New to Lovebird

[Cat]

Hello Everyone,
A friend of mine had a blue masked lovebird. She asked me if I wanted it due to it not being properly taken care of. Her husband purchased it and another (green one) about 5 years ago for their daughter. The green one died a few years back and this one has been alone ever since. It was never messed with, at all! I thought she was joking when she said its cage hadn't been cleaned out in almost 2 years! I told her, sure I would take it. She gave me food, cage w stand, cage cover, everything. I went to pick it up and sure enough, bottom of cage was full of poop and food. I couldn't believe it, I felt so bad. As we were cleaning it out, I noticed on top of a big pile of poop, there were quite a few feathers. When it puts its head back, I can see where it's missing feathers on the bottom of neck. Not sure if it's molting feathers, I do see some skin. I've done TONS of research since I've taken this bird in and have slowly started to offer fresh fruits and veggies. It was never given anything but bird seed. It's very skiddish and scares easily. I've been talking to it, sitting next to it and giving it attention. Each day, I slowly stick my hand in its cage, trying to gain trust. I wore a glove one time and it seemed to really freak out, so I won't be doing that anymore. I dont want to give it a heart attack. If I get bit, oh well. I'll take my chances. It doesn't try to bite tho, it just tries to get away. I did slowly pet it with one of the perches yesterday and it actually did pretty good. It's band says 04 on it so I'm assuming it's around 10 yrs old. I'm very patient with animals and I won't give up on this bird. My son named it Jack, so that's what I'm calling it. Do you think I am giving Jack a chance at a happy life? Do you think it would be happier if I got another lovebird for it? I joined this site to get help from bird owners. Usually pet store employees don't help me at all. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm noticing that it is being more talkative each day, which I think is great since it didn't make hardly any noise at first. It also bites at its cage, loudly, I'm guessing trying to get out. Today is the 5th day and I see that the bird is slowly starting to get used to me. Am I wrong for thinking there is a chance at taming Jack? I definitely have faith in myself and Jack as well.

[Lovie]

I'd like to start off by saying thank you for saving Jack. :)
First of all, what kind of food did you receive from your friend? Is it seed? Pellets? What brand?
It's good that you're offering fresh foods which is already a step ahead of me with my bird, haha...
You're right, gloves usually don't end up working with lovebirds. They often are more afraid of the gloves than of your hands. Don't forget to smile, talk in a quiet yet friendly voice, and let the bird come to you.
Since you did see a few bald spots, you might want to watch it carefully to make sure it's molting and not plucking. If it's molting, it might also have pin feathers, ones that seem out of place and pokey, mostly on its head.
You most definitely aren't wrong to think you could tame him. I think you're doing a great job.
One last piece of advice: Find an (avian) vet near your place and take your bird to see the vet. The vet will make sure your bird is healthy, will tell you more about care, and will probably answer the questions you have. :)

[linda040899]

Hi Cat and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community! Kudos to you for saving Jack from owners who just didn't have time for him/her! There's far too much of that going on here in the US right now, which is why I'm a breeder who is no longer breeding because there are too many parrots that are homeless!

The key word is patience, along with a lot of love and kindness. All live creatures will respond. To what degree remains to be seen. Masked Lovebirds are, by nature, shy and skiddish, much more so than their Peachfaced counterparts, but they can make fantastic pets. Lovebirds are also, by nature, very curious so let this work to your advantage. Her cage is HER home so respect her space. Your hand is an intruder and her reaction is the same as yours would be if something/someone strange came into your home.

Wish you a lot of luck with Jack and let us know how he is doing. Please keep us updated and we would love to see some photos when you think Jack is ready to be photogenic. :)

[Cat]

Thank you both for your response. I was given a seed mix for small birds. I'm not home at the moment to check brand but it doesn't have sunflower seeds or anything in it and it kinda smells of oranges. I bought some millet last night and saw that he ate some. I also have noticed that when I walk up to his cage he isn't that scared anymore but if my son or husband walk by he acts a little nervous. I can talk real soft and sweet to it with my face close to the cage and he starts to blink his eyes, kinda like puppy dog eyes! Too cute. Also, I am definitely keeping an eye on his lost feathers but I have noticed a few little white specs on his head. Feathers poking thru, I wondered what that was. Anyway, thank you so much for the encouragement. We will keep it up

[linda040899]

Sounds like Jack is molting and what you see (little white specks) are the new feathers still encased in their keritan sheath. Lovebirds are native to Africa so I offer sunflower seeds, as lovebirds actually need a higher fat content diet and other parrots from around the globe. This is true for most African species.

Jack is responding to you because you most likely spend the most time around him and he's getting to know/recognize you. Keep up the good work!

[wizdoc35]

Cat,
I too saved a lovebird. Kiwi (my peachface lovebird) was given to me by my dad who received the bird from a friend who pretty much neglected her. Kiwi has been with me for 10 months now. When I first got kiwi, I took her to the vet for a general exam and to get her wings clipped. Clipping the wings helped alot, it forced the bird to stay close to me and not fly away when I let it out her cage. At first, kiwi was so scared of me, she would fly away, chirp at me to go away. But that all changed! What helped was using youtube videos of other lovebirds...I actually ended up taming kiwi using this technique. I would sit next to her cage with the door open, put on a lovebird youtube video on, and suddenly...kiwi would come sit next to me or on my hand to watch the videos. Now, I am happy to say she lovesssss me....waits for me to get home after work to play with her, perches on my finger and shoulders, gives me little birdie kisses when I pucker my lips at her.
Hope my advise helps you progress toward a great and rewarding relationship with Jack. It is possible, don't give up!

[Cat]

Aww that is so funny that you play YouTube videos, I do the same thing! Thank you kindly for your feedback. I won't give up on Jack. I've tamed plenty of animals in my day but a bird is totally different.