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Question:

August 22, 2022

Lovebird behavior


11 year old female peachface lovebird lost mate 1 1/2 years ago. By mistake, we purchased a male fischers, now 1 year old. He wants to “associate” with her….she wants to kill him and has bled him several times. They are now in separate cages. She tolerates the wife and me while he avoids us. is there any way persuade the new male to accept us.


Answer:

Hi Richard,

With a lovebird hen that age, who had a mate, she probably wouldn’t have accepted another male, even of her species. Female lovebirds, especially Peach Faced, can be much more aggressive and territorial than males. And they have no use for a baby lovebird. She just sees this young bird of another species as an unwelcomed intruder that she has no use for. Peachfaced lovebirds are a much more aggressive species overall than the Fischer’s. I would definitely keep them apart – she could have easily killed him already. Their attacks can come swiftly and without warning and she could have killed him almost instantly.

As for the little guy, he may come around, but it will take a lot of patience on your end. It sounds like he was probably parent raised, since he wants to interact with her so badly. He might be happier with another male of his species and age, but only if you knew you could get a male. And the problem is they may or may not get along. You could end up with a third cage!

So I would recommend that you read through our pages on behavior and taming and training. Don’t set a time limit – this can be something that could take months – and then more months. And the best result might be that he doesn’t run from you. It depends on his temperament and how much time – and patience – you both have. It can feel like you are making no progress at times, but then he might have a break through. Hopefully y’all can work out some form of understanding.

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior

Teaching Your Bird

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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