New to birds! Have questions for vets.

[Beanz]

Hey all!

I am a new lovebird owner, and I have some questions about what his actions might mean.

I just got Petrie a week ago, and he was recently weened at the store, so he is still just a little squirt, but I don't have the experience to recognize his behaviors, so I have some questions about

1) Am I suffocating Petrie? I love spending time with him out of the cage. He is just so adorable. But when he is out of the cage, he just sleeps on my collar bone or preens himself. After an hour or so, he will waddle back into his cage and won't come out on his own, but just looks down from his perch.

2) Is he happy? I read that love birds like to shred stuff, are vocal, and are active, but Petrie will only be active for a few minutes every few hours and has only been overly vocal when I am watching Netflix. Other than that, he makes this "EEEEEE EEEEEE!" sound when I try to get him out of the cage. I don't grab him, but try to get him to voluntarily step on my finger which he has been doing lately (After about 30 seconds of EEEEE EEEEE! and trying to escape my finger)

3) Does he like me? He is wary of my hands, but we have been working on that. He does "step up" well enough, but if I try to pet him on his back, he goes full alert mode. However, he has no problem with my head and tends to retreat to my collar area or directly under my chin. He give him lots of beard-nuzzles since he has no problem being near my face.


All in all, I love him a lot! I just hope that he grows to like me too. Yesterday I had to lay perfectly still on my bed because he fell asleep on my chest, and I didn't want to wake my little green poofball angel.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like he's adjusting well. If he's just a baby, he might not really know how to play yet. Try playing with the toys to get his interest. Also, a lot of birds don't like hands in their cage. You try letting him come out on his own by putting a perch near the outside of the door and hanging a treat that he likes by it. Also, you can see if he'll step up on a small perch to get out if he doesn't like stepping up on your finger inside of his cage.

 

[ergunm]

Congratulations with your bird! If he recently weaned he should be still very young, maybe around 8 weeks. soon he should adjust to new home, master flying , and get more active. It seems he is not afraid of you, but one week is still very early so give more time to get more closer. around 14-16 weeks his feathers should get longer and around that time they like scratches to the head.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

He's making great progress for only being with you for a week! He sounds absolutely precious. Just give him time and keep being gentle, patient, and consistent. It sounds like he will become a Velcro bird from how he's already cuddling. Those I had as babies didn't want to stay out for longer periods of time either initially. But after a little while, they bonded to me and rarely wanted to be away from me.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Congrats on getting Petrie. Sounds as if he is making excellent progress. Post some photos when you get a chance.

 

[Beanz]

Well since pictures of Petrie were requested, here is one of him and me failing a duckface, and another of the cage that I built for him.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

He's so cute! I love the pictures, especially the one of the two of you!

Since you built his cage, did you use stainless steel wire and hardware? Is the wood treated or untreated? DIY can lead to safety/health issues if someone is unaware of the hazards to birds, and I'm not sure how knowledgeable you are about that yet.

He looks like a happy little guy. Can I recommend a few more natural wood perches spaces throughout the cage and maybe some bell toys and destructible balsa or cork toys? They love those.

 

[Beanz]

I did a lot of research about cages. Originally it was going to be a basic box with an iron mesh, but then I found out that the galvanized iron can be bad for the little dude because of the zinc!

So I used a stainless steel wire and untreated wood that was left unstained. All of it was washed in vinegar and the cage was polished in vegetable oil and then left to age outside. The wire has all been pulled taught so he can't get any body parts through it and get stuck. The lower portion is all a cleaning area so that it is easy to clean and maintain. So far he seems to like his cage!

I do know that I need to get him some more toys. The ones that I got for him fit into his temporary cage which was 18x18x24, but when I put everything in his bigger cage, it looked incredibly sparse. So that is on the to do list for sure.

Also I plan on getting a Java wood tree stand to put in the middle as a center piece. Those are super pricey though, so that might have to be a Monthiversary gift for him.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

@Beanz That is awesome!! I am glad to hear that you researched so thoroughly. He is a lucky little fluffster to have such a dedicated and cautious dad. I look forward to seeing more pictures of you guys!

 

[Beanz]

I feel really bad! Petrie and I have been getting along really well. I even got him to like my hands, and I would give him cheek rubs for hours. He even fell asleep in my hands when I made a hand-fort for him.

But today, I tried giving him a mist bath by putting him in a sink and spraying light mist over him because that is supposed to be good for him. He hated it, and now he hates my hands. He will attack them on sight and even latch onto them. I feel like I broke our trust or something like that. Is this a common thing that happens?

 

[Lady Jane]

You we doing well. Perhaps going about the bath more slowly next time may help. Not to worry he will be ok with our hands again, especially if they hold treats.

 

[greys4u]

Something to add, when you give him a bath, you move the water around (slowly), let him see you do it and say, this feels good a few times, see if that helps. If he doesnt come over, thats okay, take your hand out of the water. If he sees you do it he may not object. And Welcome to you and your new buddy

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Just be slow and consistent and he will come around (and let him choose how he bathes, etc - maybe one of those bathing dishes that attach to the side of the cage). Lovebirds are fairly forgiving of the people they're bonded to, even though there may be setbacks if something was very upsetting for them. I've given medication multiple times, accidentally pinched toes, and so on - and while I get yelled at, but their adoration remains.

 

[Peachfaced]

I did a lot of research about cages. Originally it was going to be a basic box with an iron mesh, but then I found out that the galvanized iron can be bad for the little dude because of the zinc!

So I used a stainless steel wire and untreated wood that was left unstained. All of it was washed in vinegar and the cage was polished in vegetable oil and then left to age outside. The wire has all been pulled taught so he can't get any body parts through it and get stuck. The lower portion is all a cleaning area so that it is easy to clean and maintain. So far he seems to like his cage!

I do know that I need to get him some more toys. The ones that I got for him fit into his temporary cage which was 18x18x24, but when I put everything in his bigger cage, it looked incredibly sparse. So that is on the to do list for sure.

Also I plan on getting a Java wood tree stand to put in the middle as a center piece. Those are super pricey though, so that might have to be a Monthiversary gift for him.

You may be able to find a grapewood perch that would be suitable instead. They're seemingly cheaper.

 

[Beanz]

Hello again! So he has proven to be rather forgiving, but I have another question. So all day today, we made great progress with hands. He got a bunch of cheek scratches, neck scratches, and belly fluffs. He would even make these adorable peeps when I was giving him cheek scratches, and even seek out my hands afterwards for it to continue.

But then later, he got super bitey, but it wasn't painful bitey. It was just like a bunch of little nibbles and growling. Is he just playing a game when he does that? (Before, when he got bitey, it would hurt and he would even latch on, but tonight it was just nibbles)

 

[fluffypoptarts]

He was probably just tired and cranky and not feeling the additional cuddles/loving.

 

[Beanz]

I think you were completely right! I have been respecting his 'non cuddle' time, and I think he is a lot happier. We have this system (or more like he trained me) where I will scratch his cheeks for a minute and stop. If he wants me to continue, he will do this adorable little peep, and I will continue.

I got him one of those shower holders that you suction onto the side of a shower to hold soap and stuff, since he didn't want me to leave him this morning when I was getting ready for work. So now he will have a little shower holder specifically for him in the shower.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Oh yes, he'll let you know. He sounds dangerously cute!

So he goes in the shower with you? Does he just sit on his holder and watch you? How hot is the water?

 

[Beanz]

He is adorable! And I don't know if I am weird, but do birds smell really good? Like dogs tend to get that 'dog' smell after a while, but Petrie just smells good!

He does just sit on the holder and watches. It will be away from the water so he doesn't get a bunch of water falling on him. I haven't checked up on ideal water temperatures, but I was thinking a few degrees above room temperature.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Yes, I love the way my birds smell! Not weird at all.

Okay, good, sounds like you have the right idea about showers with your little guy.