breeder visit

[newbirdymoma]

This is the first time I'm buying a lovebird. The pair I have I adopted from my sister when she moved out of the country and they were already over a year old. The breeder said there were several to choose from between 8-10 weeks old. What should I ask, look for, etc. when I go? I want a white face violet, how will the color differ at 8-10 weeks old from an adult? How much smaller will it be than an adult? I'm asking so many questions becuase I want to be prepared when I go and not just make a quick decision becuase I'm sure they'll be so cute and I won't want to leave without one.
Thanks in advance for any advise.

[linda040899]

Ideally, you want a young lovebird that is about 12 weeks old, or fully weaned. When the parents feed, it takes about 8 weeks for babies to fledge. Hand fed ones take longer and a move from breeder to a new home can cause a baby to revert back to wanting to be hand fed. This is an extremely important point, as some breeders will try to sell their babies as soon as they are weaned. As a breeder/hand feeder, I will tell you that this is a very bad move and can cost a baby its life if it's not eating on its own and it goes unnoticed.

A 12 week old baby will still show baby coloring. The facial mask will appear to be a greyish color. That won't change until the first molt which happens at age 16 weeks. You can sometimes tell what the babies are going to look like by knowing what the parents are. If in doubt, show us a few photos and we may be able to help you.