dougal72
11-25-2014, 03:39 PM
Hi there , new to the forum and lovebirds in general. I have just adopted my Grans' ten/ twelve year old lovebird and he's quickly turned from a wee bird I used to see every week for half an hour to a loved pet :) Having said this I'm very inexperienced with keeping birds and have quite a few questions as I want him to be happy and relaxed in my company. Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.
1) At my Grans he was kept in a really large cage. Unfortunately due to space constraints his cage here is a bit smaller so I want to start letting him out. He's not had his wings clipped and was never let out of his cage at all in his old house. Is this a good idea? I'm guessing he would return for food /water after a while but scared he wouldn't return and I would end up having to try and catch him thus distressing him. Would I be better just leaving him in his cage?
2) He's scared of me. When I walk in the room he flies to the back of his cage. He does eventually come onto his perch now which he didn't before so I guess he's getting used to me but he still cowers when I'm changing his water etc. Ideally I would like him to be comfortable with me or even on me. He's never been handled before , he just lived in his cage with another lovebird who sadly passed on. He is not used to human contact and I 'm just wondering if it is worth even trying at his age or whether this will just distress him even more.
3) So far I've only been feeding him seed and apples which is what he used to have at my Grans. Is it worth trying other fruit and veg at his age or just stick to what he knows?
4) Would it be beneficial to keep him in the living room instead of the kitchen? At the moment I sit with him for about 45 mins a day and am in and out the room apart from that. Is that enough interaction ?
5) when I put music on he flaps his wings and chirps. I take it that means he's enjoying it? Particularly seems to like bob Marley and Roy Orbison :)
6) He's been pulling feathers out of his chest. He used to do this when the other lovebird was there but had stopped before the move. Is this stress related ? Is there anything I can do to stop him?
Sorry for the barrage of questions but this is a very new experience for me and wee Harris, as I've only ever had a dog before. Grown to love the wee chap already and just want to make his new life as happy and stress free as possible. Thanks in advance for any replies.
1) At my Grans he was kept in a really large cage. Unfortunately due to space constraints his cage here is a bit smaller so I want to start letting him out. He's not had his wings clipped and was never let out of his cage at all in his old house. Is this a good idea? I'm guessing he would return for food /water after a while but scared he wouldn't return and I would end up having to try and catch him thus distressing him. Would I be better just leaving him in his cage?
2) He's scared of me. When I walk in the room he flies to the back of his cage. He does eventually come onto his perch now which he didn't before so I guess he's getting used to me but he still cowers when I'm changing his water etc. Ideally I would like him to be comfortable with me or even on me. He's never been handled before , he just lived in his cage with another lovebird who sadly passed on. He is not used to human contact and I 'm just wondering if it is worth even trying at his age or whether this will just distress him even more.
3) So far I've only been feeding him seed and apples which is what he used to have at my Grans. Is it worth trying other fruit and veg at his age or just stick to what he knows?
4) Would it be beneficial to keep him in the living room instead of the kitchen? At the moment I sit with him for about 45 mins a day and am in and out the room apart from that. Is that enough interaction ?
5) when I put music on he flaps his wings and chirps. I take it that means he's enjoying it? Particularly seems to like bob Marley and Roy Orbison :)
6) He's been pulling feathers out of his chest. He used to do this when the other lovebird was there but had stopped before the move. Is this stress related ? Is there anything I can do to stop him?
Sorry for the barrage of questions but this is a very new experience for me and wee Harris, as I've only ever had a dog before. Grown to love the wee chap already and just want to make his new life as happy and stress free as possible. Thanks in advance for any replies.