K. Munoz
I have been breeding Lovebirds for a number of years now and have been quite successful. Lovebirds are not difficult to breed but they tend to give a lot of problems when community breeding is used. When lovebird pairs are placed in an aviary and nesting boxes are placed in the aviary, this is called community breeding. If this method is used there should be more nesting boxes than pairs placed in the aviary. They breed more successfully when placed in individual cages.
The types of Lovebirds currently available in Trinidad are Agapornis roseicollis(Peach-Faced), Agapornis personata personata (Masked) and Agapornis personata fischeri (Fischer).
The diet consists mainly of sunflower seeds, mixed bird seeds, crestles, lettuce, spinach, grated carrot and bread.
Roseicollis consists of a myriad of colours/variations, such as: lutino, creamino and pied. The personata consists of Black Masks, Blue Masks (which are a mutation of the Black Masks), Fishers, etc..
Crossing a roseicollis with a personata produces what is called a half-mask or mule, and the majority of the off-spring are infertile. This practice is looked down on by the larger breeding community. They do, however, produce some very beautiful birds.
The pairs usually bond for life and get very "worried" if separated but in most cases they will bond with other mates if they are separated and placed with other birds.
A pair can produce about three or four clutches a year but should only be allowed to produce two clutches a year, three if the pair are in very good condition. A hen lays anywhere from three to six eggs in a clutch. During this period the birds, especially the hen, should be given extra calcium as the eggs use up a lot of calcium. Lack of calcium can lead to hypocalcemia which may prevent a bird from being able to fly to death.
Standard size nesting boxes, available at your local pet store, are placed in the cages. Plain paper or preferably leaves from Coconut Trees stripped are placed in the cages. Only the hen strips the leaves into smaller strips and places them in her feathers on her back and then uses these leaves to build her nests. The males do not assist in building the nests. The personata hens, however, do not strip the leaves nor does she place them on her back, she simply takes them up in her beak and builds a very elaborate dome shaped nest with a little passage way leading to the actual nest where the eggs will be laid, again the male does not assist in this process.
Eggs are laid every other day and hatch the same way. The hen usually begins sitting on the eggs after laying the first one but some start later. The eggs begin to hatch about twenty four days after the first one was laid.
The babies are born with their eyes closed and totally dependent on their parents. Their down feathers can usually give a fair idea of what colour they will have when fully feathered. They remain in the nest for about five to six weeks before venturing out for their first flight. Once out of the nest they still depend on their parents for food, usually the mother stops feeding and the father takes care of their feeding he also teaches them how to get/find their own food.
They still return to the nest at night to sleep, of course by this time the beautiful nest that their mother built is totally destroyed. Once fully fledged the babies are removed from the parents and put in a flight cage. The parents are then put back to breed or rested for a few months.
Want to post your experiences or advice for other Lovebird or such aviculturists?
