This article on our site aims to offer you a basic guide on the care of lovebirds and everything what you need to know about these cute roommates. If you want to know in depth the diseases that can affect them, or advice for their breeding, do not miss the specific posts on the web.
On this occasion, we will focus on the explanations of the basic care of lovebirds as the bird that it is, placing special emphasis on mistakes we all make when welcoming any bird into our home, and what we should avoid in order to provide a comfortable and long life for our companions.
The arrival of the lovebird: let's avoid papilleros
The popularity of lovebirds means that it is not uncommon for an acquaintance to offer us a papillero chick and, initially, we are tempted to accept it. In general, lovebirds are dedicated parents and do not refuse to feed their young, but there is an unfounded belief that gives a sweeter and more manageable character to chicken raised "by hand" by their owners.
We should avoid hosting lovebirds intentionally separated from their parents to feed them with porridge. We tend to make mistakes too often, such as crop burns by providing the mixture at a temperature that we consider appropriate, but it is not. Sometimes, we are not sure if the crop from the previous intake had already been emptied, or it is difficult for us to maintain the right temperature.
If we manage to overcome this critical phase, we are left with the dreaded problem of imprinting, our lovebird will not feel identified as a bird, nor as a human, which can cause problems behavior in the medium-term future, even more so if you are going to be alone.
The ideal is to take in lovebirds that are already eating by themselves and have been properly socialized with their parents and siblings. It is evident that there may be exceptional cases of death of the parents, only then would it be justified to dedicate oneself to the delicate task of raising the brood.
Accommodation: never in the kitchen
Although it may seem obvious, in many homes we still see the cage in the kitchen. No bird should be housed in the smokiest, hottest, and most steamy place in the house. Birds are extremely sensitive to inhaled toxins, and the kitchen is the focus of combustion, gases and temperature changes in any home.
We should look for a place without drafts, with natural light for enough hours a day (if possible), and quiet. Surely in many houses, there will be fights for that ideal corner, but our lovebirds will thank us for being located in something similar.
What if I don't have rooms with natural light?
If there is no natural light in our house, and we cannot take them out on a terrace for a few hours a day, then we should assess the possibility of exposing them to short periods of ultraviolet light There are specific lamps in pet stores, ultraviolet rays are necessary for everything: mood, calcium metabolism, behavior… Whether it's a few minutes every day, every two, or every three days, it will always be better than nothing and we will offer the basic care that the lovebird needs.
If the chosen place is going to have more than 12 hours of artificial light a day, we must take into account that respecting their hours of rest is essential, so we must make a cover for the cage that provide darkness. And remember to put it on at the same time!
Would a canary cage do?
Although we are thinking of recycling some spacious cage that we have from previous birds, lovebirds are psittacines, not passerines. That is to say, they climb, they help themselves with their beak to climb, and they cannot do that with vertical bars.
The cage, in addition to being spacious and with enough environmental enrichment such as toys, swings and even a mirror even if they won't be alone, must have horizontal barsWe must introduce bars at different heights as innkeepers, and we can look for pieces of wood imitating tree branches, but without treating them with chemical products against moths, and without varnishing.
We must take special care with the chrome of the bars, their beak will be constantly passing over them, and the paint or dye can lead to poisoning. On the other hand, it is advisable to leave a small "bathroom" area, where we will place a bowl with water for cleaning. Due to the contamination that the water can suffer when defecating on it, it is advisable to leave it for a while every morning, or every two days, and remove it afterwards. Many lovebirds seem always ready to dive, and others hardly feel the need to romp in the water, but we must offer it to them.
The base of the cage must be cleaned daily, let us remember how important cleaning and disinfection is in the prevention of both intestinal diseases such as respiratory Not only the accumulated feces can be a source of problems, but also the remains of food, seed hulls, molting feathers…
Lovebird feeding: a bit of everything
Traditionally, lovebirds, parakeets, and other birds have been fed with a mixture of different seeds, but there are alternatives, either as a complement or as a substitute.
What is shown here is just an example of feeding, and may vary depending on the lovebird's preferences or product availability:
- Mixture of seeds: there are many on the market, based on millet, flaxseed, hempseed, sunflower seeds… They have the disadvantage that it allows the bird to choose, and the most appetizing is always the fattest. Surely we will notice from the first day what he likes and what he leaves. To avoid deficiencies related more to this selection than to the lack of nutrients in the food we provide, it is advisable to alternate them with other foods, or separate the seeds and offer them every day. Ex.: one day sunflower seeds, another day millet…
- Extruded feed: some years ago bird food was introduced on the market with the same presentation as dog food and cats (pellets). It has the advantage of being somewhat cleaner, less wasteful, and more balanced in terms of nutrient supply (obviously, formulation errors are inevitable in any product, but they rarely occur). The disadvantage is that it is less appetizing For this reason, it is best to offer it, for example, twice a week as a single food. Both the feed and the seeds should be offered two or three times a day and removed when they have finished eating, or they will dirty and throw away what they are not going to eat.
- Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables should be included in the diet regularly but without abusing them, remember that their high content of water and fiber, and how palatable they are, can lead to excessive intake and gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea. We can make small cubes in a "macedonia" plan of three or four chosen products, and schedule a few days a week to offer them. The days that it will be offered, breakfast will be fruit and vegetables, removing the remains after a while.
Can I give all kinds of fruits and vegetables?
There are two prohibited foods: avocado and chocolate. The rest, according to the preferences of the owner and lovebirds. Cooked broccoli, celery, carrot, apple, strawberry…, even cooked pasta, are allowed in measured amounts and without abusing anything. Some owners supply panizo to their lovebirds from time to time, but it is not as easy to obtain as everything else and it is somewhat expensive.
And should I give my lovebird vitamin supplements?
In principle, if there is no disease that requires the administration of a certain amount of vitamins as treatment, a varied diet covers all the needs of our lovebirds.
It should be noted that these birds in captivity do hardly exercise (virtually nothing), but if we allow them, they will eat as if they had flown several kilometers an hour. Controlling the intake of especially fatty foods, and providing distractions that make them move or, if possible, facilitate aviaries with metal mesh, would be a perfect combination.
In the case of allowing them to fly freely around the house for exercise, we must pay close attention to domestic accidents.
Beak and nails: when to trim
Improper wear leads to overgrowth of the beak and nails. In the case of nails, it can make it difficult for the bird to stay on the perch, and in the case of beak overgrowth, it can cause problems eating food.
Waxes, cuttlefish bones, stale bread and other usual resources do not always work, and it may be necessary to go to our veterinarian to perform a beak filingGiven that it is performed under general anesthesia, or adequate sedation, special attention should be paid to preventing it from growing excessively in order to reduce the number of filings necessary throughout its life. Some birds tolerate filing without anesthesia or sedation, but these are very specific cases of trained animals that are very used to handling.
Nails are somewhat less complex and we can get a cat's nail clippero to try to keep them at a suitable length on our own House. Of course, it is necessary to hold the lovebird correctly to avoid accidental traumatisms or cutting of the phalanges, and cut through the non-vascularized part of the nail, that is, the white, in a similar way to how you would cut a cat.
If our lovebird is ringed, we will take advantage of this moment to check the area of the leg where the ring is located, making sure that it does not compress the tissue, and that there are no scratches or wounds. If you notice changes in the color of the leg, lack of support, or discomfort (the leg itches…), it is necessary to go to the veterinarian as soon as possible to cut it and avoid greater problems.
The lovebird company
Sometimes we have several lovebirds together, and several other species of birds (amazons, lorises, lovebirds…). Coexistence is not always peaceful, and aggressions are quite frequent between birds, just think of the brawls between sparrows that can be seen on any sidewalk during the spring.
We must be very careful to house problem individuals separately, which requires a lot of observation. Many lovebirds suffer beak amputations, which do not always grow back, because they are living with larger birds, or not very friendly conspecifics. Despite their nickname, sometimes it is necessary to separate them for their own good.
If we are going to introduce a new specimen in our house, we have to make sure that there is mutual acceptance and give an adaptation period, that is, allowing them to see and hear each other, but with separation in the cage, for example.
Other lovebird care
Next, we are going to mention some extra care that our lovebirds could appreciate:
- Pulverizar: a spray bottle with water during moulting season It allows them, on the one hand, to clean themselves interestingly if we have a case of lovebirds that are not very inclined to bathing), and on the other, to mitigate the negative action of the "dust" generated by moulting. This dust is a mixture of epithelial cells and the barrel of the ancient feather, and it is not recommended that they or us inhale it constantly.
- Sexing them if the breed does not allow to distinguish between males and females it could be interesting even if they are going to be alone, in order to rule out more serious pathologies forward, as the retention of eggs. Our vet will remove a portion of epithelial cells attached to a pen, and we'll get the lab results in just a few days. Resorting to DNA is usually necessary in lovebirds, except in some specific varieties in which males and females present sexual dimorphism.
- Pay special attention to laying problems in females, which can become chronic, such as stuck eggs, dystocia, egg yolk coelomitis … It is highly advisable, once identified as a female, to go to our veterinarian for guidance on how to identify these problems and what solutions there are to prevent them (subcutaneous hormone implants, for example).
