Lovebirds Are a Great Pet
The ownership of a parakeet is costly and time-consuming, depending on the species. It is also an investment in your well-being, though, and usually brings with you and your bird a healthy, gratifying friendship.
A smaller species is much less threatening when you fear diving into the world of birds as I did. Cockatiels, green-cheek conures, lovebirds, and parakeets make the introduction into the hobby a nice, less demanding one. These are also good options for living in apartments since they are less bruised and have less space than larger birds. Lovebirds are my dream.
Hand-Fed or Parent-Raised?
How interesting lovebirds can be is shocking. These little guys are as intimate as the bigger ones. The lovebirds who are fed and raised by parents are constantly searching for adventure. You are brave, adventurous, and willing to look into your future.
Hand-Fed
Hand-fed individuals generally trust people and quickly become permanently attached to new owners. Cultivators can be found easier than you think, and a well-adjusted baby can often be found at a local bird show or pet store.
Parent-Raised
Lovebirds are sold in parent-given outlets, chain pet shops, and a few little stores. Such birds still can make lovely animals, but their new owners need patience. You need to show that people deserve confidence— a challenge for everyone who has never owned a bird before. Such birds can hardly be taken out of their coats; but if they succeed, it’s equally rewarding.
How to Choose Your Bird
The choice between the two depends on local accessibility and the time you want to spend with a person. The lovebirds can make excellent accompanying animals, both by hand-fed and by parents. Lovebirds long for social interaction and soon warm up owners who are reliable.
Lovebirds love to talk. While they have no Amazon parrot or African gray vocal ability, they can talk to their owners. In addition to her boisterous chirping, my lovebird, Bonnie, was able to bark, whistle, and grub.
Pet Communication
When she needs to become a pet or snuggled, Bonnie barks and whistles, to demonstrate that she wants to be interested in what I am doing. When I’m too close to her nest during a hormonal time, she grumbles, and her features fluff. She begs to be released by running her beak up and down her cage bars, and when the dog comes too close she yells an alarm call. With her ability to communicate what she desires, she inspires me every day.
Lovebirds are highly active. We want to be at the center of the action constantly. Even the birds of the family seem to enjoy walking with their owner on the shoulder. Although they are vigilant, it is far too interesting to take a shoulder ride to avoid and can help build trust.
Thanks to their small size, lovebirds produce great animals if you are short. The bird will need less food and fewer toys, and it won’t take big, large bins to store these items. Although the lovebirds need a large cage, compared with their length, they are still just looking for a piece of furnishing with a footprint of approximately 18x 18 inches.
Initial Expenses
It’s quite inexpensive for this little parrot. Many breeders would market a well-adjusting lovebird for just $30 – what I asked for at a bird show for Bonnie. The pet shops are priced between $60 and $150 depending on the type and coloring.
Lovebirds want their bigger cousins to think about everything. You are going to purchase quality food, an extra mineral, some toys, cage litter, bars, and other products. A solid birdcage of value is an important part of security for lovebirds.
The standard slide-up doors on low-end cages have been opened for every lovebird I owned. Make sure your bird doesn’t escape unattended from home. When I was at the shop, I lost a lot of books to smart lovebirds searching for something to cut. A decent cage would cost between $100 and $250, but your bird (and your possessions) would remain intact.
Nutrition
High-energy birds are lovebirds. Nevertheless, they are considered to be candied eaters, they need good nutrition to keep them active and healthy If you are not introduced to a variety of foods as you wean, you can stick to what you know: seeds. It is hard for parents to consume healthy, pellet-based food. This makes it difficult.
An ideal lovebird diet is a staple pellet, with a certain seed varying from day to day with fruits and veggies. Pellets are more costly than grain, but their nutritional value is far lower. Expect a bag of food for a cockatiel, conure, and other small hookbills between $11 and $18. The little bags last a couple of months.
Cage, Grooming For Lovebirds
It’s a choice for cage litter. It makes it easier to wash a regular plate, but this is not a must. Simple pop-corn (popped) and vermiculite can be included in low-cost chips and beds like newspapers, old magazines, and phone books (you have to use one at last).
I buy a giant bag of vermiculite from a garden nursery for $11 because I’m too lazy to popcorn every week and it’s going to be around the year. If your bird has direct access to its cage floor, popcorn is a safer and cleaner choice. You don’t want the vermiculite of her food!
In particular, lovebirds offer a good insight into the parrot universe. The scale, affordability, and personality make it for us with no room or support for larger species a major compromise. You can become fun friends and a treasured member of your life.