# Lovebird



## Jon Swan (Feb 4, 2010)

Just wanted to share this as I'm pretty chuffed!

I've had my peach faced lovebird for around two months now. She quickly trusted me enough to eat out of my hand but each time I tried to get her to pop onto my finger she would back off. 

Well after some perseverance she has decided to jump straight past the hop onto my finger stage and now, when I open the cage, she will fly straight onto my shoulder and will walk around the house with me! She will even pop straight back in her cage when I lower my shoulder by the cage door! :2thumb:

To say I'm chuffed is an understatement! 

I often read threads from people asking what parrot they should get. I would say if you don't mind a bit of noise now and again then I would go for a lovebird. They have tonnes of personality, are very intelligent, look beautiful and over time tame down nicely!

Here are some photos of her on my shoulder!

Reptile Forums - Jon Swan's Album: Lovebird


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## tinyfish (Nov 11, 2008)

She is lovely, and congratulations on getting her to trust you!

I am, however, a bit concerned that she is on her own. Lovebirds are called lovebirds for a reason and form very strong pair bonds which no human can replace, no matter how much time you spend with them. 

If you want the best for your bird please get her a mate (being careful to introduce them slowly, in adjacent cages to start with to give them a chance to get to know each other) They can be fussy when it comes to choosing a partner (not surprisingly, as they mate for life) and may not get on immediately (and in some cases ever!) with the first one chosen for them by us. I am sure there are threads about introductions on here.

Good luck!


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

Very jealous. Had my pair almost a year now and they're only just getting comfortable being towards the front of the cage when I'm in the room. They even let me watch them eat from the bowls at the front the other day which is a really big deal. My 2 weren't hand reared though so i don't expect they'll ever get to the hopping on me stage, even hand feeding might be far fetched. 

From what I read before getting mine, they are ok to keep on their own. It's supposed to be easier to bond with an individual bird as a pair will rather bond with each other than a person.


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

IMO, if a Lovebird is parent-reared, it should not be kept singly. If it is hand-reared, it is ok to be kept singly, as long as it gets plenty of attention from it's owner.


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## Jon Swan (Feb 4, 2010)

Yea she was hand-reared. She gets daily attention both morning and evening. When I mark my school work she sits on the end of my pen whilst I write comments in the kids books! She seems happy enough, very active and alert. I bought her as a single bird because I wanted to bond with her, whether that is right or wrong I don't know.

I actually bought a green check conure over the weekend as well. They are obviously kept in separate cages before any asks! He's two years old, called Dobby. He says hello, alrite, Doppy and laughs when you laugh. He's as tame as a dog. He's a tad overweight though, I think he's been on a diet based on seeds and not a lot else. I was worrying that he would be fussy when converting to greens, veg and the odd bit of fruit/pellets but he was straight into it! Any other tips for reducing a slightly chubby parrots weight? Apart from reducing the ammount of food and more exercise, which I'm already doing.


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