting hormonal but it’s not a good idea to allow her to breed at this age. She should be closer to 2 years old to be set up with a nest box and mate. By keeping them in the same cage now, it is encouraging her to want to breed too early. This puts her at a high risk of egg binding and she is also more likely to fail if she does lay egg either by breaking or eating them, not sitting on them or not feeding the chicks. Wait until they are about 2 years old and then give them a nest box and set them up for breeding. Many people let them start too young and end up with bad results. In the wild they do not mature as quickly so this isn’t an issue but in captivity they try to breed too soon. You can keep the cages side by side. I know this is hard, but leaving them together can turnout worse. He is clearly not ready yet and if she gets too frustrated she can kill him.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda