Some of the questions I receive and the answers I give about the feisty little Lovebird.

How long do Lovebirds live?
Lovebirds can live from the mid teens until the mid twenties. Some lovebirds will live to the late twenties and even early thirties. Of course accidents or illnesses can claim a Lovebird's life much earlier.

Should I clip my Lovebird's wings?
This is a decision that you must make, taking into consideration your home situation. If your lovebird is near an outside door, with people coming and going all the time, it may be safer to keep his wings clipped, but if he is in a room away from an outside door, or if you are the only one who comes and goes, it would be great to allow him full flight. For more information, please see Wingclipping

Do Lovebirds talk?
Lovebirds are not known for their talking ability. Some do say a word or two or even a few words, but most lovebirds do not talk at all.

Should I have one or two Lovebirds?
If you want your lovebird to be a terrific pet and you will be spending plenty of time with him, it would be best to have just one lovebird. If you are away for most of the day and too busy to spend time with your bird, it would be best if your lovebird had another lovebird to spend time with. Two lovebirds will bond to each other (whether they are same sex or opposite sex birds) and it is unlikely that either will be tame enough to handle.

Where is the best place to get a Lovebird?
The best place would be directly from a breeder. That way, you will know the age of the bird, you may get to see his parents and you will most likely have the breeder's permission to call and ask questions afterwards. Most lovebirds are purchased from pet stores, where the age is guessed, the sex is guessed and there is really no support after purchase. Even the breeder will just guess at the sex of a lovebird as the visual differences are very small with most species.


How do I know if I have a male or female lovebird?
Often, you do not know until one morning you find an egg in your lovebird's cage, unless you have had your bird sexed by your avian veterinarian or sent a blood sample to a laboratory for sexing. Three lovebird species (although not common ones - the abyssinian, the madagascar and red-faced lovebirds) are sexually dimorphic which means you can tell their sex just by looking at them. For more information on the different lovebird species please see Lovebirds – 9 Species

Why does my Lovebird lay eggs? She is the only bird I have.
Some female lovebirds do lay eggs when they are kept on their own. This means that she is nice and healthy and since she is in breeding condition, she just lays them. The best thing for you to do is to leave her alone as much as possible. Let her sit on the eggs until she leaves them – usually that will happen shortly after the eggs would have hatched if they had been fertile. If you let her sit on them, she will probably not lay any more for several months, although she might lay and incubate a second clutch before stopping. If you make the mistake of taking the eggs away as she lays them, she will continue laying more and may become ill or egg bound.