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Re: pairs in a flight cage?

Posted by Dee on 2/04/06
(15) Comments
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    On 2/04/06, MKay wrote:
    > On 2/03/06, Dee wrote:
    >> Hi Everyone,
    >> I will be getting two proven breeding pairs of Lovebirds
    >> soon. These pairs are currently housed in different cages
    >> and have never been together. I was wondering if you can
    >> house Lovebirds in breeding colonies in large flight cages
    >> with nestboxes in different locations for them to select.
    >> I have been breeding/handfeeding parrots for many years
    >> but have no experience with Lovebirds other then the
    >> single pet that I own. Any responses would be
    >> appreciated! I will also need help with color
    >> identification.....I am totally confused with the
    >> different color mutations. If anyone can tell me how to
    >> post a picture on the board, I will show a picture and
    >> hopefully someone can tell me if the colors of the pairs
    >> are correct....I have seen babies from both of these pairs
    >> and they have many different colors of babies. Thanks
    >> again!
    >> Dee
    >
    >
    > Dee,
    >
    > My lovebirds are housed in flight cages, but only one pair
    > per cage. I know a couple who house their lovebirds all in
    > one large flight as you described, with a number of
    > nestboxes to choose from. They do have some successful
    > clutches, but they also have babies that are killed now and
    > again by either the other pairs or by their own parents,
    > maybe due to the stress of the colony environment (?). You
    > are taking that risk if you house more than one pair
    > together. From what I've read, the masked lovebirds do well
    > in colonies, but not the peachfaced. I'd be very leary of
    > setting them up in the same cage, it's just too risky.
    > There will be battles over favorite nestboxes, food and
    > water, and if some are intimidated by one there could be
    > battles even to the death.
    >
    > As for posting pictures, I use Imagestation.com where you
    > can create your own account, upload pictures, and then link
    > to them from here. If you upload your pictures to a
    > website, you can right-click, choose 'properties' and
    > highlight the url to place in the box here. An excellent
    > site for lovebirds is The African Lovebird Society page.
    > There's a different link below where you can find exactly
    > what mutation you have. Happy hunting!

    Thanks MKay!
    It would certainly be easier to house them together but I
    don't want any fighting going on so I will keep them
    separate. I have been doing as much research as I can
    regarding color mutations but from what I can see, sometimes a
    bird is referred to as a color that doesn't even seem to match
    the visual description! From what I can ascertain, the color
    is determined by the visual color found on the rump? And what
    the heck constitutes "Pied"??? Both pairs I am getting are
    considered Whitefaced (I believe), but I have seen pictures of
    some of the babies and some of them have peachfaces.....one
    pair throws a lot of violet and jade babies (I've been
    told).....the whole idea of identifying all the different
    colors has my head spinning! Thanks again.
    Dee