Love birds are miniature-sized parrots with mammoth size personalities. They are little bundles of energy that need a lot of interaction and stimulation to keep their active little minds from getting bored. As the clowns of the bird world, they will keep your family laughing at their antics for hours.

Despite the misconception, love birds can be kept as pets as single birds. If you choose to purchase only one, be prepared to give it a lot of attention or it will become bored, mischievous and quite troublesome. If you don't have the time to spend with your love bird, then buy it a mate keeping in mind that the affection that would have been for you will now be focused on the partner.

There are numerous types of love birds- some very rare and others quite common. The easiest type of love bird to keep as a pet is the Peachfaced Love Bird.

Love birds are not talking parrots though they can be quite vocal. They are also not that cuddly though this varies from bird to bird as love birds are one species with very strong individual personalities. They can become very attached to their humans, especially when they are kept as single birds. There is some evidence that males are less jealous and territorial than females, so this too must be kept in mind when purchasing your love bird.

When looking for a bird, be sure that you choose a hand raised bird that is very comfortable with human contact. Love birds not constantly handled easily become skittish and nippy. Even a hand raised bird that is later left alone in its cage can revert back and be very difficult to re-train.

Love birds live for up to 20 years so in most cases they will be your pet for life. They cannot be housed with any other species of bird as they can be aggressive and even kill other birds.

Love Birds need a fairly large bird cage as they need to expend all of their energy. A cage 2 feet by 2 feet and 2 feet high is big enough for a single bird but if you can afford a bigger one that's even better. Be careful when purchasing a cage to get one with bars quite close together. Love Birds are the Harry Houdinis of the bird world and can squeeze out of many cages other birds cannot. Also, make sure the door latches are secure as picking locks is another Love Bird forte. Love Birds are notorious chewers so take care with wooden cages. If you must have one be ready to replace it when the love bird has chewed it to bits.

Love Birds need a wide variety of bird toys. They love cage mirrors, bird swings, and cage ladders. They need plenty to chew on. Raw hide toys are ideal. They'll also be happy to get the inside card board rolls of paper towel and toilet paper. Love birds are fond of stripping paper so providing them with unprinted paper to strip can keep them occupied for sometime. Keep in mind that when your love bird is flying free out of its cage it doesn't recognize the difference between its chew toys and your priceless furniture. They also love buttons and shiny jewelry and forget the buttons on your remote if you carelessly leave it out when your love bird is around- they will strip it clean in minutes!

Keep a cuttle bone in your love bird's cage at all times as a beak conditioner. They will need a variety of bird perches of varying circumferences and textures to keep their feet and nails healthy. The best are natural branches made from willow or fruit trees. Birds stand 24 hours a day so what they are standing on is very important in maintaining healthy feet.

Love birds need a variety of food to keep them healthy. They should have about 2-3 teaspoons of scientifically formulated love bird pellets each day. They will also need a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Just like for humans, brightly colored fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious- carrots, mangoes, papayas, grapes, spinach- these are all great for your love bird. They can be given either diced or shredded. Birds should not be given avocados, cabbage, onions, lemons or grapefruit. Uneaten fresh food should be removed from the cage after four hours. As a treat, all birds love millet spray though you shouldn't give them too much as the nutritional value of millet is quite low.

You shouldn't need to give your bird vitamins if their diet is varied but if you decide that you want to it will not harm your love bird.

Make sure that fresh water is available at all times. Wash the bird food dishes and water bottles daily with warm water mixed with dish soap.

Love Birds need to be let out of their cage daily as they have a lot of energy and need to expend some by flying. Take care when letting them out that all windows are closed and ceiling fans are off. You can attach the bird to a bird leash to have more control over where it flies.

Bird cages should be cleaned weekly making sure that all surfaces are washed thoroughly with bird cage cleaners. Monthly the whole cage should be disinfected with a mixture of 3/4 cup bleach in 1 gallon of water. The bleach mixture should not be used on metal surfaces. Before disinfecting be sure that all surfaces are thoroughly cleaned. Rinse off the bleach solution and let the bird cage dry in the sun. Any wooden parts of the cage or wooden perches and toys should be replaced after they become too dirty with droppings as they cannot be disinfected.

Usually if there are cuttle bones and bird perches of a variety of textures your love bird will keep its own toe nails and beak in good shape. Occasionally, if the nails get too long you can trim them with a bird clippers that has been disinfected. Make sure you have styptic powder on hand in case you mistakenly trim to close to the vein and it starts bleeding. Holding the foot up to the light before trimming can help you identify where the vein is.

Trimming of wings should rather be left to an avian veterinarian to avoid any problems. Experienced bird handlers and owners may use wing clipping scissors which are designed specifically for this application.

A healthy love bird has:
smooth feathers
clear bright eyes
normal stools
a healthy appetite, eating throughout the day
normal level of activity
a clean vent

In the wild birds hide signs of illness as a way of surviving, so once a love bird shows signs of sickness such as loss of weight, sitting at the bottom of the cage for a long time, sneezing and dripping from nose and mouth, the bird should be taken to an avian veterinarian right away.

Love birds are a long living, energy-filled small parrot. They require constant handling to remain tame and well behaved and need bird toys and other bird cage accessories to keep these intelligent birds from becoming bored. A love bird can be a life long friend for people willing to put in the effort.