upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I am still in the researching phase, so please, nobody shoot me!

I am looking for bird(s) for my home that are relatively low-interaction. I have a busy home life, but feel I'd enjoy having a bird again. I was thinking canary, and then for some reason I heard about lovebirds and that a "bonded" pair would keep themselves socially nurtured.

Is this true? I think they're beautiful birds, and love the look of hookbills, but didn't think they were an option, because I'd heard they were demanding on their owners.

I like the idea of handling my birds, but know I wouldn't do it for hours at a time, or every day of the week, forever the rest of our lives together.

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Also, I imagine being interested in "hobby" breeding a few years down the road, and it's been implied lovebirds are relatively easy to breed. Is it thinking to far ahead to look for/at breeding stock/pairs in anticipation? I don't expect to add more birds (we don't have the room for it), so I feel like I ought to start with the end in mind.

There are no local breeders, and the nearest bird club is 400 miles away. I am good at using books, if that make any difference.

Am I throwing any red flags at you?

I don't know much about lovies, but I do know that they are not a very friendly bird when it comes to cage mates. They have been know to tear apart their mates if something is not to their liking.

I would not conciter them one of the easier birds to breed, but unfortunately, the easy to breed ones are overpopulated.

Before you do breed, make sure you have a good avian vet nearby for emergencies, just in case your hen becomes egg bound.

Even breeder birds need lots of human interaction. You don't want them completely wild if there was an emergency and you needed to get to a parent or chick.

There are MANY other things you will need to learn, such as handfeeding if the chicks are not being cared for, and even if there is a market in your area.

People here and on the breeder board will be able to help you more if you can ask more specific questions.