non-active bird

[peppero1]

Hello Everyone,
I have a concern I would like feedback on:
I have a single, male, 1.5 year old lovebird. I have purchased him a large cage
with many perches etc about three months ago. He took to it readily, however he doesn't seem to utilize the space at all.

When I go to the pet store i see all the lovebirds like pinballs darting here and
there in their cages, but my bird stays in one place, and I can tell because the droppings are all in the same area of the cage....

Any suggestions on what i can do to encourage him to be more interested in life? Even when he is out of the cage he just prefers to sit on my shoulder or
playstand and that's it,, he is not very interested in exploring anything.

Thanks for the advice and comments.

[shylevon]

Is he getting the nutrition he needs to lead an active life? Some birds don't know how to play with their toys, and they need a little lesson from their humans. Try to get him interested in his suroundings by helping him understand all the fun things there are to do. If he remains lethargic, a vet visit may be in order. He may be feeling a little under the weather, or lonely.

[archer]

;) Are you sure he is not playing? Because my lovie "poops" in only one place in the cage but plays all over. He usually stays in one place when I am near... but when I start watching TV, he turns to his toys and plays with them :D

Maybe he just likes making pottie in one place so as not to dirty much of his space

[Janie]

My older lovie, Oliver, doesn't play with much of anything but I think he might have had some kind of accident with a toy before I adopted him plus, he is around 10 years old and that would probably account for him being less active. The other two, one year old, are very active when they are in their cage but they do tend to poop in the same spot (as Archer mentioned). Now that all three are in their own bird room, they are out of their cages for 6 to 10 hours a day, depending on my schedule, and even Oliver is more active than he's been in the three years that we've had him.

I like Shy's idea of letting him see how much fun a toy can be by watching you play with them. Some are naturally curious about any and every thing in their cages but others need time to figure out what to do with them.

BTW, nearly all of the lovies I see in pet stores are darting around but I think it's because they are pretty wild and a bit afraid of the people coming close to their cages. Two of mine do that when a stranger approaches their cage but not when a family member does.

[sdgilley]

When I first got Peter, he was quiet for a lovie. I think he was happy, and I took him for well vet visits. I didn't have anything to compare him to, like you. When I got Luka, my second lovie, Luka taught Peter the things that he knew. Like Luka taught Peter to dip his food in the water before eating it. :rofl: Peter taught Luka to bathe in the water dish! :rofl: Oh yeah, Peter taught Luka to bite me!:omg: (But Peter couldn't teach him to be lightening fast! like Peter is!)

Like Janie said, some birds can be quiet for different reasons. If you've had your bird checked by a vet, it may be that he's just sure how to play. Can you put your lovie near to a window to see outside birds? That can be stimulating!

[butterfly1061]

When I bought Molly he was very young and was not yet playing with toys. After a few weeks I took him out and I played with a few toy parts for him to see what to do with it. Sometimes I would roll a piece on the table (somewhat nearby) so he might chase it. I would ring bells for him to get use to the sound, etc... I played with them a lot in my hands and eventually he took to them and plays with the best of them now :D Just takes a little push from mom/dad to see there's a great big world of toys out there! Good Luck :)

[BarbieH]

Some lovebirds just are more quiet than others. We have eight now, and most of them run around like fools. Gracie, on the other hand, is very content to sit still, even when she is out on me. She always was like that (except when she's on a quest for nesting material).

[peppero1]

Thanks for all the great advice... I think I will show him how to play with the toys in his cage,,, I have to admit that I just put them in there, assuming that he would take an interest in them. Also, now that the weather has warmed up I will consider moving his cage near the window so he can look outside... I'll report back on my progress...

[Buy A Paper Doll]

I agree with Barb. I have one lovebird who is - and really always has been - very laid back. He will happily chew on toys, swing on his swing, explore a bit, but really, he's more content to stand on my chest and stare at me, or nap in the crook of my arm. (He has no health issues.)

My other lovebird is, as the vet put it, "busy." :lol She's always exploring, always getting into something. She plays HARD, beating the tar out of her toys and chasing my other lovebird around the cage, much to his dismay.