Baby Lovebirds Caring Tips

Congratulations!!! So your lovebird is nesting now. Then, this is high time to get to know about baby lovebirds caring tips. If you haven’t cared your baby lovebirds well, you’ll lose them that could be a discouraging experience.

Once you notice the baby lovebirds coming out of the nest, this is the time you should intervene. If you allow the baby birds along with the parents more than couple of weeks, the male bird will try to peck these little birds. Remove them and rear the young ones in a sizable plastic-type reptile container for first few weeks.

You should pull out the entire clutch at 10 days old; if you want them to hand rear. Feed the infant birds with syringes along with provision of adult food such as millets and greens. Fill the syringes half way with baby lovebird liquid feed. You should pull the syringe out about 3-5 seconds of feeding. Wipe the beak with a tissue paper or soft cloth, then again start feeding. Stop feeding once you feel that the crop is full. You should place the hand-held syringe on the RIGHT side of the beak to push the feed on left side, otherwise the bird will get choke.

Initially hand feed your bird with guidance from an experienced trainer. You can buy baby bird formula available commercially.

As we know very well that the baby birds are fed with regurgitated food by its mother in nature, you should provide them with warm food (103 F). Check the food thoroughly after warm up in order to avoid hot spots and stuff like that. If the food is too warm and fed the baby lovebirds unnoticed, then there is possibility of CROP BURN.

If the baby birds stop wanting the syringes, this clearly shows that they are completely independent. Now you can sell them to any other owner after completely examining that there are no health issues. 

Tips for successful lovebirds breeding

A healthy lovebird is a good breeder in near future. Hence it is mandatory to improve the health of your lovebirds in your cage. Here the few steps that will help you to maximize the breeding potentiality of your lovebirds.

Age of breeding

 As a lovebird’s breeder, you should know the age of your lovebird. The lovebird between 1 and 5 years old is suitable for breeding. The sex ratio should be 1 male for 5 females.

Nest boxes

Nest box plays an important role in breeding lovebirds. Nest box should be of 12 inches x 12 inches x 12 inches. The entrance hole in the nest box should be of 3 inches diameter.

Nutritional care

During breeding season, you should feed the lovebirds with fresh fruits, vegetables, and greens (Coriander leaves).  Supplementation with calcium is essential for the hens that are going to lay eggs.

Sexing of lovebirds

Do you know lovebirds are sexually monomorphic? It is very difficult to differentiate male and female as the species look alike. DNA sexing is the only way to ascertain the sex of the bird.

Laying of eggs

Female lovebirds will lay at least 3 to 7 eggs on alternate days.  In general, they will lay eggs after 5-7 days of mating.

Period of Incubation

Lovebirds will incubate the eggs for 23 days. You should calculate the days of incubation start from the day on which the hen sits on the egg continuously

Hatchling care

Both sexes will take part in hatchling rising by feeding the chicks daily. Extra feed such as green food and soaked seeds (millets) are of best choice. In general chicks will come out of the nest box at the age of six weeks. No chicks will remain in the nest box after eight weeks of age. The young ones will make use of nest box for night stay for two more weeks. You should keep in mind that once the young one learned to feed independently, it should be move on to another cage, otherwise the male will try to kill the offspring. 

Swollen head in lovebirds- Why?

One of my client rang me up two days back with a symptom of swollen head in her lovebird. Immediately I rushed and inspected the bird, it showed following symptoms: -

1. Ruffled feather
2. Swollen ear lobes
3. Swollen head
4. Lacrimation (watering of eyes)
5. Rotten smell nasal discharge

 This clearly suggestive of infectious coryza.  Infectious coryza is a specific respiratory disease in pet birds that occurs most often in semi-mature or adult birds caused by Hemophilus paragallinarum bacterium.

Transmission is by contact between birds. Other predisposing factors include ingestion of contaminated food stuff and water, and inhalation of infected aerosols. Improving the hygiene, and proper disposal of dead birds are the measures to prevent infectious coryza.

Antibiotics such as tetracycline, enrofloxacin may be useful to prevent further spread of this disease of head swelling in lovebirds..