Lovebirds How do I take care of lovebirds?

Question by Caution: How do I take care of lovebirds?
For mothers day as well as my moms birthday me and my sister want to get my mom a pair of Lovebirds (her favorite species) to show her she’s special to us. How much would a pair cost? Also, what accessories and things do we need to buy? Any good tips on where to buy them?

Best answer:

Answer by M
Are you certain she knows how to take care of these birds? You really need to know what you’re doing with birds or they’ll end up screaming monsters.

Lovebird requirements(from wikipedia: non comprehensive):

Lovebirds require an appropriately sized cage or aviary. Recommended space per bird is min 1m×1m×1m. Lovebird’s beaks are made of keratin, which grows continuously. Chewing and destroying wood toys and perches helps to keep beaks trim. Cuttlebones help provide beak-trimming and a source of calcium and other necessary minerals. Natural perches and special rough surfaced perches of varying diameters placed at different levels in the cage will allow greater climbing mobility and gives them a choice to select the most comfortable spot to roost.[10] They also require plenty of toys, such as willow branches, swings, tunnels, boxes and safe things to chew on and play with.

Lack of toys, keeping the birdcage covered too many hours, and lack of companionship or social stimulation may lead to boredom, stress and psychological or behavioral problems (nervousness, aggression, feather-plucking, screaming, depression, immuno-suppression). Lovebirds are extremely social birds and will enjoy several hours of interaction a day. Without this interaction, daily exercise, a roomy cage/aviary, and many toys to play with, they may resort to feather-plucking, or screaming, and both behaviors can be difficult to cure. It is suggested that if the owner leaves the house that they leave a radio or TV set playing, to provide sound.[11] Lovebirds are intelligent, and if a relationship is to form they need a human who will dedicate lots of time with them. Lovebirds enjoy baths and like to sun themselves daily.

A few more points:
The cage will need to be bigger for multiple birds.
They’ll need to be handled very specifically(times/methods) in their developmental stages.
They’re a long term commitment: Lifespan is 10-15 years.
Finger training is important, you can’t just grab the bird right off.
Honestly a pet bird probably isn’t a good responsibility to just drop on someone out of the blue without giving them time to prepare and research.

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Tags:Care, Lovebirds, take