The Good, The Bad and The Ugly about Lovebirds

[fluffypoptarts]

@hannahNala Look at this viciousness, lol! (Pic taken 2 seconds ago.)

 

[hannahNala]

Awww shes so pretty. Thanks that makes me feel a little better, I'll just have to learn the boundaries like you said.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Awww shes so pretty. Thanks that makes me feel a little better, I'll just have to learn the boundaries like you said.

Twink is a boy. Boys tend to be cuddly! But even if the baby turns out to be a girl, she'll still be great.

 

[Peachfaced]

Boys tend to be cuddly!

Unless you're a temperamental Tranny named Sherbie. Cuddles first and then we play nasty.

Speaking of which, he got all hot and bothered for Peanut earlier. I had to scoop him up and away from my laptop screen. No bird is safe. He likes youngins, like Argie, the Twinkster, and now older babes like Peanut. Starting to think I named him wrong. Casanova, Don Juan, Fabio...?

 

[Ankou]

Im new to owning birds and my first choice was a lovebird, he/she arrives in two days. I've been reading this thread and now im becoming a little paranoid about owning a lovebird are they really this violent? Are the males this way?

Also keep in mind some of us overstate the negative. I mean, it's easy to love them when they are on their best behavior. If it were so simple we could just call it "The Good About ______" and leave it at that, and everyone could get a parrot!
I want prospective owners to be aware too that, while they can be very tame, loving, entertaining, and/or cuddly, there is the likelihood of some less desirable behavior too.

That does not mean they are horrible or impossible at all. Even when Peanut was at her absolute worst in her youth she was still my best friend, I just occasionally needed to take a deep breath and muster my patience. Outside of hormonal periods she has always been more cuddly and friendly towards me than territorial and grumpy as long as I was willing to respect her instincts to a certain degree.

And I know hens have a reputation for being more difficult but they can be good companions. Just... if things ever get hard, try not to give up on her too quickly. Hormones the first couple of years can be more challenging than a lot of people expect from such a small adorable thing with the word "love" in its name but there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

Maybe Peanut is an exception, I dunno, but she is a hen and is still very cuddly and sweet, not prone to biting unless I ignore her warnings or do things I know from past experience will cause issues.

Speaking of which, he got all hot and bothered for Peanut earlier. I had to scoop him up and away from my laptop screen.

I told Peanut she had an admirer.
She said pphbb and went back to sleep, I don't think she was impressed. (Well, I happen to think your little gourd is adorable anyway.)

 

[Peachfaced]

He bwee-ooped and then tooted every time he touched his beak to the screen. Tooting = I like this. No worries Peanut, Sherbie just appreciates good plumage.

Thank you!!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

@Peachfaced Sherbs likes the way Peanut fluffs out her bum to the nines!!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

@Ankou Peanut is a tough customer! The boy hasn't been born yet that can impress her, lol!!

 

[Kathryn]

I previously had a wonderful little lovebird who we named Woodchippy. I thought this bird was a male, but it turns out he was actually a she. We miss her so much. We had her for 3 1/2 years when she was accidentally sat on by my daughter who is 5. It was a horrible tragedy as I watched my sweet and full of life little woodchiipy die in my hands. I was utterly heartbroken. Her sounds were greatly missed throughout our home. There are times even now when I play with Keeco that I miss her still. When I went to get another bird, I was in the market for a different kind of bird, but then I saw Keeco, and this bird instantly drew my attention. Needless to say we came home with this lovebird shown in the picture. His colorings are gorgeous. We have had him (I guess it is a him, not for sure tho) since April 28th, 2016 and he is already my little buddy. He was not hand tamed but he is so sweet now. I put my hand over him like a bridge and Keeco takes shelter there. It is so cute. I have him hand trained now and he comes to me when I put my finger near him. He used to squawk when I did this, but now is all too happy to come to me. He stands on top of his cage sometimes like he wants to fly to where I am. I am so loving my new baby. He lets me pet him and scratch by his eyes. I feel so blessed to have him now. Lovebirds have so much character for such small little parrots. When he is on my shoulder, I will turn my head and he puts his beak to my nose. It is so sweet. I love my little Keeco. I also love hearing all these cute stories about lovebirds. They truly are special little birds

 

[AzaleaMist]

Interesting read for sure. They are gorgeous birds for sure! I wonder how their spurted nature compares to that of a Quaker? They also are handfuls but just bigger . If I ever decide to Add a different species entirely it would be a love bird. I am most definitely a smaller parrot person even though I think the bigger parrots are amazing. They seem like incredible little birds. Maybe someday!

 

[jules74]

I just love my boy 'mango'...he can be a bit naughty sometimes but most of the time hes a funny boy
He also says his name which is cute

 

[AzaleaMist]

me and my typos! I type as bad as Piper! That was suppose to be spirited! Haha

 

[metalstitcher]

I guess this is a bit over due for me and my little flock

The Good- The antics of my two are just too funny. they are both very animated even if it is cussing me out in bird speak as I walk past a certain someone's cage (BoBo). They Love and I mean LOVE to chirp and sing along with music and when my husband and I sing to them. They are very inquisitive and like to know everything that is going on especially Gracie. Can't take 3 steps with out getting an attachment in the middle of my back. BoBo loved it when my mother in law would come out to visit and whistle to him and talk with him. I know it's something that he and all of us is going to miss now that she is no longer with us. And the cuddles love the cuddles. Gracie is much happier now that my hair is finally growing back out how. That was her hang out place since she was a baby under my hair right against my neck lol.

The Bad- As they have gotten older they are a bit more cranky but I just chalk that up to the age. There are days when I know I am cranky so I know my babies are going to be the same way. Gracie has been a bit more nippy but it's most likely due to her age and not wanting to take her medicine or go back into her cage when it's time for me to go to work.

The ugly- The obsessiveness can be a bit much at times. I know my husband gets very annoyed by it and we deal with it but there are times when we would like to just hold hands at home but we can't even do that because Gracie will start raising hel over it. And she gets so loud. For one so little you wouldn't think they get that loud but they do lol. She will run down my arm or where ever she needs to, to get my husband. She has even shuffled across the table to go get him while he is minding his own business. She thinks she is being slick when she does this by the way. She moves a little at the time thinking no one is watching her but we do. then all of a sudden she tries to bit him when he hasn't moved or done anything. It makes my husband sad because he loves her a lot and thinks she's a beautiful bird and loves how happy she makes me yet she won't let him touch her or anything. But she will land on him and preen him, and sit on him when he has a shirt on and everything is fine as long as he doesn't try to touch her. Once he tries all bets are off she is out for blood.

 

[Peachfaced]

Has your hubby tried "petting" her gently with an object? When the hormones kicked in I could only pet Sherbie with a paper straw. That way when he tired of attention and would get bitey, he bit the straw and I was unscathed. Give that a try and see if he can't win a little more affection. You can also have him give her a treat for being good/accepting attention by offering a millet ball clamped in a wooden clothespin. She won't be close enough to bite his hand.

 

[metalstitcher]

She has only ever taken a cheerio through the bars of her cage from him. Everything else is an attack or a buzz and fly by. She won't take anything else from him. She dose preen his hair and will land shoulder sometimes but rarely. If he tries to touch her she goes on the attack. If she's distracted he tries to touch her tail. He thinks it's funny and she gets mad then snaps at me go figure.

 

[AvianCrew]

I just got a lovebird, on the 15th. He, well guessing he's a he, is always on the side of his cage. Is it just because he isn't used to his new home?

 

[fluffypoptarts]

I just got a lovebird, on the 15th. He, well guessing he's a he, is always on the side of his cage. Is it just because he isn't used to his new home?

Welcome to the world of lovebirds! It could be that, or it may be that he wants to interact, or he may not like his perches. Depends on the context!

 

[Kim20013]

Paulie is 5 years old now, we adopted our little peach face at 12 weeks old. He loved me at first but then fell for my hubby! Lol

The good:
He's so funny! He's smart, he loves to fly, be out doing his own thing and is really good when it's time to go back in his cage. He knows when the lights go out and I say goodnight that he's to be quiet and I don't hear a peep from him until he hears us getting up in the morning. He's really good at stepping up when he's asked. Loves a bath. He's good with my sons. Tries to make friends with my conure even though she's made it very clear she wants nothing to do with him. (Although if I take him out of the room she'll scream till I take him back in, must be a love/hate thing going on lol) he's great company, if I talk to him he always chirps back. He laughs which is hilarious , I assume he's mimicking one of us.

The Bad:
If my husband is around Paulie bites me like crazy, he has the most piercing screech I've ever heard and can be extremely loud when he wants to be, I myself don't mind but other people probably wouldn't want to have to listen to it. He won't eat fruit and veggies no matter what I try. He throws food everywhere!

Overall we wouldn't trade him for anything!

 

[BashTinkLuna]

Hello, adding from my experience with lovebirds. I own two types of lovebird: peachfaced and fischer.

Fischer Lovebirds:
Good:
Super active and they show happiness that will live up your life. They are small. They have bright colors and good voices.
Bad:
They do bites a lot. Hard bite to their sitter. They are like flies. Sometimes don't want to be touched. They are aggressive.
Ugly:
Nothing ugly about them. They are just beautiful for they are

But I don't recommend fischer lovebird for kids or parrot beginner since their bites hurt. They are not a gentle biter Very nippy.

Peachfaced Lovebirds:
Good:
They have soft color, calmer (but also very active at same time), and not as nippy as fischer. They win the personality among lovebirds. They also have tolerance with other birds (better than fischer). They are known as a babysitter (they want to care other babybirds that aren't their own babies)
Bad:
Sometimes they bite hard, but not as hard as fischer.
Ugly:
No!!! They are beautiful.

 

[Bill Wright]

Question.........We have just acquired 2 Peachfaced about 3 months old. We live in Costa Rica so the climate is pretty much constant, however we do live in the mountains where the night time temperatures dip sometimes into the low 70"s. Should we cover their cage for protection from the elements? We have them in pretty big cage out on our screened back porch.