PeeWee’s Playpen

LOVEBIRDS

By: Miranda Suvak
@ PeeWee's Playpen, 2000

All rights reserved No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author or publisher, peewee@peeweesplaypen.com.

Lovebirds are one of the smallest parrots bred in captivity, but don't let their small size fool you. They have big parrot personality packed into their tiny bodies! Lovebirds are a very high-energy pet. They love to swing from toys, attack bells, and make splinters of any wood toy. But lovebirds are also sweeties that easily learn to step-up for a quick kiss, and love to hang out on their favorite person's shoulder, snuggling into your neck and hair. Like many small animals, lovebirds seem fearless when confronted by a larger species. A lovebird will not hesitate to walk right over and bite a bigger parrot, or even a cat or dog. Lovebirds are native to the tropical rainforests of southwestern Africa. These comical little birds can live 15-30 years with the proper diet, exercise, and stimulation.

Like all parrots, a handfed, well-socialized baby bird makes the best pet. When looking for a baby, look for one that is already tame. A good breeder will socialize the babies so well that they will be curious about meeting new people, and will just jump right onto a stranger, expecting cuddles as their right. Just like any other parrot, lovebirds must be handled consistently and lovingly every day for them to stay tame and form a bond with their owners. Look for a breeder that has healthy happy babies who are very active, always playing with toys, and very curious about their environment.

One of the biggest myths about lovebirds is that they must be kept in pairs to be truly happy. If you are looking for a sweet pet bird that will bond to you, do not keep it in a pair. Lovebirds kept in pairs will bond tightly to each other, and not want to be handled by their owner nearly as much. But a single bird will form a bond with its owner, and anxiously await an opportunity to jump out of the cage for quality time with you. If you want to keep a pair of lovebirds, you must be aware of the added responsibility that it will entail. Most lovebirds are prolific breeders, so a true pair will quickly begin to raise clutches with little help from you. You will need to decide if you have the time for the added care the breeders
will need, and the time necessary to devote to raising the babies. Other situations can be potentially more harmful. Pairs of females can lead to problems when they grow older and start to have hormonal periods. During these periods it is not unheard of for one female to kill another. If you do decide on a pair, do the extra research to make sure you can properly care for them.

SPECIES

There are nine species of lovebirds, all in the Agapomis family. In the United States, the Peachface Lovebird is the most commonly kept lovebird.

Peachface lovebirds are about 6" long, and weigh from 50-60 grams. The nominate coloration (or coloration found in the wild) is called "normal green." These birds have a dark reddish-peach face, a dark green body, with an iridescent turquoise blue rump, and a horn-colored beak. Peachface Lovebirds come in many color mutations and the color alleles and factors can combine for thousands of possible color combinations.

The second most popular lovebird species in the US is the Masked Lovebird. Masked Lovebirds are slightly smaller than their Peachface cousins, and seem a bit shyer. In the wild they are found in blue and green forms. All Masked birds have black masks on the head, and white eye-rings. The green mutation has a yellow bib, while the blue mutation has a white bib. These birds can make great pets, but like all lovebirds must be handled on a regular basis.
The third commonly found lovebird in the United States is the Fischer's Lovebird. These birds have bright orange forehead, a darker green body than the Peachface. blue-rumps, olive and yellow on their head and throat, a bright red beak, and white eye-rings. These birds are reputed to be more aggressive, or more bold and curious than some of the other lovebirds, but do make fun pets.

The other five species of lovebirds are much rarer in captivity and unlikely to be found as pet material. They are the Nyasa Lovebird, the Black-cheeked Lovebird, the Madagascar Lovebird, the Black-collared Lovebird and the Abyssinian Lovebird.

HEALTH

When you go to pick out your baby bird, it is helpful to know in advance what to look for. Healthy babies should be active, have bright smooth feathers, clear bright eyes, and be very curious, friendly, and tame. You'll want to ask the breeder what the baby has been weaned to. Ideally, you want to find a baby that was weaned to fresh veggies, cooked multi-grain mixes, pellets, and seed. The healthier the diet the baby is used to eating, the less work for you to try and convert it to a better diet.

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure that your baby is weaned when you get it. Weaning is a very important time period in a baby's life. They are growing and developing at a tremendous rate, and the stress of switching handfeeders can do irreparable ham (often ending up in death of the baby). You and your baby will have a much healthier and happier start to your relationship if you wait a few weeks for weaning to be completed.
The myth that you must finish handfeeding your baby for it to bond with you is pure nonsense! If anything, it will backfire on you. Babies form 'parental' bonds with their handfeeders, but will often switch bonds during adolescence for a 'mate' bond, which could be to any other person in the household. You want to watch out for birds that might be ill. Some signs of illness could be fluffy or sleeping looking birds (unless you are there at naptime!), birds with discharge from their nose or vent, birds exhibiting listless behavior and birds with obvious handicaps or deformities (these birds can still make great pets, but you will need to be more informed on how to care for a handicapped bird).

Once you come home with your baby, you will want to take it to the vet for a well-birdie check-up as soon as possible. This is a good time to get to know your local avian vet, and will provide the vet with a good baseline comparison if the bird later has problems. When looking for an avian vet, try to find one you feel comfortable with. And that seems knowledgeable about parrots. A good vet will take time to explain to new bird owners what he is doing during the examination, and will try to help you gain a better understanding of your bird.
Avian vets are an invaluable resource.

If your lovebird is not your first bird, you will want to quarantine it for 30-90 days to protect the rest of your flock. To quarantine your bird, it needs to live in a separate room from the rest of your birds, preferably one that can be closed off.
Feed your new bird last, and always wash your hands after handling him or his dishes. When you get your birds out to play, get your new bird out at a different time after the rest of your birds and do not take him to play on play areas that the rest of your birds use. It is a good idea to change cloths and wash well if you handle your new bird and then need to handle your existing flock. This is important because birds do not often show signs of illness. But the stress of moving to a new home with a new owner can often lower the immune system to
let the illness be expressed. Also, many diseases have a dormant incubation period, so a good quarantine can protect your flock from unseen diseases.

After quarantine, you will want to introduce your new bird to the rest of your flock. Be prepared, most parrots do not like new birds! If you have more than one bird out to play at the same time, be sure to always supervise them. Remember, lovebirds will not hesitate to attack birds much bigger than themselves, which can often end up with the lovebird being hurt.

Pet birds should all have their own separate cages. If you cage birds together, they will quickly bond to each other, and not be nearly as friendly and tame to you. But if you did buy your bird with the hope of pairing it up, remember to go slowly. First, keep both birds in separate cages, side by side. Set up the cages so they seem to mirror each other. For example, place the food dishes back to back on the side that is closest to each other. Watch the behavior of the birds, and soon you will see either mirrored behavior (both eating at the same
time. sleeping close to the other cage, etc), or you will see aggression. After a few weeks of mirrored behavior, you can carefully introduce the birds to each other. This is best done in a new cage that neither has occupied or is territorial about. Watch the birds closely, because being together in new quarters can often bring out aggressive tendencies. If all is we", the birds will still continue to mirror each other, sleep close to each other, and preen one another.

DIET

Lovebirds need a varied and nutritious diet to keep them healthy. Like all parrots, preparing this diet takes lots of time and energy, but you will be rewarded with healthy birds that will live a long and active life. The most important part of your bird’s diet is fresh food. In the wild, parrots mainly eat a variety of green stuff. Fresh foods have important vitamins and phytochemicals that are essential to daily metabolic functions. And fresh foods have these chemicals in a natural form that is much easier to use than the synthesized chemicals found in prepared foods.

Vegetables and leafy greens are the healthiest of fresh foods. You want to try to give your lovebird a healthy variety of fresh foods everyday. The healthiest vegetables for birds are also the healthiest ones for people. A quick rule of thumb is that dark leafy greens and dark yellow & orange vegetables are very high in nutrients. Things like iceberg lettuce, which is mainly water, are not that nutritious, and do not need to be included in your bird's diet. Some of the best foods are broccoli, squashes, carrots, spinach, red Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, fresh sprouts, peppers, and sweet potatoes. Many other vegetables can be given to add variety (green beans, peas, corn, radishes, and fruits, etc), but these should be smaller percentages than the healthiest vegetables and greens. A good way to prepare fresh foods is to get a mix of 10-20 different ones, and chop them to prepare a bird salad. Do not think that serving frozen mixed vegetables will fill this need. Frozen mixed vegetables usually just have corn, peas, carrots. green beans, and perhaps lima beans. Of those, carrots are pretty nutritious, but birds need more than that. If you like the ease of frozen vegetables, it is easy enough to mix up a big bird salad, freeze it in portion size baggies, and thaw out a week's worth at a time.

A second very important addition to your bird's diet is cooked multi-grain mixes. Grains are very important to good health. There are many different brands that sell mixes ready to cook, or you can mix your own. A good mix should have a variety of white, brown, & wild rice, barley, oats, wheat, or quinoa. It should also have some different seed grains. Many mixes have dehydrated vegetables and seasonings. Cooked beans and other legumes can add protein to the mix as well. Usually the mix is made by cooking the mixture until boiling, similar to cooking rice. Cooked mixed vegetables or vegetables from your bird salad can also be added to the mix for added nutrition. The cooked mix should also be served everyday.

Seed is also a very important addition to your bird's diet. For the past few years, seed has gained a bad reputation and new bird owners are often urged to feed no seed at all. In the wild parrots do feed on seed. But, they do not feed exclusively on seed. A parrot offered a well-balanced fresh diet will eat the fresh or cooked foods first, and then munch on seed later. Seeds are basically another type of grain, and are good for birds in moderation. Eating seeds all day would be similar to a person eating McDonald's for every meal... ...hardly the way to live a long life! When choosing a seed mix, try to find one that smells good and fresh. If the seed can be sprouted, it is still good. If it won't sprout, the seed is too old and not giving any nutritional value to your bird. Try and find a mix that is not dusty, and does not have a large amount of miscellaneous items added in. Many seed mixes include fruits and pellets. The birds are not going to eat those items, in most cases, and you are just paying for something to take up space. The seed mix should have a good variety of different kinds of seeds. A small portion of seeds should be given daily.

Pellets are another great nutritional source. Pellets are a manufactured food, sort of like cat or dog food. Basically pellets are a type of food that may include different colors or shapes, but is all made up of a kind of uniform food. Pellets are often touted as a complete diet, or as needing to be 80% of a bird's diet. As far as it goes. pellets are great and wonderful. but do not get too carried away and rely solely on pellets to provide your bird with nutrition. Pellets are sort of like giving your bird a multi-vitamin. They are great and have tons of good stuff in them, but it is still healthier to consume vitamins and minerals in their natural form. Another aspect to think about is that pellets are usually not manufactured for individual species. Parrots inhabit environments all over the world, and eat a variety of different foods native to their areas. One pellet is hardly going to meet the nutritional requirements of each individual parrot species. Give a bowl of pellets daily, but do not rely on them to provide all the nutrition your bird needs. Remember in the wild, parrots eat a varied diet, and you should educate yourself to provide a healthy varied diet, which includes fresh foods, cooked multi-grains, seeds, and pellets.

There are some dangerous foods that you want to stay away from to avoid harming your lovebird. Chocolate is very toxic to parrots. Another no-no is avocado. Most other things can be avoided through common sense. For example, you shouldn't feed your birds caffeinated or alcohol products, as they can also have toxic effects and harm your bird.

Related to feeding, lovebirds need to have access to lots of fresh clean water. This is especially true if pellets make up a large part of the bird's diet. Lovebirds are notorious for making 'soup' of their water, or taking baths in their water dishes. Check water frequently and be sure to change it for clean water when necessary.

HOUSING

The smallest cage recommended for a lovebird is 24” X 24” X 18”, and this is the minimum per bird. Lovebirds are active little birds and need lots of space to play. They love to swing around, and hop from place to place, so need to have room for several toys and still have room to move around in the cage. The bar spacing for lovebirds should not be more than ½”, so no little heads can get stuck. And the cage should be plain, with no fancy scrolls or designs; these can often catch the toes or bands of a bird, and cause them to be seriously injured. When outfitting a cage, be sure to pick many different perch diameters. The average lovebird perch is about ½”, but adding perches that are wider and some that are thinner will help promote healthy feet. Also, if natural perches are used, they will have varying diameters. It is just as important to use many different perch substrates. For example, there are perches made from wooden dowels, cement or sandy perches, rope perches, chain tightropes, and natural wooden branches. Using a variety of textures and diameters allows your bird to exercise their feet and use all the muscles they would naturally use in the wild.

One caution, when using cement or sandy perches to keep nails trim, be sure that these perches are not the highest perch in the cage. They should be in an area where the bird will want to use them for a few hours a day, such as by a treat cup or favorite toy. But you do not want the bird to stand on them all night long when it sleeps. Save the highest perch for a wood or rope perch, so the bird can have a comfortable sleeping place and be able to rest its feet. Also, when choosing a perch to keep your bird's nails blunt, think of how the bird will sit on the perch. The object is to have the bird's nails touching the cement, not just its toes. Usually these perches need to be a size bigger than the normal wood perches, unless they are an oval shape, so that the nails will touch the perch, and actually become blunted.

TOYS

Why toys? Do birds really need them? Yes! Birds need stimulation and several different kinds of toys to provide this. In the wild parrots are busy all day, foraging, preening, interacting with the flock, and flying around. They are not made to sit calmly for hours on end with nothing to do. Parrots are very intelligent creatures, with an IQ level of a 3-4 year old child. If they are not stimulated, they can literally go crazy. They can develop neurotic habits such as feather plucking, screaming, or repetitive motions. Toys can also help stimulate healthy brain development.

Lovebirds need a variety of toys to create the most stimulation and fulfill the most needs. Preening toys, toys made from rope or string that invite the bird to preen the rope, can prevent feather plucking and stimulate flock preening skills. Wood toys provide tons of fun as lovebirds reduce them to splinters!

Another fun toy for lovebirds is one made of acrylic or bells. These toys are fun to beat up, but will withstand a lot more damage. Parrots love puzzle toys and untying knots. These toys can promote problem-solving skills. And it is so much fun to untie a knot and let the toy fall. or solve a puzzle to find a treat! Snuggle tubes create a private hide-away for quiet times and become a clubhouse to bring a toy up to for some quiet playing. Also, they can be a warm quiet place to snuggle down to for a quick afternoon nap!

DANGERS

With any and all toys there is an element of danger. All toys can be dangerous in the correct situation. With this in mind, all toys must be maintained and monitored by you. Rope toys need to maintained. Clip loose threads so that threads do not become wrapped around legs, bands, or a bird's neck. Be aware of toys your bird can chew through, and check toys frequently. Sleeping tents can be quickly chewed through and birds can get their necks stuck in the hole and hang themselves. A better plan for a sleeping & snuggle area is a more solid snuggle tube that birds cannot chew through.

Be sure that toys are not too small for your bird, or too large. Lovebirds are small birds, but they have a very strong beak. Budgie and cockatiel toys are too small, and lovebirds can easily break them, causing the toys to become a dangerous hazard to themselves. Also, toys that are too large can create a potential hazard. Larger toys often have loops or holes that lovebirds can fit a toe, leg, or head into.

Watch how your bird interacts with its toys to determine some of the possible hazards you could commonly face. But be aware of all of the hazards, just because your bird has never done something does not mean it never will.

Check toys for signs of wear and tear each time you open the cage. Remove toys that are starting to become dangerous, or fix them right then. Remember, it only takes a second for an ingenious little lovebird to get himself into trouble!

IMPORTANT SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The Internet is a great tool and resource to learn about your bird. A few websites that have good species-specific articles, general bird care articles, and links to bird related products are:

PeeWeesPlaypen.com

Birdsnway.com

upatsix.com

Another great way to learn about your bird is to join a species-specific email chat group. These are similar to the 'bulletin board' concept, except that it is an email format. Everyone receives an email 'post', and responses go to the entire list. Usually these lists have many experienced owners and breeders who are very willing to help newcomers learn about their birds, and more than happy to answer questions. Some sites that have several species-specific email groups
are:

Upatsix.com

Groups.yahoo.com

Join your local bird club! There you will meet people experienced with parrots in general, and probably find a few that own the type of bird you have, They can help you find answers to your questions, and if you are looking for a bird, can recommend local area breeders. Bird clubs are usually the ones that put on bird fairs.

also

Visit a bird fair! Bird fairs allow you to meet breeders from surrounding areas, as well as find a much better variety of toys and bird products, usually at better prices than local stores and vendors. Bird fairs are a great place to make contacts, and to be able to see a variety of birds in person. Most breeders are more than willing to try and help you find the bird of your dreams, or can recommend specific products or other advice to help if you are having some problems.

Ask your avian vet! An avian vet is a valuable source of knowledge and often has great contacts in the bird community. Your avian vet will be able to advise you on basic bird care, and may be able to direct you to local breeders.