Pet Topics

Lovebirds are affectionate pets that can live about 6 to 12 years if they are given a good diet. Without proper care they will only live about 4 to 6 years. Good care for lovebirds includes making sure they have the right diet, keep clean, and are properly groomed.

By managing this, you will help to prevent your lovebirds from getting sick or being in poor health. To help you along, here are some basics in care for lovebirds:

Diet

In the wild, lovebirds primarily eat grasses, leaves, nuts, and seeds, and as a result, their diet should reflect this. Even if you choose to use a nutrient-rich, pellet-based diet as you care for your lovebirds, they will be happier and eat better if you supplement this with fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens, since lovebirds enjoy variety in their diets, just as people do.

There are a few foods which need to be avoided because they are poisonous to birds. These include avocado, rhubarb leaves, and apple seeds, to name a few.

Bathing

Bathing is important in care for lovebirds, since they’re clean creatures. Bathing helps prevent dirt and bacteria from becoming a problem.

Many birds are content to use a dish of water to clean themselves, but if you don’t add a dish specifically for this to your birds’ cage, they will use their water dish. Our bird enjoys taking a shower in the sink.

Since you don’t want them drinking dirty water, its best you give them two dishes of water. Some birds like to be spritzed with a little warm water to aid in bathing, so if you find your bird likes that, a little help from you in bathing will be appreciated.

Grooming Beaks, Feet and Wings

There’s more to grooming lovebirds than regular bathing. By ensuring that birds have wooden perches in their cage, you give them the material they need to both exercise and groom their toenails and their beaks, which lovebirds naturally get in the wild by gnawing on tree branches and by perching on trees.

You might also want to clip your bird’s wings. By trimming the flight feathers, you ensure that your lovebirds can only glide in the air, not fly. This can be good if you’re worried about your birds flying away or flying into a window and hurting themselves, but not necessary if you’re uncomfortable with the idea.

This will have to be done regularly, since the feathers do grow back. Wing clipping and trimming of toenails can be done by a trained professional, which is good idea because a wrong cut in either place can result in pain and bleeding for a lovebird.

By ensuring that your birds are groomed properly and keeping them on a good diet, you will be able to care for your lovebirds for years to come.

The following video talks about taming your lovebird.