Cage Advice for love birds

Hi,

I plan on buying 1 possibly 2 love birds soon, I'm buying the cage/equipment before hand so I'm looking for some advice.

I'm looking at the following cages;

Bird Cage Antico
Finca Melodia
Would either of the above be suitable? Possibly for a pair?

I've been told that a single bird will bond more easily with a person but ideally I'd like to get a pair.

Does anyone have experience with handling/taming a pair?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Paul

Bigger is always better, but one important thing to think about is the bar spacing. For lovebirds, bars should be no more than 1/2 inch apart, so the one with 1.5 cm spacing may not be suitable.

Other than that, should be fine.

I would personally go with the 2nd one. There's more space and that one has corners.

If you would like one that has a strong bond with you I would only get one. But if you were thinking of a pair, I would try find a flight cage.

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Friends-Hamberley-Metal-Cage/dp/B005CAY8QA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429205446&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Kings+flight+cage]Little Friends Hamberley All Metal Cage: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies[/ame]

This is basically what I have for my lovebird. Quite roomy andif you let them out of the cage frequently it could be suitable for two.

Words of caution:
Dont buy a pair unless they are already tame.

I bought a bonded lovebird pair that were not handtame in anyway thinking that I would be able to tame them. Nope. They were as wild as can be and wanted nothing to do with me - only each other. The female was crazy aggressive and attacked anyone that got close to the cage. I was unable to change the cage or feed/water them without fear of losing a finger. They ended up breeding over and over which resulted in two clutches with baby chicks. I mistakenly thought they would get it out of their system after the first clutch - ahhhh no. Long story short, I gifted them to a rescue (baby bird in still in nest) and kept one of the babies. It is worth mentioning that I only had them for a total of 6 months. My little baby Jello has turned into a sweet little bird and has bonded with me.

So definitely consider what you want from the birds before you get a pair. A companion or just to see them interact with each other?

I love my bird and I know you will find one too. Just be sure you know what you are getting into - I thought I knew and ended up getting in way over my head! LoL. GOOD LUCK!

I'd rather get a longer than a taller cage... Then they'd have more space to fly around in it. I have one lovie, and her cage is 47x47x76. 76 in length, and she has plenty of room there, but also stays about 6 hours out of cage every day as well. Very similar to this one:
Canary Cages: great selection at zooplus: Bird Cage Finca pequeno

Maybe if they have a bigger cage like that would be good. And yeah, if they are not tame you'd end up with not pet quality birds and possibly many babies to come... I have different species of birds, and just one lovebird, and she is one of the sweetest birds in my flock and really loves me.

My only advice is that lovebirds are notorious escape artists...

(And aggressive greenwings will occasionally eat them if they get out.)

Using quick links on any sliding treat cup doors is a good idea. Cuz they will figure those out...

I second this suggestion:

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Friends-Hamberley-Metal-Cage/dp/B005CAY8QA/]Little Friends Hamberley All Metal Cage: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies[/ame]

I got a very similar (if not identical, but black) cage from wayfair.com. Not sure if they ship to the UK. I LOVE it, I've had it for about 4 years now. Very roomy, 1/2" bar space, very secure, well made, sturdy. No escape routes. Big door. The only thing I can recommend is to secure the cage part to the stand part with plastic zip ties. I've heard the cage can slide off as the tabs that hold it in place are small and flimsy.

For your money, it's the best value, biggest safest cage you can get with appropriate bar spacing.

In terms of pairing, could you get two males?

I am not sure if that works for lovebirds. But my two birds are conures, and I'm pretty sure they are both boys (not sexed, but neither has exhibited any female behaviour) and they get on great. They are close buddies, but they are not mated and there is no aggression or jealousy, and neither has tried to mate with me.