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Question:

December 5, 2022

help my lovebirds are fighting


My question isn’t very long but I have a lot to say for context as it’s a behavioural question and I’d love your help. I have a sweet old man lovebird (he is about 12 y.o – his name is Boya) and a very energetic 2 year old lovebird (also male – his name is Niya). We adopted him after the previous female lovebird we had passed away (she was in a couple with the older one).

Now Niya has always been energetic and would often bug the older one that prefers to rest a lot and not play as much.

The issue is that Niya has been more territorial and aggressive. Wherever the older one perches, the younger one will go to his spot and bite him or sort of charge with his beak and the older one will fly to a different spot. Sometimes he even chases him. It’s really frustrating. Eventually they will perch near each other. When Niya was younger, they would sometimes groom each other or sit close with each other and I would even be able to hold them both in my hands together. Now it’s impossible. It’s not always like this but often enough that it’s very hard to deal with. I’m not sure what to do.

For more context, they both spend all day outside the cage. They’re only caged together at sleep time, with no issues. Boya never got used to playing with toys really, he would mostly just have fun around the house when he was younger, but now he mostly just wants to sit somewhere and sleep (which is often interrupted by Niya, so he tries to hide somewhere Niya doesnt like to sleep – or will make us hold him in our hand where he sleeps and if Niya comes to attack he can keep him away. When this happens also, sometimes Niya will just sit on my shoulder while boya sleeps in my head and they’Re both comfortable like that for a while, then eventually Niya will try to fight him again.

We took Boya to the vet a couple years ago because we were worried about him being lethargic because he’s sick, but it didn’t seem like he had any health issues.

Another thing is that Niya will often go on top of the curtain and try to “mate” with it. Many times a day. It seems like he’s very hormonal. Both birds get a proper night sleep (at least 12 hours, usually it’s more like 14).

As for diet, they both eat pellets, nutriberries and seeds. Sometimes they will eat the seeds off strawberries and the seeds from the inside of blackberries. They both love apple. I haven’t had a lot of luck with most vegetables. Boya especially really really hates to try new things.

Things took a turn for the worst today as I saw signs of biting on Boya’s beak. And later in the day, I heard them figthing and then Boya’s beak looked like it was not closing properly. After a bit of time it was better.

I’m really worried about them. What can I do to help them get along better and lead a healthier life? It’s really draining having to spend a lot of my time just trying to keep them from fighting.

Thank you so much for your help, I really really appreciate it.


Answer:

Hi Ola,

You are going to need to separate these birds, or the younger one may end up killing the older bird. Either through attacking him, or due to all of the stress he is putting him through. The reason Niya is so hormonal is you let him have free roam. If you limited his time outside of the cage, he should settle down some. Boya has no use for this younger bird, and vice versa. The age and activity difference is too much, and it’s not fair to Boya to be constantly harassed. He would likely be happy in his own cage with a few toys and treats and protection from Niya. Not all birds get along, and normally a huge age difference like this does not work out. It’s like having a hyperactive teenager and a senior citizen as the only companions for each other. LOL They both have different needs and simply aren’t a good match. Lovebirds tend to be very aggressive anyway, so given what you have told me, I’m afraid Niya will end up killing boys any day now if you do not separate them. You have to remember that these are a wild species, and they act on instinct. A young male would have no use for an elderly male in the wild. A slower bird can be a threat to the flock, so they are often left behind or chased off. Niya can’t chase Boya off, so instead he will end up killing him.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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