new baby lovebird help?

[sarah]

Hi, I just got a new lovebird a couple days ago. Ernie is about 10 weeks old and was in a cage by himself in the store. He was supposedly hand fed. I know its only been a couple days but I don't want to start off wrong or make him not trust me. I've been told to get him out of his cage and hold him every day, and to just reach in a get him out. He doesn't bite, so that's good, but he tries to fly away alot. He sat on my shoulder for a while but then suddenly flew away again.

Now when I go up to the cage he looks nervous like he's breathing heavily. He hasn't moved much and is only eating millet, not his seeds out of the dish. Should I keep just taking him out of the cage to get him used to handling, or should I open the door and let him come out on his own?

He's also really quiet. Last night he started squawking in a high pitched way when i was out of the room, but thats about all the noise he has made. maybe hes still scared of his new home? How often should I try to get him out?

[butterfly1061]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the board.

Since you've only had your lovie for a few days, he is still getting use to his new surroundings and he's quite young. Are his wings clipped? If not, this might help with training and less fly-away from you. Sit by his cage and talk softly to him, offer him millet at the door of the cage. Do not grab him, but let him come out on his own. His cage is his home not yours. He feels safe in the cage and your hand is seen as an intruder. If he seems scared of your hand, offer him your arm or a perch instead. Try not to make any sudden movements to scare him. Slow, quiet, soft, etc... Try this for about a week until you see him calming down, then you can go on from there. Another thing for you is to read through this section of this forum as there are many siutations like yours that have been answered. Also, check out the Resource Library - great information! :) Also, when you hear him calling out to you, call back to him. It's the way they call to their flock and when he can't see you he will call to you.

[sarah]

thanks. The millet is in his cage hanging by his perch, so maybe thats why he's not going for the seeds. Maybe I should take it out and use it to lure him... then hopefully he'll eat his seeds.

[butterfly1061]

I only give millet as a treat. Millet is like candy to a bird and has no significant value. A lot of bird seed mixes also have an overload of millet. Right now would be a good time to use it as a reward for training. Also, it would be a good time to start offering him some fresh veggies in his diet. I'd start out with a small piece of broccoli, not too big as he might think it's evil and run away. If you have a way to clip it to the cage bar, that would be good and only leave it in the cage for about 3 hours max. He may not take to it at first but persistance is the key. Everyday for about 2 weeks :)

[BarbieH]

Sarah, I am very concerned that your bird is not eating and drinking enough to stay alive. This could be an emergency situation. If he doesn't recognize his food and water dishes, he may need to be hand fed a little bit. Please call a vet.

[mjm8321]

Young lovebirds recently weaned can sometimes regress to wanting to be handfed. I'd make sure you have a phone number for a vet nearby in case you need it; however you might try offering more dishes of food in the cage as well as even in a dish on the cage floor as many young lovebirds learn to eat out of a dish or shallow bowl on the cage floor or brooder. You might try putting a small piece of millet in with the seed, your little one will go for the millet and find the seed tastes pretty good too. Also, is the food you are feeding him/her the same as the store was feeding him?

[Christine9]

Sarah, I definitely agree with Barb and MJ, it sounds to me like he/she might be regressing a bit. If you don't have access to a vet nearby, what about the pet store where you got the lovie? Good pet stores who handfeed their own birds will be more than happy to assist you if you think your lovie needs more handfeeding. If they aren't willing to help, then definitely call a vet.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[sarah]

Thanks for the responses. I think the problem is the millet. he's eating alot of it, so I know he's not starving. The breeder (who runs a bird store) told me to put the millet in there when I get him home... but that's apparently all he wants to eat. I'll try to feed him a seed but he acts like he doesn't know what it is. It is the same food the guy at the store fed him. I haven't noticed him near the water bowl at all though. If he doesn't eat out of his dishes soon I'll call the guy and see what the deal is with the bird. He said he has an assistant who runs everything and she wasn't there to tell me about this particular bird, but he was in a cage by himself, i'm guessing becuase he was too young to be with the others... anyway, thanks for the advice.

[sarah]

...another thought I just had was that at the bird store they put like a protien supplement in the water and it was yellow. maybe he doesnt recognize it if it't not colored.

[linda040899]

Sarah,
Do you have any photos of Ernie that you can share with us? I'm very concerned that the pet shop told you he's 10 weeks old, but, in reality, he's much younger! If you know your young lovebirds, it's possible to pinpoint age fairly accurately just by coloring, particularly on the beak. If Ernie is much younger, it's possible that he wasn't eating well when you took him home and his eating is diminished even more because he's in a new, strange place.

I'd really like to see what he looks like, if possible.

[sarah]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b397/pussblob/2007_0717ernie0112.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b397/pussblob/2007_0717ernie0111.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b397/pussblob/2007_0717ernie0106.jpg

[linda040899]

Thanks for sharing the photos!
Ernie is a nice looking lovie! He's also a bit older than 10 weeks. Many mutations of young lovebird have dark splotches of color on their beaks and that color is almost gone by age 3.5 months. At age 4 months, the beak is completely horn colored (like Ernie's) and the adult feathering is beginning to show on the forehead. Ernie has a lot of his adult coloring, so he's probably around 5 months old (20 weeks) rather than 10 weeks, as you were told at the pet shop. He's completely weaned and knows exactly what to do with food. He's probably not eating well yet because everything is still very new and scary to him.

[mjm8321]

I had to giggle a little when I looked at Ernie's pics because he certainly does not look as though he's starving! :rofl: Looks pretty well fed to me. He is probably adjusting to the new home, as Linda said, just give him some time and I'm sure he'll be eating you out of house and home soon.
I would not recommend supplements in the water as it acts as a catalyst for bacteria to grow.

[Christine9]

Sarah- Ernie is just adorable! Yup, sounds to me like he's only eating millet because it's like a kid with candy- if it's there, they'll eat that before anything else. ;)

I wouldn't worry about the water either. Birds don't drink all that often, especially species that originate from warm climates, like lovies. I see my lovies drink only because they like to make "birdie soup", but my other birds- I rarely see them drink, but they do.

Good luck with your new lovie, btw. He just needs time to settle in and get adjusted to you, just like you're getting adjusted to him right now.

[sarah]

thanks everybody. He's already more active, and since I stopped trying to manhandle him out of the cage he seems more comfortable around me. I've started singing to him and he'll jump around and chirp when I do it- hopefully that means he likes it. I've heard one lovebird is a better pet than two but I can't help feeling bad that he doesn't have a little mate. Hopefully he'll fall in love with me!

[Janie]

I've heard one lovebird is a better pet than two but I can't help feeling bad that he doesn't have a little mate. Hopefully he'll fall in love with me!

Sarah, that's really a myth. One who gets a lot of love and attention is fine to have as a single pet but two (in my case three) can be very happy with each other and their human flock mates. All three of mine are all over me anytime I'm in their bird room but still love each others company when I don't have time for them.