Lovebirds

Diet:

• Fresh Chop Daily

• Fresh fruits daily

  • Bananas

  • Cherries

  • Strawberries

  • Mango

  • Papaya

• Pellets formulated for small parrots- we recommend brands such as: Tops, Birdstreet and Harrisons.

• Millet Spray

• Limited but still offer seeds and treats such as: Lafeber’s Nutriberries

• Foods to stay away from: Avocado and Chocolate.

Lovebird diets should be composed heavily of balanced pellets formulated for small parrots to ensure that a love bird gets the essential nutrients. This also ensures that the bird does not pick through all of the food and eat only what it enjoys. Avian veterinarians recommend captive birds' diets be supplemented with foods such as organic fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, pasta, whole grain bread and other healthy human foods. Variety is also important for birds, so supplement formulated diets with bird-safe vegetables, fruit, and even healthy table foods (minus any sauces or seasoning). Adding these foods provides additional nutrients and can prevent obesity and lipomas, as can substituting millet, which is relatively low in fat, for seeds mixes.

Foods to avoid: Avocado and Chocolate.

How to transition:

Lovebirds do not always adapt readily to dietary additions. The key is to be patient and persistent. At first, they may be wary of new foods, but after a few weeks they may come around. Try giving an organic carrot with sopping wet carrot top greens or wet kale in a shallow bowl, and as they bathe they will nibble on the greens. Also try weaving greens through the bars of the cage for shredding.

Remember to change out the old green/fruits on the daily.

Noise Level: Lovebirds are generally most vocal in the early morning when the sunrises and around sunset. For the most part, they are relatively quiet birds compared to larger species of parrots.

If you have sensitive neighbors or live in an apartment complex with thin walls, It is not recommended to adopt a love bird.

Lifespan: Love birds can live up to 20 years in captivity if given a good diet, proper enrichment for mental stimulation and appropriate habitat.

Common Health Problems

Lovebirds are susceptible to chlamydiosis, self-mutilation as well as nutritional deficiencies related to an inadequate diet, especially if fed a mostly seed diet.

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD): Beak and Feather— This is an extremely contagious incurable viral disease. If your love bird has beak and feather, it is transmissible to other birds that share the same airspace.

PBFD can be easily recognized by its primary symptoms in the infected birds. There will be general feather loss along the lovebirds body and head, which cannot be attributed to bird’s self plucking; other symptoms include:

• Sharp feathers

• Clubbed feathers

• Abnormally short feathers (pin feathers)

• Loss of pigment in colored feathers

• Loss of powder down

• Bloody shafts in the feathers

As the infection progresses, the bird can become depressed for days, and most die suddenly.

It is possible to own a lovebird or other parrot with PBFD however we do not recommend having any other birds until that bird passes.

Viral Diseases can linger far after the bird passes, if you choose not to dispose of the cage/habitat the bird came into contact with- you MUST sanitize with bleach thoroughly 5-10 times and leave the cage in the sun for 6-8 weeks (or longer) to ensure the virus is not stuck to debris. See Cage Care.