Thinking of getting a love bird- need advice :)

[Noots911]

Hi all!
I'm a long time lurker but first time poster here, i don't currently own a Lovebird (had two lovely budgies in the past) however i have been researching them over the past month or two and have some questions!

1. I will be away from home due to uni 3 days a week for around 5-6hrs a day, is this too much away time? i still plan on having 'It' (since i dont know if it will be M or F yet) out of the cage most of the time i am home.

2. i understand they need 10-12 hours of sleep a night, if i cover its cage and have low lighting will the bird be able to sleep or does it need total darkness and no noise?

3. The to clip or not to clip debate, can you start with clipping their wings to bond and then stop clipping afterwards?

4. In terms of sound i know they are quite high pitch (which in fine with) i was wondering how often they call?

5. Is it just hens that get nippier when hormones start up or do males too? (and when do these hormones start kicking in?)

Thank you in advance!

P.S. i love reading stories of all your cute lil lovies so any stories are welcome <3

 

[TikiMyn]

1. How long are you away? And Will you be attending a lot of parties? I am partially away 5 days a week, so I have two. They keep each company, communicate together and together we are a flock of three. After cockatiel passed, I had only one bird for a time. I know he suffered, in the wild birds are never alone and he was stressed out because I was the only flock member left and I was gone for big chunks of time.

2. Do you have a separate room available? Your bedroom Maybe? Or a big closet? It depends on the bird wether they Will be fine with it. My birds are not caged and sleep in a place that is a bit covered in the top of my bedroom. They are fine with me having a flashlight on. But still, I am transitioning them to sleeping in a big closet. I gave them Some cuddly toys there, on of their favorite swings with thick perches, and Some platforms. I hanged them from the top shelf.

3. NO! Clipping their wings to bond Will NOT help. It takes away their choice, their escape route. If Some giant snatched you up and tied your legs, you wouldn’t feel safer right? It’s the same for birds. Building a relationship with a new bird is about trust, don’t use force. If you build trust, they Will choose to be with you and there is no need for clipping. It is also bad for their health, self confidence, overall well being, and it is not safer. Your relationship Will be a lot stronger if it is based on trust.

4. All they long. It varies, every bird is different. My birds are always making noise, of course there is a lot of quiet too, but not an hour Goes by without them making noises if you know what I mean. Henkie also has a call that he rarely uses, but if he does he makes my ears ring. It could be the fact that he does it right next to my ear, but either way, it’s loud. They are ‘really’(it is all relative) loud in the early morning and midday before they start to forage. Have you listned to their noises? It doesn’t bother me, but Some people can’t Tolerate the high pitches.

5. Nope it’s the boys too. I have two boys, one of them is not easily set off to bite, except when he is courting Something. Then I better not come too close, because he Will come at me, beak open and ready to take a Chunk out of my hand! My other lovie is not like that, but he bites because of everything, it’s just the way he is to me. I could probably train him to bite less, but I don’t feel the need to. He butes when something doesn’t work and he is frustrated, he bites when he sees something he wants and so on. It is not as ‘bad’ As in the beginning, but he gives me a bite a day. He only drew blood once, and he usually bites soft. It still pinches but I have had worse and don’t mind too much.

Have you looked into adopting? If an older bird chooses you, you know what to expect sound wise, you know their character already(at least partially) And so on. Besides, you can give a wonderful bird a chance at a good life!

Welcome to the avenue, and good luck on your journey! Ask as Many questions as you want!

Edit: I have an example of how they can redirect their attention:
Fëanor(Blue) wants the toy Henkie(geeen) has, he doesn’t get it so:

He bites my phone. That is the way he thinks, and if he is on your hand at such a moment, he won’t hesitate to bite your hand. Not all birds are like that, but yours could be. You might also get an ‘evil’ female. They can be more then a handfull!

 

[LunaLovebird]

Hi all!
I'm a long time lurker but first time poster here, i don't currently own a Lovebird (had two lovely budgies in the past) however i have been researching them over the past month or two and have some questions!

1. I will be away from home due to uni 3 days a week for around 5-6hrs a day, is this too much away time? i still plan on having 'It' (since i dont know if it will be M or F yet) out of the cage most of the time i am home.

2. i understand they need 10-12 hours of sleep a night, if i cover its cage and have low lighting will the bird be able to sleep or does it need total darkness and no noise?

3. The to clip or not to clip debate, can you start with clipping their wings to bond and then stop clipping afterwards?

4. In terms of sound i know they are quite high pitch (which in fine with) i was wondering how often they call?

5. Is it just hens that get nippier when hormones start up or do males too? (and when do these hormones start kicking in?)

Thank you in advance!

P.S. i love reading stories of all your cute lil lovies so any stories are welcome <3

1. That seems fine to me. Just make sure you get a big cage with lots of toys, so your future bird(s) will have lots of space to flap around when you aren't home.

2. It is much better to have somewhere with total darkness. One of my birds will happily go right sleep with not much light and a TV going (not too loud), but my other one has more trouble and is easily disturbed. They both get wheeled into a room that doesn't get used at night, so that way they get 12 hours of sleep without anyone bothering them. I suppose if you have a room with dim / not much light it will probably be enough to cover the cage, provided you aren't making lots of noise.

3. Do not clip.

4. Depends on the bird. I find mine squawk a bit in the morning and evening, but not a lot during the day. One of them, Anakin, is much louder than the other, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

5. Males can too, but hens can be substantially more brutal when they get hormonal / nesty. I have had my boy for 2 years, and he has never bitten anyone. On the flip side, I am pretty sure I have scars from my hen. That's not to discourage you from getting a hen if you have the option, and if you connect with one. They can be absolutely wonderful companions, they just have a few months in the year where you have to be more careful.

 

[Garet]

1- That can definitely work. I'm away from home every now and then for a little longer than that. I make sure my birds have toys and play areas and all that stuff. If you have other people at your house to let them out while you're gone (like I do) it can definitely be a big help.

2- I usually get a bit of light seeping in from the street lights, but it doesn't seem to bother my birds in the least bit, as long as they're covered.

3- No clip. My tiel came to me and she'd been clipped as a baby, and she was miserable. Our relationship only really took off after she learned how to fly properly. Clipping them won't entirely destroy their ability to fly, it won't stop them from biting. What it will do is make it hard for them to land and avoid flying into things. Ciri had trouble avoiding everything. The ceiling, the floor, the bookshelves, the wall, garbage cans, toilets, crotches... the list goes on. Mimikyu still sometimes has issues landing. Both of my lovebirds, who were never clipped, have absolutely no issues with bonding with me.

4- That really depends on the bird and what they're doing. Right now, both of my lovebirds are quiet, as one's eating and one's napping on my leg, but they can be such noisy little bubs when they want.

5- That depends entirely on the bird and which part of the planet you live on. Personally, I've noticed Guzma get nippier when he wants to get jiggy with his big yellow gf, but he's never really bitten as hard as Yen. She's drawn blood, he hasn't. Now that she's settled in, though, she doesn't bite nearly as hard and mostly just gives warning shots, just like him.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

1) You’ll be fine, especially if you only have a couple of birds. (Make sure you have a flight cage, lots of cool toys, and leave the tv or radio on.)

2) My birds have nightlights but no actual lights at night. I try to give them total quiet and near-darkness for sleeping.

3) Clipping will not help you build a secure bond and it’s not good for them. Nothing better than winning their trust and having them fly freely to you.

4) They can get chatty and make louder calls when they want, but I wouldn’t consider them terribly loud. I’ve lived in apartments for years and no one has ever complained to me or about my birds.

5) Girls almost always act more hormonal and more aggressive than boys. I have one little angel hen (freak of nature, lol) and one diabolical mako hen (on my head in my user pic). Most of my boys are very mellow and even-tempered, but a couple of them get cranky sometimes.

Good luck on your journey to becoming a lovie servant!

 

[LilSprout]

I wheel my bird's cages into another room for bedtime and it's totally dark in there all night. They go to sleep at 8 pm.

Maybe if you found a local rescue you could go in and meet a lovebird, that way you'd get some one on one time with them and you'd get to know their personality better before you adopted. Charlie bonded to me almost immediately it seemed (Charlie just likes people in general) and Sawyer took a bit more time and neither of them are clipped. They both came to me on their own terms and now it's hard to leave the room without them clinging to me lol!

 

[Noots911]

Thankyou for the responses everyone!!

1. How long are you away? And Will you be attending a lot of parties? I am partially away 5 days a week, so I have two. They keep each company, communicate together and together we are a flock of three. After cockatiel passed, I had only one bird for a time. I know he suffered, in the wild birds are never alone and he was stressed out because I was the only flock member left and I was gone for big chunks of time.

2. Do you have a separate room available? Your bedroom Maybe? Or a big closet? It depends on the bird wether they Will be fine with it. My birds are not caged and sleep in a place that is a bit covered in the top of my bedroom. They are fine with me having a flashlight on. But still, I am transitioning them to sleeping in a big closet. I gave them Some cuddly toys there, on of their favorite swings with thick perches, and Some platforms. I hanged them from the top shelf.

3. NO! Clipping their wings to bond Will NOT help. It takes away their choice, their escape route. If Some giant snatched you up and tied your legs, you wouldn’t feel safer right? It’s the same for birds. Building a relationship with a new bird is about trust, don’t use force. If you build trust, they Will choose to be with you and there is no need for clipping. It is also bad for their health, self confidence, overall well being, and it is not safer. Your relationship Will be a lot stronger if it is based on trust.

4. All they long. It varies, every bird is different. My birds are always making noise, of course there is a lot of quiet too, but not an hour Goes by without them making noises if you know what I mean. Henkie also has a call that he rarely uses, but if he does he makes my ears ring. It could be the fact that he does it right next to my ear, but either way, it’s loud. They are ‘really’(it is all relative) loud in the early morning and midday before they start to forage. Have you listned to their noises? It doesn’t bother me, but Some people can’t Tolerate the high pitches.

5. Nope it’s the boys too. I have two boys, one of them is not easily set off to bite, except when he is courting Something. Then I better not come too close, because he Will come at me, beak open and ready to take a Chunk out of my hand! My other lovie is not like that, but he bites because of everything, it’s just the way he is to me. I could probably train him to bite less, but I don’t feel the need to. He butes when something doesn’t work and he is frustrated, he bites when he sees something he wants and so on. It is not as ‘bad’ As in the beginning, but he gives me a bite a day. He only drew blood once, and he usually bites soft. It still pinches but I have had worse and don’t mind too much.

Have you looked into adopting? If an older bird chooses you, you know what to expect sound wise, you know their character already(at least partially) And so on. Besides, you can give a wonderful bird a chance at a good life!

Welcome to the avenue, and good luck on your journey! Ask as Many questions as you want!

Edit: I have an example of how they can redirect their attention:
View attachment 269115 Fëanor(Blue) wants the toy Henkie(geeen) has, he doesn’t get it so:
View attachment 269116
He bites my phone. That is the way he thinks, and if he is on your hand at such a moment, he won’t hesitate to bite your hand. Not all birds are like that, but yours could be. You might also get an ‘evil’ female. They can be more then a handfull!

ill be away 5-8hours a day 3 days a week (mainly away for 5-6hrs on those days) i would like to get two birds but i know i wouldn't have the room for a big enough cage. but i am more than willing to take time out of my day to spend with the bird!
I might put it in a separate room as you suggested and i guess ill have to see how the noise and hormones go when i finally get my lil buddy! also Fëanor and Henkie are super cute!! ill have to see if there are any places that do have birds up for adoption (Im in australia but there may be)

 

[Noots911]

1. That seems fine to me. Just make sure you get a big cage with lots of toys, so your future bird(s) will have lots of space to flap around when you aren't home.

2. It is much better to have somewhere with total darkness. One of my birds will happily go right sleep with not much light and a TV going (not too loud), but my other one has more trouble and is easily disturbed. They both get wheeled into a room that doesn't get used at night, so that way they get 12 hours of sleep without anyone bothering them. I suppose if you have a room with dim / not much light it will probably be enough to cover the cage, provided you aren't making lots of noise.

3. Do not clip.

4. Depends on the bird. I find mine squawk a bit in the morning and evening, but not a lot during the day. One of them, Anakin, is much louder than the other, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

5. Males can too, but hens can be substantially more brutal when they get hormonal / nesty. I have had my boy for 2 years, and he has never bitten anyone. On the flip side, I am pretty sure I have scars from my hen. That's not to discourage you from getting a hen if you have the option, and if you connect with one. They can be absolutely wonderful companions, they just have a few months in the year where you have to be more careful.

Thanjyou so much for your response!
Ill definently get a few, im keen to make some cool foraging toys aswell!
i might try a separate room for night time just incase!
After reading other replies i definently will not clip their wings i didnt think about how depressing it would be for the bird! i dont mind the overall noise and i suppose ill just have to get used to it if it does begin to bother me hahah.
Im not too fussed on the gender, i think the only thing im worried about if i get a hen is the egg laying!

 

[LunaLovebird]

Egg laying can be stressful, but it’s manageable. Have you considered adoption?

 

[Noots911]

Egg laying can be stressful, but it’s manageable. Have you considered adoption?

I have! However where i am (Perth WA) i've found it hard to find lovebirds who are up for adoption

 

[TikiMyn]

Maybe there is a sort of craigslist where you are? I found two of my three birds that way. One came from a family who did a reasonable job caring for him, the other from a bad place. You could look for someone who genuily CAres about their bird, and have several meetings with them. It sounds like you are doing a very good job researching, ver good of you! Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[coffeen]

I think your time away is fine! I have classes everyday and work during the weekends and it's really hard to take care of my birds but they're still able to be tame-able and be free all the time esp when I'm on break!!
My lovebird is very clingy, whenever I leave the room or lie on my bed he would consistently try to fly on my head or hand and would start to nibble on my finger. Maybe it's me but I'm sure all lovebirds at first, will be very nippy :') I bled a couple of times when I first got him.. and now he won't stop nibbling my finger and would want me to give me scratches all day long.

Mine is very chatty and active. He would jump around the cage and pull the cage door up and down if he wants out. I would always take him out but not when I'm using my laptop or when I'm painting. He actually pulled my keyboard buttons out and I can't fix them back in LOL.

He's noisy to me, he chirps a lot but not at night because he sleeps of course. It's not that loud imo and I have no complaints at all especially when I live at apartment flats. It's bearable at least..unless it's in the morning (':

I wouldn't clip his wings unless the previous breeder or shop owner has kept him in the cage for quite some time.. or all the time ): ...then it's better to clip their wings so they can depend on you and create a bond faster. Afterwards, you don't have to clip him anymore unless you want to. I don't clip my lovebird's wings because the previous owner used to let him free fly, and if i do that, he'll get frustrated and would still try to fly and this would cause him some serious injury.

I never had a female before, but I think they're much more territorial and nippy than the males hahaha. But like the other fella said, egg laying would be a hassle. ><

Good luck and hopefully you'll find the right lovely!!

 

[TikiMyn]

I wouldn’t clip his wings if he had been kept in cage either. Making them depend on you won’t create a bond, it won’t build trust.
Fëanor was clipped when he came to me from his previous caretaker. He could fly first but he was to much trouble so they chopped his wings. He didn’t have any confidence around people and new objects. He would bite me very hard before stepping up in order to make sure my finger was a stable place to sit. Usually he would put one foot on my hand, bite then step up. I could easily force him to do something, so I had to be very careful to not let that happen.
My cockatiel was abused before he came to me. I never clipped his wings and we still bonded.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

What Tiki said! Taking flight away isn’t going to encourage love and trust. Let them fly and have the ability to exercise. Let them decide if they want to come to you or not. They will be stronger, healthier, and happier.

 

[LunaLovebird]

Gumtree sometimes has things if you were to look there.

 

[Noots911]

Juat wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice and help! You guys are a great community ill definently report back in a few months (hopefully with my own love bird buddy!)