When our lovebirds have babies, we have found it best to remove them from the nest for hand feeding at around 3 weeks old. We sometimes need to do so sooner in the cases of mommy abandoning the nest or because of parents over preening the babies. As with any living creature, the first few weeks of a baby bird are very critical since this is when the parents pass on that good bacteria and immune system built up from the parent feedings.They also learn very important bird lessons that their human mommy and daddy could not teach them.

Once removed from the nest we begin the hand feeding process. We hand feed all our babies with a silicone tipped syringe and specially designed hand feeding spoon, and a specially formulated Roudybush Handfeeding Omega 3 Formula. After getting used to the idea of hand feeding coming from us instead of their bird parents we continue to give the babies handfeedings while offering them solid foods to try, such as millet and softened pellets.  During this period, we also offer a variety of organic baby food to try an help get their pallet used to other fruits and vegetables. They also contain enzymes that are vital to longevity and good health; and they cannot be reproduced in pellets or any other commercially produced diet.

The birds are allowed to stay on handfeedings until they themselves decide that they are ready to eat solid foods and drink water on their own along with an abundance in fresh fruits and veggies. We keep them in our aviary a little bit longer than other breeders to make sure they are fully weaned. This leads to birds becoming more stable in physical and psychological health as they continue to grow and develop.

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When a baby is first pulled from the nest is when the human socialization occurs. All of our babies get daily one on one interaction on top of regular feedings. This helps them to get used to our touch, the sound of our voice, and the smell of our skin. When we know we will be gone we leave the TV on or the radio since we often times listen to and have music going on in the background when we are home so they think they they are not alone and have it as close to their normal environment as possible.

At around 3 weeks old when we pull the from the nest is when they really start getting curious about their surroundings. In the bird world, they are ready to start fledging the nest and testing flight. We let them do special activities and exercises to help them build their wing strength. After a bit we also cut their wings slightly to limit the height they can reach and to limit the possibility of doing damage to their growing bodies. When it is time to move them to a large flight cage we provide them with a plethora of toys, snacks, and different sizes and textures of perches, and tents.

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Happy baby birds come from happy baby parents. We pride ourselves on giving our birds the best of the best. During daily outings from their cages for socialization and playtime, we provide the parents with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and pellets. Only on occasion do we give them treats in the form of seed and millet. They always have access to baths and always encourage playfulness and exploring within limits of not going too far away from the designated birdy play area.

Giving them seed and millet is the equivalent of giving them cake daily and is bad for their bodies. During nesting season we provide them with a base of material in the nesting boxes along with various nesting materials outside the cage so they can  forage and help make their nests their way.

We only breed our lovebird parents twice a year with a minimum of 5 months in between each clutch. In order to ensure our lovebird parents are in the best shape to breed, we take them to an avian vet for general check ups. We also ensure that our lovebird parents are in no way related to each other to ensure only the healthiest babies will be hatched