Choice and maintenance of inseparable
The inseparable ones, these true small African parrots, are real little jewels. Their bright and warm colors leave most people dreaming, so much so that they are often confused with small parrots. It is obvious that this bird has a lot in common with parrots, its larger and more imposing cousins.
Even if the resemblance with the parrot is quite clear, this bird should not be considered as a “small parrot”, and maintained as such. Lovebirds are in fact small birds with very specific needs, which will necessarily have to be met in order to guarantee the good life and health of your birds.
What is the character of lovebirds?
To recognize the first characteristic of these animals, it is necessary to be attached to its vernacular name: inseparable. This species takes its name from its fidelity. A pair of inseparable birds is formed from life to death. It is useless to imagine making a single inseparable happy, you will only manage it for a while… until it lets itself die! This sociable animal must therefore always live in a group, at least as a couple. This character trait should not be minimized, your animals could let themselves die.
Apart from this gregarious character, the inseparable enjoy an excellent character. Even if they are quite fearful, they remain small and endearing animals that you can, over time, try to tame. An education from an early age will allow you to get closer to your companions.
How to choose my inseparable ones?
Note here that we do not choose a lovebird, but lovebirds. For the reasons we have mentioned above, it is not possible to acquire a single bird. You will therefore always have to choose your inseparable by couple, or even by double couple. This way, you can hope that in the event that one of the birds dies, the group will be able to allow the survivor not to let himself die.
When you will have to choose your animals, in pet stores or at a specialized breeder, you must be careful not to separate the couples. Indeed, these animals form their pairs very quickly, and when there are many of them you can imagine that they have already made their choice. Faithful, this animal will have great difficulty in creating a new couple. Therefore, it is better to choose an already formed couple that you have been able to identify.
To identify pairs, observe the birds in their environment. You will quickly notice that some are systematically close to each other. They will be all the more so if your presence near the cage (at the time of the sale) creates stress for them. Then make your choice.
The animals you will choose should have a shiny plumage, clean and sparkling eyes. These few elements are a sign of good health. If you meet a bird that is plucked and has a clean cloaca, don’t worry, it is simply stressed or depressed. It may have lost its companion and in that case, if you already have a pet, you may want to take it with you so that it can regain its zest for life.
Finally, note that if you have a couple of lovebirds and one of them dies, you can try to re-form a new couple by buying a new companion. This method is far from being infallible, as it may happen that the two birds are not compatible and in that case you would lose both of them! In case you buy only one lovebird, do not break up a couple already formed and prefer a solitary bird, which does not approach any other bird. Its couple is perhaps not formed …
Which cage for my inseparable?
As with all parrots, these animals need to exercise. It is therefore useless to take a cage in which they can simply walk, it would risk depressing them. Therefore, prefer a sufficiently spacious cage, preferably rectangular, in which they can fly at will.
To allow them to stretch their wings and reproduce as they wish, buy a cage for large parakeets. Their beak is not particularly powerful (as much as a large parakeet), so you don’t need a cage with reinforced bars.
Even though they are excellent breeders, lovebirds need room for that. You will also need to make sure that you have a nest so that they don’t have to nest on the ground, which would not make nesting or cage maintenance any easier. For the same reason, make sure that the nest is large enough.
Since this animal is a player, do not hesitate to install many toys in its cage, as well as a bathtub so that it can bathe.
For the location of the cage, place it at human height, so that this very observant bird can see everything in its environment. Again, keep it away from any source of excessive heat (such as direct sunlight).
What food should I feed my inseparable birds?
Pet stores offer seed mixes particularly adapted to these animals. You will choose either the mixes for inseparable birds or the mixes for large parakeets. Their beak allows them to consume relatively large seeds.
You also have the possibility to make yourself the mix that will be the best adapted to your birds. Indeed, not all lovebirds have the same tastes and you will have to adapt yourself.
