Your Guide to Lovebirds Breeding

Lovebirds are one of the most interesting species of birds. It’s not surprising to find people into lovebirds breeding. But as these birds are somehow delicate, you need to know how you can go about the task with surefire success. To help you in this regard, read the following useful tips.

Get the right pair.

Before you laugh, you need to get a male and female lovebird for mating. While this might sound funny at first, experienced lovebirds breeders would know that it’s very hard to tell love birds apart. Relying on the birds’ physical differences is very tricky. That’s why bird owners need to get a specialized DNA kit to identify the gender of the birds. However, it’s more advisable to have the identification done by professionals. This would help avoid hurting them or worse, creating trauma.

Provide a good and spacious breeding cage.

There are actually two types of breeding you might want to consider. Group breeding means that you would have several pairs in one spacious cage. Meanwhile, those who are just starting out might want to consider traditional breeding which only involves a pair of lovebirds. Whatever the type, you should ensure that the birds have big a cage for playing and flying around. Also, the material of the cage should be evaluated. Some wire mesh for breeding cages can prick the birds’ feet. Ensure that your cage is made for lovebirds breeding by choosing materials that aren’t accident stimulators.

Give the birds enough daylight and food.

Lovebirds aren’t fans of the dark. As such, it’s best that you give them adequate lighting. Some even go as far as putting soft, artificial light in cages. Aside from these, you can prep your lovebirds up for breeding by giving them enough food and water. Give your birds seeds, fresh fruit, and vegetables to keep them nourished. Their water container should have fresh supply every 12 hours. Clean the cage as much as you can. Note also that lovebirds must at least be 10 months old before breeding.

Attach a nesting box.

This shouldn’t be much of a problem as almost all nest boxes you see in stores are compatible with love birds. During lovebirds breeding, the birds fancy putting materials inside their boxes. With this, you have to put non-poisonous twigs from willows and fruit trees near the cage. You’ll see them stripping these twigs and putting them inside the nest box themselves. Some breeders also advise putting some flax leaves everyday as lovebirds use them in their nests as well.

Observe the birds from time to time.

Funny as it might sound, lovebirds also need privacy. Breeding won’t push through if they are continuously watched by people or other birds. You’ll know that breeding has been successful if the female spends longer time in the nesting box. At this point, you need to prep up for more food and water suppliers. Generally, lovebirds lay around four to six eggs. Never inspect the eggs and hatchlings while the birds, particularly the female, are around. Both parents will feed the hatchlings from the food supply you provide them.

Venturing on lovebirds breeding is not difficult as long as you have the heart for it. The trick is to research more about the species.  Other than that, simply enjoy the company of these truly lovable birds.

Peach Faced Lovebirds: Proper Care and Feeding

Lovebirds make very good pets at home. Even for those novice bird enthusiasts, keeping a lovebird is generally easy. There are basically different varieties of lovebirds. One of the most popular ones is the peach faced lovebirds. What are these types of birds then? Why are they very popular? How do you go about in properly taking good care of them?

The traits of these birds are typically very tiny in size but are known for its big personality. These types, love playing and interacting with people, especially with their owners, and they are very playful with new toys. When in their cage bars, these birds are often found weaving their nesting materials. Except when sleeping, drinking, or eating, you can always find these birds very active and always playing. Peach faced lovebirds think of themselves as if they were on the top of the ladder. They are often noticed wanting to go after almost anything that it believes it can conquer. And since they are active all the time, they turn any ordinary activity into an interesting game. However, at the end of the day, these birds are the sweetest particularly to their owners, often snuggling and settling down with their humans to rest. 

At home, you need to spend a great deal of your time with them. Just like any other pets, they will bond with you and will treat you as a good friend, willing to do anything just to protect you. Because they have high energy, expect them to be playful with you most of the time. 

In terms of behavior and health concerns, these peach faced lovebirds are territorial and nippy, thus it is important that you handle and reinforce them with good behavior. These breeds love to indulge themselves with seeds so better provide them with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits or whole grains. Typically, pellet bird diet is essential as their base for nutrition. However in most cases, they are hesitant to eat pellets unless they are used to it and they were weaned onto it the moment they started eating. 

When determining the age of these pet, you can easily tell its age thru the color of its beaks. Adult birds often have orange, red, light gray or horn-colored beaks while the younger ones have black-marked beaks. 

The cage should be big enough for them to stretch their wings and legs comfortably. Add some toys or anything that catches their attention, otherwise, they might get bored and think about escaping. Cardboard tubes and mirrors make good toys. Take note that these birds are great escape artists. With that, try to secure their cages with the right locks to avoid escapes. Just like our lovable pet, once they tried to escape and one of them do made it successfully. Fortunately, we caught it before it flew away.

Also, their cages should always have ample supply of fresh water and food regularly. Offer them veggies, legumes, fruits, or pellets. Variety is the key here. Just like humans, they get bored easily when eating the same types of food over and over again. When properly taken-cared of, your pet lovebird can actually live between ten and fifteen years.

Having peach faced lovebirds at home is simply amazing. The joys they bring and the mischievous and sometimes annoying but equally relaxing behavior they show is totally one thing to look forward to after a day’s work.