Do Lovebirds Grieve Over a Lost Mate?

The death of a beloved pet, even when it is expected, can be crushing for both human members of the household and companion animals. Lovebirds bond very strongly with one another, regardless of their gender. If one of your lovebirds dies, you can expect your remaining bird to react to the loss of his mate.

  1. Grief

    • Lovebirds are highly social and thrive on interactions with both humans and one another. A bonded, mated pair of birds who have been together for years are used to one another and have formed a unique relationship as individuals. The death of one lovebird is going to affect the other. When a mate dies, your remaining bird no longer has a companion to fill his social needs. The loss of that company can cause your lovebird to grieve.

    Signs of Grief

    • Your remaining lovebird may show relatively few signs of grief, or he may appear deeply distraught. If one of your birds has died then you will need to carefully watch your other bird for signs of distress. Your lovebird may refuse to eat, eat a lot, cry out more or less often than usual or behave lethargically.

    Helping Your Bird Grieve

    • You can help your remaining lovebird recover from his grief by spending extra time with him. Purchase new toys for your bird to play with and give him special treats. Move his cage to a new location and rearrange the items inside it to give your bird a fresh environment that will not be reminiscent of his companion.

    A New Bird

    • The decision to replace your lovebird is a tough one to make. If your current lovebird is old, he may not bond well with a new, younger bird. Birds are living beings with individual personalities, so you cannot simply replace your bird's companion with a different animal and expect the relationship to be identical to the one between your bird and his previous mate. One option is to purchase a second cage and allow a new bird to live separately but within communicating distance. If you do attempt to put a new bird in the cage with your current bird, you will need to watch them closely to make sure they are getting along well and neither bird is being picked on or bullied by the other.