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What's your birds' schedule?

EPS

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Hi everyone!

Fairly new parront here. (To a 5 month old lovie.) And I was curious to know 3 things:

1) What's your fids' daily schedule like?

2) How do you keep your fids stimulated throughout the day?

3) What does their out of cage time look like?

Thanks for any and all feedback!
 

Mizzely

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9 am, uncovered, fed pellet mix, cage door opened, foragers filled

noon, fresh foods given

3 pm afternoon treat (1/2 tsp of seeds)

6 to 8pm bedtime, cage door closed (depends on when they want to go to bed)


I keep them occupied with foraging toys, lots of places to explore, changing out toys often, and just talking to them. I work from home with my bird toy shop, LMBT, so am always here which helps!

I use to feed the fresh foods first thing in the morning but Jingo wouldn't eat any pellets and started plucking, so I had to adjust. For most birds, feed them what they are reluctant to eat first thing as they are hungrier then.
 

EPS

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@Mizzely Oh no about the plucking! I am actually trying to figure out what to do about food atm. The breeder had my lovie on Volkman's seeds and Roudybush pellets (California blend). I continued this diet, providing more of the pellets than seed. He seemed to be eating some pellets, but I wasn't confident that he liked the California blend, so I switched to Roudybush crumble. I also started him on chopped veggies.

Initially, he took to the crumble so well that he would eat them even without seeds in the bowl. Veggies have been a struggle, but he also eventually ate them without seeds in the bowl. This didn't last long.

Now my observation is that he doesn't really eat from the pellet bowl or veggie bowl unless he sees some seed mixed in, and I'm concerned about him not eating enough pellets.

I have tried to observe what he would do with just the pellets in the morning. He doesn't seem to eat his food and he calls and calls. I assume the calling is for food, because he doesn't do this if there is other food in the cage and it's different from his general morning call.

Furthermore, I have so far learned to give veggies in the a.m., because it seems to be the only time he will eat them. I've also tried leaving sprigs of cilantro in the cage. But he hasn't learned to eat this on his own, and will only eat cilantro if I offer bits of it with my fingers. (Although he seems to like them.)

Sorry - this ended up to be very long winded!
 

Nancy B

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I found it stressful trying to get freddy on a better diet. He will now eat pellets and dried fruits & veggies and also anything fresh that I give him but only if sunflower seeds are not in his cage. I give him very little seed, and just about only for treats now. I found if I gave him very little mixed with pellets or fresh food the seed would entice him to the bowl at least. Then he would eat his favorite and knew he was still hungry so then he would eat something healthy. It's a routine I started with and at first I added very little pellets to the seed, now I add very little seed to the pellets or anything new.
And I started leaving different types of foods all over the cage. Greens inside foraging balls or baskets, I recently made a terra cotta saucer with small stones in it and I will add herbs, greens, pellets and very few seeds to get him to pick through the stones and grasses hunting for food. I think it'll be fun for him.
 

EPS

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@Nancy B It sounds like we are in the same boat and trying the same things! Although, to my amazement, Picasso doesn't like sunflower seeds. It makes things easier in terms of having one less unhealthy food to get him off of, but harder in that the only foods I can motivate him with are millet and seeds. This is another reason for me to give him very little seed, so that I have something he likes to reward him with. A little bit of seed definitely helps to get him playing with his foraging toys!

Millet I am staying away from for now. I recently bought a pack that appeared to be infested with red mites. :(

Good luck to you and your Freddy! I'm sure he'll have fun foraging. :)
 

AkasyaEllric

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You could also try sprouts, still seeds but way more nutritious. They aren't as hard as some places make it seem and they're a good way to entice them to eat more fresh food!
 

TikiMyn

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The schedule of my birds varies a lot, there are some general lines but there are loads of variables.
At this moment they get chop on a plate in the morning, sprouts mixed with pellets and Some other things like Anise stars and the like in Some cups and a plate. Then I fill up all their foraging stuff with seeds, add some toys and get everything ready for their day. In the afternoon they often get flowers, the way I give those varies, sometimes in a basket, hanging, on a plate, mixed with other food etc. They get a bit of dried seed mixed with dried berries and the like and the fresh stuff I have available(I freeze my chop) like broccoli or berries, or a bit of fruit. I fill up their foraging activities again or add new ones. A bit later they get more sprouts mixed with pellets.
Mixing pellets with seeds or spouts is a great idea. Softening the pellets with a vit of water could help too. Even more so when you mix the soft pellets with something else, everything Will stick together a bit and he can’t pick put just a seed, there Will be a bit of pellet next to it. Show him things are food by pretending to eat it yourself and be excited a about it. Sometimes it helps to pretend he can absolutely not have it. That might Peek his interest. You can also try SS skewers and skewer veggies on it. My birds enjoy taking Nibbles of veggies on that while they usually only want to eat cut up veggies. Most important it to keep trying. One of my lovebirds and my cockatiel when he was alive were horrible eaters. My cockatiel was rescued and a senior, he didn’t eat any veggie but when you showed him junk food he would come running to take a bite. The first veggies they ever tried were the orange ones, like carrots and pumpkin. Blue(BCC) tried carrot as first veggie too, and so did Fëanor, my other lovie. Even my ducks like carrot! Perhaps Picasso Will like it too:) Keep offering it at about the same time, that worked for me. I found offering things from my hand helped too.
 

Princessbella

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Because I have crazy hours at work, there is no schedule here at Casa Bella.
Bella won't eat fresh veggies so I put dehydrated veggies in her food bowl and she doesn't realize it.
As for activity, she plays with her toys (mostly gotten here on AA) but my toys (crochet hooks, yarn) are more fun.
She is full feathered and "solid" but at a good weight according to our vet a few weeks ago because she has been flying more.
And she is a happy bird who knows how to manipulate me to get what she wants.
So I don't stress it.
 

alshgs

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6am -uncovered and fed. I try to let them out in the mornings but it’s hectic with my kids.

12pm - I usually spend some time with them while my dogs go outside to potty. They also get millet/nutriberries

3pm -I try and alternate days in which they get to ride with me to pick up my daughter

5-9pm -they are out and flying around. Dinner is usually around 6pm.

On Saturdays and Sunday’s they are out all day if we are home!
 

TikiMyn

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I see now I only answered about what and when I feed them lol!

I keep them stimulated by giving them lots of toys, a lot of them are for foraging because they enjoy that most and it makes them use their minds. I change things around weekly, sometimes daily. Sometimes the changes are small, other times I change almost everything. I keep them stimulated by trying to bring nature inside a bit(pots of grass for example, branches with the leaves on), making them move a lot(all their things are scattered through the room(they are cage free)) by playing their foraging stuff, toys and food plates in different, sometimes difficult to reach, places. I leave Some toy boxes for them so they can throw those out and play with them a bit. Having a difficult foraging thing for them mentally is great too to stimulate their mind, but for my birds I have one or two really difficult ones and the rest is difficult-easy, otherwise they might give up. When I am home I do ‘intellectual’ training with Henkie, I taught him ‘red’ means the color red etc, he enjoyed that very much. I haven’t done that a lot lately but I do show them things and tell them what it is and the like, they know the names of certain things becaus of that. That is stimulating for them too. Same for flight training, it takes a lot of their mind and body to fly properly and can give them quite Some satisfaction.

They don’t always get out of our room(I do spend almost all the time I am home there though) I prefer to only take them out when I am the only one at home, but if they do we mostly fly and play games. They love flying between the curtains and hiding. They don’t have play stands and such out there so that is why it is different then with most people most likely.
 
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Nancy B

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The schedule of my birds varies a lot, there are some general lines but there are loads of variables.
At this moment they get chop on a plate in the morning, sprouts mixed with pellets and Some other things like Anise stars and the like in Some cups and a plate. Then I fill up all their foraging stuff with seeds, add some toys and get everything ready for their day. In the afternoon they often get flowers, the way I give those varies, sometimes in a basket, hanging, on a plate, mixed with other food etc. They get a bit of dried seed mixed with dried berries and the like and the fresh stuff I have available(I freeze my chop) like broccoli or berries, or a bit of fruit. I fill up their foraging activities again or add new ones. A bit later they get more sprouts mixed with pellets.
Mixing pellets with seeds or spouts is a great idea. Softening the pellets with a vit of water could help too. Even more so when you mix the soft pellets with something else, everything Will stick together a bit and he can’t pick put just a seed, there Will be a bit of pellet next to it. Show him things are food by pretending to eat it yourself and be excited a about it. Sometimes it helps to pretend he can absolutely not have it. That might Peek his interest. You can also try SS skewers and skewer veggies on it. My birds enjoy taking Nibbles of veggies on that while they usually only want to eat cut up veggies. Most important it to keep trying. One of my lovebirds and my cockatiel when he was alive were horrible eaters. My cockatiel was rescued and a senior, he didn’t eat any veggie but when you showed him junk food he would come running to take a bite. The first veggies they ever tried were the orange ones, like carrots and pumpkin. Blue(BCC) tried carrot as first veggie too, and so did Fëanor, my other lovie. Even my ducks like carrot! Perhaps Picasso Will like it too:) Keep offering it at about the same time, that worked for me. I found offering things from my hand helped too.
My Freddy will not eat chop or mash. I have tried and tried that. He seems to prefer foods on a hanging skewer or in his foraging basket and foraging balls. That's easier anyway so that's what I do. Next time I am eating something mashed I will see if he would eat it with me. Trying that route next. Lol if they only knew what we go through for them! But he does seem to love foraging for foods around the cage.
 

Nancy B

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I have to try sprouts! I bought a nice bag of organic quinoa and haven't tried because it seems complicated and I am afraid of mold!
 

nu2birds

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My birds wake up EARLY, like around 6. They start squawking, so I feed them pellets with a scattering of seed on top. Around 10 am I give them their sprouts. I leave that in their cage for about an hour and a half then pull. I add more seed to the pellets as needed during the day trying to keep them happy but not giving them too much. they do not like peanuts, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. I rotate toys about every two weeks and replace as destruction dictates. I get them outside on the balcony everyday if the weather and temperature permit. Their door is open when I clean and I leave it open for about three hours in mid afternoon. They tend to fly in and out of their cage and like to sit on top and observe. I try and swiffer throughout the day so its not one big mess by bedtime. They always go to bed with a nice clean cage and fresh water. They go to bed about 8 pm in the spring /summer with the longer days, but in the winter they are in bed no later than 7. I gradually start closing blinds and turning down lights so it is a gradual progression to an artificial dusk and then night time. They seem to like bedtime and I usually don't catch any flack for turning down lights and facilitating a quiet bedtime. AND they will let me know if it's too noisy in the rest of the house during their bedtime.
 

nu2birds

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My birds don't like mash or most veggies.........they love their sprouts and and baby Romaine. Look up "Feathered food court" in the forums........there is lots of sprouting information there. I learned a lot from it.
 

TikiMyn

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I have to try sprouts! I bought a nice bag of organic quinoa and haven't tried because it seems complicated and I am afraid of mold!
Just rinse a lot! When I am home I rinse about every hour, not nessecary but I do when I can:D

My fids are not fond of mashed things, Fëanor does like it Sometimes but often not. Sadly they are not fond of whole veggies, just chopped up in small blocks. They do like skewered broccoli, and they(well, Fëanor) take a bite of almost everything I skewer, but they don’t eat a lot of it. It would be fun for them if they ate big pieces of veggies I think, but they think differently! Will keep being an annyoing mom and keel trying of course:D
 

EPS

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@TikiMyn Thanks for all you shared! You know. I have tried carrots, but not chopped. I think we have to try them again that way this time. :)
 

EPS

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@Princessbella Haha! So do you feel that Bella is able to adapt pretty well to changes in schedule? I worry about that. Especially with out of cage time. But for Picasso it all just seems to depend on his moods. Some days he doesn't seem to notice he hasn't had out of cage time yet, and others he'll let me know that it's time.
 

EPS

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@alshgs Sounds like your babies have it made! What is out of cage time like with all the dogs in the house? I have one dog, and I feel like I can't have out of cage time without closely watching them. Also, do your babies tend to stay in one spot for long? Mine doesn't right now, but I think part of it is that he is still new to our home and exploring. I do hope setting up a well-thought out play area will change that a bit.
 

EPS

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@TikiMyn Thanks so much for sharing all your wonderful ideas! I just read your last reply. :) Oh! And I'm going to look into pellets softened with water.
 
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