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11 Things To Do Before
Buying Lovebirds
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1. |
Talk to the
people that you share a home with before buying a lovebird. Is
your roommate allergic to feathers? Is your child afraid of
birds? Also, look at your living situation. Will you have enough
time to care for a lovebird? Can you afford the costs of keeping
a bird? Are you going to be moving to another country in the
near future? |
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2. |
Visit the
pet stores and breeders in your community to see where you can
find the best selection of birds. Also, see if you can stand the
vocalizations of lovebirds. Lovebirds do no chatter lightly, but
make relatively loud tweets which may irritate you. Make sure
that everyone you live with can stand the noise. |
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3. |
Do you mind
the smell of lovebirds? They do not give off a strong odor
unless their cages are dirty. Even when a lovebird is clean, she
will give off a slight, musky bird odor that you can smell if
you put your nose a few centimeters from her feathers. This is
not an unpleasant smell, but you may have to get used to it. |
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4. |
Talk to bird
owners, your vet, or friends who have birds. You can play with
your friend's lovebird and see if this is the right pet for you. |
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5. |
Do you have
other pets? Lovebird will get along with many animals, except
for cats. Dogs and other large animals may scare and chase
lovebirds. Do you have other pet birds? You must decide if you
are going to house your new lovebird with the other birds. |
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6. |
Lovebird are
not the best pets for young children. Lovebirds are not as
submissive as budgies, and they are nippy when they are handled
roughly. Children aged ten or older can appreciate having
lovebirds as pets. A hand-fed lovebird is best for children
because these birds are friendly and tame. They can sit on your
hand or shoulder, amuse you with their witty characters, and
even perform some tricks. |
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7. |
Figure out
where you will keep your lovebirds. Geographically, it does not
really matter where you live if you are keeping your lovebird
inside a heated house. Lovebirds thrive in a warm environment
that is about the same temperature or warmer than you would
like. They are quite resilient to cold, as many of them live at
high altitudes in the wild. If you want to keep your birds
outside in an aviary, then climate is a factor. |
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8. |
If you let
your lovebird out of her cage, she will chew paper into strips.
You must clear away all of your important paperwork and prepare
to have a floor that is littered with paper. Also, you will have
to clean up bird droppings. Some lovebirds chew wood and
furniture as well. |
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9. |
Before you
buy a lovebird, you must get everything set up for her arrival.
You should also look for a local
veterinarian that you can take your birds to, and find out if
there is an avian vet in your city. You can ask bird owners or
the people that you buy your bird from for a recommendation. |
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10. |
Make sure
that you read about the common household items that are
dangerous or fatal to birds. Remove anything in your house that
is hazardous. |
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11. |
Make
preparations about where you bird will stay when you go on
vacation. You may decide to keep your birds at a veterinarian's
office, a pet store, with a friend, or with a bird fancier. |
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