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Lovebird Pets. Back to Index. Ingredients to the Loving. Love Bird: 1 Hand Raised Love bird- -Preferably between 8 and 1. Sex or color do not make little difference. Cage- - Metal, 1/2 inch spaced bars, no smaller than.
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A lovebird is intelligent and affectionate. It can be trained to give kisses and learn other tricks. It has the. Scientific Name: Agapornis personata fischeri There are a wide variety of attractive color mutations of the Fischer's Lovebird, which include the dilute blue, dilute. General Information about Fischer's Lovebirds. Of all the lovebird species, the Fischer's Lovebird is the most striking if not one of the most beautiful parrots. Where to get quality birds as a basis for your breeding stock? Come along to the ALBS meetings, check out the Table Shows and especially the Annual Show to find out.
Powder coated cages are easy to clean. One. bird per cage. Playpen- -I like the ones built on top the cage. Food and Water- -2 cups for food, 1 cup for water, 1 bowl for bath water. Toys- -Safe, non- toxic, clean, hanging and swing toys. Perches- -natural wood are best Mineral block- -beak conditioner Things to Know About the New Baby. Baby love birds are ready to go to their new homes when they are six to ten weeks old.
When you acquire your baby it will look much like a adult. The color of the face will not appear. Your baby is a very young bird and needs special care and attention for a while. Baby. love birds are not mean- -rather they may be frightened. They use aggression as their. No handfed baby leaves me unless he is completely tame- -this does not mean he is.
We handle every baby individually four or five times a day. Each baby is cuddled.
Every one sits on our shoulders and. It is your responsibility to handle him everyday for at least 1. The more you handle him, the more he will want to be with you. Left. alone in a cage even for a few days can cancel out all the work up to this point. After. the bird is six months old he should remain tame without daily attention. I will refer to all the birds as male because it is tedious to insert. There appears to be no difference between the males and.
DIET CONVERSION: SMALL BIRDS. Diet Conversion made easy using Harrison’s Bird Bread. The following is an example of a safe and effective method of converting the. Recommended avian diet for small to large hookbill parrots. Listing of toxic foods for parrots.
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Females can be more aggressive but this is not a. In the wild, the love birds . They will spend many years. This is an disadvantage. A breeder would like to switch pairs to produce the best color.
A lost mate is not easily replaced. For the pet owner the disadvantage is.
Like Amazons and many other birds that mate for life, the love bird may pick out. It takes special. Love birds can enjoy being a pet for the whole family. He will go person to person. After a few minutes. Depending on the bird's.
Two love birds together in a cage will bond with each other regardless of their sex. If. you want your pet to be a buddy, keep him by himself and give him lots of attention. Cages. Put your cage in a place where you can enjoy your new baby. He should not be in. The bird will over heat.
Love birds are very hardy and tolerant of drafts. California weather) but extreme temperature changes are not good.
I keep a large towel or sheet of plexiglass under the cage. The towel collects anything.
Shake it out and throw it in the laundry. You may prefer to have. My cages are free standing. Put your cage. where it is stable if it sits on a table or stand.
If you have cats or dogs, be sure the. My pets. love to be out of their cages but still have access to go back in anytime. A cage with a. playpen on top is ideal. They climb in and out (in and out of security). Occasionally baby. This is a very dangerous place to be.
A few of the hazards include: other pets, getting stepped or sat upon, eating hazards, lead poisoning. We all like to think that our baby is 1. Let us be. realistic. For the safety of the baby, offer him a way to return to his cage.
I have a one. inch rope tied from the perch on top of his cage to the ground. It winds around the. It is also tied securely about six inches.
Perches. When you receive your new baby he can flutter, climb, and perch. For your baby to have. The uneven texture, diameter and contours. The diameter of the perches should vary. I recommend eucalyptus or manzanita. Cut fresh or dried branches to the desired size. Wash and bake them in the oven to kill.
I use fresh eucalyptus for my personal. I wash them well but I do not bake them. While I. realize that I am taking a risk, my birds love to trim off the leaves and then shred the. Place the perches so droppings will not fall on other perches, water, food or bath. Because the baby cannot fly in the confines of the cage it is important that the. Watch to see if the baby can get everywhere he wants inside the cage, if not.
FEEDINGYour new baby was weaned from hand feeding formula. He eats seeds, fruits, vegetables. This is a well- balanced diet. Here is the recipe for the dry mix I feed my. Part Large Hookbill Mix. Parts Small Hookbill Mix 1 Part pellets (any brand) Offer fresh fruits and vegetables everyday.
Corn is especially important in their diet. Feel free to offer him food from the table- -but don't. These could. make him ill and possibly be life threatening.
Bacteria and fungus are far more dangerous. Buy dried fruits and vegetables at bird specialty stores if. Favorite Fresh Food Include. Apples - Oranges - Grapes - Mangos. Persimmon - Broccoli - Peas - Pasta. Corn - Beans - Plums. Always leave fresh water for your love bird.
It only takes a second to change water. Birds nibble on everything. Keep perches and dishes scrubbed clean. Be sure to rinse. Never use Lysol, etc. It is difficult to. Bicarbonate of soda (2.
Mule Borax) is an excellent. If you haven't purchased your water and feeding bowls yet, buy ceramic or the very hard.
Love birds love to chew! GROOMINGWings: Your baby's first flight feathers will already be. I do not clip wings until after the baby has his first flight. The baby will know how to glide and maneuver in the air. Clip them again in about three to four weeks.
Every time your bird molts he will need. A pet love bird (not a showbird) should not have free. Reasons for Wing Clipping: The freedom of flight. This results in a less tame bird. Love. birds can't see.
They fly at very high speeds and can kill themselves flying into the window. A door or window left. The birds can fly to. Who knows where all dangers lurk? Even if all the flight feathers on a love bird are clipped he can still glide (my birds. When they are frightened, they can flutter upward.
Don't. depend upon any bird's wings even with full flight as defense against a cat, dog or rat. I. have heard stories of pet birds being killed by other pets when allowed full flight. Keep. your baby protected from other animals. Do not take your bird outside on your shoulder!
Nails: Your baby's nails will be very sharp. They will leave little scratch. Do not clip the nails on a bird this young.
Very. carefully file them with the fine side of an emery board. You need only to dull the. The vein is still very close to the tip. When he is six months old you can. You may decide to file them instead of clip. My. birds are so active that I have never felt it necessary to clip or file their nails.
If possible, do not expose your baby to other birds outside your home. He is still very. If you are local, I.
Birds can bleed to death very easily. Take your baby to the vet at once if it breaks a. A broken blood feather needs to be removed. This. assures that no infection will set in. Bathing: It is not necessary to wash your baby. Give him. a bowl of fresh water each day and he will bath himself. If he is not bathing, turn on the.
The noise of the vacuum stimulates most birds to hop into their bath. My love birds cannot resist hopping onto my hand when the faucet is running and. Molting: Your bird will molt once. Babies will molt twice their first year. With proper diet, light and exercise your. You will notice an abundance of.
This usually occurs in the summer. Continue to feed him. His flight feathers will change. Be sure to have his wings clipped! If your bird looses feathers continuously during the year, have him checked by an avian. This is not a common occurrence for love birds. Behavior and. Discipline.
Your new bird may be frightened of you or of his new cage. The new smells, food, lights. Give him a day or two to adjust to his. Don't put any toys in the cage for the first few days. New toys can make the. Add one toy at a time later.
Too many toys will confuse. The beak is a third hand to any parrot. He will use his beak to climb, grab and reach. Do not. be alarmed. He is not biting. Imagine climbing over steep, uneven terrain without holding.
Love birds recognize color. Beware, they may be terrified of RED, especially as a baby. The bird's eyes will flash and he. Don't hang red toys in or near the cage. Avoid wearing. red when handling your baby.
As your bird matures he should slowly learn to tolerate red. I think of it as their adolescent time. He may be nippy. demanding, and messy. With consistent training, his behavior will pass quickly. Your bird is intelligent- -as intelligent and bright as a two- year- old- -forever and. His understanding will most likely never exceed a two- year- old (each bird is an. Like a two- year- old, he will test you and.
Firm rules and consistency are all important in training and. Never, never hit your bird in any way- -not so much as a tap on the beak. This can hurt. or even kill your pet.
He eventually broke the bird's neck.) Do not wave your finger at the bird. If your bird nips your ear too hard. If nipping persists, pick up the baby with both. Then ignore him. completely for a time. This passive correction is the most effective way to discipline. Enforce positive behavior with various rewards: edibles, toys, verbal.
Hands and fingers: Some babies do. At first they want to taste a. Sometimes they are fearful of a finger.
Teach your baby to step up on your hand. Later you can teach him to step on fingers. I have tried to teach each baby this. Keep your hand closed and flat. Gently press your hand against the bird's breast. He also does not know. You must teach him what is acceptable.
Usually the baby will behave excellently on your shoulder for a while and then for no. He is tired and wants to be returned to the security and. Try to learn his tolerance and return him to his cage before he is. Remember he is a baby.
If you only return him to his cage when he is demonstrating. Look for a positive type behavior. Chase: Chase is a great game that the birds catch onto at once.
Baby really prefers to be on your shoulder. You place. your hand next to the bird and he runs to the other side of you. You follow with your. The bird lunges and nips and you pull away frustrated. Never let. this happen.
Beginners Guide. of Australia Inc. There are no hard and fast rules in ? The following ideas can be applied as generalisations and not things that must be adhered to. Working out your own solutions is always more rewarding.
After that initial rush of blood when newcomers want to breed each and every type of Lovebird, it's time to sit back and work out a plan for future breeding. This plan should be to proceed along a certain line towards an achievable goal. Whether it be to produce a possible colour variation ie.
Cremino to Silver Cherry to produce a lacewing/fallow type affect or Normal to Normal to produce a better class of bird, you need to have some direction. A few good sized, quality birds to start with will give better stock to build on. Otherwise you will end up with a large number of just average offspring, too many to keep and nothing worthwhile. Quality avicultural achievements are not short- term projects and breeders you see with better class birds usually have taken many years to get there.
Where to get quality birds as a basis for your breeding stock? Come along to the ALBS meetings, check out the Table Shows and especially the Annual Show to find out who's breeding the particular type you plan to breed and make your self known to them. Most exhibitors are only too pleased to help if you are interested in buying quality birds. To start with you can buy established pairs or better still obtain young birds that will be mature enough when the next breeding season arrives. Peachfaced should be at least 1. Masked Lovebirds seem to make better parents when they are in their second year. That way you can put birds together over the summer to see if they are compatible.
If buying young birds it is advisable to buy several of the one type, with more chance of getting a pair. Lovebirds are often difficult to sex at this age and even when mature there is no foolproof method, although a wider gap in the space between the pelvic bones is a reasonable guide when trying to find a mature hen bird. When deciding on how many aviaries your yard or property can accommodate one major factor is often overlooked - space will always be needed for young birds when they are weaned from their parents. Overcrowding will result in killed or injured young birds or potential show birds with missing toes! Always put birds of like age together. If you are adding new birds to your already established collection then it is advisable to keep these new birds in a separate location as these new birds may be affected by some virus or disease that could develop and be spread to the existing flock.
It is recommended that this isolation be at least for a period of 4. For Peachfaced 3 pairs to an aviary 1.
W x 1. 8m H x 1. 8m D is comfortable and for white eye- ring species 4 or 5 pairs in the same space seems to be about right. It's better to have too much room than too little. What materials should be used to construct an aviary? All steel components are the best method, coupled with a concrete floor.
This type of construction allows for easy maintenance, as the floor can be swept every couple of weeks to remove loose material, seed husks etc. Caution should be taken when using new galvanised wire as birds can suffer from zinc poisoning, usually contracted by their habit of chewing everything in site. Leaving the wire out in the weather for as long as possible before aviary construction allows the fresh galvanising to oxidise, reducing it's harmful effect.
Another method is to scrub the wire with an acetic acid (vinegar and water) mix followed by a thorough hosing down. I tried this method but still lost a few birds, mainly because you still need to go over the whole area of wire and remove as many of the little dags of zinc that are left on the wire after the galvanising process. Aviaries or cages should face north or east to offer protection from cooler West to South winds. Draughty aviaries usually don't contain many birds for long. The setting up of an aviary with respect to location of water, food etc needs some consideration before introducing birds for breeding. Keep perches as far apart as possible and not over food or water.
My preferred set- up is nest boxes on a shelf at the back of the flight (covered section) with water and food (seed) opposite each other near the door so that intrusion into the aviary is as little as possible. If the aviary roof does not cover the full flight then seed and water should be placed under cover to keep rain and the droppings of wild birds from causing contamination. When putting several in a large aviary how can you get them to stay in the pairs that you want? One way that mostly works for me is to put the pair together in a small cage away from other birds and a month or two before the breeding season. If compatible they will usually stay together when liberated into the larger aviary which should not have any single or unpaired birds. Some might ask when is the breeding season?
Most bonded pairs will breed continually if not given a break. I personally prefer a breeding season from about March to October, as this is usually cooler weather which rarely sees young birds being 'cooked' in a nestbox during a heatwave.
This will also enable adult birds a short recovery period before our annual show, but still giving keen pairs the chance to have three rounds of young. The birds' owner also needs a rest from the continuum of providing additional food, nesting material, ringing young etc. Aviculture is much more rewarding if does not become a chore. Quality is better than quantity. What type of will Lovebirds nest in? Nest boxes for Lovebirds vary in size from budgie boxes to small parrot type and although most birds are not too fussy, a size somewhere in between will give them some room to move inside with a full clutch of young.
Whatever the size, keep all boxes the same so that whenever the need arises to remove a box the new one should not cause the owners to delay their return. I've found that boxes placed at about chest height makes them easier to inspect without having to remove the box from the shelf. Nesting material is usually subject to human preference rather than what the birds like and they don't mind what they get. Material that is green and contains some moisture will enhance the eggs' hatchability. Palm fronds and the stalks of seeding grasses such as oats or Japanese millet are suitable and although kikuyu is frowned upon by many, I find that a few thick green pieces given during incubation will add some moisture to the nest.
The leaves (green & dried) of the Grass or Cabbage Palm (Cordyline Australis) have always been a favourite nesting material of Peachfaced. This material is very tough and makes for a good standing nest that does not easily flatten. Try tying together several of the long leaves and hang them from the wire. You'll soon have birds climbing all over them eager to strip them for carrying to the nest.
Providing you have a true pair nest building should take place within a couple of weeks of introducing nest boxes into the aviary, although some pairs seem to need the stimulation of other pairs around them with young before they get started. Number of eggs laid varies from 2 to 7 per nest laid every other day. Incubation usually takes about 2.
A check of the nest one week after last egg laid should reveal eggs that are fertile as being cloudy/dark pink in colour when held up to the light. If you can see the yolk floating around inside then there could be a number of reasons for the egg's infertility. Two hens will often act as a pair - build a nest and lay eggs etc., or if this is the first mating of either bird then they might need more practice before they get their act together. What is the cause and what should I do about chicks that are in the shell?
It would seem that lack of moisture in the nest chamber results in young that are fully formed but fail to break free from the shell when the time comes. I have always provided my birds with a large water dish (glazed terracotta is easy to clean) and only once have I had a problem and I suspect it was a genetic problem with a particular pair. One trick to try for birds that continue to have young dead in the shell is to hang a jar full of water from the underside of the nest box with holes through into the nest chamber. This will increase the moisture content of the nesting material and help the chicks to break out.
Hen birds with access to large, open water dishes will often wet themselves before returning to the nest, hence maintaining the moisture content in the nest material. I'm not sure that the stipulation that nest material provided must be green (fresh) because most grasses and palm leaves are well and truly dried out by the time the eggs should hatch. What sort of mix do lovebirds like? A Peachface or Small Parrot mix is available from most seed merchants or pet shops.
A good mix should contain a balance of the nutritional requirements to keep birds in a healthy condition. Millets for carbohydrates, plain canary for protein and small quantities of hulled oats, sunflower and safflower. There is some contention as to whether too much of oily seeds like sunflower are a cause of poor feather condition and/or feather loss, but I suspect that a vitamin deficiency and lack of exercise to be a more likely cause.
Depending on the lovebird species you keep you may like to offer different mixes for different species. I've found that Fischers mainly eat jap millet and plain canary with small quantities of white millet and some safflower, rarely touching sunflower or hulled oats. Masked will consume most seed types preferring additional oats when rearing young. Peachfaced have a similar preference but seem to give hulled oats a miss during the summer (non- breeding season).