Baby lovebirds are not capable of eating all the foods which adult birds can easily eat. Adult lovebirds are capable of eating most of the food which fits in their beaks. Also, feeding baby lovebirds is a crucial part of their care. So, what to feed baby lovebirds?
Baby lovebirds can eat baby birds’ formula. Also, you can feed them moistened dog foods with some other foods, including crushed bananas. Let’s dive into the details and know-how to feed baby lovebirds with their favorite food.
Table of Contents:
- What Do Lovebirds Feed Their Babies?
- What To Feed Baby Lovebirds?
- How To Make Foods For Baby Lovebirds?
- How To Feed Baby Lovebirds?
- Hand-feeding Baby Lovebirds
- How Often Do Baby Lovebirds Eat?
- Baby Lovebird Hand-feeding Schedule
- How Much To Feed A Baby Lovebird?
- When Do Baby Lovebirds Start Eating Seeds?
- When Do Baby Lovebirds Eat On Their Own?
- Do Baby Lovebirds Need Water?
- How Long Can A Baby Lovebird Go Without Eating?
- Can Baby Lovebirds Eat Fruit?
- Can Baby Lovebirds Eat Bananas?
- Summary
What Do Lovebirds Feed Their Babies?
Lovebirds feed healthy and fresh food to their chicks. Lovebirds have versatile feeding options easily available in nature. These food options include fruits, greens, veggies, whole grains, legumes, sprouts of legumes, and pellets.
All of these foods are available in wildlife. Female lovebirds feed their chicks through their beak. Baby lovebirds can only eat through parent beak stimulation.
Parent lovebirds gently push the food through the beak to their chicks, which stimulates them to suck the food. Lovebirds also give fresh water to their babies as needed.
What To Feed Baby Lovebirds?
The answer is relatively simple, baby lovebirds can eat almost anything from fruits, veggies, and nuts to pellets. But keep in mind that baby lovebirds cannot eat a portion of solid food while they are too young. You have to feed them a soft feed.
First of all, you have to determine the age of the baby lovebirds. Young lovebirds have different eating preferences according to their growth phases.
Lovebirds are said to be uncooperative when it comes to getting food from humans. So, here you have to be determined about commitment.
To feed baby lovebirds, you can use a professional baby bird food mix or make the food at home as well. When it comes to feeding options for baby lovebirds, you can use any fruit or veggie in your fridge.
Always serve crushed and chopped fruits or veggies. Besides the fruits and vegetables, you can also serve protein-rich crushed hard-boiled eggs. Another quick food option is bird pellets, and this is a great choice for weaving baby lovebirds.
How To Make Foods For Baby Lovebirds?
Preparing food for baby lovebirds is very simple. There are two popular ways to feed baby lovebirds. The first one is baby bird formula for baby lovebirds, and the last one is homemade foods for baby lovebirds.
Preparing Baby Bird Formula
Baby bird pet formula is the easiest food to prepare for baby lovebirds. Make sure you buy baby pet formula (as the baby bird formula is more soft and rich in essential growth nutrients).
Baby bird formula is in powder form, and you have to dissolve it in a liquid medium to prepare the food. Most commonly, water is preferred to mix the formula. Always boil the water to ensure there are no bacteria or germs.
After boiling water, let it cool down to be slightly warmer than room temperature. Then mix the formula and give it a good mix, ensuring there are no lumps in it.
Now, when the food is ready, fill it in a syringe and hand-feed the baby lovebird. Keep reading to know how to hand feed baby lovebirds.
Preparing Homemade Food
We can always use organic diet options available at home to feed baby lovebirds. You can use crushed fruits, e.g., bananas, or chopped and crushed vegetables like carrots.
To step up the nutrition, you can also feed crushed hard-boiled egg mix with other diet options. These food options are easily available and healthy for baby lovebirds.
How To Feed Baby Lovebirds?
If you found a baby lovebird, try to find the nest and place the chick back in the nest. Baby lovebirds are one of those sensitive birds who reject taking food from humans.
So if you are a newbie bird rehabber or a licensed bird keeper, you have to struggle a bit with feeding baby lovebirds.
Baby lovebirds have a rapid growth rate when appropriately fed. Always be gentle while feeding these sensitive feathery friends.
Hand Feeding is the only best option to feed baby lovebirds. But if you aren’t familiar with proper hand feeding techniques, your baby lovebird might not take the feed. Follow the instructions below to hand-feed baby lovebirds.
Hand-feeding Baby Lovebirds
Hand-feeding baby lovebirds is a bit difficult as compared to other birds. Baby lovebirds are very sensitive and tricky to feed. But don’t worry about it. With proper hand-feeding skills and technique, you can easily feed your baby lovebird.
How To Hand-feed Baby Lovebirds?
01. Fill the syringe with the food.
2. Make sure the head of the baby lovebird is tilted upwards. Because when the baby lovebird’s head is down while feeding, it can result in choking and even death in some serious cases.
3. When you have properly positioned the baby lovebird, gently place the syringe opening into the baby lovebird’s beak.
4. Observe the baby lovebird’s response to feeding. This will let you know when the baby lovebird is hungry. Usually, baby lovebirds start to jump toward the food or start making crying sounds.
5. Gently and slowly push the feed into the beak of the baby lovebird. You will notice the baby is swallowing the feed.
You can observe the swallowing as the baby will show head bobbing or body movement. Keep the speed of feeding according to the swallowing rate of the baby lovebird. Always be nice and slow when hand-feeding baby lovebirds.
6. Don’t overfeed the baby lovebird. To ensure it observes the baby’s crop. A crop is a bird’s food storage area before digestion. Which is located in the front below their necks.
The bulged crop is very prominent. If the crop has bulged, it means the baby is full and stops feeding. Sometimes there will be two bubble-like formations on the back of the baby lovebird. Stop feeding if you notice any of the changes mentioned above.
7. After feeding, clean the baby lovebird with a soft towel.
Let the baby lovebird have plenty of rest. You can put your baby lovebird to sleep by gently caressing its feathers.
How Often Do Baby Lovebirds Eat?
As we have discussed, the eating patterns of baby lovebirds depend on their growth phase. Average feeding intervals are mentioned below.
Baby Lovebird Hand-feeding Schedule
It is straightforward, feed breakfast to your baby and keep checking after every 3-4 hours. You will gradually know the eating schedule of your baby lovebirds. On average, a baby lovebird might need to be fed every 2-4 hours, depending on its growth phase.
| 1 – 5 Days | Every 2 – 3 hours |
| 6 – 8 Days | Every 3 – 4 hours |
| 9 – 14 Days | 5 times a day ( sunrise to sunset) |
| 15 – 25 Days | 4 times a day (sunrise to sunset) |
| 26 – 33 Days | 3 times a day |
| 34 – 44 Days (Fledging) | 2 times a day (Serve food 2 times a day fledgling baby lovebirds can now eat solid feed) |
| 45 Days to Weaving Phase | 1 time a day (Baby lovebird is in weaving phase and can eat on its own) |
Baby lovebirds have good metabolism when eating a healthy diet. They might need to be fed several times around the clock.
Every bird has a different eating pattern depending on environmental and health conditions. The best way to know the feeding intervals is to observe the feeding pattern of your baby lovebird.
These feeding intervals are of average healthy baby lovebirds. Your lovebird can have more or less feeding intervals depending on environmental and health conditions.
To maintain a healthy feeding schedule, observe the eating patterns of your baby lovebirds. This will help you to feed the baby lovebird at optimal intervals.
How Much To Feed A Baby Lovebird?
All birds store food in crops before the process of digestion starts. All birds show some significant signs when they are full.
In the case of a baby lovebird, the crop becomes fuller and more prominent. Another visible sign in some baby lovebirds is bubble-like formations on the back of baby lovebirds.
Besides the above-mentioned prominent changes, you should serve a small amount of food per session.
When hand-feeding a baby lovebird, don’t push the excess amount into the beak of a baby bird. Let the baby lovebird swallow, stop when the bird starts to reject the food, and take a break.
In this way, you can observe the baby lovebird and set feeding intervals. Never over-feed the baby lovebird.
When Do Baby Lovebirds Start Eating Seeds?
Usually, all baby lovebirds start to eat seeds at fledging phase (34 – 40 days). At this age, you can serve crushed seeds with their regular diet.
Lovebirds are a bit picky about eating new food options and start introducing seeds gradually. Once they have started to like eating seeds, you can now serve seeds all alone. Bird seeds are an essential part of all birds’ diets, and they are rich in protein, oil, and necessary fat.
When Do Baby Lovebirds Eat On Their Own?
A baby lovebird starts to weave at the age of 2 months. Weaving baby lovebirds need the training to stimulate self-eating.
During the weaving phase, train the baby lovebird, serve them whole seeds, and have a regular diet on a platter. You can scatter the food-in platter to stimulate the wild activity of finding and picking to eat.
At this age, your baby lovebird can easily eat all solid feeds. Lovebirds are considered friendly when it comes to weaving. You can train them in a short period so that they can eat on their own.
Do Baby Lovebirds Need Water?
Yes, baby lovebirds need water for sure. But here is a certain factor to consider before giving water to your baby lovebird.
At the very young age of 1 to 2 weeks, baby lovebirds might not need water because their water requirement is fulfilled through a semi-solid diet.
When the baby lovebirds are 4 weeks, you can then serve fresh and clean water to them. At the start, you have to hand feed water to them.
How Long Can A Baby Lovebird Go Without Eating?
In some circumstances, baby lovebirds don’t get proper feed. Mostly when a baby falls out of a nest or is attacked by a predator, they have to survive without food as they aren’t able to eat on their own at an early age.
Hence, in any situation, a baby lovebird can survive for 48 hours only. This is the maximum time limit for a baby lovebird to survive without eating.
Can Baby Lovebirds Eat Fruit?
Yes, a baby lovebird can eat almost all fruits. Only there are a few exceptions, like avocado, which is known for being toxic for all birds.
Fruits are one of the ideal feeds for young baby lovebirds. As fruits are easily available and mashed or chopped fruits, have a smooth texture.
This makes it the easiest diet for baby lovebirds. However, you must serve the fruits in a small portion in the mix with other food options. Fruits have amazing nutrition for baby lovebirds, including fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Can Baby Lovebirds Eat Bananas?
Yes, bananas are good for baby lovebirds. Bananas are one of the favorite foods of baby lovebirds. They have a very soft texture, and when mashed, these are the perfect consistency for a baby lovebird. Bananas are high in sugar, so you should serve them only a few times a week.
Summary
The food list for baby lovebirds can not be assumed the same as the adult cardinals. It is important to know what are good and healthy foods for them and what baby lovebirds eat, including their ability to consume foods.
Feeding baby lovebirds is slightly different than feeding adult lovebirds. It requires proper caring and choosing the right foods for baby lovebirds. The first thing you should know about is what do baby lovebirds eat and how to feed them.
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