Lovebirds egg please help!?

Question

i need help:this is my first time breeding lovebirds.i need to know some things about them:i cannot find out who is the male and who is the female.coz they're both inside the nesting box.but when i open the box,they scamper to the side of the box and leave the eggs alone.i don't know how to find out.any suggestions?what should i feed the lovebirds?how could i hand feed them without killing them or being attacked by the parents...?how many days should i wait?i'm worried about the infertility of the eggs.i don't want to handle them coz when i do that,the parents may not want to incubate the eggs anymore because of overdisturbance of the eggs.what should i do?any suggestions?

please answer quickly!

Answer 1

I think that you should leave them alone. Most of the birds in the world take turns keeping the egg warm. So I would just see what happens.

Answer 2

You won't be able to tell 100% which is the male and female. You can only tell by getting them DNA tested, or you can separate them and see which one ends up laying eggs, but that can be tricky. The female when separated might not have the right stimulus to lay, or you might have 2 females, and they're both laying in the nest. A DNA test would be the best route to go. It's quick, easy, and cheap. You can clip a nail for a few drops of blood or pluck a few chest feathers. It's only $20-25 per test.

You should be feeding them ideally a good pellet diet as their main base. Give them fresh fruits, vegetables (dark leafy greens like Kale, Endive, etc are great), plain cooked pastas, and even cooked egg for extra protein. They should also have a cuttlebone for calcium to replace what goes into laying eggs. A vitamin/mineral block is great too for laying birds. An all seed diet is not complete or healthy for a bird.

If you have never hand fed baby birds before, don't "try it out" it can be too hard and you don't want to kill the babies. Have someone who knows what they're doing (look in your area for someone that breeds birds to show you) show you before you attempt it. Even something like not having the formula at the right temp, or feeding too fast and having the chick aspirate, can lead to the death of the baby. Usually chicks are pulled when they're about 2 weeks old. If they just hatched you have some time to learn how to handfeed. I strongly suggest someone who really breeds though, not someone at a local pet store who knows the concept.

You could also just spend time with them everyday. Once they're 2 weeks old start taking them out of the nest for short periods of time to bond. Many people have success with getting tame babies that way.

For disturbing the parents- It depends on the birds. If the parents are very timid and get freaked out easily when you're around, it's going to be easier to scare them off their nest. If that's the case, just leave them be. Lovebird eggs generally hatch after about 23 of incubation, that's when they begin to actually sit on the eggs- they might not start until 2-3 have been laid so wait a full month or more before you decide none are going to hatch. Check once in the beginning, maybe once about 2 weeks in, then again after about 25 days and see if there's anything going on. Even timid parents should be able to handle a slight disturbance like that. Not every day though.

Answer 3

I used to keep lovebirds, the proffesionals tell you not to let the eggs hatch,unless you know 100% what you're doing, as this can make them turn nasty & violent to each other. I used to just get rid of the eggs, and they seemed alright after a week or two.