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Carters Dad wrote:So let me get this straight, I have a sterile messed up hybrid that know ones has ever see before? Oh, the poor baby!

Actually,
There's no reason he can't be a good pet, he just can't have babies. Some breeders think they're creating something really unique when they do this but it really shortchanges the bird. Actually, these aren't so rare. Many of us have seen them. Be glad he's hand tame, he can still have a happy life. With lovies, males tend to be the most flexible about being friendly with a whole family.

It is so much work to accept a new bird into your home, another cage to clean and perhaps years to devote to the fid. I admire you for being willing to give this sweet lovebird a home. So many people today just don't care, which is probably why no one was looking for the lovebird.

I went to a bird fair in Atlanta about a week ago and I saw several young children picking out lovebirds and budgies. They were so excited. Unfortunately, many of them will quickly abandon their new pets after a very short time. I feel so sorry for those birds. I wonder if most of them die from lack of care or if they are abandoned? Sorry for the morbid thoughts!

You are a good Samaritan.

That is a myth. Hybrids are not infertile, in lovebirds or any other species.

Since he is a male, and the females are generally the agressive ones. You could get him a male companion. They really do not care the sex of their companion, however, if you do get him a companion, you will most likely lose him as a pet. They generally do not want human companionship when they can have another lovebird.

HE MAY STILL BE FRIENDLY AFTER YOU PUT A MATE WITH HIM. JUST REALLY BOND WITH HIM FIRST. I HAVE A PEACHFACE LOVEBIRD WHO HAS BEEN WITH VARIOUS MATES THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. (HE'S 10 YEARS OLD NOW) HE IS THE FRIENDLIEST BIRD IN MY HOUSE. HE IS WITH A HEN NOW, AND STILL JUMPS TO THE FRONT OF THE CAGE TO BE HELD. HE HOPS RIGHT ON YOUR HAND. AND HE NEVER BITES EVER!!! KEEP WORKING WITH HIM FIRST THOUGH.

You are corret I have a few pair that I can actually rach in and gently lift the female off her eggs or babies. I raised theose myself so they are very used to me. I agree keep handling them, and bond good with him before you get a companion for him.
Good luck

mccaw672 wrote:That is a myth. Hybrids are not infertile, in lovebirds or any other species.

hybrids between eyering species are fertile, between peachface and eyerings are not. If you can provide a verified deviation from this, I'd be interested to see it.

Unfortunately, the macaws and conures many people like to hybridize do produce fertile offspring.

Robin

Who told you that eye ring x peach face are infertile?

Do you have any research studies to back that up?

Any links to any sites that specifically state that?

Have you tried breeding hybids yourself?
DO you have veterinarian s/s/ paperwork on a clutch of hybrids stating that they are all infertile?

I think the consensus goes that all peachface and eye-ring crosses are infertile... not because many of us have bred them, but from the people who have, haven't been able to get offspring from these hybrid birds. It would be like breeding a donkey and a horse together... you'd get a mule, two different species who are close enough to reproduce, but not close enough for the offspring to be fertile... Of course, then again who knows, it's possible that not all of these crosses (between a peachface and an eyering) WILL INDEED produce sterile offspring.

I do believe that all other hybrids within conures, macaws (or macaws AND conures - discluding the hybrid hyacinth macaws as most likely thought to be infertile as well), amazons, cockatoos, etc are indeed fertile. It comes into question though the galatiel, and the scarlet chested x princess parrot of their fertility...

I've gathered some hybrid pics at
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... s/Hybrids/

And have come across other photos of hybrids which I'm not sure if I'd be able to dig up or not...

mccaw672 wrote:Have you tried breeding hybids yourself?
DO you have veterinarian s/s/ paperwork on a clutch of hybrids stating that they are all infertile?

Me, intentionally breed hybrids, absolutely not. Have I ever seen pictures or heard of a second generation hybrid between a peachface hybrid and another lovebird? NO
s/s paperwork would not prove fertility or the lack of it unless there was some gross deformity, just the gender of the bird. I don't think they've advanced DNA coding for lovebirds to determine fertility that way either.
I'm not opposed to color mutations being bred within the peachface species but that's an entirely different matter.

Like Robin, I've never seen any offspring from Peachfaced x Eye-ring species pairings. To deliberately breed different species together removes birds from the gene pool and that's something that should not be done, especially here in the United States.

If you want proof of fertility when you breed 2 different species of eye-ring lovebirds together, you only have to go as far as the Blue Fischer's. They have finally been selectively bred enough where the Blue Fischer's are starting to look like the Fischer's species but the beginning birds looked like Masks with sooty heads!!

As for losing a pet lovebird if you give it a companion, that's a myth! While lovebirds will form bonds with other lovebirds, pets will remain tame and handleable as long as they receive attention. If the owner gets left out of the equation, it's the pet owner's fault, not that the bird preferred another bird to its human friend. All of my pet lovebirds have companions and all remain friendly.

Same here Linda, my breeder males still love to sit on my shoulder and give me kisses (provided they were handfed to begin with). Occasionally, my parent raised breeders will land on me to check me out as well, but they don't like kisses as much

Even a parent raised lovebird can become loving and friendly with enough love, kindness and patience! Sometimes I think that parent raised birds actually make better pets when they are tamed than hand fed ones. Parent raised birds are not as needy, as they know they are birds first and pets second.

There is an incredible product made by Kings Cages called "Pluck No More" You put it in the birds water and you also make a solution to spray on the bird. It may seem like its expensive, but I have seen a great number of birds grow their feathers back. Go to the kingscages.com website and you can order online.

I personally have used the Shhh for a screaming cockatoo and she has completely come around and does not scream anymore and it quite content and playful. I can't say enough good things about their products. Hope this helps!