New Lovebird Eating!!!! Yay!!!!

[Sunny&Mars]

I have had one lovebird (Sunny, I think a male but not sure) for a little over two years now. I have tried to get him to eat fruits and vegetables, but not hard enough. I just bought a new lovebird yesterday (Mars, no idea, hoping he is a male). The plan is separate cages across the room - when everyone is used to each other I might put their cages next to each other.... before I do I will see if that is recommended.

I was a bit concerned yesterday that Mars was not eating, but I knew he was just nervous about his new surroundings. Sure enough this morning I heard him chomping away.... funny thing is when Sunny eats it all stays in his bowl, with Mars it is on the cage floor! LOL

The lady at the pet store suggested that I try peeled carrots as one thing....I washed and peeled some today. Instead of going into the compost bin I hung some in both their cages. I was shocked to see Mars eating them! Sunny is ignoring them... oh well - I will keep trying introducing new food to both of them and maybe Sunny will learn from Mars.

new guy "Mars" taken at the Pet Store.... my daughter named him because of the red beak.
Two year old "Sunny"... my son named him because he is bright like the sun.... get it - we have the whole galaxy thing going! LOL

 

[Zara]

They´re beautiful!
Glad to hear your new bird is eating the carrot.
Just be careful if they are different sexes because Sunny is a roseicollis and Mars is a fischer, so they shouldn´t breed- it would be ideal if they are FF or MM

 

[nu2birds]

Try sprouts as well.......my little guys are finicky with vegetables, but inhale sprouts. You can check out info regarding sprouts in the Food Court forum.

 

[Sunny&Mars]

They´re beautiful!
Glad to hear your new bird is eating the carrot.
Just be careful if they are different sexes because Sunny is a roseicollis and Mars is a fischer, so they shouldn´t breed- it would be ideal if they are FF or MM

So if they are different breeds they can not mate? So what would the dangers be if they were different sexes and they got together?

My plan is to keep them in separate cages and if they are out at the same time they would be supervised.

Next time I take them to the vet I think I will get the work done to find out their sex, or do you think the vet would know by feel?

 

[DoubleTake]

So if they are different breeds they can not mate? So what would the dangers be if they were different sexes and they got together?

My plan is to keep them in separate cages and if they are out at the same time they would be supervised.

Next time I take them to the vet I think I will get the work done to find out their sex, or do you think the vet would know by feel?

It is possible for them to mate but it is best that they do not. Like some hybrids there is always a risk for health issues short and long term. With yours being a peach faced and a fishers(eye ring) it is even more advised that they do not breed. The new baby won't know which species it is. Also if the baby was to be born, there is a high chance that the bird will be unable to reproduce.

As a side note, my girl also loves sprouted seeds.

 

[Zara]

You have a 2 in 3 chance that your birds wil be same sex so hopefully that is the outcome
Have you tried feeling the pelvic bones?
I have 2 siblings paired, I felt the pelvic bones and they feel exactly the same so I´m feeling quite positive about my pair being the same sex.
If you´re unsure a DNA test may be a good idea

 

[Sunny&Mars]

For Sunny the breeder felt and said that he was a male. For Mars they said he is too young to tell. Mars won't even come out of his cage, so we can't even attempt to feel him.

 

[Zara]

Ahh I see. When you´re at home, leave (his) cage open, he may just come over and investigate you

 

[Sunny&Mars]

Try sprouts as well.......my little guys are finicky with vegetables, but inhale sprouts. You can check out info regarding sprouts in the Food Court forum.

I tried sprouts with Sunny once (I admit I should have tried harder). I'm thinking of replacing his food bowl and putting the sprouts in there "forcing" him to eat or at least try them. How long can a bird SAFELY go without eating? I want to stress that I don't want him to starve, just make him hungry enough to try something and maybe actually like it.

 

[Zara]

Hey, did you get your birds sexed? Or did you manage to feel Mars now that he´s out and about more?

 

[Sunny&Mars]

I haven't gotten them sexed yet. Next trip to the vet I will.

Sunny is still a picky eater, but Mars is doing well.... he loves the sprouts where Sunny won't touch them. I am wondering if Sunny's diet is part of the reason for his feather picking. I try to get him to eat well, but if I can't get my son to eat well not sure how much success I'll have with a bird! LOL

 

[Zara]

lolol Yea, feeding a bird new things can take some time.

My birds go crazy for millet, but for some reason I never gave it to the youngest for a few months. When I eventually presented it to them, they got spooked. Now they love it too. But it just goes to show, if there´s something new, they´ll take a while to try it.

My birds are super picky with fresh fruit/veg. I always try but they usually only ever eat a bit. I never buy ´them´ fresh food... they just get a little of whatever we´re eating.

 

[Leih]

I've just recently gotten my lovebird to try broccoli. And by try I mean she takes a teeny bud off the floret, but to me this is progress! She doesn't seem to like wet stuff, so the broccoli I make sure to really dry before I give it to her. And I'm sure it helps that she sees my two linnies destroy broccoli (and anything else) haha I got lazy for awhile but everyone says to keep offering so that's what I'm doing. I also do the trick where I put some in her food but in such small pieces that she won't realize until it's already in her beak. It's really frustrating!

 

[JaclynBin]

The only way I can get my lovebirds to eat vegetables is by blending them into a paste and mixing it with the crumbs from their pellets into a crumbly paste kind of texture. It’s easy to make big batches of the puree, freeze it in little containers from the dollar store, then throw them in the fridge to thaw out the day before feeding so I’ve always got quick veggie meals for them.

I think if you’re really encouraging them to eat solid veg, going this route then slowly introducing progressively larger chunks in the mix might get them used to it. It’s also easier to get them to try things in the morning, since they’ll be at their hungriest after the nights fast.

 

[Leih]

Mine doesn't like getting her beak wet unless it's water... Persnickety! She'll go to try something and then I see disgust written all over her face and she proceeds to wipe her beak. It's both hilarious and frustrating. I'm going to try morning and trick her haha!