What makes love birds happy

A healthy bird will be confident and inquisitive, but cautious and aware as well. If possible, ask to hold or touch the bird. Make sure the bird is interested in interacting with you and does not bite or hurt you. This may be a sign the bird is aggressive.

If he just nibbles your finger, he is just checking you out to see if he likes you. Stay calm!! You get used to it over time, and as long as it doesn't hurt, it's fine.

Search online for lovebird breeders. There are several databases of lovebird breeders available online that you can search based on your state or area and your preferred breed. Breeders will also carefully watch over the eggs and take care of the babies until they have found suitable homes. Some breeders will hand-feed the babies to tame them and wean them off of their parents.

Hand-feeding and hand-taming the babies are also good ways to get the birds used to human interaction. This makes most hand-raised lovebirds very tame and loving pets. Hand raised or hand fed lovebirds mean that they were raised by people and taken care of by people. Parent-fed lovebirds from a pet store are generally less expensive. But the rarer species and mutations will be more expensive than the more common species. Take your new lovebird to the vet. An avian vet is important because birds can pick up health problems that may not be obvious to you, so bring your new lovebird to a vet to confirm the bird is healthy.

If you know you are going to be buying a lovebird in the near future, schedule a vet appointment for right after you pick up the bird from the store or the breeder. You should choose an avian vet for your bird. A normal vet doesn't specialize in birds and may have not dealt with birds before. For an additional fee, the vet can create a wellness plans to help your lovebird live a long, healthy life.

These plans include annual health check ups and emergency medical care. Consider confirming the sex of the lovebird.

Lovebirds are not sexually dimorphic, which means you generally cannot tell if a lovebird is a male a cock or a female a hen just by looking at the lovebird. The best way to confirm the sex of the lovebird is to have your vet do a DNA test, or to conduct one yourself with a DNA kit. Consider if this would hurt or make your lovebird uncomfortable. It would use its defence and bite, and that might leave a small mark and pain on your skin.

If it is bleeding, make sure to wash and bandage it. The vet can also take the sample for you and send it to the lab for testing.

Some visual differences between the sexes exist, as hens tend to have a wider stance on the perch, they are a bit larger than cocks, and they have wider pelvic bones that you can check gently with your index finger. Part 2. However, the bigger the better. Lovebirds are active, playful birds so they need a cage that will accommodate all the toys and perches they need to keep them busy. Avoid cages and bird products in general from China, because those cages might have toxins and lead.

The best cages are made from stainless steel but those are very expensive so most go with powder coated iron, which is okay too, but stainless steel lasts longer and is less expensive in the long haul since powder coating chips so you need to replace it.

Galvanized metals are toxic. But the best thing you can get your bird is an aviary. They can be expensive, but it will be appreciated. Good aviary brands are Corner's Limited, a cage and aviary manufacturer that makes their cages in the USA.

Some birds have gotten their foot stuck and have had to chew it off or their head stuck and died from a heart attack. Use perches of different widths, diameters, and textures in the cage. The perches should be thick enough for the bird to stand comfortably on them without losing her balance. Look for perches made from natural wood branches, concrete and pumice, and paper rope. Cotton rope can fray and be digested or hang your bird. The dowels that come with your bird hurt your bird's feet.

Some birds can catch a cold if exposed to a draft while they are wet, such as after a bath [6] X Research source Lovebirds can be sensitive to smoke and strong odors, as well as loud noise. Getting a HEPA air filter would be great for you and your bird. Place the cage in a quiet, well lit room. A room that is too dark may cause your lovebird to behave oddly and develop health issues. But you should not place the cage near a window that gets full sun during the hottest months of the year as this may cause heat stroke or death for your little bird.

You can turn on the light for 8 to 10 hours a day to make sure your bird gets enough light. Make sure your bird gets hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. Sleep is important for lovebirds.

If you are going to keep your lovebird in a cage indoors, you may want to get a cover for the cage to help your bird sleep at night.

Using a sleep cage will ensure your bird has a quiet, safe place to sleep. You should put your lovebird to bed at the same time every night and bring her out of her sleep cage the same time every morning.

Remove your bird from the cage and wipe down the cage, the perches, and any toys in the cage. You can also use a product called Cleansing Gel to do a deep clean of the cage. This cleaner contains stabilized chlorine dioxide and is safe for birds. Bleach is toxic to birds. So rinse the cage thoroughly after you use a bleach and water solution.

Then, place the cage in the sun to air dry. Part 3. Give your bird high quality pellets. Harrisons has sunflower seeds as their first ingredient, which aren't good for your bird as their diet.

Roudybush has corn as it's ingredient, and Goldenfeast has sunflower seeds. Zupreem's colored pellets are filled with fruit and sugar, but their natural pellets have corn. Tops has rice, barley and alfalfa.

Tops also is special because it's cold pressed which means less nutrients are lost. However, doing your own research and finding a good brand with no filler, color, or fatty ingredients is key. Birds should have sixty percent vegetables. A chop of vegetables is the best your bird can have. Some vegetables are toxic to your bird, however. Getting your veggies from a farmers market is best, but going to your local grocery store and buying organically and rinsing them well can do.

Avoid buying from Chile, Mexico, and Peru, where food regulations are low. Give your bird healthy fruits like apples, grapes, berries, papaya, and mango. List of Partners vendors. Give your bird plenty of exercise. Feed your bird a varied diet. Take time every day to socialize with your bird. Teach your bird how to do a few fun tricks. Continue to 5 of 5 below. Choose appropriate cages and toys for your bird. Featured Video. Related Topics. Read More. Your Privacy Rights.

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I Accept Show Purposes. There is a longstanding belief that a solitary lovebird left to its own devices in a cage will become depressed and wither away. However, like much of the information commonly believed about lovebirds, this sad singleton story is a myth, and most lovebirds survive very well on their own, thank you very much.

What are some other key facts about lovebirds? We've tracked down an expert and lovebird owner to discover why lovebirds make such great pets for owners who are willing to shower them with love. Although budgies parakeets usually get top billing as popular winged pets , lovebirds are a good candidate for the dedicated beginning or intermediate birdkeeper willing to offer significant time and attention.

Lovebirds are affectionate, sociable and intelligent, three characteristics that make them ideal for people seeking a pet bird, says Julia Scavicchio, a longtime bird hobbyist who has a 4-year-old lovebird, as well as experience caring for cockatiels and parakeets, in an email. The key to building a solid relationship with a lovebird is to shower your feathered friend with affection from an early age.

Adult lovebirds can be tough to tame and often refuse to learn tricks, but a young lovebird will thrive on daily social interaction with its human counterpart. Begin your lovebird relationship tenderly — move slowly and speak softly — then progress to hand-taming. Hand-taming involves gently pressing a dowel or hefty wooden stick to the bird's chest while offering a treat to step onto the dowel.

After the lovebird becomes comfortable with this arrangement, you can substitute your finger for the dowel, thus hand-taming your lovebird for close interaction.

Although you'll often hear lovebirds referred to as a singular group, or by the casual moniker "pocket pet," there are actually nine lovebird subspecies. All lovebirds — with the exception of the lovebird native to the island of Madagascar—originated in Africa. Of the nine subspecies of lovebirds, only three are considered good candidates for pet life because of their charming temperaments: Fischer's lovebird, peach-faced lovebird aka rosy-faced lovebird and black-masked lovebird.

These three subspecies, like all lovebirds, are diminutive in size. They range from 5 to 6. Lovebirds, like their wild compadres, rise at first light to eat, drink and commence with a noisy concerto. They will usually settle down by midmorning, then resume their noise-making by late afternoon. At least once a day, these active birds should be let free from their cages in a secure room without open windows, of course and allowed to explore their environment.