Condsidering a bird and Looking for advice.

[sflint23]

Hello I was hoping I could get some advice or comments.

I was considering seriously about getting a peachfaced or peachface-mutation like the dutch blue lovebird in the near future, but I’m a little intimidated and hesitant…

I am not new around birds. My mother had a cockatiel that lived to age 16 and died when I was about 10 or 11, he was bonded to her and wouldn’t let me or (anyone else) for that matter around him to touch or handle him, he wasn’t my bird so I would just feed him and change his cage periodically.

After him we got two older untamed parakeets from Woolworths, but being undomesticated and bonded to each other they were scared of people and were skittish, vicious or aggressive if we came near. After about 4 months of trying to bond with them we gave up and pretty much just left them to their own devices in the living room, feeding, cleaning, buying toys and talking to them behind their cage bars for the next 10 years.

Now it’s been about 5 years since I’ve had a bird in the house. I am thinking about getting a single baby lovebird, but have no experience with playing, handling, or caring for a bird in an affectionate way. I am looking for a fun little bird with a lot of personality who wouldn’t mind at least being handled or picked up. However, my biggest fear is loosing interest in another unaffectionate bird and being completely bored with it for the next decade like I was with the parakeets.

That being said, would you say given my history do you think it would be a good idea for me to get a lovebird? I am completely scared about getting jaded and making a bird unhappy by being bored with it. Any advice or comment would be welcome.

thanx

[Janie]

Hi and welcome! This is a great forum and a good source for lovebird information. Since you are new here, I'd suggest that you read the section in the forum, "Your Attention Please." It gives an overall view of lots of pet bird, especially lovebird, information.

Here is my history with pet birds. Never had one until I adopted an older lovie, around 6 to 8 ?, two years ago. While he did not bite and would step up, he really wasn't terribly friendly. Two years later, he's a velcro birdy.....always on me when I'm home. I do keep his wings clipped for his safety. He is very friendly with my husband and son but always prefers me when I'm in the room. :D I decided that I really wanted another lovie but I did not want my single bird to feel that he was no longer my No. 1 bird so.....I got TWO! :D They are DNA'd males, brothers who were hatched at the end of May. I wanted males only because I don't want to breed or to deal with eggs so I found a great breeder and waited till she had just what I wanted. Both of these new boys are very friendly but definitely prefer each other and that is the way I want it to be. They are caged together and my older lovie has his own cage and his own flock mate, ME! :) Not always but usually, males are less bitty than females so that is something to consider. IMHO, if you spend lots of time with a bird and give it attention and patience, you can have a very loving and friendly little pet in most cases. If you are short on time and gone most of the day, you might consider getting two clutch mates who you can interact with but who will also have each other. A great book that I'd suggest is The Lovebird Handbook by Vera Appleyard. Gives you the pro's and con's about lovebird ownership.

Personally, I think birds make the best pets in the world. I've had dogs and/or cats all my life and never imagined how attached I could become to a bird(s). They are messy and the do require vet visits just like our other pets but it's all worth it to me. When I adopted Oliver, it was spur of the moment and with very little knowledge of what I was getting myself into. I am SO glad I did it but you are going about this in the right way, doing the research first. Good luck in what ever you decide to do! :)

[LauraO]

To add to what Janie said.....If you do decide to get a lovebird it would be best to do some research and not make a hasty decision given your history with birds. So I would definately not buy an untame bird from a pet store at the spur of the moment. I would look for a reputable breeder who socializes and cares for their birds, and that may even allow you several visits with the bird before it is weaned so that you already have a relationship with it before it comes home with you. If the lovebird is really scared and can't be touched when you first meet them, you are looking at some work. I'm not saying that a lovie can't be tamed, but it looks like you want a little fluff ball from the get go.

Lovebirds can make great pets but even the most friendly bird can go through some pretty irritable and bitey stages. Lovebirds are also very high maintanence and need to be handled, and played with out of the cage hours everyday. Even the most tame lovies will quickly revert to being scared and wild if not handled regularly so you would definately want to be in it for the long haul.

I fell in love with lovebirds six years ago the day we brought our masked lovie Zimber home. He was a wild crazy banshee and it has taken us all of those six years to build a trusting relationship with him, but that relationship does NOT include hands. Despite this, I've found years of enjoyment watching him and having him part of our lives. Of course, now I have 19 lovies of various colors, ages, mutations, and tamnest and I LOVE them all.

[p3rr4n]

LauraO took the words right from my mouth. That is pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

Finding a reputable breeder who LOVES LOVIES and not just money and who will allow you to visit ALOT before its weaned will make the things go so much better.

If you find a baby from a breeder who socializes them well, you could end up with a lovie like my Trixie Bunny.

She is as social as I have ever read about in part because the breeder did such an outstanding job socializing their lovies, and most importantly because I took the time (hours and hours a day) to let it get to know mw, bond with me, trust me and of course love each other.

As good as Trixie is, she does get a little irritable when molting, and that’s understandable.


Some of our members who are breeders may be able to clarify or even correct what I am about to say and that would be if you have 3 or 4 hours a day or more, then I say go for it.

Trixie has given me a gift that goes ways beyond my time and cash investment and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. There are days when I get up that I don’t really look forward to the cleaning, feeding and the work associated with having a happy and social lovie, but I always enjoy and appreciate the privilege of being with her, letting her sit with me as I work and loving each other.

I do all the work and my wife does spend time with her too so Trixie gets a lot of socialization.

We had to change our lifestyle as well. No more smell good plugins, no perfume, a change in hair products and so forth.

Like I said earlier though, the effort we have to put in is more than worth it.

I hope this helps
:)

[bellarains]

Hi,

First, welcome to the board. I'm glad you found us, and hope we can all lend a little insight into the lovebird world, and their mentality.

From your past experience and your hesistancy in getting another bird, I would reccomend you find a breeder who raises lovebirds for the pure love of it. You want one that socialized with her babies, meaning that she handles her babies from the age of about two weeks until they are weaned to acclimate them with people, and hands. It would be wonderful if you could find one that will let you come by and socialize with your chosen lovie also. There are many breeders who do this, and personally I think I would prefer to know that the person my baby was going to would take the time and make the effort to bond with them, so hopefully that won't be a problem for you to find.

Lovebirds are wonderful, playful, animated little creatures, and we are all just crazy about ours here. As said, to maintain tameness in a wild creature everyday interaction is key, but you will find that you are so crazy about them that won't be a problem :)

Please let us know what you decide. We will all be here for you to help you through it all if you do bring home a lovie. Our sole purpose here it to try and make sure all lovie owners are well informed so that they can care for their lovies to the best of their ability, and also to help understand their lovie(s). They do communicate without a word as you will find if you do get one.

One thing you should know, and be prepared for is that birds do bite. I'm not saying that they all actually bite to draw blood, but they do what I call nip. It can be a bit painful, but only like a little pinch, and this is a way of communication. The important thing is to learn not to fear the bite, learn to detect when a bite is coming, and to pay attention to what they are trying to tell you if they do. A bite can mean many things, ie. tired, hungry, thirsty, they don't like the room you are in, something spooked them, and as mentioned above molting can be a very painful, irritable time for them,as pin feathers prick them.

Anyway, sorry so long. I know you want to be as informed as possible, and I hope that we have helped a bit. Lovies are the sweetest little things in the world, and it is entirely possible to have a wonderful relationship with them. The keys to that is to give them the time, love and patience to earn their trust, once earned, you will have a mate for life :D

[Rubygem]

Welcome to the board, and thank you for trying to research before buying :D
I'm a breeder in GA, and first thing I will tell you is it is a 15 year commitment with a toddler in their terrible twos…:lol Lovebirds love to explore and have a burst of energy. I find them to be wonderful and very enjoyable.

It looks as if you are looking for that wonderful companion, so my suggestion is to find a breeder that socializes the babies, and not just hand feeds. I have meet many breeders that advertise hand feeding baby birds, and find out that is what they do…hand feed them to make more money, but they don’t spend any time with the birds. :( Since you have already had some birds in your life, and you saw the relationship your mom had with her tiel, it sounds like this is what you’re looking for in a pet. When you start looking for your companion, don’t buy the first bird that you see because you like the color, or because it’s the only one left, or any number of reasons…..look for something with very bright eyes, good bright feathers, and a personality that goes with yours. What I do, is invite the new lovebird owners over, and open the cages to the babies that are still available, and pretty much let the birds pick the person as well as allowing the person pick the bird. It always seems like the birds know, and they fly to the new owners, which normally tickles the potential buyer. But then not all breeders are like me…LOL thank goodness, because I don’t think the world could handle two of me. What I’m trying to say is this….since it is a 15 year commitment, don’t be in a hurry, find the lovie that you click with, because birds have different personalities as well. You need to enjoy the experience and enjoy the bonding that goes on between an owner and a fid. When you decide that you are going to get a bird, be prepared to bring it home…have the cage, the toys, the food, and everything you need ready before you go pick up the baby.

When you find that baby that you have that special feeling about, you will not get bored with it….trust me, I watch my two teenagers with their special birds, and they always have time for their special buddy, and also finding time to spend with our other birds. Having a bird in your life is a very special thing, and not everyone can do this……

I wish you the best of luck in finding your special companion….and ask any questions that may come up, because you have a source right here….like no other, because there are years and years of experience on this board, and there is always something new to learn. Again welcome to the group, and I look forward to learning about what you find out, and if you find your new lovie. :D

Rubygem

[Paulette]

Hi and Welcome....this is a wonderful forum full of informative caring people....everyone's replies were so good....the only thing I can add is.....I love the chatter of parakeets even if they did nothing else......tiels are probably the sweetest bird personality wise I have ever met......and lovebirds are hilariously funny and will have you laughing all the time.....and zebra finches make the cutest little honking noise I have ever heard and they take a bath every day and shake like a dog. I have had untamed birds (budgies & quaker parrot) and now this summer I have owned tamed birds (lovebirds & tiels). It is a night and day difference as you already know from your youth and own experiences. Each species has its pros and cons I'm sure. If young enough, you can teach many birds to talk, especially male tiels and budgies. My tame pair of lovebirds that make unique kissing/smacking/farting noises and whistle for me when they want a ride on my shoulder, they even have a couple of noises they make when they object to something; too cute. I get great satisfaction out of this even though they came to me already trained, they didn't make regular shrills and peeps until I purchased an untrained pair, so now they visit with the other pair in normal lovebird language (which is quite loud at times), but they still talk to me with their fun noises. Good Luck making your decision.

[Janie]

Yep, that woman ^ there, Rubygem IS my breeder and I forgot to say that I would strongly suggest you buy from a breeder! :D I really, really do recommend that! :)

[sflint23]

Thank you, I really enjoyed everyone’s stories and advice. I will grab Appleyards book soon, until then I’ll keep posting. Thanks everyone.

[Z28Taxman]

Well you came to the right place to find info on Lovies.

When I met my Ditto bird I had no clue about birds as pets. He taught me how to take care of him and he's my little velcro birdy. But he was a velcro birdy when I got him so it was easy.

He certainly loves to be handled and play with people though. He even likes new people without much fuss. :cool: