About Lovebirds
There is an extremely common perception that if you have a lovebird, then you must have two. After all, they do look absolutely superb in pairs – just check out the picture below.
This is not strictly true. What is true is that a pair of lovebirds who have already bonded shouldn’t be split up, however if a lovebird has been raised by hand since he was a baby then they can make excellent familty pets on their own.
Lovebirds do require some handling and care on a daily basis – if you neglect them for more than a couple of days they can actually become quite surly.
Quite a small bird, many folk make the mistake of buying a smallish budgie type cage to house them in, however this is not really the best way to go.
A very active bird, the larger the cage you can get the better – they really could do with a lot of toys – for example they love playing with ring sets, or hopping on and off a swing, they really are full of energy.
There are nine lovebird species, all of which are native to continental Africa, with the exception (it’s in the name!) of the Madagascar lovebird.
The others are: Peachfaced, Masked, Fischer’s, Nyasa, Redfaced, Black-Collared, Abyssinian and Black-Cheeked.
That is only the tip of the iceberg though. In addition to the different species, consider also that there are many, many different colour mutations – for example, there are 17 recognised colour mutations for the peachfaced variety, but when you take into account the mutations having been bred together for many years there are thousands of different colours now available.
The nicest natured are said to be the Peachfaced variety with peach caps, whilst the red faced standard and lutino varieties are louder and can be more agressive.
Insofar as diet goes, a varied mix of vegetables, wholegrain cereal, bean mix added to cockatiel pellets and seed mix should do the trick. This can be supplemented with a slice of orange occasionally.
You should also make a cuttlefish bone or calcium block available for the bird to chew on.
The lovebird is a great companion to somebody stuck in the house or simply those looking for a family pet. They generally have a really fun personality and are both cheeky and playful. They are great fun to sit and watch, however can also be affectionate.
Although they have never been known for any great talking ability, they can certainly pick up a few words. They also love to play, and these intelligent birds are very quick at picking up tricks etc.
So there you have it. A small, but perfectly formed bundle of fun who benefits from a good level of human interaction.
