A newbie with a new birdie

[Karingle]

Hello, I've been lurking and reading so many posts here. I also tried to talk to the breeder but he never really explained much to me and just told me to be patient. I am new to this bird care life, I got my bird, Azir, on the 20th (It is 10 weeks old) and I'm just sort of confused with a lot of things. While I do know to be patient, I've read so many bad stories...and I'm already a nervous person by nature so I'm really paranoid now. If any one can explain to me about some things, I'd greatly appreciate it. Sorry this is kind of long T _ T

I put covers on my bird at around 7:30pm-8pm and wake up at 8am to take them off. He doesn't chirp when he wakes up or anything he just stands like a statue with his eyes kinda squinting or something. I read that they usually chirp in the morning and excited/hungry. He doesn't chirp much at all. Is that random squinting looking thing ok?

Also seems like he doesn't really care about Millet, so taming him is so confusing for me right now cause I have no idea what to use to tame him with. He's just stuffing his face with the kaytee seed mix. :( Although I tried to give him carrots and broccoli everyday I feel the light leaving my eyes LOL jk but yea I'm not sure what else to do about taming this guy. Did people who got babies, did they already like millet spray right away?

My bird also likes to hop to the bottom of the cage and stare at its reflection against the black bar. I read that you shouldn't make them see their reflection so I'm kind of scared if I'm supposed to cover that/prevent it??

I let him come out of his own everyday, getting him back in is kinda tricky...mm I read some people just grab their bird with a towel and put them back in. I avoid grabbing him by the belly and stuff. He just freaks the **** out. He seemed ok when I grabbed him the first time to put him back in. After half a week he was ok with him being pretty close and when i tried to get him to step up so I can clean his cage he tried to bite my finger. He tried like multiple times, I watched the video about the twisty thing so I did that. I did it enough where he started to be scared/whimpering sounds?? He hid and was too afraid to bite me. Now every time I touch him he just whimpers and hides. He will nip finger a little but is way too scared to bite me now. I guess that's sort of a good thing and a bad thing since he's whimpering now??? I'm just lost here now...

Thanks for any one who can explain to me some of these problems I'm experiencing. I'm too scared to ask my breeder cause he keeps telling me to be patient and I don't want to annoy him with my questions.

[Iosevus]

If you got him on the 20th, I'm gonna say you are pushing way too hard. You can risk doing more harm then good, he needs to get comfortable first before he will start trusting you. As far as twisty thing, I have no idea what that is, but if it makes your bird afraid it's not good.
I've not yet seen or heard of someone having much progress in the first month let alone week.

[Karingle]

Aa really? I've been watching videos and reading. There were a lot of stories I saw where their bird took only a week to be tamed or something. The twisty thing I saw was on a YouTube vids where you would twist your finger if they bit you so they would stop biting you.
At this point should I just keep him in the cage till he trusts me? Because I can't really get him to go back inside unless I touch him.

[Iosevus]

I'd be careful of youtube videos, remember most of them are trying to make money off views. So a title like "Tame your pet in 2 weeks with this amazing trick!" is probably a lie. I really think the only thing you could do in a week is intimidate a bird, but as I only have one I'll let others comment on that.
That said, if they are truly "taming" a bird in a week, I'm willing to bet the bird they are taming is one already acclimated to people, so they're just adding a new trick to an already tame bird.

Your bird being young has had limited experience with people, if any, and has just been moved from the only home it knew to a new one. He is probably scared and lonely. Which might make him more defensive.

Let him breath for a bit. Don't force interaction, if you are around constantly he'll start wondering about you and want to see what you're up to. To repeat advice often given on this forum, sit next to his cage, even if you're not interacting with him, ie. reading a book, doing work. Have meals next to his cage, let him get used to you being a part of his life.
The breeder isn't kidding about patience, you need a lot of it. You need to be ok with not being able to interact quickly.

That said birds come with differing personalities. You may find he doesn't ever like your hands and never wants to be near them or touched. He may fall in love with your hands and hang on your fingers when you try and type. You have to be willing to accept either possibility. As far as biting.. if he is biting your fingers when your hands are in his cage, in my opinion, you need to live with it. You're in his space. Be worried about him continuing to bite you outside of the cage. After awhile, after he learns to trust you, he may stop.

Most of this I've learned here and none of it has done me wrong. I understand the apprehension with a new bird and the future, but really the only thing you can do is invest time and attention. My little guy was out of the cage and with me for minimum of 4 hours a day (Usually 12-16 on the weekends) every day for about 6 months before I could even rub his head and he was friendly enough to hang out on my shoulder from the first day since he had a previous owner. So take it slow, otherwise you may do more damage than good.

[linda040899]

Welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community and congratulations on your new lovebird! I'm an experienced lovebird breeder so I hope I can help you with your new feathered friend.

Keep in mind that you are dealing with a baby bird! He will not be an adult for at least another 6-8 months. He is also new to your home, and because birds are prey animals, he's truly not sure that you don't intend to make him your next meal. Trust is learned by experience and some birds trust more easily than others.

Your lovebird is also separated from his lovebird family and companions that he had at the breeder's facility. He is alone and lovebirds are very social. That's why he seeks out his reflection when he can see it. He's a baby looking for companionship. My best suggestion is to locate his cage in an area where he can see as much of you and your family as possible. Talk to him. If you leave the room and he chirps, he's calling because he can't see you. These are contact calls. Call back to him so he knows you are all right.

What he eats will depend on what he was fed at the breeder's facility. He is familiar with what he had and needs to learn that other types of food are also edible. Try eating a meal sitting by his cage. Lovebirds are social eaters so you may find he will also eat when you do.

I would love to see a photo of your new lovebird. He sounds like a baby but you may not have been told his true age. There are certain things you see in color changes during the first 4 - 6 months that can pinpoint age fairly closely. In order to share photos here, you need to upload the pictures to an online storage site and copy/paste the image URL here.

[Karingle]

Thank you for your answers guys. I get pretty impatient when I don't know the answer for why certain things are happening. I feel less stressed now since I now know whats sort of going on.

Now I've been leaving the cage door open so he can come out whenever he likes and he now goes back in on his own, eating more, and playing with his toys! YAY

I currently live in an apartment with 2 other roommates that aren't here often. I have a lot of allergies to the outdoors so I always stay in my room like 75% of my days. I keep Azir in my room.

With Introducing new food, I read that you should take away food in the morning and make them only eat veggies when they are hungry and there's nothing else to eat. BUT I also read that it's a bad idea, and you should just keep it there and take it away 3 hours later and refreeze it so it doesn't go bad and put in new veggies till the bird will eat it. Not sure which one is the right way.

Here's baby Azir :'D
http://imgur.com/sohnrjU
http://imgur.com/6arOw4w

The first photo is when I just got him, now i have better perches and toys in his cage. I bought the cage from the breeder, and it's not 100% flat at the top its like half flat (rounded corners but flat top) is that ok?

[linda040899]

Oh my! He's absolutely adorable! He's a Blue Fischer's Lovebird and a very pretty one at that! His beak coloring tells his age story. When baby lovebirds are hatched, their beak coloring is amber. With you species and mutation, the amber turns horn colored starting at just about 3.5 months. His is half and half so he's about 14 weeks old right now. With eye-ring species lovebirds, sometimes you can tell gender by looking at the shape of the eye (not the eye-ring). Round is male and almond shaped is female. This is how I pick out birds for my own breeding program that have not been DNA sexed. There's no guarantee but I've been right more than I've been wrong! :rofl:

As for getting him to eat new food, never take away food dishes. You can add some of what you want him to try along with his regular food or you can offer a small dish right next to his regular one. If he doesn't touch what you offer, take it away with about 4 hours and try again the next day. He may or may not like a particular food or he may find he loves everything that doesn't run away or try to eat him back, if you know what I mean!

The cage sounds OK, just as long as it isn't round...meaning it's square or rectangular except the the curve at the top.

[Karingle]

Ohh!! I see, lately he hasn't come out of his cage for long periods of time. I leave the door open so he can come out whenever he feels like and go back whenever. He's been just coming out for like a minute and hopping back in his cage. Also he's been chirping a lot more during the afternoon and playing with his toys. I hope he's happy ; 0 ;

[linda040899]

He's still trying to get used to his new home. His cage is his "safe" place and he ventures out to kind of test the waters so to speak. If he will let you pick him up, cuddling and just being with you will do wonders for how comfortable he feels where he is. It's all an adjustment thing and some will adjust quicker than others. Make sure you talk to him and interact with him as much as you can.

[Karingle]

Just updating after following your advice! Azir has sorta pecked at boiled eggs and broccoli/peas/corn mix I made for him. He sort of casually enjoys millet and avicakes but he isn't crazy about them. So far hes been ok if i pick him up with a stick (extra wooden perch I have) and he'll sit on my head a lot but not my shoulder. He usually wakes up quite early and plays with his toys. Some reason he will not play at all if I'm sitting beside him and he just kind of dazes off. He will usually come out when I start watching videos/playing computer games/drawing on the computer, if I look at him he will not come out at all, which is fine. (There are times he will just come out and sit ontop of my computer screen for awhile and then popping himself back in the cage) He's been a lot better with just getting on the stick so I put him back in the cage without needing to towel him. He is still scared of my hands and bites the stick if I try to get him out of the cage when I need to clean it. I think that means everything is going well so far.

Also I've been sort of concerned with the fact I have skin problems so I use a lot of medication (unscented lotions/ointments) so I wonder if that'd be a negative thing for my bird.

[linda040899]

Also I've been sort of concerned with the fact I have skin problems so I use a lot of medication (unscented lotions/ointments) so I wonder if that'd be a negative thing for my bird.
One of the staple skin moisturizers I use is Neem Oil Cream and Coconut Oil lotions. Once the have absorbed into my skin, it's safe for my birds to sit on my hands or arms as they choose. Depending on what you use, it may not be safe but it depends on what you use.

I'm glad to perch is working out. He may never trust your hands. Many parrots don't but perches are much more easily accepted. As for food, give him a chance to sample what you offer and make his own choices. Some foods may be the bees knees, while others are pure evil and are tossed either to the bottom of the cage or through the bars onto the floor!!! :lol

[Karingle]

I have atopical dermitis so I have to use some prescribed stuff right now. This week I saw that his nostril is sticking out but theres no discharge Idk if he just accidentally scraped his feather off when he wiped his beak or if somethings wrong but he seems healthy and playful still?? Is this ok??

http://imgur.com/gPkEyVv

also what would be considered abnormal amount of scratching with birds. He hasn't dmg his skin or feathers but he sure scratches a lot.

[linda040899]

Thanks for sharing the photo. Makes an answer a LOT faster! What you are looking at is nasal discharge that has hardened, for lack of a better word. It really needs to be cleaned out. Your avian vet should be able to do that very easily or you may be able to by seeing if you can loosen it with a finger nail. If you do nothing, the hardened piece can get bigger and it will also make the nostril hole larger. The one side of his nose is effectively blocked so he's only breathing through the other side.

As for the scratching, you have to remember that his body is covered with feathers. Feathers are his "clothing." If they are not quite in place or a bit uncomfortable, scratching can rearrange the area. Sometimes it also just feels good. I have several larger parrots who use a foot to do their own scritches.

[Karingle]

Aaaaaa I'm too scared to do it myself, I called a vet near by (they said they dont have an avian vet but they also do birds). I will be taking Azir there on Monday. I don't think I can find anything better than this in the small time space I have since I just started animation school T _ T I hope that will be better than nothing. Thank you for the help Linda!

[linda040899]

Good luck with the nasal discharge! I remember the first time I saw it in a lovebird. It looked like something grotesque growing out of a nostril. It scared the living daylights out of me. When I touched it, it was loose and I wasn't sure what was going to happen if I removed it. I took a chance and the chunk of crap that came out of the nostril was nothing short of shocking! The nostril was twice its size and I wasn't sure if it would stay that way or shrink back to normal. It took a while, but it did go back to being a normal size nostril.

[Karingle]

I took him to an animal hospital and they DID have an avian vet. They checked him out and said that there was nothing wrong with him so YAY. There was actually no discharge his feathers ontop of his nostrils were just brushed back so its back to normal now. I feel relieved.

[linda040899]

Glad there was nothing wrong. Sometimes it's hard to tell from a photo but there is such a thing as hardened nasal discharge. On the plus side, you now have an avian vet if you need one! :)

[Karingle]

Hi, I just want to update on Azir and also asking a question. He's been eating his pellets, I also gave him avicakes and nutriberries for variety and tried to get him to eat veggies (still doesn't like them). He's so timid not that playful and likes to just sit and chat when there's a lot of sound. He likes napping in my arm and beside my hand!

Lately I see these yellowish green coloured feathers is this normal??? http://imgur.com/3voiaQ2

[linda040899]

If Azir is eating more than 20% pellets, cut way back and give him seed with sunflower seed in it. Lovebirds are native to Africa and need more fat in their diets than parrots from other parts of the globe! Pellets are typically low in fat so that might be affecting him. Nutriberries have pellets in them and it's enough for their diet requirement.

As for the veggies, he probably doesn't recognize them as food and will not eat them until he gets curious enough to try some of what you are offering. I make homemade cornbread and put what I want my birds to eat in that so they eat veggies either way! With parrots, noise begets noise. More noise = more talkative, chattery parrots!

The feather coloring you are seeing is normal. Lovebird feathering has a myriad of color shades and in blue series (in Peachfaced), there is no true blue so the coloring can be quite varied!

[Karingle]

Ohh! I see I'll give him more seeds now! I thought he'd need more pellets because I was reading people made lovebirds feeding mostly pellet diets and I was concerned he wasnt going to eat any pellets so I tried to force him to eat it. Thank you!
I want to try to make Azir more active and play with his toys and foot toys but hes so reluctant or angry about it. How do you teach lovebirds how to play with their toys? (so he can stop chewing on my animation homework LOL)

[linda040899]

Pretty basically, pellets are simply seed that's been ground up and formed into pellet shapes. Nutrition is added and it really turns out to be too much nutrition for all smaller birds. Too much nutrition can eventually cause kidney failure. This is per a conversation with my avian vet. Here we are, a dozen years down the line since pellets were introduced and pellets are not what they thought they were going to be! I try to stay with what the parrots eat in the wild and pellets sure don't grow on trees!!

Azir is still a youngster and he's enjoying time with you. You are the lovie companion he doesn't have. Try holding toys with or near you that he might like to shred. Finger traps are great because they are cheap and they are bamboo! Stuff millet in one and you should be able to watch some fun!

[Karingle]

I bought some finger traps so I'll try that! He doesn't like the spray millet I bought him at all still. I have no idea why though :( also he's been really bitey lately, I'm glad he's been playing with his toys more now. He's biting the skin off my bf's hands and attacking fingers when I try to play with him too. He doesn't really bite me when hes sitting with me though.

Also he has some white feathers scattered here and there, does that mean he's molting now?

[Karingle]

He doesn't seem to wanna do anything in his cage, and just runs around at the bottom of the cage or trying to pull the doors open. Does that mean I need a bigger cage?

[linda040899]

Running around the bottom of his cage and pulling at doors is birdie language for "Let me outta here!!!" If he likes being with you, that's what he wants. He's a baby and he wants to be social.

How big is his cage?

[Karingle]

Ohh ok! I bough the cage from the guy I got azir from, its 24 inches high, 14 in width and length

[linda040899]

The cage is a bit on the small size but not near as small as I've seen to house lovebirds! I typically use 30 long x 18 wide x 18 high. Lovebirds are active little birds so larger is better. Z28taxman keeps his 3 in small birdie mansions and his flock has a blast with all the room!!! :happy::happy::happy::happy::happy:

[Z28Taxman]

The cage is a bit on the small size but not near as small as I've seen to house lovebirds! I typically use 30 long x 18 wide x 18 high. Lovebirds are active little birds so larger is better. Z28taxman keeps his 3 in small birdie mansions and his flock has a blast with all the room!!! :happy::happy::happy::happy::happy:

Yep. I could fit in those cages if I could get through the doors. And they love every inch of them.

[bird-brain]

I'm glad Azir is wanting to get out and interact with you. They do bond really strongly and come to enjoy your company very much. Cabo runs his beak across the bars and demands out. I'm thankful for touch screens now because he used to pull the keys off my keyboard and run away with them. :rotfl. I no longer have any excuse for typos though......oh wait, yes I do. I'll blame autocorrect!

[Z28Taxman]

I'm glad Azir is wanting to get out and interact with you. They do bond really strongly and come to enjoy your company very much. Cabo runs his beak across the bars and demands out. I'm thankful for touch screens now because he used to pull the keys off my keyboard and run away with them. :rotfl. I no longer have any excuse for typos though......oh wait, yes I do. I'll blame autocorrect!

Ditto used to steal the keys off my laptop and drop them off the desk to watch them fall! :happy::rotfl:rofl:

[linda040899]

My cell phone is touch screen as well. No keys to remove but it has a case that is tons of fun to play with and try to remove! My case is not an Otterbox.

[bird-brain]

Haha at both of you! We let them get away with so much mischief! I have the little friskies cat game on my phone. It's a fish game that the cats can chase and when they "catch" one it moves them to the next level. The cats have gotten board with it but Remy loves chasing those stupid animated fish. Lol! I guess that makes him a tech savvy bird???

[Karingle]

Aaaa I will try to get a bigger cage for him when I have more money, I just bought a birdie light for him and a lamp for the winter and stuff. I'm scared azir isn't sleeping enough even though my room is the most quiet and I can hear him jingling in the middle of the night. Sometimes tweeting a bit. I put a cover on him too. Hope maybe he will get comfortable enogh that he can just sleep more easily Cuz maybe he's just scared of me stI'll idk.

Ur birds are so cuteee! Azir jumps on my phone and pecks the screen preventing me from texting people lmao

[Karingle]

Its been a month and Azirs nostrils are still visible. There's no discharge and he doesn't look sick (not puffed up). He used to have fluff there. Guess that's OK?

I forgot to mention that I was rubbing his head the other day and his skin was kind of flaking off and it felt kind of rough/feels like a scab kind of rough near the front of his head. There's white feathers that aren't fluff coming out? It's like just the stem of a feather or something.

Aa...sorry if it's just nothing I'm a worrisome person.

http://i.imgur.com/w9va5p2.jpg http://i.imgur.com/1t11Y20.jpg
https://imgur.com/a/7UVDl

[linda040899]

It's not uncommon for nostrils to be visible so that's normal.

Azir is molting and what you are feeling is the new feathering encased in keritan, a wax like coating that surrounds new feathering until it's mature. Azir will preen off what he can reach and many parrots like their human slaves to remove what they can't reach... :)

[Karingle]

So far Azir has warmed up to me a lot even though he is a bit nippy at times. He still doesn't play with toys though and I fed him more seeds now but he has gotten more and more yellow green feathers. Is that normal for when they molt? http://m.imgur.com/gallery/P1Abbif

Thank you!

[linda040899]

I originally thought that Azir is a Fischer's Lovebird but I'm going to change that to a blue series Peachfaced Lovebird and he appears to possibly be Pied. Once you see his adult coloring completely, what he is will be more obvious. Since he's blue series in Peachface, there is no true blue in the Peachie species. "Blue" can be anywhere from blue to blue green to actual light green! The feathering that determines blue or green series is the brow and bib feathering. Green series have reddish peach brows and bibs that match. Blue series can have anywhere from white to melon colored with a color coordinated bib.

[Z28Taxman]

Since he's blue series in Peachface, there is no true blue in the Peachie species. "Blue" can be anywhere from blue to blue green to actual light green!

Or in DJ's case all three! :happy:

[Karingle]

ohhh I see! such a significant amount of colour change though interesting! Thank you!

[Karingle]

Oh yea i also wanted to ask if any one trims their bird's nails or what to do when they get too long?

[linda040899]

I try to use perches that are at least 1/2" in diameter and I use wood, no PVC. If the perches are too thin, the nail tips don't rub against the perch to wear the nails down. You can also try adding a concrete perch in a place such as in front of a food dish where your bird sits for a while but doesn't spend too much time. The concrete will file the nails and the concrete will not be too hard on tender feet. I usually don't have to trim nails but when I do, I just nip off the very tip so that I don't nick the vein that runs down the center of each nail. I have either corn starch or flour on hand in case the tip of the nail does bleed a bit. Put a pinch of either the corn starch or the flour between your thumb and index finger and hold it around the nail for a minute or so to stop any bleeding. This is also how I stop bleeding when blood feather (new feather) has a shaft that is damaged.