Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 12/29/2007

Question
hello
sorry to bother you again...but i have these two lovebirds male and female and i have seen them mate and now my female lovie is pulling her feathers out and sorta rolling them up and putting them in her wing and then going inside there nest box...and today there was alot of noise coming from the nest box.but the other day there was no eggs...do you think they are getting ready to lay eggs?and if so how do i handle all this...do i let them take care of them or do i pull them out and raise them?
thank-you so much for helping all of these times

Answer
Hi, Sophia,

You are not bothering me.  I'm here to answer your questions!

Your female is pulling out her feathers in order to make a nest inside the nesting box.  You should provide nesting material, such as paper towels, newspaper, straw/hay, dried grass, etc., in the bottom of the cage (do not put inside the nesting box) so your lovies can make their nest.  Yes, this is a sign that eggs are likely coming soon.  

How do you handle all this?  It depends on what you want to do with the offspring.  If you want the offspring to be tame enough to handle and make good pets, you should pull any offspring completely from the parents when they are about 7-10 days old and handfeed them and care for them as the parents would.  If not, then the parents should do everything required.  However, parent-raised lovies are not tame and do not make good pet birds...they will not be handleable.  You will have to make this decision.

Lovies are one of a few parrots that make 4-6 inch nests inside their nesting boxes.  

Visit my website for information on handfeeding and raising baby parrots.  www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Chrys