Absolutely Adorable Lovebirds

Lovebirds Droppings- The Secrets Revealed

2008-04-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Most of the pet bird lovers are confused with the normal droppings of lovebirds with that of abnormal one. Generally the lovebirds pass watery droppings. As a lovebird owner you should know the constituents of normal droppings.

Lovebird's droppings consist of three separate components including feces, urine and urates. Since the bird pushes the droppings out of one orifice, the vent, all three portions of the droppings are mixed in the cloaca before being passed out of the body.

The Feces

The feces of the lovebirds are solid and worm-like, may be dark green in color. In addition to this, the color of the feces varies mostly what the bird has recently consumed. It can be alarming to the owner if he sees reddish color feces, as this may be interpreted as blood. Hence it is utmost important for the lovebirds breeder to see what their lovebirds are consuming, so that color changes can be correctly evaluated.

If the fecal portion of the droppings is very sticky, tarry, dark, and dark green, then the lovebird doesn't eat any solid food for the past 24 hours. Usually the lovebird breeders often mistaken for digested blood in the droppings, but it is really a kind of bile (biliverdin) from the liver.

The Urine
You can notice the watery droppings in case the feces portion is missing in the droppings, which is an indicative of increase in the urine level. Most of the lovebirds breeders will consider that their bird is passing diarrhea, but it is not so. If the feces is solid with no urine at all, it is not diarrhea.

Missing of brown or green solid fecal portion with watery droppings is an indicative of diarrhea. Some types of diarrhea will show gas bubbles in the droppings, which is an indicative of presence of anerobic bacteria.

Urates

The last part of the lovebirds dropping is urates. It is the end product of protein metabolism in the avian system. This product is filtered in kidney and evacuated in droppings. If your lovebird is showing yellow and green urates, then the avian patients are suffering from liver problem and chlamydophila infection respectively.

As bottom line, the lovebird breeders should aware that when birds consume greens or fruits, it would lead to diarrhea. Some of the breeders are having false opinion about this fact.

Moreover, if your lovebird is nervous, the droppings would be more watery, which is due to high blood pressure than normal.

Any deviation in the lovebirds dropping should brought to the notice of your avian vet immediately to save your valuable lovebirds life.

What do you Feed For the Peach-faced Lovebirds?

2008-03-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Peach-faced lovebirds are voracious feeders. Give these birds a seed mixture suitable for lovebirds which you can supplement with small amounts of fruit, berries, green food and Italian millet.

During the breeding season, they like to eat small quantities of supplements and egg food and they should also have access to a grit mixture.

In my aviary I feed my birds frozen mixed veggies- any variety is fair. Do serve the vegetables after boiling it in a pot (place the veggies in a pot, bring to a boil) and cool them by running cold water.

Some of the lovebirds owner place broccoli stems in a food processor or cabbage and carrot together- most of the lovebirds love it like anything.

The main prerequisites to make your bird hale and healthy is be patient and do provide your lovebirds a good variety of fresh veggies for at least three weeks or until your lovebird eats the treat.

Even you can use good cockatiel seed mixture with added raw sunflower seeds, 12 grain cereal mix, and wheat germ for the lovebirds feed. Even you can add about 2-3 teaspoons of oyster shells to each batch of seed mixture.

Housing Tips for Peach Faced Lovebirds

2008-03-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

Peach-faced lovebirds , which during recent years have become one of the most popular sorts of cage birds, can be kept whether in a cage or an indoor or outdoor aviary. It does not matter much if the cage or aviary is higher than it is long or vice-versa.

However, the cage or aviary must be made of sturdy materials and be resistant to the birds powerful beaks. There is not much point putting plants in the aviary because the lovebirds will gnaw them to pieces in no time.

Peach-faced lovebirds are strong birds which do not require any heating if kept in an outdoor aviary during the winter. However, they should have access to a frost-free night house. You should also provide them with a (roosting) box in which they will use on cold nights.

Social Characteristics of Peach Faced Lovebirds

2008-02-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

As you know already peach faced lovebirds are native of Southwest Africa. At first glance, there appears to be no difference between sexes. An experienced breeder can feel the difference between the pelvic bones which are wider apart in the case of the females of the species.

These lovebirds usually get on well together. They occasionally squabble but these confrontations are rarely serious. They can be kept together with other, spirited species of parakeet. Delicate and smaller birds should not be kept in the same aviary or cage.

Single birds can also be kept provided they are given sufficient attention. You can keep two birds, of whatever sex, in a cage in the living room without any problems arising. However, you should never simply introduce a new bird into a cage containing an existing single bird. The new bird will often be regarded as an intruder and will also be treated as such.

It is better to keep both birds in different accommodation or let them get used to each other for quite a long time by placing the cages close together.

Peach-Faced Lovebirds Breeding

2008-02-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

Peach-Faced Lovebirds are quite easy to breed when compared to other species. However, pairing the birds can be quite difficult since the two sexes are very similar. It is best not to try breeding lovebirds younger than a year.

Lovebirds can be called as "pitbull of birds" and for good reason. Generally the hen can show aggression towards on its mate with no warning. You can find one dead bird in the cage once you return from office. Hence getting a suitable pair is really difficult. If you're successful in finding a suitable pair, then you will be rewarded with few clutches of cute little baby lovebirds.

A nest box with a surface area of approximately 10 sq. inches (25 sq. cm) is sufficient. In contrast to most other parakeets, these birds do make nests, usually using coarse twigs that they gnaw into strips.

Between 3 and 5 eggs are laid which the female incubates for between approximately 18 and 20 days. Fledging occurs at least a month or one and a half months after hatching. The very young birds of this species are recognizable due to their partially black beaks. Peach-Faced Lovebirds may well produce a number of clutches per year.

Lovebirds Need Grit - Dr. Hanson, DVM

2008-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

One of the visitor to this blog is an avian vet- Dr.Hanson, DVM. He commented about an article on "Need of grit for lovebirds". I have given his opinion as a blog post today. Hope this info will be an eye opener to the pet bird owners.

I have been an avian veterinarian for more than 20 years and the most sad bird problem which I treat is when an owner brings in their dying bird who has not had access to a good quality mineral grit. These people have been badly informed by articles on the Internet and by mis-informed people who write bird owner "help" books. These people have never studied avian physiology.

A bird's ventriculus requires pieces of grit in order to pulverize seeds and fibrous plant leaves. Without grit birds become impacted especially if these poor birds are fed pellets instead of seeds.
Pellets turn into a thick paste in the bird's ventriculus and then blocks the outlet to the intestines (pyloric sphincter obstruction). Insoluble mineral grit combines with the hydrochloric acid in the bird's proventriculus so that a chemical reaction releases electrolytes so that the bird's gastrointestinal tract neurons are stimulated. This prevents proventricular dilatation which is inflammation of a bird's GI tract.

Mineral grit is absolutely essential for all seed-eating birds. Most birds eat seeds. Seeds are the heart of the plant and they provide birds with the necessary energy to fly. It is good that you are telling people about the necessity of grit for ALL seed-eating birds.

It's not true that some seed-eating birds remove the hulls from all of their seeds before ingesting them. This is not true. All seed-eating birds pack their crops with un-hulled seeds before perching for the night so they can have energy in the morning at sunrise. So they do not remove the hulls.

The only time a bird will take the time to remove the hulls from seeds is possibly when it is playing with the seed after it has already ingested sufficient nourishment. It is sad to remove a piece of impacted pellet-paste from a bird's stomach.

Sometimes these birds become so impacted with pellets that they do not have normal stools. The owners are gullible and they have been providing pellets for their unfortunate birds. How sad.

Birds require a species-specific seed and grit diet along with fresh greens and fresh water. Seeds have fat in them and this provides a bird with the extra energy they need. Just because a bird is in a cage doesn't mean its metabolism has slowed-down and shouldn't eat high-fat seeds. The reason birds get liver and kidney failure is due to pellet diets.

Mutation of Peach Faced Lovebirds

2008-01-12T22:42:00.001-08:00

There are great many mutations of this species. In fact, the mutations are so popular that is difficult finding a bird with purely natural plumage.

One of the most recent and also very colorful and attractive color mutations is the orange head variety. There are also light, dark, olive, and (light and dark) sea green colored birds, often in combination with white mask, cinnamon or isabel characterisitics.

Lastly there are also (light) yellow birds with dark eyes, lutinos (yellow with red eyes) and pied birds.

Social Characteristics of Fischer's Lovebird

2008-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

As you know very well Fischer's lovebirds are native of Northern Tanzania. Both the sexes have identical coloring. The females are often slightly larger than the males, but this is not always the case. An experienced enthusiast can feel the difference between the pelvic bones which are wider apart in the case of the females of the species.

You can keep the birds as a pair but also in a small group. Although skirmishes may occur in the group these will not have serious consequences in a spacious aviary.

A pair of Fischer's lovebirds can also be kept in a cage in the living room without any problems occurring. You should purchase a pair simultaneously however, since a solitary Fischer lovebird may not readily accept an intruder, something which could have catastrophic consequences.

How to clip my lovebirds wings?

2007-12-31T03:17:00.000-08:00

Before clipping the wings of your lovebirds, you ought to think is it necessary to clip the wings or not. Once you decided to clip lovebirds wings, beware that you should clip the flight feathers only.

Once you clipped the flight feathers, your lovebirds cannot fly for long distance within the cage. Don't think that your lovebirds can't fly if you clip wings- it can safely glide if she falls from a high place like a table top.

Although clipping lovebirds wings is touchy topic, I may choose both for my lovebirds. On the other hand the choice is yours- clipping the flight feathers or not...

If you want to see the pictures of clipping wings, please do visit this PARROT SITE....

Picking species for a tropical aquarium

2007-12-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

Some of the lovebird owners prefer to rear fishes in their home along with the birds. The following post hep them to perform well with aquatic faunas.

If you want to set up an aquarium with tropical aquarium fish, there is a multitude of different species to choose among. There is of course the every so common neon tetra, platy, black molly, swordtail, and so on, but you don’t have to go for typical beginner species unless you want to.

As a beginner, you should focus on getting hardy species that will tolerate a mistake or two. It is also a good idea to stick to fairly peaceful species, since aggressive species require species knowledge in order to avoid excessive fighting in the aquarium.

If you are prepared to deal with at least a little aggression in the aquarium, there are many beautiful cichlids to choose among that will do fine even in the hands of a beginner. Be sure to visit a cichlid fact database, cichlid website or cichlid forum before you make a purchase, because many cichlids are not recommended for beginners.

They can for instance be too aggressive or grow really large and require huge aquarium. Another excellent choice for beginners is barbs, as long as you stick to some of the hardy species, e.g. rosy barb, cherry barb, gold barb, or tiger barb.

In the wild, a vast majority of the barbs live in large groups and they must therefore not be kept alone or in small groups in the aquarium. For most barb species, it is advisable to get at least five specimens, preferably more.

Choosing the right dog seller

2007-12-19T03:39:00.000-08:00

You may be frowned why there is a need for such a topic in this blog. It is not a secret- just like that if you know how to find a right dog seller, it is more or less equal- choosing a right lovebird seller.

When purchasing a dog, it is important to do so from a reputable seller. You should for instance stay clear of puppy mills and unskilled backyard breeders, since such breeders frequently promote poor dog health in their puppies.

A puppy mill owner will for instance often refrain from spending any money on nutritious food and veterinary car for the dogs, since the aim of the puppy mill is to generate as much money as possible.

An unskilled backyard breeder might very well love her dogs, but without sufficient knowledge about dog health, hereditary dog disease and so on, it is easy to unknowingly promote poor dog health in the puppies, e.g. by using unsuitable dogs as parents. The risk of being offered a puppy from a puppy mill or backyard breeder is higher for some breeds than others.

If you wish to purchase a rare dog breed such as Ariégeois, Iceland shepherd or Hungarian Vizlsa, you are unlikely to be offered a puppy from a puppy mill since the owners of such establishments tend to focus on really popular breeds that are easy to sell.

If you on the other hand want to purchase some of the most popular breeds, e.g. Collie, German Shepherd or Golden Retriever, you are very likely to see adds and other forms of advertising from puppy mills.

In addition to these traditional breeds, the increased popularity of miniature dog breeds such as Chihuahua, Papillon and Pekingese have made tiny dogs a new and profitable target for puppy mill owners interested in making some quick and easy money.

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease in Lovebirds

2007-12-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

Do you know Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) is resistant in adult Lovebirds? PBFD is a highly contagious viral infection in cockatoos. Some of the baby lovebirds will get affected with this disease. Asa lovebird owner you must take steps to protect the aviary and nursery from this dreadful airborne virus.

If you want to make your aviary free from PBFD, strict isolation techniques and screening of birds are highly solicited.

Most of the affected birds usually die within couple of days with anorexia and wasting disease.

Some species of lovebirds are really resistant to PBFD. But these lovebirds may have chronic infection.

These lovebirds will continuously shed the infection to the health young immature birds to make them suffer.

The PBFD virus is noticed in high numbers in infected birds and is noticed in the feather dust and other excretions. This will cause highly contagious nature of the disease and extensive environmental contamination. At this time, there is no vaccine or treatment to combat the Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease viral infection.

Do you know about Blue-Crowned Hanging Parrot?

2007-12-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Blue-Crowned Hanging Parrot would have a close resemblance to lovebirds. due to their sober markings and coloring, these birds are not likely to catch the eye at shows. Actually Blue-Crowned Hanging Parrot is widely distributed in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The males of this species are recognizable by the blue mark on their heads and the red mark on their throats.

Social Characteristics

These birds, which belong to the hanging parrots group, are gregarious and enjoy the company of at least one other bird of the same species. It is unwise to keep solitary birds. They get on well with other birds provided there is sufficient room.

Albino Masked Lovebirds

2007-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen albino masked lovebirds? A variety of mutations exist. Similarly to Peach-faced Lovebirds there are light, dark, and olive green mutations as well as mauve, sky-blue and cobalt-blue mutations, some times in combination with pastel.

Lastly, there are also lutinos (yellow with red eyes) and albinos (white with red eyes).
These albino lovebirds are lively and active and make use of all areas of the aviary or cage. They love to bathe in water and their call can be very loud and piercing.

It is better not to try breeding these birds before they are one year old. A suitable nest box will have a surface area of 10 sq.inches (30 cm). They build a nest from all kinds of coarse materials. They will produce 3 or 4 eggs that the female will incubate for between approximately 18 and 20 days.

But it is not sure, an albino masked lovebirds will give birth to an young albino young one- It all depends on the probability of Genes...

Learn About Lovable Lovebirds! - Shari Carpenter

2007-11-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Lovebirds make wonderful pets. Their exquisite colors and animated personalities easily endear them to onlookers. While every bird has its own personality there are traits common to all Lovebirds which have made them a popular pet and a great choice for a first time bird owner.

Appearance

Lovebirds have perhaps the most varied coloration among the parrot species. Years of hybridizing by breeders have developed soft pastels or brilliant hues. You'll find Lovebirds in nearly any color imaginable - blues, yellows, purples, peaches and so on.

Lovebirds are also a pleasantly sized parrot for most people. They are only 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches and about 42-60 grams. Baby Lovebirds will be close to the size of an adult Lovebird.

Life Span

Like other parrots, Lovebirds have a long life span - although not as long as the larger species. They live 15-20 years, approximately the same life span as a cat. It is important to understand the commitment before purchasing a Lovebird.

Lovebirds Are Active Little Parrots

Lovebirds are very energetic and inquisitive. They will happily fly about or sit on your shoulder during daily activities. They are not nervous of usual activity and generally can integrate with a family of busy, noisy children with great enjoyment. Lovebirds love to play and are comical to watch whether they are playing alone splashing in their water dish or playing with your hair and sneaking into your collar.

Your best bet is to buy a hand-raised Lovebird which will be more tame than a parent-raised bird. While Lovebirds are quite fearless and should be supervised closely around other pets, they do enjoy playing with people. Gentle and consistent handling will help prevent nipping.

Lovebirds, like other birds, are born to live among a flock and so they will challenge authority for the dominant position. Sometimes headstrong, the owner of a Lovebird needs to be patient and firm. However, Lovebirds are not overly demanding in most respects and will learn to be well-behaved. They are also content to play alone for periods of time as long as they are given proper space and playthings.

Lovebirds are very intelligent and can even be 'potty' trained to go on a paper or in a trash container instead of around the house. This can make it much easier to allow your Lovebird to enjoy freedom outside the cage without the constant clean up.

Vocalizations

While Lovebirds will learn to mimic the sounds around them, including household noises and other birds, they are not known for mimicking human speech as well as other parrot species.

Despite this you will find your Lovebird to have a strong personality all its own and it will convey its moods and desires quite clearly.

Before buying your Lovebird be sure the owner or breeder can provide additional assistance in helping you settle your bird at home. You are likely to have other questions arise as a first time owner and should look for cooperation for properly learning to care for your pet Lovebird.

Permission is granted to reprint full article "as is" with author credit given below and a link back to http://www.birdwatchin.com. There are no private label resale rights available and the article cannot be modified or your name assigned to it.

Shari Carpenter is the owner of http://www.birdwatchin.com, a one-stop resource for people that love bird watching, backyard bird feeding and pet birds. http://www.birdwatchin.com covers a wide range of information, products and supplies, including the blog "Birdwatchin' Buzz Today!" It is also the place to subscribe to the free newsletter "David's Wild Bird News".

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shari_Carpenter

Normal Activities of Peach Faced Lovebird

2007-11-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

Peach faced lovebirds are stocky and colorful birds with their short tails always seem to be busy doing something. They are lively and energetic and make use of all areas of the aviary or cage.

Cage birds like to have something to do, certainly if they are kept individually. There are plenty of toys which can be purchased from pet shops. You make sure that anything you buy is strong enough because these birds have very strong beaks.

Peach-faced love birds are fairly noisy and their call is piercing. They enjoy bathing and birds kept indoors must be given the opportunity to take a bath or be sprayed using a plant spray set to ultra-fine. Peach-Faced Lovebirds are competent flyers but also like to scramble around.

Breeding of Masked Lovebird

2007-10-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

It is better not to try breeding masked lovebirds before they are one year old. a suitable nest box will have surface area of 10 sq. inches (25 sq. cm) and a height of 12 inches (30 cm) .

They build a nest from all kinds of coarse materials. They will produce 3 or 4 eggs that the female will incubate for between approximately 18 and 20 days.

Fledging occurs after 45 days. A couple of weeks after the young have left, the parents may start acting aggressively towards them so it is better to remove the young birds in good time. These birds may well produce a number of clutches per year, but you should be careful not to exhaust them by removing the nest box after the second clutch.

Cage Position For the Lovebirds

2007-10-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Regardless of the kind of material it has been made of, the birdcage should never be placed in direct sunlight or in a dark place. It is important for the birds well-being that it gets enough light.

A little morning sun usually does a bird a great deal of good. Most birds like to sit in a high place, from which they have a good view of what is going on around them. This tends to make them safer. You should, therefore, preferably place the cage on a stand or on a table rather than on or just above the ground.

Never place a cage in a draft or a place that might get a draft because of open windows and /or doors. Birds are extremely sensitive to this. A birdcage should never be placed in or near the kitchen.

Birds' lungs are extremely sensitive to poisonous substances. Bird lovers have known for some time that a number of gases are released when Teflon-coated nonstick pans heated and that these gases can kill birds fairly quickly, especially members of the budgerigar family. It is less generally known that this may also happen with pans made of other materials, nonstick ovens linings, and table grills.

It is for reason that a cage should never be placed in or near a kitchen. There have, however, also been a number of instances in which birds died even though they were a couple of rooms away from the kitchen. You, should, therefore, always be very careful.

Providing Baths for Lovebirds

2007-10-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

You can buy ready-made baths, which you can hang inside the cage. These are perfect for smaller birds, such as lovebirds and Zebra finches.

But for bigger and stronger species of bird it is better to provide a different kind of bathing facility. This is because parrots and members of the stratling family can easily lift these baths or push them away, making it possible for them to escape.

Moreover, most of these ready-made baths tend to too small for these birds. For bigger species of bird, you would therefore be better off buying a glazed earthenware bowl instead.

Nesting Material: Perfect Way to Start Lovebird Breeding

2007-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Please make sure that there is always plenty of nesting material around that is suitable for the birds you breed. Suitable materials for nest building include dried grass, hay, plant roots, coconut fibers, and sisal twine, dried moss, leaves, animal hair (of rabbits, dogs, horses, and cattle) and little twigs.

Most members of the budgerigar family don't build nests. Place a layer of damp peat-moss or some rotten wood on the bottom of the nest box. This keeps the eggs slightly moist-dehydration is fatal- and also stops the eggs from rolling to the sides.

Destructive species of birds like to gnaw a lot, especially parrots, a large number of parakeets and cockatoos have a tendency to "remodel" their nest box with their sharp beaks. They do not always set about this in a clever way. They sometimes gnaw away the entrance hole to such an extent that it becomes a half-open nest box.

A lot of parent birds do not leave the bottom of the nest box alone, either. Extra protection, possibly with hardwood or with some metal strips, might help.

Always give these birds plenty of material to gnaw on during the breeding season, you could for example give them some fresh willow tree twigs.

Where Can You Best Buy Your Birds?

2007-09-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

You can buy a bird from a pet shop, a trader in birds and sometimes even directly from bird shows, and from breeders of course.

Where you buy your birds will to some extent depend on the species of bird you are looking for and what you are planning to do with them. Common species, such as budgerigars, lovebirds, zebra finches, or canaries, can be bought at virtually any pet store.

If, however, you are looking for a somewhat rarer bird, a bird with a particular type of coloring or a particular type of characteristics, then your average pet shop will not be able to help you.

This will most certainly be the case if you want to use your birds for breeding purposes and want to enter them for shows.

The demands that are made in respect of a bird’s appearance at shows are very high and you will almost certainly not able to find birds you can enter in shows in your average pet shop.

In that case you had better contact your local bird association. The members of the secretariat can usually refer you to a breeder who has the birds you are looking for.

You could also pay a visit to one or more bird shows. At these events you can admire the different species and type of coloring and get in touch with the bird’s owners or breeders.

You can contact a local bird association or the national bird association to find out more about when and where these bird shows are to be held. Bird magazines, also provide useful information about these shows.

Lovebirds Behind Glass?

2007-09-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Most of the lovebirds owners are asking - shall I keep my lovebirds behind glasses? It is possible to buy cages made (partly) of glass or perspex, the so-called glass cages. These cages have two important advantages.

The first one is that you can observe the birds without being hampered by bars. The second one is that loose feathers, droppings, empty husks, and the like stay inside the cage.

There are number of disadvantages when your lovebirds behind glass, too, however. In hot weather, the temperature inside the glass cage may become excessive.

You can tell when a bird is hot as it will then keep its wings slightly away from its body and its beak open. As a result of the high temperature and the minimal amount of ventilation the bird may also start to experience breathing difficulties, it may even start to look a little "sweaty".

You can prevent this by placing the cage in a spot that does not get any direct sunlight or only gets the sun early in the morning.

Need of grit for lovebirds

2007-09-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Seed-eating birds like lovebird have a special digestive system. The seed is ground in the gizzard, making it easier for the bird to digest. The bird, however, needs sharp grit for this.

If there is no sharp grit in the gizzard, then the bird cannot grind the seed. Sharp grit does not stay in the gizzard permanently. Over the course of time, the sharp edges of the grit wear down and the bird secretes the grit. The bird will then have to eat some more sharp grit.

You have to make sure, therefore, that you always have some grit for your bird. You can buy special grit or a grit mix from the pet shop. The advantage of the latter is that it also contains digestible grit, among other things, charcoal. It is therefore always preferable to use a grit mix of this kind.

Your lovebird can then chose the substances it needs from the ingredients. It goes without saying that you should buy a mix that is geared to the size of your bird; mixes for small tropical birds are finer than mixes for lovebirds.

Care of Cage Bars in an Aviary (Part-I)

2007-08-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

When buying a cage please make sure that the bars are strong enough for the species of birds you want to keep. It goes without saying that lovebirds need much thicker bars or wire mesh than canaries.

The gap between the bars or wire mesh is also something you should pay attention to. If the bars are too far apart from each other or if the wire mesh too coarse, then lovebird may try to wriggle itself out through the gaps and get its head struck .

It is for this reason that small tropical birds cannot be kept in a cage that has been specially designed for lovebirds, for example, and the latter cannot be kept in a parrot cage. Because of the strength of the wire mesh or the bars, a strong budgerigar or parrot should not be kept in a cage is spacious enough for the bird.

How to Identify Sick Lovebirds?

2007-08-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

If you know your lovebirds well, you will be able to tell by their behavior and appearance whether or not they are feeling well. Healthy lovebirds are active and feathers are flat and sleek. Deviant behavior could include that there is some kind of problem, may be lovebird sickness.

The lovebird might start to become withdrawn, apathetic, start making stereotypical movements, start plucking its feathers or just generally becomes restless. One of the first signs of sickness is that the lovebird’s feathers are “fluffed up” rather than flat and sleek and that the bird is generally listless.

A lot of lovebirds will look like this when the ambient temperature is too low for them. By fluffing up their feathers they retain some body heat in the space between their feathers. An increase in temperature will generally improve things in these cases.

Other symptoms that tell you that there may be something wrong with lovebirds includes difficulty in breathing, “gasping” for air, diarrhea, loss of appetite, bald spots, feather loss, abundant molting, tum-ors on the bill, legs, and around the eyes, partial or full paralysis, a discharge from the nose or eyes, and swellings.

When you suspect sickness with your birds, you should never just wait and see how things develop, but take immediate action. If you keep in touch with experienced bird-keepers and breeders, then you will be able to present the problem to them.

Experienced bird-keepers know certain symptoms very well and often know exactly how you treat them. You could try and get in touch with experienced people via bird associations. In addition, you could try and contact your veterinary surgeon.

A simple examination of the lovebird’s droppings might be all that is needed to find out what is wrong. In other cases, a blood sample or examination of one of the affected birds be needed to find out what is wrong.