New Lovebird, Old Owner

[Mahalo]

Hello, all!

First off, you all have a great community and I am thrilled to be a part of it. Linda L. has helped me greatly more then a few times in the past and I am so thankful that a resource like this board exists!

Quick background: I've had lovebirds for over 15 years- the same two birds! Whey they passed away a couple of years ago, one would have been old enough to drive and one would have been old enough to vote! They passed within a month of each other, and it was terribly sad, but last week a new bird entered into my life via Craigslist. Now, I do not know too much about her except that her owner was very good to her- she is not a rescue bird, but her owner was moving and running out of options.

Her name is Thunder and she is a year old. Woah, I had forgotten what a young bird was like! She immediately proved many of my assumptions wrong that I had generalized about all lovebirds based on my former two. So I wanted to check in with you all to make sure I am not giving root to bad habits.

She has a giant cage with lots of toys she actually seems interested in. I have a playgym set up which she loves, but it is also in front of a mirror which I've heard can be bad? She doesn't spend all her time looking in the mirror but it is clear she loves it at least as much as her toys. I have a vita light for her, sturdy food cups, a warm spot in the house, etc. all the basics. I started converting her to Harrison's today- she seems to have flung the food everywhere but in her beak, so we'll go off of seeds slowly.

Thunder can step up, but oh she bites! I cannot remember the last time my previous two birds ever bit me- they were unrepentant cuddlers, who liked being palmed and preened. Thunder thinks my fingers are the enemy. I do not know if she was hand-fed or just people socialized, but I can see we have a bit of an uphill battle toward cuddling. I've started laddering with her (ouch.) and she is currently unclipped.

She is very independent and self-possessed little bird, so far! This is a nice change since one of my previous lovebirds would yank out feathers if *anything* about his environment changed. No idea if she is really female but she's not, uh, humping anything yet. I was thinking of getting her one of those hanging bird beds, but am wary of giving her anything too nestlike. Any advice you have for me to get her off on the right foot would be really appreciated!

Thank you all in advance, and one day I hope to learn enough to return the favor!

[thebubbleking]

Aloha and welcome!

[MykL]

Yikes... I've gotten so used to how tame my little guy has become that I've forgotten those early weeks of paitence and training it took to get him there...

Clipping her wings might be a good start? Then maybe some gentle coaxing with spray millet to foster some positive interaction between you two?

[michael]

......... I have a playgym set up which she loves, but it is also in front of a mirror which I've heard can be bad? ...... .......I started converting her to Harrison's today- she seems to have flung the food everywhere but in her beak, so we'll go off of seeds slowly.........

Hi. ....:)....And welcome to our community! ... First. Its not surprizing to hear you've crossed paths with Linda. I swear she's got wings! ... She certainly has plenty of dedication! ... So you now have a new fid arrival named Thunder? .. At least for now, it sounds like her name fits quite well!

Honestly, you sound as though you may already have a fair knowledge of things. .. 15 years, i'm sure your two special fids trained you quite well. .. Granted, i'm sorry to hear they had since ultimately passed away. Prayers for their little spirits up there at rainbow bridge. .... Mirrors? ..Probably not the greatest, especially large ones. .. Who knows what may arrive out of a pre-occupation with self image. .. Weening her off seeds? .. Just make sure her intake of "pellets" doesn't excede 30-40% of her total diet. Too much nutrition, and certain health issues could cancel out the benefits. .. Better to try and incorporate fresh veggies, and a limited amount of fruit, as those (along with a good quality seed mix) will keep the nutritional intake a little more in balance with the lower level of activities found in companion birds. ... If her interest in healthier foods remains low, then a reasonable amount of pellets won't hurt.

Given your uncertainty in regards to her gender. The "hanging bird beds" or "cozy" , "tent", what have you :rotfl, at this point, is kind of a toss up. .. Unless she lays an immediate egg, her behavior will just have to rest under the eye's of scrutiny. .. Oh what the heck...Get her a cozy. Afterall, you can always remove it during the day. .. If she'll let you :whistle:. ... Might want to keep that millet handy. ... Wing clip? ... Only if need be. .......:)

Oh!.... have you tried a covered food dish for those flying seed/pellet parties?

[linda040899]

Hi Carina and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community!!! I've been on various message boards for many, many years and you're right! We go back quite quite a few........ Never did manage to locate the breeder you were looking for. She was an ALBS member for a number of yrs but I guess she got out of lovebirds and I couldn't find anyone who knows where she is currently. I'm sorry to hear that your two left for Rainbow Bridge but they had wonderful lives with you!

Congratulations on Thunder entering your life! What a lucky lovebird she is! I'm using female as the gender, as they are usually considerably more aggressive than males. Males are more laid back but I also love those fiesty hens!!!

Mirrors are not usually good to have around lovebirds, as they are very social birds and can form a strong bond with a reflection which is not real. If you choose to get a happy hut for Thunder, I would use it only for sleeping. Put it in the cage at night and remove it in the morning. Happy huts make wonderful nesting sights, as do any other cozy dark areas typically found in all homes (under appliances, furniture, open drawers....... :) ) :)

Some birds just don't like human hands/fingers and you may have to compensate right now by using a perch of some kind. The bite of a lovebird can be very painful and my fingers bleed at times, too!! :lol Clipping her flight feathers will make her more dependent on you but it may not solve the biting issues.

Per my avian vet, pellets are too much nutrition for all small birds and they should not be more than 40% of the total diet. I use a good seed base and add maybe 10% pellets, if that. Fresh food is better for them, especially sprouted seed! I also use a lot of fresh carrot, as Vit A deficiency is very common in all birds.

Again, welcome to our community! I'm very glad to have you here!

[Mahalo]

Oh you guys are great! Linda L. it is lovely to "see" you again, and thank you everyone else for making me feel so welcome!

I had no idea that pellets were too much nutrition! I remember when I converted my two previous lovies and what a huge difference it made. I originally did it to help with behavioral issues but then noticed their feathers got rather magnificent looking after several months. That may have been because Harrison's was organic. I am happy to not have Thunder on 100% pellets- they are expensive and such a pain to mail order. Can anyone recommend a good seed blend? I am using an organic one now called Ecotrution, but it is for Parakeets. Is there a difference in what 'keets or lovies need diet wise?

She has this new thing she did like 6-7 times today where she dove into her food bowl and scooted around till pellets were flying *everywhere*. I'll certainly consider a hood for the fooddish. She actually loves to eat them too, but also flinging them must be great fun. Is there a way to make sure she is eating pellets in addition to the seeds? I was going to mix them together, but I don't think I'll be able to tell if she is eating one and leaving the other. She's a very smart bird- she's already figured out her waterbottle! Of course her favorite food is my fingers...well, fingers and Christmas cards. :)

I did try the millet trick and it is greatly helping our progress with step-up. The training videos linked are really really helpful as are Sally Blanchard's articles. I have so many bites that my bites have bites... but I'm actually seeing tiny bits of progress in both of us. She is beaking much more then biting now. I also covered up the mirror. And now that I know more about how clipping effects parrots, I don't really believe it is appropriate for Thunder at this time.

Yeah, Linda, it's no big deal that I was not able to get in touch with Leslie. I actually just wanted to drop her a line to let her know the lovie she gave me was doing great. She named him Pepper and I called him Samaritan. He was just *the best* bird, ah, I miss him to death. He was old when I got him 7-9 but he lived to be over 18 years. Samaritan was hugely fluffy- just adorable- and had a bum foot, so he was my special needs darling. He never picked his feathers, was super mellow, and didn't meep much. He was a breeder for her so I like to think he was probably just tired and having a good retirement. :) He loved to snuggle and wasn't very mobile so he just stayed where you set him, loved to have his beak rubbed, and be preened.

About two years before he passed, he had a respiratory infection where he spent three days in the parrot hospital. They doctors were sweet but they were basically like, "Hey, this is a old bird, we'll do what we can, but do not get your hopes up." They were astonished when he made a full recovery and went on to live with no complications. Jeremy (my first parrot) was the younger one and passed away two summers ago at the age of 16. He died on the vet's exam table so I do not know why. Samaritan was by himself for a month while I debated what to do. One morning I woke to find him at the bottom of his cage. His breathing was really labored and I my instinct was that he was probably old, tired and a bit heartbroken. Maybe it was not the greatest thing to plop him in his carrier and go tearing off the parrot hospital. I think I made a good call as he passed within the hour in my hands, warm, and feeling safe.

After all that, I was not sure I was ready for a new parrot, but a year and half later it was fateful that Thunder got to come into my life. Ah, youth! Thunder is a handful but she is also cute, smart and independent. Today we sat under the vita light and watched the snow. She also shredded Christmas cards and got some new toys. I've never seen a lovebird like shiny things the way she does. All her favorite toys are shiny.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Thank you again for your help and the warmest wishes to you and your families!

[linda040899]

Hi Carina
I remembered Jeremy's name but, for the life of me, I could not remember what you had named the lovebird you got from Leslie. :)

Seed-wise, Higgins/Sun Seed has some nice blends and ABBA is also very good. I use pellets but my guys eat more seed and fresh food so the pellet percentage is may be 10%. Sprouts are excellent nutrition and very easy to do. I use fresh shredded carrot for Vit A and my guys LOVE homemade cornbread!! You can add just about anything you want them to eat to it and it will get the job done. :)

Many parrots love to forage and lovebirds are no exception. If she has to work to find food or treats, it might cut back on how she flings food around. Try putting something like shredded paper on top of her food so she has to dig or wrap some up in pieces of paper, again so she has to look for it. Birds forage in the wild so it's instinct with them.

Thunder sounds like quite a character and she's making herself right at home with her new lovie slave!