It’s been a few months since my old parrot passed away, and I’ve been really missing having him around.
He was so much fun and so affectionate, and such an old friend, too, that it was sad to see him go. In the months since I’ve been mulling the idea of getting a new parrot, though I know he could never be replaced.
The one thing I really need out of my new parrot, though, is that it likes a cuddle—I miss that too much!
I’ve been thinking about lovebirds, so I decided to find out.
So, are lovebirds cuddly?
As long as they have been raised right, yes, they will be cuddly. They are affectionate birds and love to snuggle into you and nuzzle you. Hand-raised lovebirds are very affectionate, but parent raised can be less interested in human interaction. But all pet lovebirds should be hand-raised.
So, the short answer is yes, but it does depend on quite a few factors.
Commonly, lovebirds are kept as pairs, and when this is the case with yours, they are more likely to cuddle with one another than with you.
But that doesn’t preclude all possibility of affection.
Let’s look further into this.
Are lovebirds cuddly with humans?
Usually yes, although it can depend on a few things.
Lovebirds are highly social creatures, but in the wild, they also tend to mate for life.
This means that they will very often form a deep bond with a single individual, to the exclusion of most others.
This can mean two things.
Firstly, assuming you have a second lovebird, the bird will form its deepest bond with that other lovebird.
They will cuddle together and it will get the vast majority of its social needs met with the other bird.
This means they won’t be that interested in cuddling with you, most of the time.
They still will be to an extent, though, but not as much.
The second thing that this can mean is that they form a deep bond with a single person when they don’t have another bird to bond with.
Thus, they will end up being very cuddly with that person, and not as much with most others.
This is a general rule of thumb, though, and you do often get lovebirds bonded to a number of people.
Ideally, you should have a pair of lovebirds to keep them happiest.
You can still cultivate a cuddly relationship with them, but it’s best for the bird to have a bird companion.
Do lovebirds like being petted?
Yes, they do, although very much on their own terms.
They like to have their heads scratched and preened, and they will enjoy physical touch with people they are familiar with.
They won’t want to be touched by unfamiliar people.
But you’ve still always got to respect their desires.
If they are reluctant to be petted, then you’ve just caught them in a bad mood, and you should let them figure it out in their own time.
You can make it worse by forcing an interaction.
This also comes down to whether or not they were hand-raised.
If they were, they will enjoy being petted a great deal more.
If they weren’t, they may not want to be touched by humans at all.
Virtually all pet lovebirds should be hand-raised, so be sure to buy from a reputable breeder.
How do you know if your lovebird loves you?
There are many signs you can look out for to interpret love from your lovebird.
One of the best ways is to check its reaction when you come back after being away for a while. I
s it excited, making lots of noise, flying over to you and initiating contact?
These are good signs it loves you.
It will also chirp and sing a lot around you.
Talking to your lovebird is a great way to form a bond with it, so you should do this as much as you can. if you notice it making a lot of noise back to you, then there is certainly a bond forming there.
It will peck at you, trying to preen you and straighten your feathers.
This is one of the surest signs that a bond has been formed.
Virtually any kind of physical interaction is a really good sign.
Are males or females more affectionate?
There is some debate about this.
Generally speaking, it is said that males are more affectionate than females.
They are a bit more mellow, and prefer hanging out with people.
This is, in part, because they need to be more affectionate in the wild to woo a partner.
However, again, it’s really all about how they are raised to begin with.
Hand-raised, properly trained and tamed lovebirds, both male and female, will all be affectionate.
You just may have less of a handful with a female than with a male.
It’s generally better to have a same-sex pair, so two males is a really good and common choice.
Conclusion
Lovebirds aren’t called lovebirds for no reason, then.
They are highly affectionate birds that love attention and, in the right circumstances, love to cuddle.
They won’t always be as cuddly with you as they might with their partner, but this is really better for the bird that they have another lovebird with them.
Nonetheless, you can still build a physical relationship with them and they will enjoy cuddling and playing with you.