My depressed lovebird

[lovieslover]

Hello all lovebird lovers,
I have recently purchased a baby lovebird named Goose, about 4 weeks ago. At first, he was very friendly, cuddly and happy to be with us. He would never bite or show any type of agression towards us or anybody. Last weekend, I had to go back to work full time, so Goose didn't have as much time with us as usual. So we went and bought a mirror for him, to keep him company. He was always happy to hang out next to it and talk to it all the time.

After only two full days of being with the mirror and alone at home, his behaviour started to change very suddenly. So we decided to take it away. Also, at the same time, our sunny days were replaced by rainy, cold weather everyday. My bird started to become more and more agressive towards our hands, and less and less interested to be with us.

Yesterday, I came home to find a very lethargic lovie, unhappy and without any interest in being with us at all. He is a totally different bird. No kisses, no cuddles and alot of bites; that's all he would give us. I decided to book an appointment at the vet for Monday. In the meantime, we bought him a UVA-UVB light, and we're hoping that it will help him get over his sadness...

We don't know what to do, we are so sad and scared our little happy lovie will never truly come back to us :( Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

[linda040899]

I think the vet appointment is an excellent start to rule out possible infection that might be the underlying cause.

Lighting can also be a factor and understand that parrots need light. I have an aviary where lighting is a big problem and the best I've ever found is available through Avi-Tech. You are looking for a specific color to the light that will most benefit your bird. Here is a link to the lighting that I use for my lovebirds and it's made quite a difference! http://www.avitec.com/Full-Spectrum-Lighting-for-Birds-s/2.htm A bit pricey? Maybe. Worth it? Definitely!

Mirrors should never be used for lovebirds. Lovebirds tend to form very strong bonds and the "bird" in the mirror is merely a reflection. It's not real but your lovie doesn't realize that. More attention and interaction from you should help and that's where I would start.

How old is he/she now? If your lovebird is going through a molt, that can also cause a change in behavior.