Hi , My name is Tom.
Welcome to my bird farm. I am located in Riverside,
California. I thank everyone for visiting this web
site, which is created and maintained by me, though
I do owe a debt of gratitude to my wife Tiffany
for all of her love and support as I know that without
her, none of this would have been possible. I wish
to thank my daughter, nieces and nephews for all
of their help ! And of course to thank everyone
who has helped me along the way as I progressed
in my efforts as a lovebird breeder. Some have educated
me, some have become family; thank you. I am also
grateful for my customers, many of whom have happily
continued to purchase additional birds from me and
who have "spread the word" about the quality
and beauty of my birds.
I have been breeding lovebirds for over a decade.
Experience is a great educator. I have also had
the privilege of learning from some extraordinary
lovebird breeders. I now specialize in the opaline
mutation of the peach faced lovebird, one of nine
known species of lovebird. For anyone who is interested
in pursuing more in depth knowledge, there is an
open forum which I just created for anyone who wishes
to ask questions. There will be other breeders there
to help you, as well as myself. If your questions
are not met in a timely fashion, I am always happy
to help. The forum is open to everyone. Here is
the link.
Agapornis
Breeders/Hobbyist
A little bit more
about myself: ( or the lovebird!)
I am
a hobby breeder. I focus on the birds which captivate
me- the lovebird! I have raised many types of birds
prior to lovebirds, but none of them maintained
my interest. What keeps my interest with lovebirds
are the numerous color variations that are possible.
It is not necessary to buy all the color mutations
to become a breeder. It is possible to get started
with only ten to twelve pairs of a variety of colors,
and proceed to build from there. Of course, the
more pairs one has, the easier it will be to create
new color mutations. The only limit is one's own
imagination! There are more color varieties within
the peach faced lovebird than in any other species
except the parakeet. The fun of creating with the
lovebird will last for years. And, compared with
other birds I have owned, lovebirds seem to make
the best pet.
Like most people, I started with just a few pairs.
Now, over a decade later, my interest in breeding
lovebirds is still going strong. I have focused
on the opaline mutation,also called "Rosie
Headed lovebirds", for the past seven years,developing
many color mutations successfully. With all that
I have learned, what I find most exciting, is that
there is still so much to learn.
It hasn't always been
this way. When I got started, I had problems, like
anyone else. But by reading and studying and doing
as much research as possible, I got better over
the years. Meeting the right person is always a
plus. Just a few years into the breeding program,
I met Wayne. Wayne has taught me over the years
how to breed lovebirds properly, and has become
one of my closest friends. Thanks to his mentoring,
I was able to understand and create more mutations.
Now
I am working towards creating an Australian and
an American Ivory opaline. Perhaps it would be good
to explain that there are many names for the colors
in lovebirds. To complicate matters , the names
are different in different parts of the world, and
even in different states here in the US. Another
complication is that color names change as developments
occur, in other words, what was called one name
in the 1970's may be called an entirely different
name today. So even if someone has a good lovebird
book from, say twenty years ago, it is still possible
to get lost because even the descriptions for similar
colors have changed. This is one of the challenges
for breeders of lovebirds world wide. I will also
be adding my new fallow mutation into the opaline
program .Another personal goal is to develop a repeatable
albino peach faced lovebird. If all goes well, I
do expect to see some in my aviary as I continue
to work. None of these mutations are easy to create,
in essence, each requires a minimum process of three
years. Regardless of the length of time, I will
persevere. With so many challenges, it is impossible
to become bored! I feel the albino and the fallow,
are perhaps the most difficult to create. More in
depth information can be found on my new
mutation page.
Please
note: I have temporarily halted international shipping,
with the exception of Guam and Puerto Rico.
Pending evaluation Summer 2012. For further information
regarding shipping, please follow this link: shipping
information.
It
is easy to fall in love with the opaline! I find
it to be an especially charming variation, and am
happy to share my admiration . Please be aware that
breeding programs, like any specialty, do require
earnest, hard work. Development of certain colors
is more difficult than others, so please do your
research. I strive to create the best quality birds
as well as looking for new colors. Please recognize
your own budget before you fall in love with a bird
who is priced above your current needs. I am reasonable
and I recognize that what I do has value. I know
you will, too. Thank you. If you are simply looking
for a lovebird as a pet, perhaps a local breeder
may be able to fit your needs better. For more information
on pricing, please click here click
here.
To Anyone who has
simply stumbled onto this web page, and has no idea
what an opaline lovebird is: please click on the
link below. This gives a brief description of the
opaline mutation and how it occurred.
HISTORY
OF THE OPALINE "ROSIE HEADED" PEACHFACE LOVEBIRD MUTATION
MY
BREEDING FACILITY
All of my lovebirds
are individually bred in a specially designed safe
aviary with a concrete floor. The sides are 1/2
plywood, 1/2 mesh and screen to keep out insects.
This prevents any potential threat from rodents,
or insects from bothering my lovebirds.My other
deterrents are my four watch dogs: an English Mastiff,
a German Shepherd- and the noisiest, two Chihuahua
mixes!
My birds have access to fresh air, sun and shade
, one of the many blessings of living in California.
As you can see from my photos, I pride myself on
keeping their quarters immaculate.
I created
this website to become a self-help center, many
basic questions have been answered in the breeding
section of this site. I hope that you will turn
there for answers first. If there is information
that you do not understand, or need further clarification,
you are welcome to email me .A lot of the information
can be very complicated. I do recommend re-reading
and writing your questions down. As for myself,
the more I read, the more I am able to pick up certain
things.
If you have any questions
or comments about my birds or web page, please email
me lovebirdfarms@yahoo.com.
Or, you can click on the contact
page.
Or you are welcome
to contact me @ 909-489-8259. |
