Pictures new to lovebirds

[nigma]

Hey guys, i picked up these two guys from a friend of a friend (they can't take care of them anymore)
They are a bonded pair, they are some what skitch when i open the cage to give them new food/water bowl

I have done some research... but still have tons of questions.

Right now they only eat seeds, since that is the only thing they are use to. I do chop up carrots, corn, cucumbers, apples, bananas on random days. They stop by take a taste and just walk away. (only thing they finished or ate a bunch of was the sweet corn)
They are very finicky, and don't touch the pellets that i tried to give them, but i will keep trying. Question is... do you leave the food for them to choose? pellets vs seeds? or should i take out the seeds to let them try the pellets?

Also since they are a bonded pair... they already built a nest before i picked them so i am guessing they might be laying eggs soon? the first day or so i had them, they continued to build their nest every time i gave them timothy hay.
I have no clue when or if the ladybird will lay her eggs after they have stopped building their nest.

 

[nigma]

oh, they are about two years old btw... and did have chicks before.

 

[Shezbug]

@Zara

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue!

I do chop up carrots, corn, cucumbers, apples, bananas on random days. They stop by take a taste and just walk away. (only thing they finished or ate a bunch of was the sweet corn)

Of those foods, my birds fave is corn too but I only give 2 or 3 pieces per bird. I personally don´t feed cucumber, very watery. And I would only feed a small piece of apple OR banana, not both unless it was a tiny piece of each. (A tiny piece being about 1cm²).
You can give cucumber, but I would use it as a minority. Go heavier on veggies. and for fruits, tropical fruits are better, berries, mango.
My birds love peas! they also really enjoy peppers (any colour) and romaine lettuce.
I´m not a nutritionalist so I don´t really know how much of everything to give so I just look at it like this, I feed my birds their pellets diet and this veggie stuff is just a bonus, I don´t take it too seriously aside from not offering watery veg or sugary fruit.

They are very finicky, and don't touch the pellets that i tried to give them, but i will keep trying. Question is... do you leave the food for them to choose? pellets vs seeds? or should i take out the seeds to let them try the pellets?

There are lots of ways to transition birds. Some work for some birds, others work for other birds.
You could offer both in two different bowls, though you´ll likely find the bird just goes for the seed.
A good way to do it, remove the seed bowl in the morning and after the afternoon nap for 20 minutes and see if they go for the pellets.
You can also try giving pellets other ways, from your hand if they are comfortable with that, or get creative. You said they like corn? So get a piece of corn and stuff a pellet inside (or a few if you´re using a small size), see if they eat the corn and the pellet.

While they are only eating seed and no pellets, you could speak with your vet about supplements and see if they think your birds would benefit from a powder supplement to put over the seed.

Also since they are a bonded pair... they already built a nest before i picked them so i am guessing they might be laying eggs soon? the first day or so i had them, they continued to build their nest every time i gave them timothy hay.
I have no clue when or if the ladybird will lay her eggs after they have stopped building their nest.

While they are settling into a new home and having diet changes, allowing breeding is not a good idea.
They are currently on, and have been on for a while, a pretty poor quality diet (I know that´s not your fault), so until they´re on a better diet, breeding is not recommended for any bird.
Given that you are a novice to lovebirds, breeding is not recommended until you know the species better and research and get guidance from someone experienced on breeding birds.
But finally, I personally don´t think you should breed these birds even when they´re on a better diet, and even if you learn all there is to learn about breeding. The bird on the left looks hybrid, so it´s not something I agree with (creating mongrel birds).

I would recommend removing that nest box, regardless of nesting progress, and instead have a nice natural branch there to roost on. Given that it is inevitable that these birds will mate, and they will lay eggs in the future even without a nest or any encouragement, get yourself a set of dummy eggs to be ready for any eggs laid on the cage floor, and switch the eggs out and put dummy ones in their place. If you can´t get hold of dummy eggs, you can boil eggs, allow to cool, and then put back where you found them.
**I just scrolled up and looked at the picture again and see the nice branch they have So just remove the box, stick a toy in it´s place

I would recommend looking into foraging activities. It can really help bonded pairs of birds lower egg count.

 

[nigma]

Zara! thank you so much for the info! i was a bit hesitant to remove the nestbox, wasn't sure if would have added more stress since they moved homes. The good thing is, the guy gave me all their toys, and even the cage with the deal, so maybe it isn't that stressful to take out the box.

As for fruits and vegies, yeah only give one type of fruit a day, small pieces, but they mostly ignore them lol.... i even tried some dandylions still no takers... i will drop in some more tropical fruits that is a great idea, makes more sense too since they are Africans/tropical birds.
I will give pees, and Romaine lettuce a go, and see what they try. Are arugula and spinach good for them too?

Today i checked on their pellet bowl, looks like they ate a bunch of them over night!! or in the morning haha (i only put in like 20 or so bits of RoudyBush)
So that is good news i guess that they ate some of it.

A couple of more question on feeding:
Do you guys free feed pellets? i.e. leave pellets in their bowls and keep it full all day/week long? or do you portion out pellets for each day?
So like for example, i also have rabbits. I free feed hay all day, they get as much as they want in hey, but in pellets i only feed about half a cup or less depending on the rabbit (they only get as much pellets as they can finish in a day, since they can over eat)
Also how often and how much seeds should i give them a day once they fully transition into more pellet diet?

Thanks again for your help, this is super informative!!

 

[Zara]

i was a bit hesitant to remove the nestbox, wasn't sure if would have added more stress since they moved homes.

Yes, I would have also left it in the first few days or until I see they are settling in well... As you say they have been nesting and building a nest, that is a good indication that they are feeling quite secure and settled

Are arugula and spinach good for them too?

I just gave my birds some rocket today Spinach is good to give but in moderation as too much can impede calcium absorbtion. If you have some in the fridge, you can offer a little but don´t go overboard on it.

I feed my birds what we eat. When I go to prep their fresh foods I just fridge raid and make up some plates. Lettuce, peppers, a little tomato, carrots, corn, berries/strawberies, cabbage stuff like that I always have in the fridge. I always have frozen broccoli, peas and other veggies. Then I buy extra things just for them, like little apricots or kiwis, we don´t eat those so I buy them especially for the birds. I won´t buy spinach for the birds as we don´t eat it often enough, but if I have some I will give a little. A pinch of sesame or something on top, and that´s basically how I feed our birds. They get mango when we buy mangoes for us and I always save some for them, same with melons. I find this a much less stressful way to feed them.

i checked on their pellet bowl, looks like they ate a bunch of them over night!! or in the morning haha (i only put in like 20 or so bits of RoudyBush)
So that is good news i guess that they ate some of it.

Check the drop tray in case they got tossed, and in the water bowl in case they got dunked and left. Hopefully they did eat them The beauty of two birds is you only need one to eat them, and the other will copy.

free feed pellets? i.e. leave pellets in their bowls and keep it full all day/week long? or do you portion out pellets for each day?

I have a little scoop (I think it´s like 2tbsp measure) and I put a scoop at a time in the bowl (for two birds) until it´s eaten or the day ends. I change food at bedtime before covering them so there is a full measure. Leaving too much food out means it will start going stale, plus you can fall victim to someone pooping on the food and having to toss the lot. So I always have food available to my birds but I don´t have a lot in the bowl.

they only get as much pellets as they can finish in a day, since they can over eat

Oh, I think I misunderstood the question. I always have food available for my birds because my birds don´t overeat or gorge. My birds aren´t overweight and they get daily exercise. If someone had overweight birds or cagebound birds, then having food available all the time might not work for them. So if you see your birds are not exercising, and gaining weight you might have to look at some sort of feeding schedule.

Also how often and how much seeds should i give them a day once they fully transition into more pellet diet?

I don´t really know the answer.
I feed my birds on a rotation. 4 days pellet, 3 days seed. Sometimes 4 days seed/3 days pellet.
I used to feed them a pellet and seed mix until my youngest hen was picking the seed and not eating the pellets until she ended up with a nutrition deficiency (calcium and I think it was vit A). I thought things were going well with her eating pellets again, so I went back to the mix and she did it again. So now she (and her boyfriend) get pellets only, every day, plus a teaspoon of seed (between them) when out of their cage or a few little clusters of millet.
Each bird needs different things. Males need different to females, some like my young hen needs an almost zero seed diet.
You can ask your vet some of these questions and they will likely be able to tell you what your birds need.
When you transition them over to pellets, you can use the seed and millet as a food you give them directly, either through cage bars, dropped in a treat up in their cage, or on a plate on your desk/table, or in your hand, it can help build a relationship between you and the birds as they will come to you for the junk food goodies

 

[nigma]

awesome Info!! thank you so much.

Yeah i did check the tray, a few crumbles here and there but most of it got ate! adding a small scoop to see how long that lasts. And yeah, the seeds are in a different bowl..... they are even picky with seeds, normally all the flackseeds, nagger seeds, long yellowish-orangey looking grain (i have no idea what that is) and the very few black sunflower seeds are gone as soon as they can see it lol... the rest is white and red millet in the bowl.... lol I go in everyday to mix up the seeds for the other stuff to float up for them, cause man they just don't care about the millet, they eat it as last resort i guess.

How often do you rotate the toys? they had a bunch of toys with ropes.... so i replaced the ropes with chains, hopefully that is okay? since i read that rope toys can sometimes be bad for them (i wasn't sure if the ropes were synthetic or not so i took them out)

 

[Zara]

How often do you rotate the toys? they had a bunch of toys with ropes.... so i replaced the ropes with chains, hopefully that is okay? since i read that rope toys can sometimes be bad for them (i wasn't sure if the ropes were synthetic or not so i took them out)

I move them around every now and then, I have 4 cages so I can also move certain toys between different cages. I don´t share their shreddables, only the plastic or SS toys except toys I bought for certain birds.
I buy/make new toys frequently so they don´t get bored with what they have.

I find with chains, some toys are safer than others. If the chain can twist and get a nail caught in it, it´s no good. Some won´t twist, and some the chain is too short for the bird to grab and spin.
Some rope is ok whereas others is not recommended. Some birds do well with rope and others chew on it and end up ingesting it. You will have to learn how to inspect the toys, know your birds, and come to a conclusion of what you think is best or your birds. If you need some help, take a picture of the toy and post a thread over on Toys & Cages Bypass and ask for folks opinions some might even have that toy and be able to give insight, somemight have a toy that they modified.
I kept having issues with those store bought, colourful cotton perches, my birds would pick them apart and tkae threads to put in their rumps, so I stopped buying them and I started making my own cotton perches and I´ve had a much better experience with those. I actually started a thread about it, but never went back to update it, I think I will

 

[bonjourtok]

Our picky eater refused all veggie chop & pellets. He would not eat until I gave him pellets and I worried about his weight/health. He's the most stubborn bird I know. At around 2yo I started mixing some seeds and pellets into the chop so he'd have to forage for it. It seemed to get him used to the taste of the pellets & he would pick out what he liked from the chop (usually sweet potato). He's still not an awesome eater so I think I will start giving him short periods of time where he is provided only pellet & observing, as Zara suggested.

 

[nigma]

So yeah a bit of an update about their eating habits!! they are enjoying more and more of the pellets, and now having them on a 50/50 of seeds and pellets... each type in its own bowls.... there was one day i gave them only pellets and i think they got angry cause they kept sifting throw the pellets looking for seeds, and dropping a bunch on the floor..... so i had to add the seeds next day and they stopped wasting the pellets. I wonna try to slowly do what Zara was suggesting, and have the food on a 2-3 day cycle as long as they are not misbehaving. They only eat corn, and some romaine lettuce, they would nibble on some other veggies and totally ignore most fruits i give them... i tried some berries, apple, bananas, watermelon, a small piece of pineapple, and some papaya all un eaten, they take a small nib but just walk a way. So yeah, i am gonna keep trying random things, and see what they like haha it is so funny how they are so picky!