Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Other pet critters - Birds, fish, rabbits, reptiles, rodents and exotics > Birds

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 22nd, 2006, 05:44 PM
mybirdy mybirdy is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 4
Help me..please....pretty please with sugar on top

Hey fellas..as the title suggests I am new to the whole pet thing and i need help. I have never had a pet in my life. 3 months ago my girl friend bought this cute lovebird. The first time that bird sat on my shoulder and licked my cheek i fell in love with it. Since then I wanted to buy a bird as a pet. So my first question is that is Loverbird a good idea as a pet bird? The one my gf got didn't seem that expensive and I have heard these birds are very affectionate and intelligent. Secondly do you guys recommend any reading material that I should go through before getting the bird? Thanks in advance for all your help.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old March 22nd, 2006, 05:50 PM
LavenderRott's Avatar
LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,671
Lovebirds make great pets. I don't have birds, personally, I think they are messier then I like.

My best advice to you if you decide to get a bird - JUST HAVE ONE!! If you have two and you keep them together, then they bond to each other.

I worked at a petstore that bred it's own birds and my jobs was to clean the cages, feed, water and keep an eye on the eggs of the breeding birds. There isn't anything nastier then a bird protecting it's nest and those Lovebirds were the bane of my existance!
__________________
Sandi
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old March 22nd, 2006, 06:19 PM
mybirdy mybirdy is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 4
Thanks...I was planning on getting on one bird first..how about reading material, is there any that you recommend for me to go thru before i get my birdy. Are LB easy to train? Can you recommend a few places that I can shop around for a lovebird. I was planning on getting a hand fed Baby Lovebird. I have heard older lovebirds are hard to train are not as much affectionate.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old March 22nd, 2006, 06:35 PM
LavenderRott's Avatar
LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,671
Please bare in mind that I changed 75 bird cages a day and 50 of those held breeding pairs. Birds are NOT my favorite!

You should start with a young bird. Yes, they are easier to train if you start young and the bird should bond to you. It should be just done being hand fed and eating mostly millet and just a little seed when you get it. If you can, pick your bird before all of it's feathers have completely come in and help with the hand feeding once or twice a week. It will hekp with the bonding.

Being as I just love birds so much, I have absolutely no desire to read about them, so I am not sure about a good book to get. If you do a google search, you should be able to get plenty of sites that will either give you some ideas on books or teach you what you want to learn.

DO NOT buy a bird from someone online or a big box petstore. PetSmart, PetCo and Petland are the worst places in the States to buy crickets from, let alone something you would like to have as a pet.

Check around for Bird Shows (yes, there is such a thing!) or find a small mom and pop type petstore that sells birds. Talk to the owner and see where they get their birds from . I know that one local store here often has Cockateils and Parakeets and the occasional finches and Lovebirds. The owner has a couple of ladies in the area that he gets his birds from. And YES, he has been to see the Aviaries that these birds come from.

Hope that helps. (Wouldn't you rather have a cat? )
__________________
Sandi
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old March 22nd, 2006, 08:34 PM
mybirdy mybirdy is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 4
Thanks a ton for ur help.....cat r dog is a plan of the future...not in the budget....
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old March 22nd, 2006, 08:49 PM
papillonmama's Avatar
papillonmama papillonmama is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: GTA
Posts: 747
Lovebirds are wonderful pets, I love birds in general. Before you make your decision, you should know, birds as pets are not any cheaper than dogs, they require a lot of time and patience to train. If your bird becomes ill, chances are (depending on where you live), you may have to drive far to find a vet that can diagnose and treat a bird. They need large cages, (which can be expensive), and a lot of stimulation, (toys) and of course the time that you put in, is the love that you will recieve back from your pet. And depending on the type of bird that you choose, they can live for a long time.

I googled lovebirds, here's a site that came up...

http://www.lovebirds.co.nz/main/index.php

Good luck, I hope you find the perfect friend.:love:
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old March 27th, 2006, 09:50 AM
RaYne's Avatar
RaYne RaYne is offline
Owned by Saints
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Waterford, Ontario
Posts: 336
I have 2 Dutch Blue Lovebirds. Mine are currently 14 and 15 years old. Both came from a breeder and were handfed, but since I allowed them to be together they no longer have any use for me. And are only semi-tame now. They also scream blue murder if you seperate them. They must be in each others view at all times.

So I definitely reccomend getting only 1, and a male if possible. Make sure you go to a breeder. They are usually familar with sexing them. My breeder was about 90% accurate with sexing just by feeling the pelvic bones. Females sometime do get nasty when they hit breeding age. I find the males could care less about reproducing. My female just turned one day and latched onto my lip, I still have a scar. I didn't want to breed so I returned her to the breeder where she could breed to her hearts content. And that she did. lol

They are really vocal morning and night, at times ear piercing. If you live in an apartment your neighbours might complain. Mine did. LOL

Hmm, what else.. Oh messy.. They are seed flingers. What they don't like in their food dish gets thrown out whether into the bottom of the cage or onto the floor they don't care.

Here's a pic of my 2 old boys. lol
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old March 27th, 2006, 02:49 PM
Lise's Avatar
Lise Lise is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 517
My oldest daughter has a dutch blue peach face.He's absolutely fantastic,we got him as an adult almost seventeen years ago and he is the most wonderful little bird.Burford went to riding camp with Liz every summer and I think every book,picture,magazine in her room has been marked by our little paper shredder.A single lovebird makes a great pet,I don't find them too loud or messy but that's compared to my greys and my other daughters quaker.They do need a lot of attention if you have a single bird though since they are extremely social.I would also say get a male you can't sex them with any accuracy until they are a bit older since when they are babies the pelvic bones are close in both sexes.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old March 30th, 2006, 10:15 PM
mybirdy mybirdy is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 4
Thanks for all the input fellas..i really appreciate all the help and adivce. Thank You
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:13 PM.