A few concerns

[tezz]

Hey! First time poster on this forum so sorry if this is in the wrong section.

So I have a lovely little lovebird called Levi. I'm not sure if Levi's a male or a female as I haven't had him sexed yet but I default to calling him a he. I got him from a well known breeder in my area. When I got him home he was fine for the first few days but as times gone on hes turning a bit too aggressive for my liking. This aggressiveness includes biting at fingers a little too hard, trying to jam his beak under my finger nail, biting ears and just flat out harassing my girlfriend The first few days he would let me pet him and hold him in my hand but now he only lets me pet him if hes in his cage and will only let me do it for a few seconds before flying off. If he's out the cage he will flat out refuse and run away when I put my finger anywhere near his head.

He also tries to regurgitate his food for my fingers but nothing comes up. I know this is behavior that should be discouraged but I've tried to discourage it for a while now but he hasn't showed signs of stopping. Love birds are so stubborn...

I absolutely cannot get him to eat anything other than seed and millet.

He's also getting a lot of pin feathers around his head and neck which is fine as hes almost 5 months old and lovebirds usually have their first molt around 6 months old. But I'm a little concerned about them because the little casing for the new feathers haven't fallen out yet and he wont let me massage his head as I said above. On some of the pin feathers you can see the new feather protruding from the casing but none have yet to fall off.


Thanks for reading this long post, any advice or help is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue

I absolutely cannot get him to eat anything other than seed and millet.

I would not worry too much about it while he is still settling in. Just keep offering the vegetables (and pellets), try different presentations, dfferent sizes food etc. Offer the vegetables in the morning.

He's also getting a lot of pin feathers around his head and neck which is fine as hes almost 5 months old

Does he have a bath available? A small plate of water. Or you can take him to the sink and turn the tap on a little bit over the draining board.
Bathing will help him open the pins, and sooth the itch. It could also help with the nippyness.

Here is a good read:

Some things to do with a new bird....

So many people come on here with new birds asking what they should and shouldn't do that I thought I would put a short list together of things that owners of new birds could do to build a good relationship with their bird. These things can be done with all new rehomes, rescues or baby birds...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[tezz]

Welcome to the Avenue


I would not worry too much about it while he is still settling in. Just keep offering the vegetables (and pellets), try different presentations, dfferent sizes food etc. Offer the vegetables in the morning.


Does he have a bath available? A small plate of water. Or you can take him to the sink and turn the tap on a little bit over the draining board.
Bathing will help him open the pins, and sooth the itch. It could also help with the nippyness.

Here is a good read:

Some things to do with a new bird....

So many people come on here with new birds asking what they should and shouldn't do that I thought I would put a short list together of things that owners of new birds could do to build a good relationship with their bird. These things can be done with all new rehomes, rescues or baby birds...

forums.avianavenue.com

@Zara I've had him at home for around 4 months now and he won't touch any fruit i give him. I will try presenting it differently. I can't really give him the fruit in the morning as his food bowl is always in the cage. I might make the switch to designated times for feeding though.

He usually baths in his water bowl and I sometimes gently mist him with water which he seems to love. I can't really get him to the bathroom as I have 3 cats in my household. Levi lives in my room with me and none of the cats are allowed in my room, I can't let him out my room for obvious reasons.

 

[Zara]

Try some mixed vegetables, with just a small amount of fruit (tropical fruits are best; mangoes, berries). Sprinkling a few seeds on top is a good tip.
This is a good guide to figure out what to offer: My Chop "Recipe"

. I can't really give him the fruit in the morning as his food bowl is always in the cage.

I don´t understand this.
Take the food bowl out?
I used to remove the seed bowls in the morning and present veggies in a small ramekin. Wait 20-30 mins, if they don´t eat, switch them back - if they do eat, can leave a little longer.

He usually baths in his water bowl and I sometimes gently mist him with water which he seems to love.

As long as he´s given the opportunities, that´s fine Rubbing himself dry on natural branches will remove a lot of the keratin sheaths.

 

[Maggiebird]

Welcome to the avenue!!

 

[tezz]

Try some mixed vegetables, with just a small amount of fruit (tropical fruits are best; mangoes, berries). Sprinkling a few seeds on top is a good tip.
This is a good guide to figure out what to offer: My Chop "Recipe"


I don´t understand this.
Take the food bowl out?
I used to remove the seed bowls in the morning and present veggies in a small ramekin. Wait 20-30 mins, if they don´t eat, switch them back - if they do eat, can leave a little longer.


As long as he´s given the opportunities, that´s fine Rubbing himself dry on natural branches will remove a lot of the keratin sheaths.

Yeah I will make the switch to designated feeding times and see if that helps.

When hes had a bath he goes quiet for about 15 minutes while he preens himself, I don't think I've ever seen him rub himself on his branches. The only time I've seen him rub is face is after eating and it's usually only his beak hes rubbing.

 

[tezz]

Welcome to the avenue!!

Thank you

 

[Guava123]

I'd suggest watching BirdTricks, Marlene Mc Cohen, and ElleAndTheBirds-they all have loads of videos on diet conversion, aggression, hormones.

 

[Maggiebird]

I'd suggest watching BirdTricks, Marlene Mc Cohen, and ElleAndTheBirds-they all have loads of videos on diet conversion, aggression, hormones.

I would avoid YouTube advice in general. Other people can go into full explanation but on here there is a thread on both Marlene Mc Cohen and bird tricks. Elleandbirds I feel she is growing up and she has changed a lot in the past month (to me) she has turned into a Tik tok (if that’s how you spell it) person. I’m not saying that it’s wrong but it has changed her personality a lot! It’s better to do a ton of research, use forums like AA, and contact your vet or anyone else who has more knowledge then them.

 

[Guava123]

Of course. But those are just examples of more resources.

 

[Maggiebird]

Of course. But those are just examples of more resources.

Sorry I’m not trying to offend you so I’m sorry if I made it seem personal.

 

[elitys]

I think Youtube is good for basic information (like general diet recommendations, or training tips) and for fun stuff (cage set up ideas, DIY toy ideas, etc.) If you're looking for medical, or more specific dietary and behavior advice, definitely go to veterinarians, nutritionists, and forums for that stuff.

That said, my favorite bird Youtuber is Flock Talk. She has great videos and her content is tailored towards small birds like yours.

 

[Maggiebird]

I think Youtube is good for basic information (like general diet recommendations, or training tips) and for fun stuff (cage set up ideas, DIY toy ideas, etc.) If you're looking for medical, or more specific dietary and behavior advice, definitely go to veterinarians, nutritionists, and forums for that stuff.

That said, my favorite bird Youtuber is Flock Talk. She has great videos and her content is tailored towards small birds like yours.

That’s what I was thinking.