Love Birds
April 22nd, 2009 by mojapeLovebirds are originally from Africa. They are a small bird, ranging from 4 to 6 inches long. There are nine different species of lovebirds. Lovebirds are divided into 3 groups. The eye-ringed, the sexually dimorphic and the intermediate.
Lovebirds, if kept singly, can be wonderful companions. It is a myth that lovebirds need to be kept as pairs. Lovebirds are excellent breeding birds and are very prolific. They also breed throughout the year instead of being seasonal. However, they should not be kept with other species of birds since lovebirds can be among the most aggressive of all parrots.
Lovebirds can make an excellent first bird, for both adults and children alike. It is important that you get any lovebird as a handfed baby, then a single lovebird can be a wonderful entertaining pet. Handfed babies bond very strongly to people. They love to cuddle and spend a lot of time with their owners. They are capable of talking (though very few do learn to talk) and of learning tricks. They love toys and are very much the acrobat when it comes to playing with them.
Lovebirds are curious and have a boundless amount of energy. They can become nippy when they mature. Lovebirds are also more independent and strong-willed than some of the smaller parrots. They need daily interaction or they may revert back to their wild state, even if they were handfed. They are not too noisy when compared to other parrots, though their chirps can be annoying when loud.
Females generally are more nippy and possess less desirable temperaments. Most species are not sexually dimorphic, however certain behaviors can sometimes be used to distinguish the males from the females. They are not very destructive parrots, though they can be chewers.
They are strikingly beautiful and are very entertaining. Different species of lovebirds have different personalities. While it is unusual, there have been cases where a pet lovebird became a breeder bird, and remained as loving and sweet as it was when it was a pet.
They are a long-lived bird, for their size, and they can live for 10-20 years.
In most cases you can determine a young lovebird from an older one by the color of their beak. A juvenile has a beak that has some black in it. This won’t be the case if you have a black-collared lovebird. The black usually will disappear by 4 months old. So the more black that is on the beak, the younger the bird.
Lovebirds can be very territorial when it comes to their cages. They can also be territorial when it comes to their favorite human. Even though they make wonderful pets for children, supervision is needed.
Lovebirds can also be little escape artists. Lovebirds got their name because they cuddle up against each other. When out of the cage they need to be carefully supervised because of their curiosity. They will boldly go exploring and getting into things if not watched.
Male or female? While this will vary from bird to bird, most people believe that the males make better pets.
Lovebirds enjoy going inside of things. You may want to provide a little hanging hut or bed for them. However if they seem to become more aggressive because of it, remove it.
