Veggieburger
Jogging around the block
Can you guys please tell me your experiences on these darlings? I'm thinking of adding one to my family and wondering about temperaments , cuddling, etc... Thanks in advance
-
Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here
Love bird owners....
- Thread starter Veggieburger
- Start date
Hi I am a new Lovie owner (He just turned 29 months old). I got Luna from a breeder who hand fed him. He has been a joy! When I first brought him home at 10 weeks old he was all cuddles and hid under my hair then at about 4-5 months he went through a beaky stage where he was always nibbling my neck! Then by 6 months he stopped and now he has just full blown energy and he is fully flighted and he love his cuddle time and loves his play time. He will fly around playing catch me, and carry/hop around with his small cat toy bell ball. But he is still young so still always likes to be active till its nap time on my shoulder.
My parents had a Peach Face Lovebird and he was a huge snuggle bug, they got him at about 9 months old from a friend who bread Lovies so they never dealt with this young stage. But their Love Bird Eric loves to hang on their shoulder as they cooked and went about the house and love to curl up under their chins and rub his head on their cheeks. His fav game was playing peek-a-boo in a little cardboard house my dad made for him and put in his cage. I was two when he passed though and he was scared of me but I was a ADD hyper small 2 year old I would of been scared of me also!
O vote get one! They are just soooo cute and fun and smart! I love my little Luna
My parents had a Peach Face Lovebird and he was a huge snuggle bug, they got him at about 9 months old from a friend who bread Lovies so they never dealt with this young stage. But their Love Bird Eric loves to hang on their shoulder as they cooked and went about the house and love to curl up under their chins and rub his head on their cheeks. His fav game was playing peek-a-boo in a little cardboard house my dad made for him and put in his cage. I was two when he passed though and he was scared of me but I was a ADD hyper small 2 year old I would of been scared of me also!
O vote get one! They are just soooo cute and fun and smart! I love my little Luna
We have two male Lovebirds, eight year old Poca and 4 year old Coco. We adopted Poca at the age of 3.5 years old from a lady who was looking to rehome him. Poca was a proven male, and although he was not tame when we got him, I was able to win him over during a three day long weekend of one-to-one time with me. Poca came with his 14X16 size cage that had a sleep tent hanging in the far left hand corner of his cage, with two small dishes for food and water, two perches and a few hanging toys. I kept this cage for him as this is what he was used to and seemed happy in.
We purchased Coco four months later at the age of 12 weeks from a pet shop, and although pet shops are NOT my first (or second) choice to purchase pets, it was Coco who chose me as he abandoned the toy he was perched on in his small cage and ran to me, clinging to the side of his cage. When the shop-keeper placed him in my hands, I knew I could not leave him behind. I should have known that Coco was also a male, seeing as Poca took an instant dislike to him, and Coco grew up disliking Poca as well.
I believe that Poca being a male was a contributing factor to my being able to tame him that easily. I have known people with both male and female Lovebirds who all vouch for the males being the ones to bond more easily to humans, and also tend to be more playful and acrobatic, climbing into sleeves and shirt collars in a playful manner. I have also heard similar behaviours with the females, if they are not hormonal and needing to protect their nest.
I always knew that I wanted two of the same species, in separate cages side by side. I believe that having two Lovebirds side by side both provides them with company for each other while at the same time, fosters the avian/human bond. I purchased Coco the same size cage as Poca, and he took to it instantly. I believe that if Lovebirds are given three to four hours per day of free flight time along with human bonding, that this size cage, 16X14 is sufficient if this is what they're used to. I would definitely not go any smaller, and I would make sure that toys are rotated every week to provide variety. Lovebirds seem to love their sleep tents.
Our Avian vet in Bowmanville, Ontario, recommended that their diets be comprised of 80% avian pellets and 20% cockatiel seed with fruits and vegetables being offered daily, which my Lovies refuse to consider. So I place the pellets in their food dish first thing in the morning and then add 20% of what they've eaten in pellets, with seed in the evening, which amounts to very little seed, if they have not eaten much pellets. Although I understand that the recommended pellet/seed ratio is now 50/50 for smaller parrots.
If I were to get another Lovebird, I would definitely get it as soon as it was weaned, usually no earlier than 8 weeks. I would personally still choose a male and would want to know the gender before choosing my baby. Females also have the added concern of possibly being excessive egg-layers, which may result in egg-binding which is very heartbreaking if this occurs. Females are known to be prone to more mood swings in adult years, after they reach sexual maturity, being cage-aggressive during hormonal season, while males tend to be more "affectionate" as they regurgitate on their "human mate". Although this behaviour is not to be encouraged in males, at least they are not physically aggressive, in my experience.
If you get a male Lovebird between 8 to 10 weeks old, I believe that you increase your chances of having a tame well-rounded pet, provided that you socialize and interact with him daily. Nipping/biting can be redirected early on so as to discourage this behaviour as the bird gets older. They learn quickly and the stronger bond you form with them, the stronger the attachment and the less nipping occurs
We purchased Coco four months later at the age of 12 weeks from a pet shop, and although pet shops are NOT my first (or second) choice to purchase pets, it was Coco who chose me as he abandoned the toy he was perched on in his small cage and ran to me, clinging to the side of his cage. When the shop-keeper placed him in my hands, I knew I could not leave him behind. I should have known that Coco was also a male, seeing as Poca took an instant dislike to him, and Coco grew up disliking Poca as well.
I believe that Poca being a male was a contributing factor to my being able to tame him that easily. I have known people with both male and female Lovebirds who all vouch for the males being the ones to bond more easily to humans, and also tend to be more playful and acrobatic, climbing into sleeves and shirt collars in a playful manner. I have also heard similar behaviours with the females, if they are not hormonal and needing to protect their nest.
I always knew that I wanted two of the same species, in separate cages side by side. I believe that having two Lovebirds side by side both provides them with company for each other while at the same time, fosters the avian/human bond. I purchased Coco the same size cage as Poca, and he took to it instantly. I believe that if Lovebirds are given three to four hours per day of free flight time along with human bonding, that this size cage, 16X14 is sufficient if this is what they're used to. I would definitely not go any smaller, and I would make sure that toys are rotated every week to provide variety. Lovebirds seem to love their sleep tents.
Our Avian vet in Bowmanville, Ontario, recommended that their diets be comprised of 80% avian pellets and 20% cockatiel seed with fruits and vegetables being offered daily, which my Lovies refuse to consider. So I place the pellets in their food dish first thing in the morning and then add 20% of what they've eaten in pellets, with seed in the evening, which amounts to very little seed, if they have not eaten much pellets. Although I understand that the recommended pellet/seed ratio is now 50/50 for smaller parrots.
If I were to get another Lovebird, I would definitely get it as soon as it was weaned, usually no earlier than 8 weeks. I would personally still choose a male and would want to know the gender before choosing my baby. Females also have the added concern of possibly being excessive egg-layers, which may result in egg-binding which is very heartbreaking if this occurs. Females are known to be prone to more mood swings in adult years, after they reach sexual maturity, being cage-aggressive during hormonal season, while males tend to be more "affectionate" as they regurgitate on their "human mate". Although this behaviour is not to be encouraged in males, at least they are not physically aggressive, in my experience.
If you get a male Lovebird between 8 to 10 weeks old, I believe that you increase your chances of having a tame well-rounded pet, provided that you socialize and interact with him daily. Nipping/biting can be redirected early on so as to discourage this behaviour as the bird gets older. They learn quickly and the stronger bond you form with them, the stronger the attachment and the less nipping occurs
Harley PFLB was a hand fed baby, but got wild again because he was not handled much after weaning. He still loves to spend time on my, take treats from my hand and play in my hair. He is not cuddly, but wants one on one interaction daily. Blu is also a PFLB and was hand fed as a baby. She was very hand tame and rode around the house on her daddy for three years. Unfortunately, her dad was a very busy physician and no longer had time to give her much one on one attention. Blu is settling in here, but is nippy. She wants one on one attention, but is kind of off again/on again with her behavior. It did not help she immediately went into breeding mode as soon as she met Harley and laid a total of nine eggs over three months. It seems she is now coming out of breeding mode and has started coming to me again for attention. We will see how she does with being hand tame again.
Lovebirds are wonderful pets, but must be handled daily to keep them tame. The cocks are the easy going ones, and the hens are bossy and assertive, if not aggressive. I love their little colorful bodies and their go get it attitudes.
Lovebirds are wonderful pets, but must be handled daily to keep them tame. The cocks are the easy going ones, and the hens are bossy and assertive, if not aggressive. I love their little colorful bodies and their go get it attitudes.
- Joined
- 5/25/12
- Messages
- 3,674
- Real Name
- JP
Spot on Lois. We have 10 lovebirds (plus various babies). Totally endorse that view. We found SOME OF the cocks to be great value for money. Very curious, active, intelligent and playful.Laurul Feather Cat;1612682[FONT=Times New Roman said:
Last Sat the SO brought home another one from the pet shop ( I know, I know). He went there for birdseed and came back with an impulse purchase. Again the birdie chose HIM. Clinging onto the bars, chirping at him.
So guess what? We called him Impulse. Hes a laugh a minute and a joy to watch. He thinks he is a caique. Non stop energy. Whats this, whats that, whats going on over there? Pix to follow.
JP[/FONT]
Veggieburger
Jogging around the block
Thanks soooo much for all of your I put... I'm really leaning towards getting one, but I want a tame one so that'll take some time to find in my area..... Maybe in the spring..... 
Will keep you posted.. More comments and experiences welcome
Will keep you posted.. More comments and experiences welcome
My Melon is the sweetest thing ever. We got him from Craig's List and he had been paired with a mate, and had fathered a clutch, but was still quite tame and gentle. His mate died and the previous owners didnt want to get another lovie for him, so decided to rehome him as a pet. He was 4 years old already when we got him, and he has been an absolute dream. He is gentle, sweet and very affectionate. He has bonded totally with my son, but will still let anyone handle him. He loves to cuddle and snuggle, he is very playful, and he rarely if ever bites. Maybe a nip here or there if you try to take something away that he is playing with. LOL But, he is super sweet. We just adore him!
Cyreen
Rollerblading along the road
That is an awesome picture!
- Joined
- 11/18/13
- Messages
- 257
Having a lovie is test of patience, the on again off again thing is there for the past 3 months we got Pogo, the earlier PFLB i had was a female and absolute human hating one....She just couldn't bear me for 2 yrs that i tried taming her, then i decided, maybe she'll e happy with a large flock and gave her to a breeder, who didn't want her to love human beings, i guess shes now happy to lay eggs and be with her flock.
Pogo is a male PFLB, hes ok with human interaction, sometime gets nippy....maybe because of the ongoing molt and new pinnies...but hes very eager to eat treats from my hand...offer head for scritches....and when i open his pin feathers he grinds his beaks and does purring sound.....i absolutely adore him.......
Pogo is a male PFLB, hes ok with human interaction, sometime gets nippy....maybe because of the ongoing molt and new pinnies...but hes very eager to eat treats from my hand...offer head for scritches....and when i open his pin feathers he grinds his beaks and does purring sound.....i absolutely adore him.......
