If lovebirds have started mating, they will automatically look for a place to lay their eggs. Therefore, in the cage should be provided a nest box as a place to lay their eggs. Prepare also the base of incubation in the nest box base. Lovebirds usually remain instinctively look for materials to make nests. In the wild they usually collect a variety of small twigs, leaf stalks, and so forth. Try to spread the small twigs, leaf stalks, and dry corn skin in the bottom of the cage.
Also try not to spread the materials that are still wet or fresh. Use of dried only. The ingredients which are still fresh will rot in the nest box. This can cause problems of its own. Also do not use different materials such as synthetic fibers like plastic or rubber. These synthetic materials can be toxic if ingested by a lovebird.
Generally lovebirds lay between 4-6 eggs. Do not worry if lovebird does not directly incubate the eggs. Usually these birds will be incubating eggs after the third egg out. When hatching, the mother of lovebird would occasionally come out of the nest box to eat, bathe, or just simply flapped her wings.
Incubation
Lovebird eggs will hatch after incubation for 21-23 days. There are unique things from lovebirds, the egg hatching process could take a while, which is about 24 hours. It’s a natural thing, do not be too worried because at the time of the hatching process is going on the various adjustments in the lovebird child’s body. Breeders should not get in hand in the long process of hatching because it can cause lovebird children to grow abnormally or disability.
Maybe at the time of the first laying all these eggs can not hatch or barren. It is natural and should not be too worried about this. Usually a new lovebird really productive after the laying of the second and so on.
The barren of lovebird’s egg is usually caused by a parent who is too young, unhealthy environments, and insufficient nutrition or malnutrition.
If sterility occurs continuously then it must be suspected. Try to open the egg shells that do not hatch and see how embryonic development lovebird. If the embryo is there but only half finished, most likely there is something wrong with the eggs hatch. The eggs could have slipped out of the nest so it is not incubated by the parent.
If the embryo was already ok, most likely this failure occurs during the process of hatching, the egg shells are too hard. Egg shells that are too hard can make baby lovebird difficult when incubate themselves. The hard of shell eggs can be caused by the humidity that is too low. Or too much calcium is consumed by its mother. Calcium is usually derived from bone squid and vitamins and nutrients which are added to much when feeding or giving lovebird the water to drink.
If there is no embryo at all in the egg then it is likely the lovebird has same-sex pair, ie females and females or infertile. Try to swap one lovebird with another lovebird.
If found one or two eggs do not hatch, do not worry about this. Normally, the success rate of lovebird’s egg hatching only about 75% during the one-time phase of the spawn. Eggs did not hatch is the eggs that is usually the last one out. The eggs that is come out from the parent sometimes has a quality under the previous egg.
Avoid too much touching of newly hatched lovebird children, but still make sure the lovebird children can live well. In the first days of hatching, perhaps you will find lovebird’s children in the supine position. It is natural and not too worried.
After the eggs hatch, the lovebird parent will feed their children in turn. Prepare a master feed that is easily digested like vegetables and fruits. The period of child care is a tremendous pressure for lovebird parent. Therefore, provide a comfortable atmosphere so that the parent does not stress, such as providing early feed, which is always enough water to bathe, and not many distractions at home.
Naturally Lovebirds actually are good parents for their children. However, sometimes found also that the parent did not want to take care their babies, and even attacked his own children. If you obtained such a case, there is no other way except that the babies should be fed by the owner. Prepare a box of bribery as a solution for this problem. Lovebird children should be fed every two hours. Foods that are most appropriate at that time was milk porridge for the baby.
Combine milk porridge with boiled lukewarm water, then use a spoon to feed the lovebirds baby. The thickness level of the food must be adapted to the age of a baby bird. Increasing age, the more viscous slurry is also given. After 3-4 weeks of age, lovebird children can be given other foods such as vegetables, fruits and millet.
In some cases, are often found lovebird children who experience leg disabilities. Lovebird children unable to stand, unable to grip perfectly, tilted sideways, and even completely paralyzed. This is most likely caused by a much lack of nests basic materials so that children get less grip when practicing standing. Therefore, try in the nest box provided sufficient nest base, may be a bamboo shavings, small twigs, dry corn leaves.
At the age of 6-9 weeks, the young birds begin to come out of the nest box. This marks the lovebird’s child has started to grow up. After the young birds begin to eat without being fed by a parent, immediately move them to another cage so the parent can mate and lay eggs again.
Indeed lovebird can be empowered to continue to make the process of reproduction, but this is not good. Try a pair of lovebird only spawn three times per year. It is intended to keep the quality of lovebirds offspring itself and to maintain vitality and health of the mother.
When the lovebird’s children started growing up is the perfect time to make it become tame. Try to occasionally stroking or holding them at least once a day to get them used to humans. Lovebird that is rarely touched in this period tended to be wild and insecure in the presence of humans.
