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How Much Does a Lovebird Cost? 

Lovebirds are well-known outside of their native Africa and Madagascar because of their worldwide popularity as pets. They measure between 5 and 6 1/2 inches tall and live for between 12 and 20 years. In this article, we’ll take a look at how much a lovebird costs and the costs associated with housing, and taking care of a lovebird. You’ll learn about the different species of lovebirds and their affordability. We’ll even assess how much keeping lovebirds would cost on a monthly basis.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Social, loving, and occasionally temperamental, lovebirds are small and friendly parrots that are great options for those new to taking care of birds.
  • Expect to spend about $650 in one-time costs and $45 monthly to maintain a healthy, happy individual lovebird or pair. 
  • Because it is the most common, the peach-faced lovebird is the most affordable species of lovebird. It also comes in many different colors. 
  • Lovebirds should be kept in pairs unless you have the time to spend 2 hours socializing with your lovebird daily.  
lovebird on hand
Lovebird | image by Ferran Pestaña via Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0

How Much Does a Lovebird Cost? 

Depending on the species of lovebird, one of these pets can cost anywhere from $20 to over $400. That doesn’t include the ~$300 you’ll spend on the cage, cover, bowls, toys, perches, and baths. 

It may seem like a lot, but lovebirds are much smaller than other parrots and therefore, more affordable. Their popularity and ease of breeding in captivity make them more affordable than other parrot species. 

The biggest upfront costs will be the bird(s), the cage, and the first vet visit. A good cage should measure at least 2’ x 2’ x 2’. If you have a pair of lovebirds, increase the cage’s size. 

Cost of Keeping a Pet Lovebird
Activity/Item/Fee Cost Type of Cost
Animal Purchase Fee $50-$400 One-time
Cage, Cover, & Liner  $75-$300 One-time
Food  $20-$35 Ongoing 
Food/Water Bowls  $10 One-time
Toys/Enrichment Materials  $10-$20 Ongoing
Initial Vet Visit & Vaccination  $100-$200 One-time
Subsequent Vet Visits $25 Ongoing 
Pet Insurance  $10 Ongoing 

How Much Does A Lovebird Cost Per Month? 

The ongoing costs of keeping a lovebird as a pet can be surprising upon first glance. Like keeping a cat or a dog, there are recurring costs that will affect how much you spend per month on your bird. However, these are definitely less than the up-front costs. The average lovebird owner spends $30 to $45 a month on his birds. 

Remember that the cost of obtaining your lovebird is usually the largest sum of money you’ll pay up front. Lovebirds can be entertained with crinkled paper, rope, cardboard tubes and other inexpensive objects. Creating a monthly toy budget of $10 to $15 is a great way to keep variety in your bird’s life. 

Other ongoing costs include vet bills, fresh fruit and nuts, grooming, and medications. You can sneak in fresh fruits and veggies from your own table but costs for medications, the vet, and grooming will up the monthly cost. Luckily, lovebirds don’t need to go to the vet monthly, and you’ll only need to purchase medication if the bird is sick. 

lovebirds perched
Lovebirds | image by Peter Békési via Flickr | CC BY 2.0

Which Lovebirds Are Most Affordable? 

There are 3 main lovebird species raised and sold for the pet trade. They vary in price but all are usually in the $20-$150 range. Prices under $50 usually refer to rescues or surrendered lovebirds. Some colorations, such as a blue morph of the Fischer’s lovebird, can be as high as $400. They vary in price depending on where you get them.  

Lovebird Species Popularity  Price
Peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) Most Common  $100-300
Fischer’s lovebird (A. fischeri)  Common $50-$150
Masked lovebird (A. personatus)  Common  $80-$400
Black-cheeked lovebird (A. nigrigenis) Common $100-300

It is best to buy a lovebird from a reputable breeder. Responsible breeders make sure chicks are raised by their parents and socialized properly. Human intervention in the way lovebirds raise their chicks can disrupt or disturb their development. 

Even though there are 9 species of lovebirds, they aren’t all kept as pets. Eight are native to Africa, while just one – the gray-headed lovebird – is native to Madagascar.

Some are at risk from human development. Conservationists encourage the pet trade to refrain from capturing these birds because it cuts down on the genetic diversity present in the wild gene pool. 

We recommend against trying to keep a black-collared lovebird. It must eat figs from its native habitat. That can be difficult, if not impossible to do, since these figs only grow in eastern regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.  

lovebird pair
Lovebird pair | image by Ferran Pestaña via Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0

Can Lovebirds Live Alone? 

The cost-conscious person interested in lovebirds is bound to ask this question. Can a lovebird make it on its own? The answer is yes, but only if you’re interested in bonding with your bird on an intense level. It’s almost essential to buy a pair of lovebirds instead of a single one. If two birds is just too much, we recommend looking for a more independent species of bird. 

In the wild, lovebirds create deep connections with one another and are monogamous partners to their mates. They travel around in small flocks and spend their entire lives together. When kept as pets, lovebirds mirror this behavior. They flock around, chatter to, and even ‘groom’ their owners. 

If you’re concerned about the time commitment you can make to the birds, consider purchasing a pair of lovebirds. Pairs should be bought at the same time because lovebirds form monogamous pair bonds early on in their lives. 

Are Lovebirds Good Pets? 

There are many types of pet birds, and it depends on your personality, needs, and time commitment. Lovebirds are great for social owners who have time to spend with these brightly colored birds. If you don’t mind singing and chattering, these are the birds for you.

They are a major investment for the beginning bird owner – one bird can live up to two decades. However, if you’re already accustomed to the multi-decade lifespans of larger parrots, lovebirds probably won’t pose an issue. 

Keeping a pair of lovebirds is a good option for those hard-pressed on time since the two birds will entertain each other. That doesn’t get rid of the owner’s responsibility to keep the birds happy and healthy, however. 

They make good pets for beginning bird-owners because of their small size, lower price tag compared with other parrots, and cheerful nature. 

Conclusion 

Lovebirds are some of the more affordable types of parrots. However, they are still an investment. Because of how deeply lovebirds pair-bond with each other, you may need to purchase more than one. 

It is possible to stay on a budget with your lovebird, but remember to keep your pet’s quality of life in mind. They’ll spend most of their life eating from the food bowl and living in the cage you purchase, so give them something that will last for years!