Can I put two different species of love birds together?

Question

i have a baby fischers lovebird, and i am looking for a friend for him..i saw a pied peachface and im hoping its ok for them to be together..any help?

Answer 1

Hi,

Yes the can be caged together,

Althou u will have to put cages next to eachother for a week or two so they can get used to eachother,

Then its always best getting a new bigger cage to stick them both in as if u just stick it in one of their cages they will fight as one will already be defending his territory.

Also do it on a day where u have enough time to watch that they dont fight and or kill eachother.....

Answer 2

It's easy to fall in love with pied lovebirds. They are pretty colors and the males are often, but not always, sweet-tempered. However --

If you want to buy the bird, buy him for you and keep him in a separate cage from the Fischer's. You may put the two cages next to each other, but not so close that one can reach in and nip the other.

A young lovebird is defenseless against a more mature bird. You did not say that the pied is a juvenile; I'm guessing not.

Lovebirds are an aggressive, territorial bird. It's possible that the pied could kill your Fischer's. Breeding friends have told me of couples that the female has killed the male, even after years of companionship, and probably neither bird has been DNA-sexed. If you buy the pied and insist on them sharing a cage, a male pied with a baby of either sex would be the way to go. Hens are particularly territorial. One will not warm up to a chick that isn't her own; they sometimes kill their own offspring.

Moreover, mixing species is not a good idea for when they are both mature. Lovebirds cannot be imported from the wild, so we are all working with the same gene pool. A cross between a peachface and a Fischer's would be a hybrid, and is considered a big negative by avian purists.

If you give your Fischer's lots of safe toys and your companionship, it will not be lonely.

Again, if you buy the pied peachface, keep it in a separate cage. If/when you put them together, take a large cage and fill it with toys. If there is any chance either is a female, do NOT put the other bird in that cage without LOTS of rearranging and new toys. Take the female out, put the male in first, leave him for a few hours. A female can kill intruders in her cage. With new toys, she won't recognize it as readily as her territory.

If either bird shows signs of aggression, separate immediately. Lovebirds mean business, and kill other birds larger than they are with their can-opener beaks and strong mandibles.

Also, if you have birds sharing a cage and you notice one keeping the other from food, separate them. Eventually the passive one can die from starvation, stress, or a bacterial infection brought on from deprivation and/or stress.

It is a good idea, even with one lovebird, to make sure you feel its chest at least once weekly to make sure it is keeping weight. Birds have a keel, or breastbone, that runs the length of their chest. A baby's chest muscles are not as well-developed, so you should find the keel easily on your Fischer's, or ask a bird store. The chest tissue should be rounded in line with the top level of the bone. If the bone is prominent, the bird is thin.

Sometimes the weight loss is the only way to tell if they have an infection, because birds are brilliant fakers and can be eating and have droppings and still lose weight. The cage and dishes can be clean as well; my vet told me stress can weaken these birds to the point they are susceptible to infections. (Several of mine became ill when I had to work longer hours. I changed jobs to suit the birds!)

Also, you didn't ask, but lovebirds cannot be mixed with other birds, and especially, no sharing cages with passerines (examples: canaries, finches). Someone will always tell you about their exceptions, where their lovie and conure have lived together in the same cage, blah-blah-blah. No one wants to talk about their killers.

Good luck to you and the little chick.

Answer 3

I would stay away from peachface lovebirds. In the 80's I raised birds including peachface. They were very aggressive when in a common cage, even to the point of killing each other. Not all the time but it happened. They are also very loud. I would stick to the Fischer's or some of the other, more friendly birds.

More information can be found at http://www.africanlovebirdsociety.com/

Answer 4

I made a mistake of putting two love birds together immediately they never really became friends it was after the fact that I found that I should have done it this way. It may or may not work for you:
Bring the second bird into the house and put them in seperate room they will chatter back and forth. After a week or so bring the new bird into the same room and place the cage somewhere close but not too close. Then after a few days move the cages closer, then after a few days if they seem contented bring the cages closer still. Repeat that process until the cages are side by side. Leave them side by side until they are touching through the cage and act like they would like to be together. I would then put them in a new cage that doesn't belong to either one of them. I tried this but the damage to the relationship had already been done. Please take the time to introduce them to each other slowly. I would not put them together unless you can be referee for an extended length of time. That way you can remove them and put them back in seperate cages if they don't get along. Each bird is an individual so hopefully this process will work for them. Good luck!

Answer 5

I don't think it necessarily matters what species they are or not. Do all your friends look like you? No they all look different, but with birds, all they're typically worried about is their territory. I used to have 2 peachface lovebirds that were the same species, and they both despised eachother and would fight to the death anytime I let them out together. Its pretty much a luck of the draw..if you happen to get two birds whether of the same or even different species, if you can get them to get along then you have mastered a feat! The best thing you can do is keep them seperately caged, and for a little while keep them in the same room to get used to eachother, and after a couple weeks, maybe get a few toys and treats out on the floor, and let them both out to do their thing. You will know immediately if they don't like eachother as they can be very ferocious, lovebird is hardly a suitable name for them sometimes! If they do indeed get along, they will probably walk up to eachother, check eachother out for closer inspection, but I assure you it shouldn't take long. Or if nothing else, my two birds I have now "tolerate" eachother, they will get within a few inches of eachother, but neither of them are fond of the other, they are more or less "cordial".

On another note, when getting a lovebird also take into consideration that they do NOT need a friend or whatnot to keep them company, contrary to certain beliefs. They will actually bond to eachother, and be more protective over themselves, and possibly their cage, I would keep them seperately caged if possible only to keep them friendly little guys, if indeed this is your goal! Hope this was helpful!!

Answer 6

Depends on the sexes. male and female? One is way to old for the other one still a baby? Then not a good idea to put together.

Must have a large cage for their wing flapping, different size perches for the feet, and area for own private area each.

Best to have two seperate cages. When they like each other then try putting together in a whole new cage. So no territory squabbling. You don't want to find a dismembered bird foot on the bottom of the cage one morning or one bird dead at bottom of the cage.

Pet birds need fresh water daily, clean cages as needed; I say every 3rd day. Not once a month put fresh liner on bottom of cage. Good nutrition seeds and fresh fruit/veggies. A Lovebird care for series book should be in your hands.

Internet does not always work when info needed, like electricity shut-off for one reason or another (winter storm/blackout).

Answer 7

hi yes most definitely, but it is not the different species you have to worry about its the different personality of each bird! It is never guaranteed that they will get along. You will often see in a pet shop they keep certain lovebirds apart from the rest becasue they just do not get along but it has nothing to do with their species. Some lovebirds are just very agressive and some have a more sweeter nature and never bite at all! The best thing to do is to put the 2 birds in separate cages but put the cages right up against each other so that they can probably touch beaks then at least they can have contact and get used to each other with the barrier of the cage walls acting as safety until they do. Leave them together day and night for about a week then you can attempt to see if they are compatible by putting them in the same cage, they will naturally nibble on each others neck and probably each others feet, thats OK but if they get really aggressive you should know as they will lunge at each other and screech at each other in a way that you know they are not just playing. Good luck!

Answer 8

Birds Together

Answer 9

You should buy a mate for the baby fischer. If you do, they'll hopefully get along well and 'fall in love'. And what worldchampatpool said doesn't really apply to you if the lovebirds are young. There's no need to worry about them fighting.

Answer 10

It won't be easy the birds will have to be introduced at a neutral site and they will need a new cage-they are very territorial!My ex put her two together and there was bloodshed,but if done slowly and carefully then it is possible-I am not sure but I think the age of the bird is pretty important-also even if it looks like they get along right away -wait it may take as long as two weeks for them to adjust-good luck

Answer 11

i have four birds and they cage together. but here is what you have to do to get them ready.

1) keep the new bird away from the other one for a while to make sure he or she is not sick.
2) make sure you have a large engouh cage ready for the two birds
3)place two cages next to each other to let the birds get aquainted. you can also let them out of their cages to let them meet (clipped wings are a must with two birds. clip the primary feathers, not the secondaries. for more on this get a bird book at hte library.)
4) if they dont fight often, put them in the larger cage toghter. make sure there is enough food and water for both birds. and keep the other cages until you see the two birds are compatible, then sell them through Ebay or the classifieds in your local newspaper.

PRECAUTIONS
love birds are territorial and have tempers. learn your lovebirds personalities before joining htem together. and also get ones that are close to the same size. then they wont have big advantages over one another if they do start to fight.

hope this helps
also ask your pet store owner for advice. he is a professional