I need help

[Beemow]

Hello,
This is my first time posting.

I just got a peach faced lovebird from a friend.

He was about to throw it outside but i told him not to.

Now i have this bird in a cage. The cage seems great, it has toys,

3 sources of water, and 2 sources of food. I got 2 perches.

This lovebird does not seem to ever sleep on the perches.

He usually just hangs on his toy at night or on the side of his cage.

He seems to be itching more then my friends bird too. What should I do

to fix this problem? He also seems to bite my fingers if i put them close to him.

To carry him i use a glove it seems to work.

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to our community!
Congratulations on becoming a lovebird owner! Give your lovebird time and attention and you will find that you have a wonderful companion. Half the battle is understanding what lovebirds (and birds in general) are all about.

Let me address the sleeping issue first. Your lovebird feels comfortable/safe there, even though it may not look that way. You may convince him to use a perch if you put one near the toy where he sleeps. Lovebirds usually like to sleep high up, as they would in the wild. Birds are not as domesticated as cats or dogs and they retain some of their natural instincts. Depending on the size of the cage, I would not move a perch. I would add one, instead, if possible.

It's going to take some time for your new lovie to learn to trust you. He is in a strange place and nothing is familiar except his cage. Sitting by his cage and just talking to him will get him used to your presence. Take it slow and you will find you will catch his interest. You can try offering treats through the bars of the cage as a step towards socialization. If you can handle your new bird but he bites, instead of using a glove, try offering a perch or wooden dowel for him to step up onto. Perches tend to be less frightening than hands and it will usually work and save some painful nips or bites.

Could it be that your lovebird is feeling safer with you and he's just preening his feathers more? Can you give us more information on the itching?

Hope this information is helpful.

[Beemow]

Well he keeps biting his legs and keeps itching under his wing, his face,

and his back etc.

[Mummieeva]

I have 3 birds. WHisper and Baggy sleep on their swing or hanging to side of the cage. Bandit sleeps on a perch but also on his swing. Birds can sleep in odd places and ways we humans can not imagine doing. I would add a natural wood perch to the birds cage also. I make sure my birds have atleast 3 perches.



Steph

[Janie]

Hi and welcome! Congratulations on your new bird, too! :)

If you'll follow Linda's advice/suggestions, you will make progress. You are new to this little lovie and it is new to you so it will take time and lots of patience to build a trusting relationship.

I wanted to add that your bird might be molting right now. All three of mine are and I find feathers, especially the small downy ones, everywhere. They preen a lot during molting (heck, mine preen a lot ALL the time) so what you might be seeing is preening and molting. Molting can be itchy, too. If he/she will take a bath, that will help with the itching. Most lovies do love a bath so you might offer a bowl (shallow) with a couple of inches of water in it. You can try placing that on the cage grate or, if you feel comfortable letting him out, place it on top of the cage or a table. To get my "shy" bird interested in water, I splash my fingers in the water and that really gets Oliver's attention. Good luck to you and your new lovie. :)

[Beemow]

Thanks alot for the advice. I have 2 perches already. 1 is high up in his cage the other is near his cage door. For some reason he never showers I usually have to get the spray bottle and use warm water to bathe him.
He seems fine i was just worried about his sleeping habbits.
I guess he might be moulting. Anyways thanks alot for the advice. :D

[butterfly1061]

I have a lovie, Piper, who use to sleep hanging on the cage too. Use to make my hands & feet hurt for him. I put a cozy where he slept and now he sleeps on top of that, which I feel is better than hanging. :rolleyes: I guess it's just whatever they prefer and he may change later.