No Lovebirds

[Screamer]

I went to my local pet store that carries lots of exotic birds to check them out, they had a lot of babies which they had out to socialize them, when I asked where are the lovebirds they said that they don't carry them anymore because they are difficult birds! Can you believe that BS!

[thebubbleking]

Lucky for us with things like craigslist and such we dont need to search petstores. Aaaaaaaaaand any store that thinks lovies are difficult birds dont deserve to carry um

[Kirby]

I agree 50-50 with the store saying they are difficult birds...

I mean 3/4 of the people go into a store and are given information saying "Yes this is a hand raised lovebird and is VERY tame" So the buyer thinks *awesome, I can go home and snuggle my bird* when in reality it will take AT LEAST a month to adjust and be comfortable around their new owner. So they get their bird home and it turns out the bird is supposedly afraid of hands! come on this must sounds familiar haha

But I agree that the store DOES NOT deserve to carry anything they consider to be difficult. that's not true in it's entirety.
I also have everything against PET stores. You know how many times I have gone into a pet store to buy a fish and someone actually tell me you can put more than one Betta Fish in the same tank. Or that a budgie can be housed with a Cockatiel. Its mixed animal pet stores that USUALLY (dont get me wrong a few of my LPS are pretty good) have inexperienced staff especially if it's a person who knows so much about birds and is selling fish....


Hopefully all of that made sense

[mjm8321]

It sounds to me like someone dealt with a frightened or angry, biting bird and got scared and decided to not deal with lovebirds any longer. People that are not familiar with lovebirds look at their size and think "what a cute little bird" and have no idea of their intelligence, feisty personalities or that they have the capability of giving you a good bite.

Personally, I love their attitudes & personalities and can't imagine never having a lovebird or two with me for the rest of my days.

[carrier]

heehee...as a terrier owner, I find I just LOVE any pet that has a feisty side.

Especially those pets with napoleon syndrome.

[mjm8321]

heehee...as a terrier owner, I find I just LOVE any pet that has a feisty side.

Especially those pets with napoleon syndrome.

Carrie, that's exactly what I tell people that ask what lovebirds are like. I call them the Jack Russell's of the bird world.

[Jezzahbella]

The pet stores around here don't carry many but the one down the street has a pair of blue masked lovies. Actually, come to think of it, they have lots of birds, a pair of fietsy not so nice 'tiels, a sun conure which I would buy in a heart beat if I had enough money to buy and vet him, an amazon,keets, and finches. I adore the sun conure there, one of the nice clerks let me take him out be cause the bird seemed to instantly like me, grabing on to my finger as soon as it got near enough and he already new 'step up' and is sooo adorable..
the only thing is, they are so outragously priced. A sun conure from a breeder runs about $400 fully vetted and everything, the one at the pet store is $600 and they don't know anything about it. The amazong is $1600, maybe alittle closer to what the breeders sell them for.

[Eliza]

...when I asked where are the lovebirds they said that they don't carry them anymore because they are difficult birds...

Ugh... Lovies are no more difficult than other small parrots, like parrotlets or budgies... and possibly even the notoriously laid-back cockatiel.

Any species of parrot has the potential to be a "difficult" parrot.

Sure, lovebirds need daily handling, proper socialization and positive reinforcement... but doesn't ANY companion animal? I mean, I can't say that my budgies were any more or less difficult than Beetle, you know?

The only thing I can say is that I'd prefer a store NOT sell lovebirds if they are not going to invest the time necessary to help them become a "nice" pet. It's just a shame that such a pretty little species of parrot has managed to get such a bad rap

Personally, I love their attitudes & personalities and can't imagine never having a lovebird or two with me for the rest of my days.

I couldn't agree w/ you more, MJ. It's funny: I've spent TONS of downtime researching various species of parrots over the years. I've visited w/ friends and local parrot stores to interact with species that I thought that I might like to share my home with. After Beetle passed, I started revisiting the other species (not making any decisions just now, of course)... and you know, Beetle has me sold on lovebirds. I honestly think that they are my heart's bird, if that makes any sense.

I'm not knocking other parrots, of course -- I'll always have a soft spot for budgies and will always consider opening my home to a lineolated parakeet. It's just that in recent weeks when I see or hear a lovebird I know that's what I'm missing.