Chloe is home!! Now, if I just wasnt so ignorant!

[citygrlup]

Hi all,
I just got Chloe/Bosco( im having her/him feather sexed to be sure) back! Yippee!:clap: OK now for the vast many questions that I have been pondering over. What better place to ask then on here? I have read sooooo many threads and have learned way more then I think I wanted to know(masterbating, mood swings,..ect:roll: ) So here is what's left jumping around my head.

Can you give a lovie cat nip? The cat grass that grows also said its for birds. I have learned that what is OK for the bigger parrots may not be so good for Lovies. Whatcha think on that as a treat?

What is the torpedo butt mean and airplane stand mean?
How old is the lovie before it start to act like a boy/girl?
Can I tell it my lovie has had a first molt or not?
What is a dowl? Preening that's then they groom themselves right.. So what kind of toy is preening toy? Does it help them clean themselves?

I have had Chloe back in her cage for less then an hr and she just rang her bell WOOHOO:happy: I am so thrilled to have her back! I however have a very bad taste in my mouth with the petstore and don't think I will ever step foot in there again. I just hope that she is healthy. I will get her to a vet but since they have not held up to what they told me I am out 135$.(they are still bouncing me around>: ) I will have to wait til next pay day to get her into a vet :(

I will take pictures of my new kid and try and post them soon. I am just not sure how to do that....can I use Photobucket? :confused:

Shelly

[Mummieeva]

I will try and help.

Can you give a lovie cat nip? The cat grass that grows also said its for birds. I have learned that what is OK for the bigger parrots may not be so good for Lovies. Whatcha think on that as a treat? I am not sure about cat nip but I know they do make ones for birds. Maybe someone else knows.

What is the torpedo butt mean and airplane stand mean? Torpedo butt is what a laying hens bottom looks like. It is one of those you have to see it things. Airplane is when birds are trying to mate.lol.

How old is the lovie before it start to act like a boy/girl? It all varies some show signs others you have no clue.

Can I tell it my lovie has had a first molt or not? I am not sure about this one. I would think it would be hard to tell.

What is a dowl? a dowle is a wooden perch that normally goes from one side of cage to other.

Preening that's then they groom themselves right.. So what kind of toy is preening toy?A preaning toy is a toy they can shred I believe. Lovebirds love to take things apart.lol.


Steph

[Emery]

Can you give a lovie cat nip? The cat grass that grows also said its for birds. I have learned that what is OK for the bigger parrots may not be so good for Lovies. Whatcha think on that as a treat?
I wouldn't feed it to them. I don't know if it is safe for them or not.

What is the torpedo butt mean and airplane stand mean?
"Torpedo butt" is the term used for a hen with an egg ready to be layed.

How old is the lovie before it start to act like a boy/girl?
My lovie was about 10 months when I started noticing boy-ish behaviours. He did turn out to be a boy.

Can I tell it my lovie has had a first molt or not?
Yes, you should be able to tell by their colouring. For example, my Seagreen lovie (in my avatar) didn't have that orange brow until his first moult. It was just grey. They usually get their first moult at aout 4-6 months of age.

What is a dowl?
"Dowel". It is just a simple, wooden perch that usually comes with cages.

Preening that's then they groom themselves right.. So what kind of toy is preening toy? Does it help them clean themselves?
A preening toy is good for birds that are by themselves. They have no other bird to preen, so toys are good to replace the need to preen. Preening is a flock activity that is done everyday between members of the flock. It is used to create "ranking" among the flock and it is just a way to say, "I like you, you are my friend." Birds like to preen lots of different materials. My lovie loves leather, as well as rope ends. Here (http://www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=91201701002&Category_Code=Preen&Product_Count=0)'s something I have for Amaretto.

[Oscar]

Glad to hear that you got your Chloe back and that she/he is in safe hands!
To Answer some of your questions: (which are soo cute by the way)

1. Torpedo butt it literally the shape of a hens behind when she is close to laying an egg, its like a torpedo... oval and looks like an egg. Now for the airplane stand.. I'm pretty sure its the stance the female takes when mating or trying to mate.. wings spread, tail up ready for take off.. :rofl:

2. Sex/Age- well it really depends, some girls show male behaviours and some males show female behaviours, so it doesnt really give a clear cut view of the sex of your lovie. Every lovie is Unique.. some produce eggs around a year to 2 and half years old! It all really depends. Your best bet is DNA sexing... but even that isnt 100% correct!

3. The molt thing I'm not entirely sure about.. but normally they get more vibrant coloured feathers and sometimes pin feathers (feather that are growing in) when they are molting (correct me if I'm wrong) Also there is most likely a more then normal amount of feathers at the bottom or outside the cage.

4. A dowel is a perch or stick you can use to teach your little fid(feathered kid) to step up on if they are affraid of nippy at your hand. Preening is them cleaning/fixing up their feathers. Some LOVE to preen toys so rope or like leather strips can simulate preening another bird. My lovie loves to preen my hair.. he just basically runs the hair through his mouth..

I Hope this has helped!!
I'm so glad you got her/him back!!!

Suz & Oscar

[citygrlup]

Here are some pictures of my Lovie...
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0456.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0459.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0458.jpg

[Oscar]

Awww SO Pretty :clap:!! How old did they say she/he was?? But it does Look like Chloe's already molted his/her first molt, What Lovely colours!.

[butterfly1061]

Can you give a lovie cat nip? Personally, I would not give my bird catnip. Someone else who has larger parrots might be able to give you more information. I didn't see it in the Resource Library.

What is the torpedo butt mean and airplane stand mean? This is a torpedo butt: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2095455099&idx=7 A torpedo butt is when a hen is about to lay an egg. An airplane stance is when a female lovebird bends forward with her tail in the air and her wings go out like a plane. This means she is ready for a male to mount her and hopefull she can lay a fertile egg.
How old is the lovie before it start to act like a boy/girl? It can vary. My Olivia started her airplane at 7 months. This is much too young for a hen to lay eggs. You want to hold them off from laying until they are at least 1 yr old.

Can I tell it my lovie has had a first molt or not? Possibly. If your love changes colors when they molt then you have a lovies who now has adult colors. After a lovebird is about 6 months old it is hard to tell exactly how old they are.

What is a dowl? It's a wooden perch you find in most bird cages.

Preening that's then they groom themselves right.. So what kind of toy is preening toy? Does it help them clean themselves? A preening toy helps them get their chewing need satisfied - sometimes. Their are many different kinds.
Can I use Photobucket? Yes, you can. You can also use www.imagestation.com

[citygrlup]

They dont really know. The honest lady said that they are trained to say less then 6 months. haha. I thought cause she had a gray color head and gray on her neck that she hadnt molted yet. I wasnt sure thought. I thought that the Masks are Black White and Blue. I asked Chloe but she just wont tell me err lol.

[graushill]

Hi!

Chloe is a pretty blue mask. I thought I would try to help also with some of the questions.

Can I tell it my lovie has had a first molt or not? Like others have said, you can up to a point with peachies, as their colours intensify as they become older with each sucessive molt until they reach their adult colours. Not so with masks, unfortunately. Masks get pretty much their adult colouring from the beginning, so unless you get them when they still have some black in their beaks, it's very difficult to tell by sight how old they are and whether they have had their first molt. Younger birds tend to be slimmer than older ones, but even that can be misleading.


I thought that the Masks are Black White and Blue
That's one mutation, but there are other colours. The most common colour is probably green (I have 5 of those :) ).In most mutations, the mask is black or dark brown, although I've seen yellow and white masks too that don't have the black mask.

Hope this helps a little,
Gloria