Lovebird Care Sheet
Incubation figures, feeding by life stage, and the things that actually go wrong with this species — on one page.
Read the full lovebird breeding guide →- Incubation
- 23 days
- Incubator
- 99.3–99.5°F
- Humidity
- 50–55%
- Lockdown
- 65–75%
Lovebird Incubation
Forced-air figures. A still-air incubator runs about 101–102°F measured at the top of the egg — setting 99.5°F at the wrong height is one of the most common causes of a full-term chick that never pips.
| Where | Temperature | Humidity |
|---|---|---|
| Incubator | 99.3–99.5°F · 37.4–37.5°C | 50–55% |
| Last 3 days | unchanged — stop turning | 65–75% |
| Breeding room | 65–80°F · 18–27°C | 45–65% |
Hens carry nest material into the box themselves — peach-faced tuck strips into their rump feathers. Keep clean paper or palm strips available rather than pre-filling the box.
The honest check on humidity is not the hygrometer — it is the scale. An egg should lose roughly 13–15% of its lay weight by the time it pips. Too little loss means the air is too wet; too much means too dry.
Feeding Lovebirds
What the diet should be day to day, and what changes when a pair goes down to breed.
Every day
Pellets for around 60% of intake with a small-parrot seed mix alongside.
Fresh food
Leafy greens, carrot, apple, peas and sprouted seed several times a week.
While breeding
Cuttlebone and mineral block at all times; egg food two or three times weekly. Provide nest material rather than a filled box.
Feeding chicks
Egg food daily and constant calcium.
What goes wrong with lovebirds
- Hens are prone to egg binding without steady calcium.
- Lovebirds are territorial — a pair will attack a neighbour through cage bars, so leave a gap between breeding cages.
- Avocado, chocolate and caffeine are toxic.
Lovebird Colour Mutations
The 6 mutations you are most likely to meet, and how each one is passed on. Every bird below is an illustration of that mutation, not a photograph of a specific bird.
Ino
Sex-linked
Lutino (green series) or Albino (blue series)
Opaline
Sex-linked
Head color extends onto the body, reduced back markings
Blue
Recessive
Removes psittacin, green becomes blue/white
Violet
Dominant
Violet factor modifying blue to violet
Pied
Recessive
Random patches of clear feathers
Dark Factor
Incomplete dominant
Darkens body color — D Green/D Blue, DD Olive/Mauve
Want to see what a pairing of two of these would throw? Try the free genetics calculator — it draws every predicted chick.
General guidance used by breeders, not veterinary advice. Conditions vary by climate, setup and individual bird — watch your birds first and consult an avian vet for anything health-related.
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