New lovebird - age?

[lazar]

Hello,

I've never had a lovebird before (I had lots of budgies a child) but I bought a peach-faced lovebird from the pet shop yesterday. The employees are not particularly informed there and were unable to say how old he is. I did choose the one with black on the beak as I read this meant they were young. Could you please look at the photo of Lazar and estimate his age for me? :)

Thanks! I look forward to reading more posts on the forum and sharing my story as the adventure with Lazar continues! I am eager to get him settled in and tame but realise it might take a while! :rotfl


Here is a photo of Lazar (http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/lazar1419/media/DSC_0589_zpsbcb69623.jpg.html?filters[user]=141045305&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0)

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community!

Judging by the amount of the dark splotch that is remaining on the beak, he/she is between 10 - 11 weeks old. The dark coloration will disappear by age 3 months (12 weeks) and the first molt begins at age 16 weeks (4 months).

Cute little guy!

[longobongo]

D'awww he looks like my Bailey :) Very cute! Congrats!

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

So snuggly looking! I miss the baby stage.

[lazar]

Thank you Linda for your insightful response and thanks to everyone else who responded. :)

Another quick question, how soon should we open the cage door for him to come out? We got him on Sunday and so far we've been speaking and eating next to him and he is a little less scared. Yesterday he was on the highest perch when we put our hands in to change the paper on the floor or change the water/food. Today he was on the middle, lower perch when I changed the water and food taking a good look at what I was doing but still not particularly impressed with my invasion ;-)

Thanks a million! :)

[linda040899]

Picture yourself in a completely strange place where you don't know anyone or anything abo9ut your surroundings. How safe do you feel? That's where he's at right now. Parrots learn by experience and he's new to your home so he needs time to realize you mean him no harm. When you put your hand in his cage, that's HIS home and his safe place. I don't take intruders into my home very well, either. :)

The problem with letting him come out on his own right now will be one of getting him back in his cage. I would work on perch training him so you have a way to pick him up without grabbing him. He will trust a perch (branch/twig) quicker than a human hands. Parrots naturally don't like hands and some never learn to like them. Take things slowly and just be around him and offer attention. You are his companion right now, as his parents/siblings are not with him.

Are his flight feathers clipped?

[longobongo]

I was also going to ask if his flight feathers are clipped. When I first got Bailey, I didn't even give her time to "settle-in." I was so excited. She wasn't clipped. What I did was, I put us both (her cage and myself) into a nice clean, quiet room and I opened her cage door. Then, I browsed on my computer (on this forum actually!) while she eventually made her way out of the cage and around the room. After about 2 hours (she went back to her cage a few times for food and water, and then right back out to exploring) she flew to my laptop screen and chirped at me. Almost like HEY IM BEING SO CUTE OVER HERE STOP LOOKING AT THAT SCREEN NOW! I put my finger up and she flew away. This happened a few times and the last time, she stepped up.

If you have the time to allow his cage to be open for a good amount of time, you might not have to put him back in yourself at all. I just got a cockatiel a week ago and I've been leaving his cage door open all day. He makes his way in and out for food and water and sometimes just to sit. I usually wait until then to close the door if I need to. :)

[linda040899]

Sounds like a winning plan to me! It's all about building that trust relationship and it simply takes time/patience. Once you get it, it's like nothing else! Ginger, my imported CAG, will not let me touch her but that doesn't stop her from following me all over the house to be where ever I am.

[Pips mom]

It's nice to be able to have the time to just leave their door open whenever you want, but when you have a new bird that you are unsure about getting back in and how long that will take and you have to leave the house for whatever reason by a certain time, then what? With Pip, I actually used a big stuffed animal that was laying around.......he would land on it, so I know he wasn't scared of it, and when he landed on it, I would lift it up and put him near the cage door and he would go in! Be resourceful and use whatever you think may work! Alot of times, they will go back to their cage on their own, but you just don't always know when that will be! Once back on top of their cage, you can try to coax him back in.........that worked with the other lovebird I had Rudy. They are smart little birds, so it's not too hard, the only thing that makes it hard is when they are too scared! So take the time and leave him in cage for as long as you think it takes to see some calming and being comfortable first. Alot of times, covering the back part of the cage gives them more security. Congrats on your new little one! lovebirds are truly amazing little creatures!

[lazar]

So we let him out a week ago, for the first time, it was a mission and a half to get him back in the cage - about 5 hours. :omg: Now, into the third week of owning him, he's must more accustomed to us and is eating millet when we hold it up to him in the cage and is much less scared.

Let him out yesterday during the day, he flew around for 10 minutes then perched himself on the top of the bookcase for an hour before flying back down to the cage. He then "attacked" the dog by flying on his back and then away (the dog just rain away :rotfl ) and then he went into the cage by himself! :)

Progress :)