I am looking to adopt/purchase a bird in the next few weeks. First I’d like to settle on a breed. There is a flea market where we go that has a breeder who sells parakeets, finches, lovebirds, and cockateils. I am in love with the lovebirds. They’re gorgeous.
I think I am pretty much settled on them but are there any other birds under $50 that are sweet enough to hold?
Are lovebirds holdable/trainable???
Please tell me anything I would need to consider about the specific breed.
And if you know about lovebirds please tell me what I would need to know about owning one. We do have a vet nearby who handles birds, so that’s not a worry:)
Feel free to tell me about your birdies! Or even email if you’d like…
I will be purchasing a larger cage for whichever bird because I think they should have more space in and outside the cage, which is why I want to know more about lovebirds. I’ve checked out different websites and forums but they are all very biased about their breed…
Also, if I get a love bird, should I get him a mate as well? What is your experience?
As well as other types of birds…is it better to purchase them in pairs from the breeder?
I think Budgie (if i was u get a baby thats hand read may cost more but its worth it) i have a baby budgie its o cute it sits on my finger and follows me around the room
AND THEY LOVE HUMAN CONTACT
Have one male budgerigar. They are very funny, trainable and they speaking capability is near to Grey parrots.
They only need -like other birds- care and love.
Lovebirds are very beautiful, but they have none of the abilities above. And they tend to be psychotic sometimes.
I personally vote for the lovebird. However, ask lots and lots of questions. How old is it? The younger the better as long as it is fully weaned. Handfed or parent raised? Handfed is better if the handfeeder also spent a lot of time handling the babies not just shoving food down their throats. Parent raised is ok if they were handled a lot in the nest (I start handling mine at two weeks). If they were fully parent raised without handling be prepared for a lot of work getting it to trust you. If you buy young no you do not need to buy it a mate. But if you are not going to have time to spend with it yes it needs a mate. If you spend a lot of time with it you are its “mate”. If buying an older bird who has always had birds around it will be happier with a mate but be prepared for it to not like you much. If you buy the mate from the same area be certain to check if they are related. Ask about the parents lineage as well.
Are they holdable? They like their heads scratched but don’t like to be petted like a dog. How friendly you want it depends on how much time you have to put into it.
Big cage is good! Lots of toys! Switch them out at a regular basis. Fruits/veges/pellet food/some seed/and lots of water! Not only do they like to take daily baths they also make soup. They put their food in their water and will usually need a second water dish. Oh and one last piece of advice..love birds can be very loud so if you have thin walls in an apartment your neighbors will resent you!
Have you considered adopting a rescue bird? There are so many sweet, wonderful birds out there looking for homes, and it isn’t true that rescue birds are all “damaged goods” and can’t be friendly. I volunteer at a bird shelter and have met SO MANY sweet loving birds that had to be given up for reasons that are really not their fault at all. (Their owners got sick, or had to move, or became allergic or whatever.) The truth is that while all breeds have certain characteristics, every bird will have their own personality and will act different with different people. Getting a rescue bird gives you a chance to get to know the individual bird before deciding, costs a lot less, and reputable shelters will provide vet checks and/or health certificates and will take the birdy back if it doesn’t work out. Or, you could volunteer for awhile to see exactly what you are getting into, and which types of birds you like best.
Good luck with whatever you decide. I’m sure you’ll be a great bird “parent”.
Wow! Here we go and I hope it helps!
First, steer clear of ALL chain pet stores, and flea markets. Right now there is a polyoma virus (deadly to young and older birds) going around. Petsmart was found to have some birds that tested positive for this easily spread and caught virus. All of the breeds you mentioned above have a greater chance of harboring the virus. Those birds around WW1 were brought into the country en mass and they were given too much antibiotic. Sorta like what we have done to ourselves with antibiotics. Those birds nowdays can have the virus, but never show symptoms. The can, though, pass this virus onto other birds,like conures, amazons, macaw…you get the picture. It is pased through the air through body dander when the infected bird is stressed, or through dried ***** dust. They are gorgeous birds. And not all carry the virus. But if you think you might like to have another bird at some time down the road, you may want to try another type of bird.
Lovebirds are beauties, but VERY feisty. No other bird is safe from it if it decides to be protective of you. Very aggressive. Also, they can loose their pet quality is not held for just a couple of weeks.
You can find Quaker Parakeets, or Monk Parrots as they are also called, for that price. Green Cheek Conures can be found for $125.00 and up. Sun Conures are a little more pricey, $300.00-$550.00, but they make awesome pets. You need to find out if Monk Parrots are illegal to own in your State. Ridiculous laws.
As far as my birds…I have 12 parakeets (all tested neg. for the virus. You can get a testing kit free from avianbiotec.com!), 2 cockatiels, 1 Green Cheek Conure (a rescue bird), 2 Sun Conures, 2 Goffins Cockatoos (also rescue birds), 2 White Bellied Caiques, 1 Blue and Gold Macaw, and 2 baby Congo African Greys & 2 baby sun conures. I’m selling 3 of the babies and keeping one of the Greys for myself.
Well, good luck to you and I hope this post helps.
Take care!
Jill
Hi,
I love lovebirds too! I have one lovebird named Pleeko. He is very tame and loves to perch on my finger. Lovebirds are so playful and sweet! If you want a hand tamed lovebird you should get one from a breeder that hand fed it when it was a baby. They are usually more expensive than a lovebird from a flea market or pet store, but it saves you the time of having to hand tame your bird and plus your bird is more socialized to humans. Usually in flea markets they aren;t really tame. You can tame your lovebird yourself but it may take quite a while. Make sure you get toys, good quality seed/pellet mix, and a big cage. Good luck with your lovie!
Oh and as long as you give your bird lots of attention and love and make it happy, your bird does not need a mate. Birds are more tame if they don’t have a mate actually, because they will attach to you and not to their mate.
All birds with a lot of patience can be trainable. I would do a little research and see what you can afford.
A budgie is small but sweet (as well as love birds). Their cages don’t take up a lot of room and they’re relatively cheap to feed.
A larger variety of parrots can be destructive, their cages take up a lot of space and their foods can be very expensive.
I have 4 budgies and 4 cockatiels, they’re all very sweet and loveable. The cockatiels a messier and cost more to upkeep as they eat more, **** more etc.
It really depends on your budget.
Lovebirds are wonderful little guys, who can be so sweet but also so fiesty. They often are very territorial, so providing a happy hut or something of that sort will decrease the chance of them becoming territorial of the entire cage.
There are not many species of parrot under 50 dollars. The only ones i can think of are budgies and finches. Even a lovebird, a healthy happy, hand fed, lovebird ually costs at least 60-70 dollars. A budgie is a great companion as well but I’m a little biased….my lovie is the love of my life and she brightens every day she is with me. I love how fiesty they are, though some will attack larger parrots so if you know you will be getting another parrot in the future be aware that thye may never get along and you will have to just deal with it.
Lovebirds are definately holdable(I mean some birds like being “held” while others don’t, it’s not about being able to hold them really..it’s more of can you handle them and enjoy them), loveable, and friendly when hand fed/hand raised but can be hand tamed. Hand taming is hard though and takes a lot of patience. If you can, purchase a lovie that has been hand fed/hand raised so you enjoy your baby right away. I would not buy them from a flea market, or a chain petstore as the birds are oftne either not healthy or nto properly socialized. You get what you pay for, and if you choose to buy from the breeder at the flea marker, spend time with the birds and see if they are really friendly and healthy looking and talk to her about a health guarantee.
One thing about lovebirds I would say is a problem is how territorial they are. You have to be extremely careful when caging them together(with other lovies or other species). Some lovebirds have bene known to kill one another over space.
To start I would get just one lovie so that you can really bond with him/her. And a big cage is wonderufl but be careful about bar thickness as well as bar spacing. For a loveibrd no bigger than 1/2″. is a great forum for bird advice, it’s amazing. Full of poeple who share the common love for being bird slaves and will give great advice, and it’s also one of the friendliest forum’s I have ever been a part of.
if i were u i would get a parakeet.
i have 2 and they are really cool and love bein with humans and r low maintanance.
hope this helps
Find yourself a cockatiel breeder who also offers hand fed babies because cockatiels will never turn on you like other birds and you will alot happier with a cockatiel who will want to spend all of its time with you. Other birds such as parakeets wont remain tamed and bigger birds could very well bite you and never bond with you. On the other hand cockatiels seem to love everyone no matter who you are as long as you spend time with them they are happy
If you’re looking to bond with your bird, I would recommend just getting one. If you get two, they will like each other more than you.
In my opinion, I’d definitely say go with a breeder! Pet shops can carry many diseases, in fact, my local PetSmart has closed down their bird selling area because of a spread of some diseases they recently found. Pet shops usually carry all sorts of animals and don’t require the customers to wash their hands before touching an animal from every department! There’s a shop here in Orlando that allows their birds to be touched and picked up and poked at by the customers… and they wonder why they bite?!
Research your breeders and research your bird. Every bird is tamable, and trainable. You just need to be willing to give the bird the dedication it may take to do so.
There are some great breeders that can be found by state/orgin in the back of Bird Talk Magazine.
I agree that lovebirds are beautiful, but the down side is they are LOUD! They have a very shrill and loud yell that can be heard across the neighborhood. So if you are in an apartment or other close quarters, I’d advise against it. A parakeet is always a good bet for small spaces. Cockatiels are also wonderful and can be very cuddly, but can also be somewhat loud at times. Finches are cute but not into being handled all that much.