New owner questions

[Noah]

Hello everyone,

I'm seriously considering becoming a lovebird owner, and I would really appreciate some advice before I take the plunge. I have great memories as a child when my uncle had an outdoor aviary full of the little guys, and I think I'm finally in a position to be able to keep them as pets myself.

I just have a few questions that I was hoping this community could help me with?

1. One or two? I know some people are against people keeping single lovebirds, but I understand that it's easier to tame and bond with a single bird. I work from home so will be around pretty much all day every day, but a single bird needs a lot of attention and I'm not sure I will have the time and would hate for a single bird to feel neglected. On the other hand, two birds will naturally bond with each other at the expense of their owner.

Does anyone have any advice on this?

2. Size of cage: Is there a general guide on how big a cage should be for one or two lovebirds? I have quite a bit of space in my office so that isn't an issue.

3. As I said, I'm at home most of the day, but naturally have a life outside of the home as well. What do lovebird owners do when they go away for a night or the weekend? Would two birds be able to cope being on their own for 48 hours? (I'm assuming that's a no-no for a single bird).

4. Are there any major character/temperament differences between the species?

Thanks in advance for any advice at all!
Noah

 

[bug_n_flock]

Hey there, welcome to the forums. Bumping this back up so hopefully a current lovebird owner can chime in.

From phone

 

[GaleriaGila]

I've only known lovebirds socially, but I'll take a shot at your questions.

In your situation, I like the idea of a single bird, hand-reared and tame...

Cage size? Bigger is almost always better... bar-spacing is what's critical. Too small for the head to fit through, large enough to be climbable.

If you're away, you'll want to have a house-sitter, or maybe take the bird with you! Or take the bird to a sitter. In any event, you'll need to get the bird used to travel in a carrier.

Another must... a Certified Avian Veterinarian... before you get your bird... you'll need a "baseline" exam and regular follow-ups. Most vets aren't comfortabe with seeing bird.
Plus, in the event of an emergency, you don't want to be Googling for local bird vets.

Species differences? You've got me at a loss there. I do suspect that taming, training, etc. is more important than species of lovebird. Gender may be an issue, too, I don't know.

Lovebird folks? Thoughts?

Good for you, for all the thought you're putting into this. I admire that!

 

[itchyfeet]

Hi Welcome

1. One or two? I know some people are against people keeping single lovebirds, but I understand that it's easier to tame and bond with a single bird. I work from home so will be around pretty much all day every day, but a single bird needs a lot of attention and I'm not sure I will have the time and would hate for a single bird to feel neglected. On the other hand, two birds will naturally bond with each other at the expense of their owner.
This will be tricky, and fall to personal decision. Love bird are pair birds by nature. My daughter was after a little, bright, snuggly parrot. She can handle anything from RB2's and SC2's down, and spent a couple of years saving. She ended up with a black masked fisher lovie, from a breeder she had built a reationship with. Skittles is darling, he's bonded well with her, is learning a few tricks and talks up a storm, thanks to having IRN's for company. He's a singleton lovie in a flock of four. You're right on the bonding thing, but also on the time you can offer.

Working from home means time may include but isn't limited to a playstand near your desk, or snuggled into a hood on a jersey. It doesn't always have to be active time. I think in your situation I might consider two hand-reared, and just work with them daily? My mother in law has a pair of hand-reared lovies that are more bonded to each other as opposed to humans, but are still human happy.

2. Size of cage: Is there a general guide on how big a cage should be for one or two lovebirds? I have quite a bit of space in my office so that isn't an issue.

Go as big as you can, but leave $$ for a playstand and check bar size! By memory ours are 10mm...I'd have to measure. Bar size is critical so they don't get their heads stuck trying to reach you. Do a quick google for flight cage...that's probably what you're after.

3. As I said, I'm at home most of the day, but naturally have a life outside of the home as well. What do lovebird owners do when they go away for a night or the weekend? Would two birds be able to cope being on their own for 48 hours? (I'm assuming that's a no-no for a single bird).
It'd probably be best to be have someone pop in on them for food and water checks, but emotionally they'd be okay. We roadtrip a lot. Sometimes the IRN's come. Everyone else is shipped off to a friend or family member, or we have a housesitter for our other animals anyway.

4. Are there any major character/temperament differences between the species?
With our breeder and the lovies I've met, the biggest differences were colour and size. I'm not sure if that's standard or not.

Remember to update us! Especially with photos, if/when the time comes

 

[Noah]

Thank you so much for your responses. You guys have been really helpful and I can't wait to become a new lovebird owner!

I went to my local garden centre to check out their bird section today. They had three hand-reared lovebirds of various species for sale, but they were asking £150 ($209) for a single bird!!

I've only been looking around for a month or so but that seems extortionate to me.

I've found a breeder's website so I'm going to keep checking on that for anything that comes up locally. Unfortunately the UK doesn't seem to be that great for prospective lovebird owners.

 

[LordTriggs]

Thank you so much for your responses. You guys have been really helpful and I can't wait to become a new lovebird owner!

I went to my local garden centre to check out their bird section today. They had three hand-reared lovebirds of various species for sale, but they were asking £150 ($209) for a single bird!!

I've only been looking around for a month or so but that seems extortionate to me.

I've found a breeder's website so I'm going to keep checking on that for anything that comes up locally. Unfortunately the UK doesn't seem to be that great for prospective lovebird owners.

For a hand reared bird here £150 sounds about right. Especially being sold through a Garden Center (didn't know they sold birds, none where I am do just fish) I bought my Conure for £160 and he was parent reared. Over here birds are rarer and as such more expensive

 

[Noah]

Thank you so much for your responses. You guys have been really helpful and I can't wait to become a new lovebird owner!

I went to my local garden centre to check out their bird section today. They had three hand-reared lovebirds of various species for sale, but they were asking £150 ($209) for a single bird!!

I've only been looking around for a month or so but that seems extortionate to me.

I've found a breeder's website so I'm going to keep checking on that for anything that comes up locally. Unfortunately the UK doesn't seem to be that great for prospective lovebird owners.

For a hand reared bird here £150 sounds about right. Especially being sold through a Garden Center (didn't know they sold birds, none where I am do just fish) I bought my Conure for £160 and he was parent reared. Over here birds are rarer and as such more expensive

I guess I'm basing it on the prices I've seen online, which are much, much lower. But as you suggest, Garden Centres are expensive places and I wasn't planning to buy from there anyway (and definitely not when I saw one of their employees catch a budgie by grabbing it with way too much force on the floor of its cage).

 

[bug_n_flock]

oh no! Poor baby

 

[LordTriggs]

Thank you so much for your responses. You guys have been really helpful and I can't wait to become a new lovebird owner!

I went to my local garden centre to check out their bird section today. They had three hand-reared lovebirds of various species for sale, but they were asking £150 ($209) for a single bird!!

I've only been looking around for a month or so but that seems extortionate to me.

I've found a breeder's website so I'm going to keep checking on that for anything that comes up locally. Unfortunately the UK doesn't seem to be that great for prospective lovebird owners.

For a hand reared bird here £150 sounds about right. Especially being sold through a Garden Center (didn't know they sold birds, none where I am do just fish) I bought my Conure for £160 and he was parent reared. Over here birds are rarer and as such more expensive

I guess I'm basing it on the prices I've seen online, which are much, much lower. But as you suggest, Garden Centres are expensive places and I wasn't planning to buy from there anyway (and definitely not when I saw one of their employees catch a budgie by grabbing it with way too much force on the floor of its cage).

Online is a mixed bag. I've hit the point where unless proven otherwise I assume they're all liars. Best bet would be to find a breeder and see them. Or take a look at some rescues, you have Birdline, A1 parrot rescue, problem parrots and more if you take a quick google (I know I'm forgetting some) all good rescues who operate all over and having spoken with a Birdline rep before they find it hardest to move the smaller "less flashy" parrots as most people want the big macs and toos. Also you have an idea of the bird's personality and you can get an adult so less in the terms of personality change