There are 9 species of lovebirds, but I raise Peachfaced Lovebirds. I believe they usually make the best pets,
though I have occasionally met some nice Masked and Fischer's Lovebirds. The Peachfaced Lovebirds come in an incredible array
of color mutations and it's almost impossible to have them all. I specialize in Violet and Pied mutations.
Lovebirds are playful, happy birds. They have a lot of personality and are usually fairly cuddly. They are also relatively
inexpensive. A single Lovebird can make a terrific, devoted pet, but a pair of Lovebirds will often bond to each other
and not care to spend much time with you.
Lovebirds will learn human speech. However, if you're strictly interested in a talking bird, you may not want to purchase
a Lovebird. I have had several that learned to speak through no effort on my part, and my cousin taught the Lovebirds
I gave him to speak, but the majority don't talk.
To keep your baby tame, you need to be prepared to devote a portion of each day to playtime. Lovebirds who aren't
handled daily, at least during the first 6 months or so, don't usually stay sweet and cuddly. However, since their idea
of playtime is to ride around on you, it's not to difficult to work playtime in.
Lovebirds, like my other birds, require more than just seed and water for a healthy diet. In addition, I feed a pelleted
diet, fresh fruits, vegetables, wheat bread, "bird bread," cereals, pasta, and a bean mix to keep my birds heathly and active.
They can eat basicly everything a person with a healthy diet would eat. (Not chips, junk food, sugar, etc.)
The minimum cage size for a single pair of Lovebirds is 30 X 30 X 18. A single bird could live comfortably in a smaller
cage; however, as with all birds, the bigger the cage the better. Provide your Lovebirds with the biggest cage that you can
afford, and have space for. Bar spacing is also important, and should be no more than 3/4 inch. |