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What Type of Lovebirds for
you ?
The topics covered
on this page are:
1.
Pets, Breeder Birds, Show Birds, or Ornaments
?
2. What Lovebird Species or
Mutation do you Want ?
3. Pairs vs. Singles Lovebirds
4. Hand-Raised vs. Parent
Raised Lovebirds
5. Young vs. Mature Lovebirds
6. Female vs. Male Lovebirds
Pets, Breeder
Birds, Show Birds, or Ornaments ?
People buy lovebirds for different reasons. You
must decide what type of lovebird you want. This website is mainly
dedicated to pet lovebirds, so if you want more detailed information
about other types of lovebirds, take a look at other resources.
Most people buy a lovebird because they want a
pet. If you want a furry friend who will amuse you with her
curiosity and character, then a pet lovebird is for you. Many people
think that a pet bird is like a wild bird; they mistakenly believe
that pet bird cannot be played with or petted. This is not true at
all! If your lovebird is tame, she will cling to you for company,
and will want to snuggle with you. Lovebirds are affectionate and a
lot of fun.
Breeder birds are lovebirds that are used to
breed and produce offspring. If you want breeder birds, you must
have at least a male and a female. These birds cannot be pets,
because they will be loving towards each other, and will ignore you.
(Refer to Lovebird Pairs vs. Singles)
Show birds are usually expensive mutations that
participate in bird shows at a professional level. Pet lovebirds and
breeder birds can also be show birds. If you have a pretty pet, you
may find it fun to participate in local bird shows and meet other
bird fanciers. If you breed an interesting mutation, this lovebird
may also do well in a show. Remember, no matter how many tricks your
bird can do, it's the lovebird's appearance that counts in most
shows. There is a show standard that all judges use.
Ornaments are lovebirds that people keep in
cages simply to brighten up their homes. Lovebird are colorful,
lively creatures that can add atmosphere to any room. Ornament
owners often neglect their birds and only give them the minimum of
care. If you want an ornament, you must still give your bird the
best care possible.
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What Lovebird
Species or Mutation do you Want ?
There are eight diverse species of lovebirds
that are available for sale. Each species has a different appearance
and color. In addition, each species has wide-ranging color
mutations. There is such a wide variety of colors to choose from
that anyone can find a bird to his or her liking.
The best thing to do is to look at photos of
each lovebird species, and visit stores and breeders to see the
birds live. Not all types of species are available; some common
species that you can find are Peach-faced, Black-masked and
Fischer's.
Think about your personal preferences. Do you
want a rare show bird or a hardy companion? Do you like lovebirds
that have eye rings, bright rainbow colors, black masks, or red
beaks? What are your favorite colors?
The adage that "appearances aren't everything"
also applies to lovebirds. After all, it is the individual
lovebird's personality that really matters. You may decide that you
want an Abyssinian, but you may fall in love with the curious Lutino
at the pet shelter. Keep your eyes open!
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Female vs. Male
Lovebirds
The more common
lovebirds such as peach faced and masked are not sexually dimorphic
which means you can not tell what sex the lovebirds are by looking
at them and the only way to tell is by DNA sexing them. Because
telling which sex a lovebird is so difficult you often do not know
what sex your lovebird is when you buy it unless you get a DNA test
done before you buy it.
When your lovebird or
reaches maturity which is around one years of age it may show some
signs of whether it is male or female such as ripping up paper and
stuffing it into it's feathers (female) or regurgitating for its
owners (male). The things an un-sexed lovebird can is not a reliable
way of telling if it is a male or female which is unfortunate.
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© 2004 The GTLoveBird,
Inc. All rights reserved.
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Pairs vs. Singles Lovebirds |
If
you want a cuddly, affectionate pet, then it is best to get a single,
hand-fed lovebird. (Refer to Hand-Raised vs. Parent-Raised Lovebirds.)
Single lovebirds will become attached to you and will treat you as
their mate. However, you have to spend a lot of time with a single
lovebird, as you are considered to be her mate. If you ignore your
single lovebird, psychological disturbances can occur, and neglect may
even result in death. Never keep a single bird as an ornament.
Also, tame lovebirds cannot be used for breeding,
because they are completely attached to people. Even though your
single lovebird is tame, this does not mean that she will be friendly
to everyone. These lovebirds may become one-person birds; they may be
friendly with other people but have a favorite person.
A single, parent-raised lovebird can also be kept
as a pet, but it is harder to tame these birds. Taming these birds
requires a lot of patience and tolerance to bites.
It's a myth that you have to keep two lovebirds
together, or a single lovebird pines away and dies. Lovebirds are
social birds, but it is fine to have only one lovebird. You will just
have to be the bird's mate. Often, the single lovebird is even happier
with you as its mate than another lovebird.
If you have a pair of lovebirds, these birds will
often bond with each other. They will not care to spend time with you.
If you want breeder birds or ornaments, then you would want a pair of
lovebirds.
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Hand-Raised vs. Parent Raised
Lovebirds |
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One other important consideration should be
age. Young lovebirds are far more easily tamed than older lovebirds. I
personally would recommend that you try and get a hand fed lovebird
because hand fed lovebirds have already gotten use to humans since
hand fed lovebirds were not raised by their own parents but by humans.
Hand feeding lovebirds is a method used to
get the lovebird use to humans and to get the lovebird to learn to
trust humans. Hand fed lovebirds will bond to you just as easily as
they bonded to the person that hand fed them; but that doesn't mean
that you will not have to work with you lovebird to keep the bond
strong and the bird tame. It just means that you will have a much
easier time establishing the bond and relationship than you would with
a parent raised lovebird (a parent raised lovebird is a lovebird that
has been raised by it's original lovebird parents)
You will want a lovebird that is between the age
of 6 and 8 weeks old and has been weaned from its hand feeding
formula, while lovebirds fledge in the in the wild at around six weeks
old the parents still continue feeding them directly on the odd
occasion. They don't kick their baby lovebirds out of the nest at 6
weeks and make them survive on their own. Hand fed lovebirds should be
allowed to wean themselves on their own schedule which can vary from
seven to eleven weeks old. If you get a lovebird that is unwanted you
are going to have to continue feeding the lovebird your self until it
is 100% weaned; in any case the breeder or pet shop should not have
given you a un weaned lovebird.
In addition to being more trusting of their human counterparts hand
fed lovebirds are also less noisy than parent raised lovebirds. The
best part about a hand fed lovebird is the fact that they love to
cuddle and snuggle. All though lovebirds look small and delicate, as
small as they are; they like to do things on their own terms, which
means if they are sick of playing or sick of being petted they will
often let you know by nipping you or giving a loud squawk.
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Young vs. Mature Lovebirds
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| If you want a pet
lovebird, it is best to buy a young bird that is about 7 weeks old.
Young birds often have black markings on their bills. A young bird
will become accustomed to its new environment faster, and it is easier
to tame and train a baby bird. Older lovebirds are much harder to
tame. If you want breeder birds, you may buy a mature lovebird that is
able to breed right away. Some people own lovebirds as pets, but later
must give them away. If you want to adopt an older pet lovebird, it
may be hard at first for the bird to adjust to a new life, but these
birds will usually become friendly pets.
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