Does anyone keep lovebirds?

[Connah'sMommy]

Connah keeps going on about getting a bird, he's obsessed!

We have a hamster already which we've had for about 6 months and he loves him...cleans him out and remembers to feed him etc so we trust him with pets...

He would like a parrot but at £1500 I think I'll pass!

I was thinking Lovebirds?

Does anyone have any tips for me?x

 

[cococobain]

I've raised lovebirds (as in before they were fully weaned) and I love them to bits. But! Butbutbut, they have such ear-piercingly loud calls.

Also, much like a big parrot, they do mate for life. So either you have them in a pair and they devote themselves to each-other (and maybe become territorial towards you/don't care to interact with you or your child) or you buy just one and make sure you have the time to devote to him. Lovebirds have roughly the same intelligence of a 2 year old and get bored very easily, which can result in aggressive behaviors, feather-plucking and screeching. If you can't spend all day with one then you need to make sure you provide lots of things to keep him busy.

(Here's a list of the different type of toys a lovie needs taken from the blog https://trueloveaviary.blogspot.pt/ - you should deff check them out as they are experts on the matter (and have the most adorable lovebird youtube vids)

1. Destructible toys that appeal to a parrot’s instinct to chew. These toys include: branches with bark, finger traps, bird candy, milled wood, chipped wood, straw, cholla, cork, leather, paper, jute, hemp, weaved palm leaves, etc.

2. Sound-related toys for the instinct to communicate. These toys include: bells, stainless-steel or nickel-plated liberty bells, metal pipe bells, plastic pipe bells, rattles, and clackers, bird music boxes, sound-repeating devices, and any toy with resonating properties from plastic, paper, or metal cups.

3. Interactive toys for the bird’s intelligence or emotional needs. These toys include: beads, puzzle toys, foraging toys, snuggling or comfort toys, hiding or peeking-out toys, surrogate enemy toys, foot toys, and mirrors.

4. Exercise toys for physical activity. These toys include: swings, appropriate perches, platforms, playgrounds or trees, and boings.

5. Foraging opportunities for parrots include, but are not limited to, the following: natural foods and treats such as nuts, Nutri-Berries or Avicakes; foraging toys made specifically for birds; shredded paper, paper towels, or toys in a food bowl; supervised foraging on a playgrounds, trees, toy boxes, or baskets; hiding treats wrapped in carrot leaves or dark leafy vegetables, placing food in pinecones or stuffed in children’s toys such as a small dartboard from the local dollar store; taking treats and arranging them in the cage in a sheskabob; shreddable cardboard boxes with hidden treats; wrapping treats in paper and hanging them inside the cage, perch, or playground; placing food bowls in different locations in the cage providing several feeding stations.

How old is Connah btw? He's so sweet to take such good care of his hamster. My first pet was a hamster too hehe

 

[amjon]

If you can find a hand fed parakeet that may be better as even if they do try to nip their beaks aren't strong enough to hurt. Lovebirds can be pretty tame, but are still fairly strong and could draw blood. Any bird you would want to be handfed. Also, make sure he knows not to actually try to pick it up as he could hurt it. You just let them climb on your finger (and if they won't then an adult needs to do it so they aren't accidentally crushed).

 

[Mummy2B21]

Oh I love Lovebirds Ive been begging the OH for ages!!

 

[cococobain]

If you can find a hand fed parakeet that may be better as even if they do try to nip their beaks aren't strong enough to hurt.

I agree, a parakeet is much more well suited to a young child and still just as fun to own. Even then it's important to look for a breeder so you can get a hand-raised one rather than at a pet store.