If you love the bluff personality of an Amazon parrot , but you ’re not sure you could deal with a grown skirt , moot a preferent lovebird . If you ’re willing to learn how to handle for them and do n’t mind an occasional flavour to remind you who ’s really in care , lovebirds make challenging , albeit thought-provoking , pets .
Do Lovebirds Make Good Pets?
Lovebirds are a little unlike from mostpet birds , so it ’s significant to understand their distinctive personality before you decide if they ’re the right species for you .
General Lovebird Personality and Temperament
budgereegah can make wonderful pets , but they tend to be more feisty / aggressive than aparakeetorcockatiel . They have tons of personality , and they can be exceedingly fond with the people they stick with . They can also be rather cantankerous , so they ’re a better choice for someone who already has some experience keeping birds .
Keeping a Lovebird Tame
Most lovebirds birds wo n’t stay tamed unless you expend time treat them each Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . It ’s commonly best to start out with a hand - feed baby lovebird that is fully weaned and spend some time talking to it and hold it while you mildly stroke its feathering . Tame razzing adore attention , but if you fail to make time for them , they can become crisp and may finally refuse to let you deal them at all .
Lovebird Singles or Pairs
The traditional percept of lovebird is that they have to live in duad , principally because two bonded boo will sit closelipped and preen each other . However , a single lovebird can experience merrily on its own if it has the chance to bond with its proprietor .
As a formula of thumb , two lovebirds that hamper to each other may not be as well-disposed toward their human familiar . If you want a Melopsittacus undulatus to bond nearly with you , it ’s usually better to keep one as a individual favorite . If you do n’t feel the need to handle your lovebird , consider prevent two together to forbid solitariness .
Aggression Can Be an Issue With Lovebirds
budgerygah are sometimes prone to aggression , so they should n’t be housed with other metal money . They will often aggress new lovebirds introduced to their batting cage as well , so it ’s best to let potential cage mates get used to each other in side - by - side cages before you taste stay fresh them together .
Males Lovebirds Generally Make Better Pets
Although there are always exception , males tend to persist tamed than females . female are the more strong-growing sex of the metal money , and they often become quite nippy when they give intimate maturity .
Lovebird Physical Characteristics
There arenine unlike speciesof shell parakeet . Lovebirds that are typically found uncommitted as pets are the Fischer , masked , and peach - faced shell parakeet . All three of these mintage are small - sized birds and are about 5 to 6½ inches long . They look different from other small parrot like parroket due to their short , rounded tail feathers and heavyset skeleton .
Housing a Lovebird
Every lovebird needs a safe , spacious plate . The follow guidelines will give a respectable estimation of what your Modern pet motive .
Lovebird Cages
orthogonal cages are best because they offer space for a lovebird to fly back and forth as it would naturally do if it inhabit out in the wild . A batting cage that measures 30 inches long by 18 in wide and 18 inches high is a good minimum size for one or two lovebirds , but you may go with a larger cage as long as the bar spacing is no wider than five - eighths of an inch .
budgereegah ask a good night ’s ease of about 10 to 12 60 minutes , so comprehend the cage at night to block out illumination .
Perches
The ideal sizing range for a lovebird ’s perch is three - fourth part to one and one - one-half inch . It ’s best to use several hardwood perches that are n’t easily chewed , as well as one cementum conditioning perch to keep the nail and pick cut back .
Toys for Lovebirds
Lovebirds have immediate little minds , and they ’re very active . They require a lot of toy to keep them busy , or they ’ll chew up out or keeping detail like plastic food for thought dishes and perches , and anything else they can reach .
A Healthy Lovebird Diet
According to theLafeber Vets , lovebirds can eat the same seed mix ascockatiels , but the seed should be a small portion of their dieting . Fresh foods and pellet food provide better nutrition than seed and should be the backbone of a intelligent diet .
Daily Portions
bid your darling about two tablespoons of lovebird or cockatiel pellets , and one to two teaspoons of seminal fluid mixing each day .
Safe Foods for Your Lovebird
fee approximately ¼ cup of saucily chopped organic vegetables and a little fruit each daytime . Feed these foods first thing in the morning when your budgerigar is most hungry and discard any leftovers in the good afternoon .
Safe foods include , but are not limited to :
you’re able to also eat a little cooked bollock a yoke of times a calendar week for extra protein .
Lovebird Grooming
A lovebird ’s grooming needs are fairly simple .
Bathing and Routine Trimming
Lovebirds love to bath and will often take a dip in their water dishes right after you give them fresh water . you’re able to give your pet a disjoined pipe bowl of piddle to bath in if you desire to attempt to save his drinking water . You may also need to have your avian vet trim your ducky ’s toenails and beak occasionally unless you outfit the cage with a cementum perch .
Wing Trimming
Wing trimming is a bit controversial , but it can subside the chance of your favorite escaping if you give him time out of his cage . There ’s a delicate counterweight between trimming just enough flight plumage to strangle full flight and trim too many and causing your deary to crash and bruise himself . For this rationality , it ’s normally well to permit your vet take care of trimming , so it ’s done aright .
Health Care
Hopefully , your pet will never have any serious wellness issue , but some routine veterinary care can keep thing on the right track .
Veterinary Exams
Lafeber Vetrecommends a complete work - up on newly acquired budgereegah , succeed up by annual checkups . Birds that show signs of malady , such as rest on the bottom of the coop , not eating , act lethargic , or any other abnormal behaviour should be analyse by an avian veterinarian immediately .
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
budgereegah are especially susceptible toPsittacine Beak and Feather Disease ( PBFD ) . This contagious , often fatal viral infection induce feather abnormalities and abnormal schnozzle outgrowth , but the disease can also affect the brain and liver , as well as suppress the immune system of rules . Many birds give out from secondary infection before the primary disease runs its course .
Unfortunately , there is presently no cure for the disease , but scientists are trying to develop a vaccinum . Testing for PBFD should be part of a lovebird ’s initial veterinary body of work up .
Training a Lovebird
Lovebirdscan be trainedto ride on your hands , " talking " and make sounds , and do other merriment tricks . They are extremely well-informed and social and are gravid candidates forclicker preparation . Some distinctive tricks that owners learn their lovebirds include stepping up , spinning , lift a wing ( waving ) , and ringing bells .
How Much Do Lovebirds Cost?
Lovebirds are not as expensive as some other types of skirt such as larger parrots . you’re able to buy a lovebird forabout $ 40 to $ 130and pricing will deviate free-base on whether they are hand - lift or parent - fed . toilsome to discover species may also cost a moment more . It ’s possible to find budgereegah available in some beast shelters and rescues .
Cost of Owning a Lovebird
In addition to the fee for your lovebird or birds , you will need to factor out in the price for necessary equipment and supplies :
Lovebirds Are a Real Commitment
Spend fourth dimension talking to breeders and take to know their lovebirds before you resolve whether to bring one home . These small parrot can potentially live15 to 20 yearsif you take good care of them , so be sure you may provide everything your little deary will involve to experience a farsighted and healthy life .
