July 10, 2024
Lovebird dying bonded pair
My lovebirds fought yesterday. One died and the other injured but seemingly nort as severe.
He or she is calling out every half hour or so.
Will this one survive
Question:
Answer:
Hi,
I’m sorry this happened. I have no way to know if it will survive. You need to take it to an Avian Vet as soon as possible to be treated.
If they fought badly enough for one to kill the other, then they were not a truly bonded pair. A bonded pair might squabble, but not fight to the death. This sounds like you may have had two females. They can be very territorial. It’s important to try to figure out what happened, if you plan to have another companion for the other bird if it survives.
Had these birds been together for a long time? When first put together, they might get along, but you have to watch them closely for fighting. Did they ever fight before – just harmless fights? Did one chase or bully the other regularly? This is not a good sign with lovebirds and means they should be separated. Did they have a nest box? If so, and you weren’t positive they were male & female, this could definitely trigger a fight between two females. Was one bird much younger than the other? A mature bird may kill a young one if the mature bird is ready to mate and the younger bird isn’t. Were they the same species? Some lovebird species are more aggressive than others, so you should never mix different species. These are some reasons lovebirds will fight. If someone sold them to you as a bonded pair, I’m sorry they did this. You can’t tell the sex of lovebirds without having a blood test done. Or if a bird lays an egg, it is a female of course. But that doesn’t mean the other bird is a male.
I hope the vet can help the surviving bird.
Take care,
Brenda
