Lovebirds can be engaging and entertaining little pets. They are often referred to as pocket pets due to their enjoyment in snuggling into small places, which can include a shirt pocket. These birds can and will play all day and seem to have endless energy.
If you want your lovebird to be a terrific pet, it would be best to only get one – yes, one - lovebird. If you have a second lovebird, the birds will bond to each other and may get a bit nippy with you. With just one lovebird, he will bond to you and never be happier than when he is on your shoulder, cuddled up to your neck.
Of course you have to give your bird plenty of attention so that he/she remains a terrific pet. Generally in my experience, a male lovebird, at least in the Peach Faced species is a more gentle bird than the female is. I know I’ll hear from a lot of people with female lovebirds saying that there couldn’t be a sweeter bird than theirs, but as with any generalization, there are always exceptions.
Lovebirds fear nothing and care must be taken that they don’t get into any trouble. You can have a hard time convincing one that he is small and needs protection at all.
There are several different types of Lovebirds and they all originate in Africa and range in size from 5 inches to 6.5 inches.
One of the most commonly kept as a pet is the Peach Faced Lovebird. Because of their popularity, there are several different colour mutations. The African Lovebird Society has a wonderful genetics calculator that will help you to determine what colour mutations you are apt to obtain by breeding certain colours. Try it at The African Lovebird Society..
Another one regularly kept as a pet is the Masked Lovebird. There are several colour mutations of this lovebird as well, although not as many as with the Peach Faced.
Less common, but often available is the Fischer Lovebird but the rest of the lovebirds are not commonly seen. Those would include the Black Cheeked Lovebird, the Nyasa Lovebird, the Abyssinian Lovebird, the Black Collared Lovebird, the Madagascar Lovebird and Red Faced Lovebird.
Most of the lovebirds cannot be sexed visually and you must rely on blood testing to determine what sex bird you have. Sometimes you find out when you discover an egg in the cage of a single bird.
I highly recommend the Lovebird as a pet. I have had my Lovebird, Tracy for 9 years now. He was almost finished being handfed when I picked him up from the breeder. He is a normal coloured Peach Face Lovebird. You can read more about Tracy & see his picture at Tracy.
After many years of Lovebird ownership, I have decided to write an e-book about the care of these wonderful birds.
Please check out The Lovebird Handbook or Lovebirds: Everything About Housing,... at Amazon.com for more information on Lovebirds.
