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Helmut Hampe—Tame Lovebirds



only done in play. Hens are particularly prone to it, it being their

nature to peel bark for nest-building : they try it on every possible

substance, including their masters’ fingers. They simply cannot leave

it off. If interfered with they grow angry and bite in real earnest, as

indeed they do whenever they are displeased. I have found this to

be the case with all the hens I have reared; cocks are considerably

gentler though naturally they bite strangers who meddle with them,

but they never hurt their owners, provided that they have not been

spoilt. They dislike to be teased and must have consistently gentle

treatment and consideration for their idiosyncrasies. They never lose

their individuality and submit themselves absolutely to their masters

as a dog does : their tamer must reckon with this if he hopes to keep

perpetually on good terms with them and have real pleasure in them.


The tamest of the many Agapornidae that I hand-reared was a

cock Fischer’s Lovebird. I described his and his sister’s juvenile

development in Vogel ferner Lander, 1933, and also gave a sketch of his

behaviour. This bird, named “ Pansa ”, had several wives and a

whole galaxy of children ; his first mate was a hen Black-cheeked,

likewise hand-reared, his next a hen of his own species, and the third

a hand-reared Peach-faced. Pansa was unfortunately crushed in a

door when he was only three years old and had four nestlings. Only

one hybrid lived to grow up, a large handsome bird on the whole,

most resembling its father. While Pansa and the Peach-faced were

breeding he made up to a tame Abyssinian hen, fed her, and showed

her affection ; he would probably have paired with her but for his

unfortunate death. Pansa at least demonstrated that hand-reared

birds can be used for breeding : he carried out his duties in every

particular, nor did any of the hand-reared hens fail in theirs.


After Pansa’s brood was reared the above-mentioned Peach-faced

paired with a Madagascar Lovebird and after that had two young by

a Peach-faced. She was only six months old when the first brood

was reared.


Hand-rearing does the birds no harm unless it is badly carried

out, which unfortunately is often the case, for the majority of bird-

fanciers have neither the time, experience, or patience which are required

to make it completely successful.



