Got a confirmed sex on Venus the lovie

[venuslovebird]

Well, I got Venuse's sex confirmed today... and saved money on having her DNA sexed
I was bird sitting my firends 2 month old budgie for the night and since they seemed to like each other so much through the cage bars I decided to let them meet outside the cage under supervision.
They absolutely loved each other, started feeding each other etc. And well, then Venus started showing behavior that made me pretty certain she is a female, if you know what I meen

She seems kind of sad now that the budgie has left... Do you think she needs a buddy? I'm worried that providing her with one will cause her to be less tame, but I definately don't want her getting depressed.
I take her out every day when I get home from school and if I can't my bf usually does but she's home alone while we both are at school.

Aaand for those of you who remember my older thread when I was talking about her having her wings clipped and still being able to fly... Well I took a better look at them and realized that only 2 feathers were clipped on each wing. I just learned how to clip wings so I decided to clip her myself and took 3 more feathers on each wing and clipped the other two a little bit more.
Well guess what? She can still fly really well
Should I clip more feathers or just leave her like that? Definately don't want to do any damage. Just want what is best for my sweetie.

Also, she isn't scared of me at all, she'll come to me when she want's to be picked up and put somewhere different and she'll sit on my shoulder if I put her there but she still doesn't really seem to like me if you know what I mean. She has once cuddled up in my hair and stayed there for ages and refused to come out... and I loved it, thought it was so cosy, but that has only happened that one time.
Do you have any tips on how to work on our relationship?

[mayaexquisite]

Just so you know, lovebird behavior could go either way... Mika, who is a boy, behaved sooooooooo much like a girl that I was convinced he was a girl until I learned about sex-links. Lots of other people thought their lovebird was one sex because of the way it behaved, sat on the perch, etc. and were wrong. There's even males out there that are paired and they "court" each other, taking turns. Unless Venus lays eggs, gets DNA'd, or is sex-linked you really won't know what sex he/she is. I don't want to say you ARE wrong, but you just can't tell 100% through behavior.

If Venus gets LOTS of attention at home, I don't see a need to get another lovebird. Yes, most times lovebirds will prefer the company of their own kind (but not always) and there will always be that chance that Venus will bond with the new bird and leave you in the dust... if you do choose to get a second bird, you can just make sure you don't lessen the time you spend with them. Some people end up spending less time with their pairs 'cause they think they're fine with each others company, and then that's the start of them being "less tame."

Are you not wanting Venus to fly? Clipping is always a personal preference and some don't mind if theirs fly around. I, myself, do mind because I don't want them to end up behind my fridge or something. If you're not wanting Venus to be able to fly to certain heights then cut some more flights. It definitely seems like birds can fly on sheer will alone - no flights required - sometimes!!!

As far as working on your relationship, let Venus dictate how fast or slow your relationship develops. Try your best to be "in tune" with Venus and watch for cues. Just spend as much time with him/her as much as possible. Some relationships don't take long to develop, some may take years. You just have to be patient and not push the relationship. Things will come in time.

[venuslovebird]

Thanks for the answer... Didn't know males could show that kind of behavior as well, guess I'll need to get her sexed after all!

With the flights, I just want to have her clipped until she is trained a little bit better because at the moment I need to chase her around the house sometimes to get her into the cage. Also she tends to fly into windows and mirrors and I just don't want her getting hurt. I wouldn't mind her flying otherwise.

She just started to show me her mating behavior yesterday after the budgie left... I've ignored this so far and don't touch her while she's doing it. Will she stop if I just keep ignoring her or is this usually an ongoing thing? It doesn't bug me that much, I've just read that it's not a good thing.

Another thing that I was wondering... If a budgie and a lovebird get along really well for quite some time, would it be safe to cage them together or is it always advised to keep them in seperate cages?
I've been thinking about getting a budgie (nothing I've 100% decided yet, just considering it and looking at the options). Venus has a big cage that would easily room a second bird but if it's not safe I'd just get an extra cage.

[mayaexquisite]

If it's for his/her safety, then I'd say to clip some more. You definitely don't want the chance of Venus to fly into the window or mirror too hard. The good thing about flights is that they'll always molt out and grow again, so it's never a permanent clip.

The mating behavior is normal for them and you don't need to stop it since Venus can't have babies alone. People definitely discourage the behavior being done on THEM, but maybe you can provide a small stuffed animal or something similar for it to turn it's hormonal behavior towards. Just make sure to check the doll often for fraying.

Even if Venus got along well with another species, it's best to house them separately. Lovebirds can be known to be aggressive towards other birds, even when the other bird is five times it's size. All it takes is one bad argument and you may end up with an injured (or worse) budgie. You can just give them lots of supervised out-of-cage playtime.