Advice Please

[martyv]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum and I must say I love it. I just purchased a Masked lovebird two days ago. I placed him in a spacious cage and he seems to be adjusting. However, he does not seem as energetic as other lovebirds I have seen. I have performed a physical inspection of him for signs of illness and nothing can be found to suggest health problems. Could his lack of energy and exploration be due to his new environment? Also he becomes really shy when I approach the cage. Any suggestions? Please do not get the idea that he is lethargic or exhibiting symptoms of virus or illness. He just seems to be checking out the environment. I am new to lovebirds but I am not new to parrots. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[linda040899]

HI and welcome to our community!
If you are looking for information on lovebirds, you've come to the right site! That's pretty much all we do here and we are all very enthusiastic about the lovies that own us!

Masked lovebirds tend to be a bit more shy than some of the other species of lovebird so part of that is personality. Your new companion is in a strange new place and birdie instinct is to be quiet/subdued so as not to attract attention of predators. While you may know he's safe in your care, he has no experience with his new surroundings so he hasn't realized it yet. Give him time to adjust and you should see a big difference in activity.

Make sure he's eating/drinking and that he knows what you are offering is actually edible. We usually suggest that you offer what he was getting at place of purchase and then modify his diet once he's settled in (if the diet needs modifying).

With all that said, congratulations on your new lovebird! Let me be the first one to say it. We woul love to see some photos of your lovie! :)