Baby Lovebird Help !!!

[srtiels]

I'm feeding lovebirds now and the formula should be between 104-106 degrees. At this age the bird does not have to be fed through the night. If it is fully feathered then 3 feedings a day should be fine.

You can tell if it has eaten on it's own by feeling the base of the crop...it is located at the bottom of the neck and is a small holding pouch for food. If the bird has eaten seed/millet you can feel some of this thru the skin. As the baby gets older it will eat more and at night it will store the most food in the crop and feel like a small bean bag.

You should still contact the breeder. If the person is inexperienced or new to breeding they need to know that they may have sold the bird too soon....which in turn puts the bird at risk if someone/buyer is not alert enough to know that it is not eating or fully weaned.

 

[mangocrayons]

Thank you suncoast and srtiels for the feeding advice. Yes he is mostly feathered. Thank you so much for the advice everyone and I hope all goes well. I will update again tomorrow morning on his condition. He went to bed an hour ago after preening himself and chewing on random things.

 

[Marlene]

If he is starting to eat, you can also start cutting up vegetables and fruit for him.

 

[mangocrayons]

Also I had another question. The bottom of the cage is plastic and I have newspapers lining the bottom. My lovie is currently just sitting and standing on the bottom, is that comfortable enough for him? I put a soft white towel in the back corner for possibly more comfortable but he hasn't gone on it yet. Also should I bring the perches lower to the ground? I have some toys and chewable/shreddable stuff on the floor of the cage and was wondering if I should lower the perches too. He doesn't know how to fly yet but can climb. Thank you to everyone that helped me earlier on. You all took your time to give me greatly needed help which is truly appreciated.

 

[mangocrayons]

Are there any specific veggies/fruits that would be good to start ? Thank you !

 

[Marlene]

You can lower some perches, he might not perch right away. I always put a soft stuffed animal with my babies for them to cuddle. A towel would be fine. I give my babies apples, grapes, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, celery etc. I chop it up in small pieces for them. Also start leaving a bowl of water as well. He might not drink yet, but he will bathe in it when ready.

 

[mangocrayons]

Thank so much Marlene !

 

[birdlvr466]

Glad to hear things are going better for you. Thanks to all the members that had handfeeding experience/advice that helped out.

 

[Jally]

I'm anxious to find out how this sweetie did over the night. I had bought a baby from a breeder that I thought was 6-7 weeks old and only on one feeding a day. He was 4 weeks old and needed 3 feedings a day. If I had known, I would not have brought him home so soon. Because I was an inexpirienced feeder, he developed a yeast infection. That was scary! We recently had lovebird babies, but I let the momma do all the hard work. I just love on them But I didn't let them go home until they were 8 weeks old, at least and eating seeds, millet, veggies, avicakes and nutriberries.

 

[mangocrayons]

I'm anxious to find out how this sweetie did over the night. I had bought a baby from a breeder that I thought was 6-7 weeks old and only on one feeding a day. He was 4 weeks old and needed 3 feedings a day. If I had known, I would not have brought him home so soon. Because I was an inexpirienced feeder, he developed a yeast infection. That was scary! We recently had lovebird babies, but I let the momma do all the hard work. I just love on them But I didn't let them go home until they were 8 weeks old, at least and eating seeds, millet, veggies, avicakes and nutriberries.

I think he did okay. I peeked in on him at around 3 in the morning and he was sleeping on the towel I gave him. I woke up at 7:00 and he was up. I took him out to hand feed him but the seeds caught more of his interest and he climbed right into the bowl to munch away. He also ate millet spray. Then climbed up me to find a comfortable spot to cuddle and relaxed. I also saw him splashing a bit in the water bowl. I hope all goes well !

 

[birdlvr466]

Just make sure there are acutally "seeds" in the dish and not empty hulls. Birds have died because people thought there was plenty of seed and in fact it was empty shells from the seeds. You might try chopping up some veggies nice and small for him to nibble on too.

 

[expressmailtome]

Also, if he is not taking the hand feedings then you need to make sure that he is drinking some of the water and not just playing in it. You do not want him to become dehydrated.

Matt

 

[mangocrayons]

Thank you birdlvr and Matt. I chopped up a few veggies for him and currently he's loving the broccoli. I'll make sure to see if he's drinking the water .

 

[Anne & Gang]

and completely change those seeds at least onc e or twice a day..

 

[mangocrayons]

Thanks Anne ! I'll make sure to change it. I'm glad everyone on here helped me out. I got really worried when he wasn't doing anything. Now he's enjoying headrubs and comes running to hop onto my hands when I open the cage door and bring my hands near him. I had to grab him the first day and that didn't go too well as Im sure he got scare but he's good now. He doesn't chirp much though. He chirped once when my sister and I were singing but stopped after a couple of seconds. Is that good?

 

[birdlvr466]

I am glad you sought help and knew enough to try and find someone to help you.
Not sure on the chirping but I am sure someone with baby experience can answer that for you.

 

[Birdbabe]

Glad he has improved...dont worry, the chirping will be non stop before you know it!

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

As long as He is eating and drinkingThe chirping will come Glad He is doing better

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

I do not know how much he is eating right now but when I hand feed baby lovies I would continue the feeding until the lovie was no longer interested in the feed due to lack of handfeeding formula I used a pellet mash and left plenty of pellets in the cage for snacks I am sorry that I was not on for the last few days how is he doing now I would feed out of a baby spoon did not have anything else If I can help as well in any way please pm me and I will try to get back to you soon I have been having computer problems and not on as much any more

 

[mangocrayons]

Thank you everyone once again ! Also Cynthia thanks a lot and it's alright. He does seem to enjoy eating on his own or right out of my hand. I'll try a pellet mash up like you said. He doesn't fly yet but he can fly to get to my knee when Im sitting on the ground. Should I clip his wings later on? He's also a great climber, got to the highest perch and them didn't know how to come down He got down eventually with trial and error....then decided to go back up. Also you're right ! He's started chirping too, especially if someone kisses their teeth.Once again thanks !