I kinda feel bad and really dont know what to do??

[Brookie]

I feel bad because it seems like I have less and less time for my lovie..and I kinda see a diffrence in him he doesnt bite hard at all but trys to snap here and there..I take him out once a day or twice a day...but there are days I dont take him out at all. He does have a really big cage and lots of toys that he plays with. Should I feel bad?

[Bella]

I had a similar problem when we moved to our current house. For various reasons I could not let my birds out much, and although they had enormous cages, I too felt bad about it.

In the end I let all mine go to a new home (with somebody from this forum).

If you have a single lovie and the cage really is big, could you consider adding another? That way he would have company, although if you don't have much time for out of cage and bonding sessions you will have to resign yourself to having two relatively wild lovies.

[LauraO]

Lovebirds, especially a single lovebird, really need daily out of the cage time. Granted, changes in our lives happen but that requires us owners to find new ways to make our lovies part of our everyday life.

Some folks intergrate their lovies into their morning routine of getting ready. Some keep their lovies up later or have friends and family help care for them.

A great idea is to also set up different play areas for your lovie to be out and near you while you live your life. We have play areas in several rooms to place our birds on while we are doing things. During this time, I talk with my birds while I am busy, give them treats and fun stuff to play with.

No matter how busy you are, however, you should never go a day without talking and interacting with your lovebird. Parrots are flock animals and need interaction to remain healthy and happy.

Good Luck

[michael]

I feel bad because it seems like I have less and less time for my lovie..and I kinda see a diffrence in him he doesnt bite hard at all but trys to snap here and there..I take him out once a day or twice a day...but there are days I dont take him out at all. He does have a really big cage and lots of toys that he plays with. Should I feel bad?

It is without question many poeple when they first decided to keep companion birds, later on find themselves with less time to provide the proper care for them. If you love your pets as though they are your family, which plenty of us do, then feelings of guilt will soon set in.

I also feel that even if we find ourselves in this situation "without a doubt" it should be the "upmost priority" to do the best we can to find ways to compensate for lost time and not just immediately rehome. After all, our feathered family can become so attached (bonded) to us that for "some species" this can cause emotional trauma with effects sometimes worse than the alternative options.

Although I spend alot more time with my single lovebird than probably a fair number of poeple do (6-8 hours a day), there are still times this is cut short by activities necessary to put food on the table. Feel bad? Yup. And of course, if I were to capitalize on the most frequent reasons used by most poeple (those with an attitude refer to these as "excuses") of why their family time is cut short, this would likely boil down to the fact that a few of us simply shouldn't keep companion birds. Really, I truly believe if companion birds are not a part of your lifestyle, then you pretty well know it. It is then that every effort should be made towards finding a new home that offers appropriate care and unconditional love. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.

So now, I'm hopefull (and thankful) through the combined efforts of this community we can offer preventative and/or alternative measures that not only help in finding ways to provide care for our companions when we have less time, but educate those regarding the needs of companion birds BEFORE they decide to keep them. Let us pray we can all continue to be good caretakers of our animal friends, companions or not.

There is I'm sure an emotional/physical threshold for many parrots whether due to species, personality traits, environmental reasons or otherwise, that can still be well maintained even when we find ourselves with less time on our hands. For my own single lovebird Goofy, Monday's are the day that falls very short of our usual routine. It is that day we only see each other for about 2 hours. In preparation to this he gets a couple extra foraging packages, a four hour "sounds of the jungle" disc (turned down kinda low), and a couple phone calls. When I finally do arrive home, he's let loose for exercise/attention for an hour then returned to his cage so I can cook dinner instead of him. I do my paperwork, then let him out about 7PM to eat and spend time together until its his bedtime (about 8-8:45). If I were really hard pressed regarding time issues, both a morning outing along with an evening one would be extremely important for his well being (as well as my own good conscience), and I would have to find ways to offer a reasonable amount of activities or options throughout the day that don't result in a lonely parrot :(. While the prospect of getting an additional bird as "company" can be a very good option, this takes careful planning with much consideration towards compatability. Both age and gender can play a big role in how the introduction of a new bird to an existing one may turn out. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees here. Besides the additional cost of housing and vet care, what would you do should they choose to not get along? Not having time for one bird is bad enough. Having "no" time for two is even worse.

[Janie]

Brooke, I think a single lovebird (or three in my case) really needs at least 2 hours out of cage time every single day. Mine get about 10 hours out but I realize that's not possible for most people who are working outside their home.

If you can't find the time, I would consider re-homing him. I don't like the idea of re-homing a bird since it happens way too often but if it's in the best interest of the bird and you can find a GOOD home for him, I'd do it. A life lived inside a cage is just sad, IMHO. I would be overwhelmed with guilt if my birds (even with each others company) did not get plenty of out of cage time and interaction with me on a daily basis.