Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, when i originally set up my aviary, I had 4 breeding pairs, over the years i have lost 4 of the birds, this has now left me with 4 unpaired birds and 1 chick, i have only managed to succesfully breed one chick, my problem is that i would like to introduce some new pairs to the aviary, i have read that lovebirds are very territorial and will not accept new birds into the aviary, does anyone have any suggesions about what i can do?

Once your quarantine period is over (in a separate cage, of course ) would it be possible to set up the quarantine cage next to the aviary for certain time periods? Watch to see if there is any verbal interaction going on or if one or more show a lot of agitation/aggression with the other birds being around. If at least some verbal interaction is going on and minimal agitation then you could release one or more into the aviary and keep a close eye on them. If after 24 hours all is well then there should be no problem. But please realize many birds (and yes especially lovebirds) will not want to accept new birds into their territory so when you do go to put the new birds in, try if at all possible to make the aviary "new". Trade places for food and water bowls, move perches/toys etc. I know this can be harder in an aviary where they are set up for more flying room but usually it is possible to make at least some changes to the cage. If the cage feels new to both sets of birds there is more of a chance for them to get along and cohabitate. Also please be ready to remove a bird if it seems to be getting picked on during the initial meeting/day etc. Have a backup plan in case to either be able to rehome the new bird/s or have a separate cage/aviary ready just in case. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Hi, I am in the process of extending my current aviary, if i put new birds in a cage and put the cage in the aviary for 24-48 hours and everything is ok, is it possible the new birds may adopt the extension as their territory?

If the cage will fit into the aviary then that should be great (again after quarantine of course ). Since adding on will effectively be changing the territory and making it new it shouldn't cause as many if any of the territory issues sometimes shown. If they are all showing interest or leaving each other alone (but no real aggression) then yes you could let them out of the cage into the aviary on the newer extension part (I realize it will all still be open to each other but will be a new "section". I would still keep an eye on them for another 24 or so hours to make sure there is no real aggression once there is no cage to keep them separated.

IMHO those changes "should" help make everyone settle in but sometimes you will have one or more that just won't accept each other so make sure you do have a plan for that just in case

Good luck!