4 month old lovebird...any tips?

[tdodds]

I just got my first lovebird, Milo, several days ago. (fischer's I think) He's 4 months old and very fiesty.:happy: I've had other birds (tiels, finches, and a budgie) but they have all been 'hand me down' birds, if you will, and they were rarely out of their cages (preferred each other to humans ).

Milo has been hand raised. He's not afraid of hands or people, but would much rather watch me from a few feet away than come play. :roll: Sometimes he seems fairly oblivious to whether his next step will be on ground or on someones finger. I'm guessing this is normal for a young bird in a new home.:confused:

His favorite toys are balls (especially ping-pong balls...though I don't let him play with them unsupervised). He has one of those triangle bed things, but prefers to stuff his toys in the bed part and perch on top of it to sleep.

Anyways.... any tips or suggestions for a new lovebird owner? Should I let him keep watching me for the next few days or should I try to make him interact more? Any suggestions on treats to use for training?

Thanks!

-Travis

[Kirby]

Congratulations on Milo!!!!!

Since he has been hand raised most likely by just one person, his bond will definitely be stronger with him/her. However, don't be discouraged because he wont be like this right away with you. He's in a new place, new cage and has a new human, so he will defeinitely be a little more distant until he knows he can trust you and his surroundings.

You will find that a lovebird is so much more demanding than a budgie or finch :) But this is all in a good way. They are so much more comical and the whistles and chips that Milo will learn will never cease to humour you!

Let him come to you. Show him by giving him his distance that you respect that he is settling in and that when he feels comfortable with you he can approach you. Be near him, but don't try to force him out of his cage by grabbing him. Of course you CAN bribe him with some tastey millet seeds or try some Nutri-Berries/Avi-Cakes which are a big hit with a lot of birds here on the forum!!!

I also have an extra dish of treats sitting on top of my lovebird Kirby's cage just so that when the two of mine are out they can enjoy some food on top and not just rely on having their feed inside.
If Milo does decide to come out of his cage on his own when you are sitting by him, I would slowly close the cage door so that he can't get back in. THEN I would use that time to interact with him more, offering him some millet by holding it or giving him his favourite toys!

[Janie]

Hi Travis and welcome! :)

Sounds like you're going to have a very sweet and social lovie on your hands soon. A new home takes some adjusting to but the more he "watches" you, the more he'll get to know you and soon enough, he'll want to interact up close.....at least that's my guess. :D

My second two came home with me together. DNA'd brothers who were about 9 weeks old when I got them. They'd been hand fed and socialized so they were already tame but certainly didn't know who *I* was and that took some time. I kept them in an upstairs bedroom (quarantined) not wanting my older lovie to catch any possible diseases they might have had until all the vet results were in. I spent about 15 to 30 minutes, four to six times a day, with them in that bedroom. It was probably 2 weeks to a month before they were as excited to be with me as they were being with each other.

To work with them on stepping up, I took each individually into a small bathroom and sat in the floor and talked to that lovie and offered my finger, gently pushing my finger up to the chest till the lovie stepped onto it. Both learned to step up in about a weeks time. Are your lovies wings clipped? It is easier to start the bonding/taming when they have at least a modified clip.

Check out the Lovebird Resource Library and the Behavior & Taming sections of the forum. You'll find good information there and great tips on bonding. Millet is a great treat but my vet refers to it as "birdie candy" and doesn't suggest offering it more than once a week. With a new bird, it's great to use as a bribe! :D

[mjm8321]

Attention, attention, attention....and lots of love. Just snuggle up the little one as much as possible. Once Milo feels secure; which could take some time, you'll get all that love and attention back.

Is the lovie in your avatar Milo? If so, that's a pied peachface, not a Fischers.

[Minna]

It's kind of funny, in that everyone tells me millet is basically candy, but it seems to be very present in every seed mix I find.

White french millet is lower in fat than other varieties, and a couple of seeds at a time in your hand rather than a big ole stick of it is still effective. :D

[Flapjack]

Congrats on your new baby!! :clap He's very pretty.

As far as the millet goes... Jack wont eat it in his seed mix at all. He will chew a little on a spray of it, but he's sure not in love with it.

Enjoy your new addition!

[Janie]

Is the lovie in your avatar Milo? If so, that's a pied peachface, not a Fischers.

Thanks, MJ! :D I'm such a chicken to ID a color but I knew that was not a fischers! :D

Millet is in a lot of the seed mixes (I think it's in all four of the ones I use) but that's OK. I just would not offer the straight stuff more than once a week except in Travis's case.....bribery! :D I give my birds millet every two to three weeks but after the initial excitement of it, they loose interest long before a spray is finished. They'd rather have birdie bread any day. :D

[tdodds]

Thanks for all the advice!

Yes his wings are clipped, and the avatar picture is him (thanks for the clarification)

In only a few days time I've been able to coax him to come out of his cage and onto my finger using a little millet :) ...but once the millets gone he retreats back to his swings

I've tried some 'healthier' treats that my other birds used to love but he doesn't seem to care for them as much...maybe he's just not used to them?

Also, does anyone else's lovebird love windows? None of my previous birds even gave them a second glance, but Milo loves to stare out of them. He throws the biggest temper tantrums when I close the blinds at night. :lol

Anyways, thanks again!

-Travis

[michael]

It's kind of funny, in that everyone tells me millet is basically candy, but it seems to be very present in every seed mix I find.

White french millet is lower in fat than other varieties, and a couple of seeds at a time in your hand rather than a big ole stick of it is still effective. :D

Minna :) . Your absolutely right. And millet can take up quite a large portion too. Like candy? Yes. This is likely why some vets and owners feel other treats may be more desirable because they suspect most birds get enough millet/seed as it is. The attraction to millet for birds is quite strong making it the most widely used temptation to offer when taming/training. Seems thats no surprise. Offering less like you mentioned does get the same results, and if the french variety contains less fat that may be better yet. I'm with Janie and her vets advice on setting limitations in regards to millet. Veggies, fully cooked brown rice, noodles/macaroni, seed sprouts, fruits, etc can become just as attractive as seeds and provide the same results when taming/training in addition to a healthier future and better eating habits. And of course, you can always fall back on the old reliable millet should your lovie/s decide not to try any of the above mentioned. Especially when trying to gain their initial trust. :)

Travis... I Just wanted to say good luck with Milo. The fact that he's spending time with you already means your on the right track. It sounds like he's getting comfortable with his surroundings too.......Take care.........Michael and Goofy lovebird

[Janie]

Travis, my three are in a room that has two walls of windows. They love looking out into the backyard. :) I have two window perches (same as a shower perch) that suction on to the largest window and they spend a lot of time on those perches, chatting with the outside birds.

[carrier]

Aww...I have been thinking of getting a window perch for Fenway, but have been worried that when the temp drops it will be too cold and drafty for her. :cold

Is this just being an overprotective Fidmom or am I right in worrying about this???

[mjm8321]

Carrie, I'd only be concerned if the window is drafty. Lovies can take differences in temperature fairly well as long as it's not a drastic, quick change.

[Sweetpeaches]

peaches loves to look out windows too. when she's running around on the kitchen floor she heads right for the slider so she can look out at the "outside" birdies.there's also a slide bar on the door and she loves to perch there and look out for awhile. she doesn't usually sit still too long though because i think she has birdie add...lol. i have two feeders off my deck so she has alot of neighbors... i also took her into a small bathroom to teach her to step up. (tiolet lid down of course) it only took a couple of days.