Doing Research for Lovebird!!

[Jovon]

Hello!

I'm entirely new to birds as pets & now after being introduced to a beautiful Yellow Naped Amazon a couple months ago, I'm researching lovebirds! A yellow nape is too much of an experience level for what I have right now do that's on the backburner.

So far, after doing some research I see lovebirds don't need two to love & be happy & enjoy their life.
But is it cruel to have just one of an animal or am I attaching human emotion and behavior to something that isn't there?

I think I'd prefer one lovebird because I want it to love me & want me to play with it & pet it & all the wonderful things that draw me to these birds. However, I also work. I & my husband right now have no children but we do have 3 dogs. They are older GSDs and a mutt. I know the dogs will probably want to eat any bird but I'm trying to figure out how to hang the cage as opposed to it stationary on the ground where it can be toppled or (shudder) something worse. I'm pretty certain that the dogs will calm down quickly when they realize they can't reach the cage. I'm thinking as big a cage I can find in the living room (most occupied) & a smaller sort of transport cage to bring my winged friend into "their room" or any room they'll visit. I wanna make the downstairs spare bedroom their free fly room.

Now I do work and so does my hubs so during the day the living room doors will be closed so any barking by the dogs won't drive the bird insane.

When home, I'd like to set a minimum of one-two hours to play an& cuddle with my bird. Unless they aren't that type of personality of course. Any time the bird will be out, the door space will be covered to endure the bird doesn't get out. I have plenty of space so if this scenario doesn't work then we tweek it. If that means adding to the family then we shall try slowly with another lovebird.

Ideally (I'd like to touch & teach my lovebird to mimic sounds at least & play) I know each bird is different though. I want mine to be super happy is way I mean.

Is there a good chance of this happening with one bird? Is it cruel to deny my future bird friend a friend that will look like them and adore my bird every second of every day which I realistically cannot. If I get two birds to occupy each other when I can't will they still want to play with me? Eat food out of my hand want to be pet like those lovebirds on YouTube? In general because my future lovebird may hate me & think I'm the spawn of the devil which is ok...lol.

Another question...I'd rather buy than adopt a lovebird (when & if I get a yellow naped, that will be an adoption) because the drawback to adopting is it's harder to train, harder to gain trust & they may never fully warm up to you because of trauma from the past but for my first bird I'm hoping a hand reared bred one will be a little bit of a learning experience to prepare me for future bird friends. Plus (I could be wrong) but homeless birds dont seem like an epidemic like it is for cats and dogs. I also would only get a bird from a breeder who treats their birds as pets. Is this an accurate assumption? So I guess the question is what's better...adopt or buy?
Now...I love in the Catskills and have no clue where to find a lovebird...in thinking rescues but where...maybe Petco...though I shudder because I don't like buying anything from them usually...

 

[sunnysmom]

I am a big advocate of adopting. There are so many birds on there in need of a good home. I actually fostered a lovebird for a rescue for awhile. I think a lot depends on the individual bird. I previously had a rehomed cockatiel who had spent his entire life as the "only" bird and was very happy and content that way. My foster lovie on the other hand came from a household with other birds, and he clearly was not happy being the only bird in the house. Luckily, he was adopted by a lady with other birds. So I don't think you can simply say will this type of bird be okay on its own. Also, there is no guaranty any bird is going to cuddle, etc. I also don't think lovebirds are known to be particular good at mimicking. Our other lovebird owners, please correct me if I'm wrong. I think the best thing to do is to try to meet some birds and see which one you connect with. Petfinder has rescue birds listed on it and they often also have birds for sale on craigslist.

 

[Jovon]

Thank you sunnysmom! I appreciate the advice!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Lovebirds are good at mimicking noises when they want to - sometimes they'll talk. Turnip has one word - "baby" - that he will say when he's excited.

They like to have someone else to chatter/squeak with. Not necessarily in the same cage. If you keep just one bird, you'd have to make sure to devote lots of time to him (more than 1-2 hours even at a minimum) and give him plenty to do when you weren't there. I'd also not have him anywhere the dogs could ever gain access to him. Even a hanging cage (we've had members posting lately about their birds being attacked by dogs even when they were trying to be careful). Sounds too small anyway. Get him a flight cage - 32Lx21W.

There are definitely tons of homeless birdies and birdies needing good homes, and lovebirds are high on that list. I feel it's harder for birds to find another home, especially older ones.

While traumatized birds may be harder to work with, generally I think it's a myth that you won't have issues with a young one, that they'll train how you want, that they'll love you more/better, etc. I have very strong bonds with my adopted birds. Only 2 of mine were mine since they were babies, but this does not stop those who weren't from being great companions.

Beni, my adopted lovie that passed away almost a year ago, was with someone else from birth to 8 years old. When he came home with me, he bonded quickly and strongly to me and had no issues with me being his second home. He adored me and was the cutest little gentleman lovie.

Some will take longer to bond. Neutrino, my tiny sweetheart hen, was very traumatized when she came to me. I couldn't even look at her without having her fling herself away in terror. But she gradually lost her fear and is now so adorably affectionate.

It's a wonderful thing all around to give birds in need a new home. Well worth it. Adopt a lovie if possible.

 

[Jovon]

Thanks fluffypoptarts!

So I'm definitely going with adoption! I didn't know there were so many birds needing homes honestly.

Ok so if I was able get two lovebirds...would they still want to bother with me do you think?

 

[cosmolove]

I have had a few different lovebirds over the years now (4 total actually). First two were retired breeders that I bought, not tame but I gave them a soft spot to live out the last year of their lives. The next one that came to me was another older male breeder, he was a total sweet heart but older. He had been living alone for quite some time. He was fantastic alone, no real issues. Wanted a lot of human interaction. The next one I got was a baby I rescued from a pet store. He had gotten injured and they hadn't taken care of it. He was on the verge of dying when I got him and had to have his foot amputated.

I will say after I got the second a few months later (once the one healed up) I let the lovebirds start interacting with each other. They both seemed much happier and over time they moved into the same cage. They both were still super tame and loved people but they kept each other busy and happy. They're very hyper little things!

I will say tho, I had ZERO intentions of adding a second lovebird. I actually went into that pet store to look at saltwater fish and any store I go to I walk by the birds and talk to them....

People often are unloading lovebirds but they aren't always tame so that is something to keep in mind about adopting is sometimes you have to put a little more time and patience into them but it's totally worth adopting <3

 

[Jovon]

Thanks so much!

I'm thinking about possibly diy-ing my cage. Any tips? Someone told me about special paint so didn't chip when the bird knock it around. It sounds cool.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Thanks so much!

I'm thinking about possibly diy-ing my cage. Any tips? Someone told me about special paint so didn't chip when the bird knock it around. It sounds cool.

Hmm, I think the cages you can buy are safer. Not too expensive - usually around $160. (Although if you're trying to save money, a bird is not the pet to get!)

 

[TikiMyn]

There is a chance your lovie Will mimick sounds, and you van try to train it, but I have not met a lovie that does mimick a lot of sounds. One of my lovies does Some cockatiel sounds, the other one does the contact call of my passed cockatiel sometimes, I think they mimick two different sounds but rarely use them. One of them does Come up with his own sounds.

Mine don't like to be petted, one of them likes to have his head scritched sometimes in the evening/early morning when he is on my shoulder, sometimes he does not want to be scritched for a month or more, and then he wants me to scritch him every day. He does like to be on my shoulder and give me kisses a LOT, but sometimes he has a week where he likes to be on his own and is on me only half an hour.
I am still training them to let me touch them all over their bodies, mostly to harnass train them.

They do not like to be in my pocket, Henkie used to like that but not anymore, he does creep under the blanket of my bed sometimes but usually he gets hormonal when he creeps into small spaces.
Both my lovies are rescued, so was my first bird, a cockatiel. Henkie was a year old when he came home and Fëanor about 8 months I think, but both their exact ages are unknown. Henkie was 'abused(I dont know what to call it)'. He had a small cage, came from a pet store, was never let out, fed all seed, had 1 toy and was taught to bite really hard through the bars of his cage. His wings were Clipped on one Side. Fëanor was not that bad, he had had one owner, the 'breeder'(it was an accident), she wanted to keep him but later found two young lovebirds too much too handle. I know he could fly very well but his wings were Sadly Clipped the week before he came to me(2,5 months ago)He was scared of hands, did not really know how to play and was on an all seed diet as well. My cockatiel was very badly abused.

Now Henkie is my best buddy, he has been with me for 4 years and taught me so much about training(for example force free training and positive reinforcement, but als that the mistake is Always with the trainer, not the bird!) and all sorting of other stuff. He want me to Kiss his wings, feet, head and beak all the time, and we do all kind of fun things together. He is also a Major supporter when I am feeling depressieve or just sad, if I cry he tries to 'kiss' away my tears with his beak.
I still have 'issues' with him, mostly that he is not keen on fruit and veggies, but he does eat Some of them, en is eating more Healthy every day as he follows the example of my other lovie. He does not Always play on his own because he wants to be with me, but that is about it!

Tiki was my first bird, an old cockatiel. I thought I knew a lot but I did not, I did not even know about positive reinforcement training! Mostly because Dutch websites dont have Great information and I had not Discovered all the English websites yet! Tiki was terrified of humans, but even as unexperienced that I was, when he died three years later we had made amazing proces and he did new things every day. He never became cuddly but he would sit on my shoulder or hand and join in with what I was doing, I could Kiss his wings, he flew on commando and he had become good friends with Henkie.

Fëanor was so easy to train! Well, that is probably because Henkie and Tiki were such Great teachers! He was scared of hands and beaked hands and faces really hard because he did not really know that wad wrong, now he naps on my index finger and loves to play with my hair. He loves flowers and is a crazy fellow, he just jumps straight up when he is playing! We are working on breaching the touching barrier, so that I can give him scritches and kisses if he likes, but if he does not want that for a year to Come I would not really mind, he can go at his own pace.

So I would say adopt! It really is a journey! And you would give a sweet birdie a second chance!

Also I would say get two, two who already know each other if possible. I have found that my birds are much happier with a companion. Mine have their own(well we share it, it is also my bedroom) room, without a cage, but they are still eager to interact with me. They also communicate together and are never alone in the wild, so that is why I think getting to is better.

 

[LilSprout]

Kamara lived in a neglectful home for 15 years before I got her. She has anxiety issues and used to pluck (she doesn't anymore) but she's usually very gentle with me but also demands attention when she wants it and she won't take no for an answer and she'll scream until you're paying a satisfactory amount of attention to her. Otherwise she's quiet when she's occupied with climbing, flying or playing with toys.
I was scared about taking her in because I was afraid I wasn't qualified enough to truly help her but she's done wonderfully. All she needed is patience, love and lots of advice from the wonderful people on this forum.

 

[Familyof12]

We got Tito from breeders. We love him but he doesn't like hands. He is stick trained to go up and down, give kisses, sit on our shoulders, loves sparkly things, toys, purple anything, etc. He wasn't our first flocked companion and although none are the same, species, personality there are definitely huge factors to keep in mind. Ours can be cuddly but not all the time and not on "demand" for sure. If he is interested in comfort, he will nestle up against under our chin...only if Tito is interested. We are ready for anything they want and when they do, try to interact with them until they dismiss us (turning their back) or lose interest, we walk out of the room and do our "getting our freak on" dance "quietly."

 

[cosmolove]

Thanks so much!

I'm thinking about possibly diy-ing my cage. Any tips? Someone told me about special paint so didn't chip when the bird knock it around. It sounds cool.

DIY cage would actually be really hard and I'd be willing to bet you'd spend more than just buying a cage from the store. Most paints are NOT bird safe, I know there are only a couple and to be honest I don't know them off the top of my head. Most people just powder coat their cages or get stainless steel because the birds can chip it so easily. The other thing to consider is the material you are making the cage out of. Most materials easily available at hardware stores may have metals in them that are toxic to birds, this includes hinges, latches, etc you'll have to buy. I've unfortunately heard of quite a few people's birds getting ill and potentially not making it due to not using bird safe materials. You'll want to watch out using any kind of wood for the cage as most birds will chew on it and chip it away piece by piece. Then you also need to find a wire mesh that is strong enough to keep the bird contained but doesn't have a large enough spacing between wires that the bird could get out or get its head stuck.