Posted by teepee on February 28, 2003 at 16:36:13:
In Reply to: Cage Size for 2 pairs posted by noelbl on February 28, 2003 at 00:17:09:
They'll fight for a couple of days and bloody each others feet no matter how big the cage. The larger the cage, the better the chance of both pairs coming out alive. You'll have to separate the pairs for breeding as the dominant hen will guard 2 or more nest boxes, and nothing will be accomplished. I have tried colony breeding with lovebirds. Dominant hens will lay a couple of eggs in one nest box, go to another and lay a couple and so on and so forth. She'll never stay and sit in one box, and will move between the boxes ruining all the eggs she has laid. In the wild, nesting holes are rare, and the pairs will guard their territory fiercely to maintain one nesting site. With multiple options in captivity, the hen will try to guard all the sites, and not be able to accomplish anything. She'll spend all her time trying to argue with the other hen. It should also be noted, that in a colony situation, parentage can not be guaranteed, as the birds will breed with whoever is near them when they want "it". This is something I didn't know myself, and it was not mentioned in the books. It is something I ascertained from countless years of watching a lovebird colony.
Mike
:I have had one pair of lovebirds and just got another pair. They have been in seperate cages for about a week now. In another week or so I was planning on introducing all 4 birds to a new cage. How big of a cage do I need for all 4 birds? Also, If I want to breed the birds (they are all over 1 years old)do I need to take them into a separate nesting cage, or can I just hang the nesting boxes on the cage they will all be in? If I did this would it cause any aggression between the birds?
:I appreciate the imput.
