If they're not tame, I suggest getting two..........but be prepared for the noise they can make. It's much louder than the chatter of a parakeet! ;)

They make great pets, but a mature (and not handfed) lovebird will be nearly impossible to tame.
If they have one that is tame and can be handled, then it'll be fine by itself. But if you decide to get two, then yes, they will bond more with each other.

they make excellent pets.

If they aren't bonded you don't need to get 2 if you are prepared to spend the time with the bird to tame & train every day. If you can't do this then yes 2 are better but they won't bond to you.

they're a pint size parrot with big parrot attitudes, very loveable, playable & you will certainly get the best out of them if you can spend the time with them.

Well we have added two lovebirds to our family. We met with the owners they have had them for about 6 weeks and no longer want to fool with the birds at all. All of the birds were beautiful! I was told they were tame but they aren't and I have many bruises and broken skin areas to prove it. DH and I are trying to get them used to us and they are doing better today they let us put our hand in the cage without going crazy and we were able to pet one (very quickly :) We were going to get one but they stayed with each other and the ones of like color stayed with each other, but they had 2 green ones that seemed to be so funny and more mild mannered. Hopefully after a few weeks they will warm up to us and stand to be handled. If anyone has any suggestions to trying to tame them I would love to hear it.

Tameness can vary. It is possible they were tame with the original owners but because you're forgien to them, they're not tame.

I personally don't like people who continue to put their hand in any parrots cage just to get them used to you. This is (to me) a backward thing & can go horribly wrong if the bird reacts badly. It's up to you to ern the birds trust, not up to the bird to be forced to get used to your hand sticking in their cage. A cage should be a personal space & a cage that the birds are more than happy to go back to all the time. If a hand continues to invade the cage, they may not want to go back in their. Keep your hands out of the cage please. Most birds need 1 to 3 weeks to settle into their new environment before any kind of handling or attempting to put hands near them or in their cage. Simply being around them while they're in their cage, talking to them to start with is all you should be doing.

As for handling them, again they need to trust you & this takes time. Never physically take them out of the cage if they don't want to leave. If you want to handle them properly, after they've settled in, teach them to step up on your hand ratehr than actually physically picking them up. This earns trust more & faster.

Taming should be done to each of them seperately. If they're bonded already, you may not be so successful at taming them as much as you want to. It will take longer than just taming 1 so you do need time & patients & while taming 1, the other needs to be out of sight & calling distance (if it gets noisy).

Kasem- These birds were not tame with the original owners either, he had to net them to get them out and then they kept biting once he had them in his hand.

I hate to break it to you, but my hands have to go into the cage daily. So I feel they need to be used to my hand entering the cage. I don't want to make them scared but they do need to be used to us putting our hands in there to change their water, bath, and feed on a daily basis.
It's not like we shove our hands in to grab them and yank them out, i'm not a five year old with a new pet. I understand it will be quite some time before they may willingly perch on our fingers or let us bring them out of the cage.
We aren't trying to rush the situation, but I guess I'm asking for useful and practical information to help them be more comfortable with us and assist in taming them.

so you can't do the water & food from the side of the cage? There's no side entries for this? There usually is in cages. What sort of cage do you have?

Also, I did NOT say you shove your hand in there daily & yank them out, I just said not to.....

I appoligise for offering advice when you asked for it!
I did not treat you like a 5 year old. You asked, I offered, if you don't like it, why ask in the first place???????

Maybe next time if you ask on here, you wont get any answer at all from anyone because everyone would be worried about being attacked because of the advice they've offered.....

Kasem- their food and water dishes slide in through the front but to prevent spilling everything it helps to put one hand in and slide them in with support. I also wipe off the perches and any bird poop on the cage.

I never said you treated me like a five year old, I plainly said i'm not a 5 yr old with a new pet. My point being, you made a big deal about not putting your hands in or near the cage. That simply isn't a possibility, my hands have to go in there daily.

I have asked for advice on here before as well as given advice and never had a problem. I'm not responsible for the way you read my response, if you found it as an "attack" then that is your viewpoint. Don't read postings so personally or as if someone is trying to "attack" you. It wasn't my intent to do so but if you took it that way so be it....

Again I apoligize......

As I read it you came across that I attacked you & treated you as a 5 year old, otherwise why would you say you aren't?

"I'm not responsible for the way you read my response, if you found it as an "attack" then that is your viewpoint. "
Actually, That is how I read your response to my post...

Making a big deal about putting hands in the cage just to get them used to you, I believe is what I wrote. I'm sure if you do much research on this particular matter you will find it is something that is advised against anywhere & everywhere. I aslo didn't say don't put hands near the cages, just said in & handling. Giving advise & asking even more Q's is usually the way anyone is able to help.

Advise should never be taken personally especially not on forums & you specifically asked for advise on trying to tame them, then you didn't like the advise that was given....?????

Again I also apoligize for you reading into my posts incorrectly & taking it the wrong way.....I thought I was giving general advice that wasn never meant to be taken personally.

What history do you have on the birds? Their age, were they handfed, and how long were they with other birds?

It doesn't take lovebirds long to revert back to being a 'wild' bird. I've raised them and one needs to work with the youngsters daily to keep them tame. Single birds were much easier to keep tame after weaning and they were such adorable, cuddly birds...........but when I had more than one chick they were always calling to each other and trying to get together with their friends!
Soooo, having said that, it's going to be nearly impossible to tame them as long as they're bonded since they'll always choose each other over you. Sorry....... ;)

If they had some measure of tameness in the past you can try getting a play stand and setting it next to their cage. Then leave the door open and let them come out on their own to play. Even tho they may not warm up to you (vs the other cagemate!) they may choose to interact with you on their own once they're outside the cage.

Congratulations on getting two lovebirds instead of one. Unless you have ALOT of time to spend to spend with them, they are probably better off having a companion.

I used to have a pair. A male and female. The male had been hand raised but turned wild after he was paired with the female. The females tend to be far more aggressive than the males. It took a year before I could put my hand in their cage without being bitten (by her).

Getting bit got old so I would use a piece of cardboard (etc) to protect my hand when I changed their food and water. Eventually I gave up trying to handle them and enjoyed them for what they were. Tough, perky little birds who spend their days making nests and telling each other what to do!

annz is right. You will have a better chance of working with them if they aren't in their cage. I have found lovebirds to be more territorial than other kinds of birds.

I used to let mine out to play each day. They would hop around on the cage, plants, etc. When I needed them to go back in, all I had to do to was pretend I was disturbing their cage! They would come running back on the double to protect their home!

I didn't want babies so they didn't have a nest. Eventually, I had to put them in cages next to each other because the female was harassing the male nonstop. If you do a google search on lovebirds, you will see that this is more common than you know. If you see this, please separate them as one can be hurt badly or worse...
Since yours were raised together, this might not be a problem.

I have neighbors who have lovebirds as well. One neighbor was given a single lovebird. It wasn't terribly tame so she bought another for company. They bonded and avoided human contact. The other neighbor had one pair who had several babies. She sold some and was able to tame a male baby, but he has to be handled regularly or he gets too nippy!
If you want to work on taming them, the suggestion to put a play stand near the cage is a good one. Don't deny them their regular food, but reserve their favorite treats to only be taken from your hand. Mine would eat millet and watermelon this way! The female used to like to sit on my husbands hat and nibble it.

These are the kind of birds who like to be kept occupied! I used to give them empty granola boxes, paper towel roles and large leaves of greens(kale) to chew on.

If you do let them out, be very careful to cover open watering containers or small spaces where they can get stuck. Our female was very inquisitive, and was always looking for a small dark spot to make a nest. Sometimes she would tuck things under her wings to bring back to the cage. Its best if you are in the room with them until it is time for them to go back "home".

Hope this helps. Good luck with your new birds!

Annz and Dreamgarden- here's the birds history- I bought them from someone that owned them for about 6 weeks. He bought them from breeders at a bird expo. The man I bought them from didn't know much about them. They had finches and lovebirds (not mixed together) the cage had a divider in the middle. He has offered to sell us the cage (a $5K custom built, it is gorgeous) and all of the birds for $750. At first we were thinking no but now we would really like to have them. They were all so beautiful and seemed at ease with each other. I feel guilty for not being able to handle them and keeping them in the cage but they seem to prefer it.

If I use a play stand near the cage, how do I get the birds back? Do I let both go out at the same time? Should I get their wings trimmed to keep them from flying all over? One escaped while I was putting food in this morning and it took about 30 minutes of coaxing and I finally laid a dishtowel on top of it and scooped him up and put him back in the cage. We put a couple of activity toys in the cage with them and they love to swing! Thanks for the tips about the tp rolls and granola boxes, is it ok if they chew on them? We wanted to give them extra fruits and veggies for treats, but wanted to wait to see if they adjusted first so they wouldn't eat treats only. That is a good idea to coax them to your hand with the treats!

We have no idea what sex they are, but they have been named Dorrie and Crawford. We really enjoy having them and even if we can't tame them we want to keep them healthy and happy. Thanks for the great advice!

Lovebirds can be prolific breeders, so you probably wouldn't have wanted to take in the whole bunch. Hopefully, you have two males or females. If you see them tucking stuff under the back wings, this could indicate that they are females.

Don't feel guilty about not being able to handle them. It really takes time for them to get used to you. Plus, they have such spunky personalities that they tend to be like mini tyrannosaurus rex's on the wing! After being bitten numerous times the first year, we finally got used to the idea that we would probably never be able to pet ours. We didn't care because their antics were so interesting, it didn't matter if we could touch them or not!

How to get them back into their cage. We would sort of "herd" them with open hands in the general direction of the cage while telling them to "go home". They grew to understand what this meant. The female was so territorial that all I had to do was pretend I was "invading" her space! Had to watch out as I would get a nip if I didn't get out of her way while she was returning to guard her castle! The male took his orders from her. ;)

Don't feed them outside of the cage. Let them learn that their cage is their sanctuary and that good things come to them when they go there. I have found millet to be a huge enticement to "go home"!

Make sure you give them the fresh stuff early enough in the day. It shouldn't be in the cage more than a couple hours. I give my birds their fresh food in a separate dish so it doesn't grow bacteria on their seeds or pellet mix.

Cut it into small pieces so they aren't intimidated. Just enough so they will eat what they are given without too much waste. One exception about larger foods. I used to wash kale leaves and clip them to the inside of the cage. I'd leave as much water on it as possible. I put a shallow dish for them to bathe but they didn't go in. I learned that lovebirds don't like to go INTO water, they usually prefer to sit on the side of the dish and through it up onto their backs.

They didn't mind the kale leaves though, and would play and hide behind these!

I have always felt that birds that live in trees in the wild, should be exposed to some sort of natural (edible-bird safe) foliage in captivity.

It is ok for them to gnaw on the tp rolls and granola boxes. This provides much needed stimulus enhancement. Thats what the zoo's do to keep their animals from getting bored. They hide treats in interesting places so they have a "job" to keep them busy!

Unless you have kids or other persons who might be careless about leaving doors open, I wouldn't bother trimming their wings. We used to prop a chair against the door as a reminder so we wouldn't accidently forget the birds were out. Glad your having fun with your new birds!

A few links that might be useful:

Misc lovebird sites
fischerlovebird.top-site-list.com/

About.com/Pet Birds
birds.about.com/od/breedsofbirds/p/lovebirds.htm

www.parrotalk.net/

Plants to avoid
www.flyinggems.com/BirdAdvice/toxicplants.htm

CAGE TERRITORIALITY-Why It Develops & What To Do About It
www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/territory.html

Groomingal, Congrats!! Welcome to the world of Lovebirds!!

We adopted a pair 8 years ago, they were part of a large bird rescue (47 birds) and since they were not as glamorous as the big birds no one wanted them, they were estimated to be 2 years old. So I pitied them, even tho we had never had a bird and had cats. They had been cagebound for most of their lives so if I even approached the cage they attacked the side of the cage, I had to wear heavy gloves to feed and water them. My first purchase was a large cage that I could access the dishes thru the side!

This went on for a couple of months, I then hired a fella, the bird whisperer, Ken Globus. He helped me (via phone) to tame them. It was amazing, after a couple of weeks of him talking to me regularly we did a session with the birds. Within an hour we went from screaming birds clinging to the side of the cage (I literally had to pull them from the bars) and much blood letting (mine!) to them stepping up on command with not a nibble. After earning their respect for my being the alpha bird of the flock they even allow petting, will lie on their back in my hand and let me check under wings and so forth.

We never had them sexed and since in 5 years never had an egg we assumed that they were both male.....WRONG! One morning we got up and found an egg in the cage! We eventually had 7 eggs, Hot Stuff was a female. I took each egg, hardboiled it and returned it to her. She cared for them for several weeks then abandoned the nest. Several months later we had 3 more eggs and have not seen another since.

They are still not loving pets, and I don't expect that will ever change, but I respect that. They love and adore one another, they just tolerate me! They are messy, they are very, very loud and they love to tease the cats! I would not trade them tho, I love them and enjoy their company. We went thru a very stressful time with Hot Stuff last year, she started to self mutilate and plucked every feather from her back. I was applying medication to her 3 times a day and giving her oral meds twice daily. She still has a bald spot on her back but the picking and plucking has stopped. They are a challenge, but they are family!

Meant to add.....there is a great site for all sorts of lovie info. They got me thru a lot of questions and stresses over the years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lovebirds Plus

I just wanted to thank all of you again for the great suggestions and links. Very happy to announce we have added to our lovies. Yesterday the same man that had all of them asked us if we just wanted all of the birds and the new cage. Wahoo! So now we have 7 lovies and 5 finches. The lovies are so comical and nosey. The finches make the most adorable sounds and seem more docile than the lovies.
I included some pics of our new additions :)
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