r/Lovebirds

I breed Fischer's lovebirds in Bangladesh. Two years ago I kept messing up pairing plans, especially sex-linked stuff like Opaline, and splits I forgot a bird was carrying. The calculators out there had not been updated in years and the results were hard to read.

So I built my own. Other breeders kept asking for it, so I put it online free: lovebirdgenetics.com

What it does:

• Pick the male and female with their mutations, visual or split
• Shows every possible chick with exact percentages
• Sex-linked results split into male and female chicks, so you can see auto-sexing pairings
• Handles the stuff most tools skip: SF and DF for the dominant mutations (Euwing, Greywing, Misty), Aqua B1 and B2, Parblue, and the DEC and Ino combination

Everything is cross-checked against Van den Abeele's Lovebird Compendium. When the book and the calculator disagreed, the book won, and I fixed the calculator until they agreed. A group of experienced breeders also test-checked outcomes against their real clutch results while I was building it.

It's free, no account, works on phone. I'm one breeder maintaining it, so if you find a pairing that looks wrong, tell me and I'll check it against the book and fix it.

Happy to answer any pairing question in the comments, with percentages.

Hi, I bought my lovebird about a year ago, and I don't know how old she is. In the last month she has become obsessed with chewing paper. I think she is showing nesting behaviour, but is there a way to break the habit as I like her to have freedom, but she has begun to chew things that are important. I would hate to have to lock her in her cage all the time.

Hi everyone, sorry if this is a post that you get a lot, but at the end of the week I am about to acquire two Fischers that an acquaintance is getting rid of. Their age and sex is unknown and they have been in a pet shop (UK) until 2 weeks ago.

I've known people who have lovebirds but I don't think they took as good care of them as they should, and I really want to make sure I get this right. The plan so far is as follows:

When I get them, I will set them up in my living room and not try to get them out or interact too much with them for the first two days. I thought I might sit near their cage and read or something so they get used to my presence in a non- threatening way. I'm planning on feeding them lovebird specific pellets with fresh veggies blitzed up (I think some people call it chop?) and occasionally seeds as a treat. They already have a nice big cage with lots of natural perches and toys, and I'm going to get them some foraging toys and a cuttlebone too. After 2 days I will start encouraging them to accept food from me and then let them out of the cage to fly around my secured room. I will also wheel their cage out into the garden so they get fresh air and sunlight.

Am I right in thinking they won't be particularly affectionate with me since they will have each other as bonded companions? Do I need a UV lamp, and if so, what is a good brand to get? And I've read they should have at least 2 hours out of the cage every day, should I be aiming for a lot more? I'm a SAHM so I am busy with my toddler, but I can give them a lot of time and attention around that.

Also if anyone has any specifics tips or advice for a beginner, that would be really appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to read this 😁

A Week and a half ago I lost my baby boy fluke unexpectedly and suddenly I've had him for 3 and half years and he turned 4 in February I was given Fluke from my uncle who was an unethical breeder who didn't care about the birds he had only cared about profit and so my little boy was very inbred but he was a very sweet loving little bird he was mostly quiet but loved singing along to my music and flying around my room When I originally got Fluke he had a sister who I named brumby but she passed away 2 years ago after my aunt infected my lovebirds with a disease that wiped out her entire flock I almost lost Fluke but luckily with a lot of TLC and treatments he got better and then I Introduced him to his Husband Chioki who was his complete opposite but they Bonded very quickly after I had everyone tell me if they were both males they'd fight and kill each other which I knew wasn't true and when they were finally put together after 2 weeks of keeping them separate they became inseparable and spent everyday together never one without the other I truly believe they were soulmates.

Recently I've had to find new living arrangements and wasn't able to bring my birds with me unfortunately since I've had to stay at my sister's place and she has 2 cats so my boys had been living with my mother who has been looking after them like her own children she has a lot of cockatiels that are very loved and looked after so I knew they'd be safe and well looked after with her well last week my mum came to visit me and told me to sit down at first I was confused and sat down she took a deep breath and said "Unfortunately Fluke passed away" at first I was shocked and didn't know how to react and simply asked what happened before I started sobbing she told me she didn't know what happened that Tuesday he was completely fine he was eating, drinking, flying around the house with Chioki Playing everything normal then Wednesday morning she went to feed them and she found fluke laying at the bottom of the cage with his eyes closed and body stiff as Chioki was preening his face she let Chioki have his moment with fluke to say goodbye and she cried then she told me that Chioki didn't leave his side all day until 4pm when chioki finally went back to the top of the cage and she took fluke wrapped him in one of my shirts and buried him unfortunately I live in a rural area with no exotic vets I tried to take fluke to the vets when he got sick 2 years before but they laughed at me thinking I was joking so I wasn't able to get an autopsy done on fluke unfortunately.

I'm completely heartbroken and shattered he was my baby boy and had been for the past 3 and half years he was a very good little boy never got into trouble unlike chioki who loved chewing everything luckily Chioki is doing ok he's being closely monitored by my mother he's still eating and drinking but he's very sad and confused I sent her a voice message for him and she plays it everyday for him and he sits and listens to it then chirps he wouldn't leave the cage for a while when usually he'd be the first one out but luckily he came out a few days ago to fly around the house he isn't alone he has the company of my mother as well as her two cockatiels Billie and Peppi obviously in separate cages but he loves talking to them.

Rest in Peace Fluke 🖤🤍💙

2022 - 2026 🌈🕊️

Hi everyone, i'm currently recovering from surgery and don't have much to do. I'd love to hear about everyone's pet birds (or other pets if you want) and their personalities and see some photos of them.

Thank you in advance!

hello folk , first time owner here, this is jolbak
i brought her home 2 days ago , and i have a few questions

1. is what she's doing in the video normal ? she did that for a few minutes and then went to sleep
2. is sleeping in middle of the day normal ? i suppose this a bit obvious to ask because i usually don't sleep until 1:00 at nights and she's up because of the lights (altho i do turn off most of the lamps except for one)
3. she runs her peck through her fethers (but she doesn't pick them) i don't know if this is feather plukcing that i've seen lovebirds do out of stress or she's simply cleaning herself like i've seen hens do it (ai said if it's not focused on one place - which is not - it's not plucking)
4. i tried giving her some out of cage time but she kept hitting herself against the window trying to get out so i don't think i'll let her out of the cage for a while , how long do you think i should wait before she will stop trying to escape when given out of cage time ?
5. she's 2 months old , should i get her a friend or wait sometime before doing so ?
6. i tried offering her some apples and lettuce but she didn't show any interest , do i have to give it to her in a special way so she would eat them ?
7. i've given her 2 water container, one of them is a regular bird cage water containers with a narrow end , the other is like a bowl , i was expecting her to drink from the former and bathe in the latter , she ignores the former and drinks from the latter any tips on how to introduce the former to her ?

Brought home a peach-faced lovebird about fourteen months ago, hand-weaned from a breeder, and spent the first three months genuinely wondering if I had made a terrible mistake. Mango would lunge at my hand every single time I opened the cage. Not just a warning nip either -- full bites that drew blood a few times. Everyone online kept saying hand-fed lovebirds are friendly and I felt like mine had not gotten the memo.

What actually changed things was slowing down in a way that felt almost absurdly slow at the time. Instead of trying to get him to step up, I just started sitting next to the open cage and reading or eating something, completely ignoring him. After about a week of that he started creeping toward the door on his own. No pressure, no treats shoved at him, just boring predictable presence. Lovebirds seem to make up their own minds on their own schedule and any attempt to rush that just resets the clock.

A few specific things I noticed along the way:

The biting was almost always about something specific. Tired, overstimulated, wants to go back in the cage, sees something outside the window that is stressing him out. Once I started reading what came before the bite rather than just reacting to the bite itself, things got a lot clearer. He almost always flattens his feathers slightly and his eyes go wide right before he decides to go for it.

Foraging made a noticeable difference in his general mood. He was getting everything handed to him in a bowl and seemed kind of restless and nippy even on calm days. Hiding food in shreddable toys or tucking bits of vegetable into the cage bars gave him something to actually do, and he settled down a lot.

The hormonal periods are real and they are humbling. Twice a year or so Mango becomes a completely different animal for four to six weeks. More territorial, more bitey, louder, obsessed with dark enclosed spaces. The first time it happened I thought I had undone all my progress. Turns out you just kind of wait it out and keep your interactions low-key during that window.

He now steps up reliably, comes out to sit on my shoulder while I work, and only bites when I genuinely miss a signal I should have caught. Fourteen months in and I would say we are still building trust rather than finished building it, which is probably the right way to think about it.

1 year old unsexed peach face has recently gained a major new obsession with going into the trash.. and is getting very aggressive, drawing blood, when trying to remove him which he hasn’t really done when being reprimanded taken from
Places he shouldn’t be he’ll chomp but never that hard. Also getting very aggressive when being put into his cage. He is mostly out with us unless we all go out but normally someone is home and he’s not a big fan being in there and has to be tricked by “putting” or actually putting something is his bowl, he does spend a chunk of time in there but just an hour or so while we are busy. He is getting his 10/12 hours he has enough toys and shredding material I’m not sure why he would be so hormonal if that is what it is… HELP me curb this attitude

I’m absolutely heartbroken, I’m so sad, I haven’t stopped crying since last night. I’m looking for advice from people who have experienced something similar.

I had two lovebirds, a male and female, who were already bonded when I got them and had been together since they were young. They slept together, flew around together and were constantly playing and exploring my room together. I had them mainly as free flyers and they never had issues. I just finished creating a new play area in my room for them yesterday.

Yesterday evening I left my room for few seconds and came back to find my boy dead on the floor. There was no blood or loose feathers, and his feet were still curled as though he had been perched. I don’t know what happened and I don’t want a necropsy because I’m scared of finding out that it was something I could have prevented.

My girl was still perched inside her hut when I found him. She has always been a little territorial at bedtime and would sometimes launch at him when he was trying to settle, although she would eventually let him sleep beside her. Im just regretting not changing this perch sooner as this only happened recently. I’m now so sad that he somehow got caught or injured while he was trying to get into the basket, although I don’t know if that’s what happened. He was sleeping more than usual the last two days. But he seemed to perk up later yesterday afternoon. I keep my environment bird safe, I don’t use candles, incense, chemicals.

She seems surprisingly normal physically. She’s eating, drinking, chirping, flying around, chewing and exploring her cage. It’s me who’s an absolute emotional reck. But she has periods where she loudly calls and flies rapidly from perch to perch (in my room), and I assume she’s looking for him. She’s also been preening her chest and under her wings a lot today, so I’m worried about stress/over-grooming.

I’m absolutely devastated myself. I’ve been crying constantly and the room feels so empty without them flying around together.

For those who have had a bonded lovebird lose their partner:

How did your surviving bird cope?
How long did the calling/searching last?
Can a lovebird be genuinely happy as a single bird with enough human interaction and enrichment? or did you eventually get another bird, and if so, how long did you wait?

I know every bird is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. I’m heartbroken.

My birds are NOT stepping up and I don't know what to do. They'll eat millet from my hands when I bring it near them but they refuse to step up. It's actually impressive how far they stretch in order to reach it, but when I move my hand further away they just give up. I've tried pressing my hand gently against their tummies before someone advised me not to, but even that didn't work. It was nowhere near this hard with my budgies. Apologies for the rant, but I'd appreciate any helpful tips or advice

I have a 14 year old lovebird, and the last months have been hell for me, everytime I put her to sleep, she starts chirping obnoxiously and loudly for hours, it's sometimes 8pm and she doesn't likes to go to sleep, I put her on dark rooms, add only one cover, two covers, add white noise, add bird sounds, and nothing, it's really uncomfortable sometimes and nothing makes her shut up. I don't know what to do, and most importantly, SHE NEVER DID THAT BEFORE, she always knew how to behave, now she's like another bird. Please help.

https://reddit.com/link/1vk64ds/video/roqkvk2r0gih1/player

Video of her chirping in a dark room with white noise on the side.

I've had my peach-faced lovebird, Mango, for about eight months now and I'm still trying to figure out what's normal versus what I should be concerned about. He's a single bird (I know, I know) and has bonded really strongly to me, which is sweet but also a little overwhelming sometimes.

The main thing I'm trying to understand is the screaming when I leave the room. The second I walk out of his sight he starts this high-pitched contact call that doesn't stop until I either come back or call out to him. I've been responding verbally so he knows I'm still around, and that does seem to help a little. But I'm wondering if responding is actually reinforcing the behavior or if it's the right approach.

A few things I've noticed that might be relevant. He gets about 2-3 hours of out-of-cage time in the evenings when I'm home. He has foraging toys and shreddable stuff in his cage to keep him busy. He's not a nervous bird in general, pretty bold actually, goes after my cats without hesitation.

From what I've read, contact calling is just how lovebirds communicate and it's instinctive for them to want to know where their flock is. But some posts I've seen suggest that single birds can develop anxiety that goes beyond normal flock behavior. I'm not sure where the line is.

Has anyone worked through this with a single lovebird? Did adding a second bird actually help, or does that sometimes create a whole different set of problems?

Just sharing my positive experience!

I got a second lovebird who was used to a primarily seed diet so I was worried about the transition to pellets. I was told she did eat chop so that was a good start at least!

During quarantine she was struggling to adjust so I didn’t want to overwhelm her by changing her food too much. I did start adding some pellets in with the chop and she picked at it but didn’t seem to eat the pellets.

Well I finally moved her to the same room as my other bird and decided to add a bowl of pellet parallel to his bowl so maybe she’d mirror him and it worked! As soon as she saw him eat his pellets she started eating hers! It’s only day 2 of this and she seems to be eating more pellet than seed!

On a side note they’ve been calling to each other and there’s been lots of positive body language too! I have a feeling they’re going to get along great!

Do anyone know where good love birds or pet birds shop where we can get or anyone who has and want to give to someone else .. as one my pet birds died and the other one is feeling too lonely so wanted to get on another ..