sleep tent

[cdnbirdlover]

Now that it's getting colder, I would like to get a cozy sleep tent for my lovie Basil. I shop online at a terrific birdie store and they have many of these items in various sizes. Do lovebirds like these tents? I don't want to encourage nesting behaviour. Is that a risk? We think Basil is a male but he hasn't been DNA tested. He is between one and two years old and has been with me for 4 months.

Thanks.

Andrea and Basil

I am planning to get him DNA tested next time we visit the avian vet for wing and nail clips. But I'm hoping to put that off as long as possible as I don't want to stress him out unnecessarily.

 

[MonicaMc]

An easy way to help determine the sex of a peach face lovebird is to give him/her some paper to chew on. Females will typically chew the paper into nice long strips and tuck it into their rump feathers, where-as males do a sloppy job and don't usually tuck in the material as nicely. Still, if you want to know for sure, get the DNA test done!

Yes, giving a bird a dark place to hide could potentially encourage nesting behavior, and yes, many peach face lovebirds love tents!


Birds have feathers as well as down feathers which help to insulate their bodies and keep them warm. In comparison, us humans are rather naked! That is to say, birds can handle cooler temperatures better than we can! Depending on the time of year, my birds have experienced anywhere from 50° - 80°+ temperatures, in Fahrenheit... and mainly because one, the heater goes off at night, and two, the house didn't keep warm that well in the winter.

Other options to keep birds warm, if you are concerned, are heated perches, heating panels or heat bulbs. I've only used heat bulbs before, not the other two.