Care and Feeding of Lovebirds
Peach Face and Masked Lovebirds are Good Pets for Beginners
Lovebirds are known as pocket pets because they enjoy snuggling up in small places, like the shirt pocket of their owner. Originating from Africa, they range in size from 4 ½ to 6 ½ inches.
Species of Lovebirds
Lovebirds come in a huge array of colors with the most widely available being a Peach Face. Within the Peach Face species, there are several color choices. Masked lovebirds are also available in pet stores but Fischer lovebirds are little harder to find. Almost impossible to find are Black Cheeked, Nyasa, Abyssinian, Black Collared, Madagascar and Red Faced.
Bonding With a Lovebird
Having a lovebird as a pet means spending a great deal of time with him or her. The bird will bond to you as a friend and mate, and will do anything to try to protect you. These birds never seem to lose energy and can be mischievous. Lovebirds are actually quite fearless and just try convincing a 6-inch bird he’s not! If you decide to get two lovebirds, they will bond with each other but not to the owner. If you take one bird out of the cage for play time, the one left behind will get grumpy. Buying a partner for your bird may be a good option if you feel you won’t have a lot time every day to devote to your lovebird.
Most lovebirds cannot be sexed visually and you must rely on blood testing to determine what sex of bird you have. Sometimes you find out on your own when you discover an egg in the cage of a single bird.
Cages for Lovebirds
Make sure your cage is big enough so your bird can stretch its legs and wings. Also try to keep things that amuse your bird in the cage so they don’t start thinking of escaping. Mirrors are good toys and the same with cardboard tubes. Lovebirds are little escape artists and can get out of cages that have inadequate latches. So care is needed when picking out a cage.
Feeding Lovebirds
Like any pet bird, their cage has to be kept clean with a supply of fresh water and food every day. Try your bird on different fruit, veggies and legumes. They will let you know what they like and what they don’t. Bird breeders’ sites on the Internet are good resources for diet requirements and food ideas. The better the diet, the longer your bird will live. Even humans get bored with eating so birds are no exception. If all the health requirements are met, your lovebird can live 10 to 15 years.
A happy lovebird is one on your shoulder cuddling. Watch out for your shirt buttons, you may lose one or two!
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