New lovie owner

[annalynne]

Hi all,
My name is Anna and I'm about to be a first time owner of an adorable baby female lovie (I'm naming her Twiggy Stardust, AKA Twigs)! I've read a bunch of the forums on here so I think I have a pretty good idea what to expect. She won't be ready to bring home for another two weeks so I'm trying to prepare myself as well as possible in that time and get her cage well-equipped with toys!

I have one major question. I've read everywhere that it is really important to consistently handle and play with your lovie for the first 6 months to bond (and after, obviously), and I'm really looking forward to this stage of getting to know and bond with Twiggy. However, I know that I will have to go away for about five days in May for work. I have a couple of options:
- my best friend, a bird lover, said she would be more than happy to take Twiggy while I am gone and would definitely be happy to play with her.
- my boyfriend, who will be around often, could come over every day to feed/play with her for a little while.
I'm not sure which is the right choice-- if she goes with my friend, she will have more socialization (as my boyfriend doesn't live with me), but she will be more used to my boyfriend and my apartment.

Thoughts? Looking forward to being part of this community!

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

 

[Sylvi_]

Beautiful baby Twiggy is, and welcome to AA!
Consistent interaction is the best way to keep your bond with her, and any bird, strong. A few hours a day should be minimum, more being better.

I'd recommend your friend, for when you go on your trip as it sounds like Twiggy would get more out-of-cage time there.

And congrats on soon being owned by a lovie , I became owned by a little Fischer boy a few months ago. They truly are wonderful little, dramatic babies.

Anything to add, @Happynme @fluffypoptarts @LunaLovebird?

 

[annalynne]

Thank you both @Yoshi&Reza @Sylvi_ ! I'm so looking forward to bringing her into my home and heart

I was leaning toward my friend for that reason too, and who knows--maybe my boyfriend can go visit her there and she will have the best of both worlds!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Welcome to club of those who serve the colorful mini-primadonnas! We have a great group of lovie lovers here, so you'll be in good company.

I agree with @Sylvi_ that regular handling is very important. Probably your bird-loving best friend will be the way to go in May!

 

[LunaLovebird]

Hi all,
My name is Anna and I'm about to be a first time owner of an adorable baby female lovie (I'm naming her Twiggy Stardust, AKA Twigs)! I've read a bunch of the forums on here so I think I have a pretty good idea what to expect. She won't be ready to bring home for another two weeks so I'm trying to prepare myself as well as possible in that time and get her cage well-equipped with toys!

I have one major question. I've read everywhere that it is really important to consistently handle and play with your lovie for the first 6 months to bond (and after, obviously), and I'm really looking forward to this stage of getting to know and bond with Twiggy. However, I know that I will have to go away for about five days in May for work. I have a couple of options:
- my best friend, a bird lover, said she would be more than happy to take Twiggy while I am gone and would definitely be happy to play with her.
- my boyfriend, who will be around often, could come over every day to feed/play with her for a little while.
I'm not sure which is the right choice-- if she goes with my friend, she will have more socialization (as my boyfriend doesn't live with me), but she will be more used to my boyfriend and my apartment.

Thoughts? Looking forward to being part of this community!

Congrats! Lovebirds are great.

I think you'll be fine with going away, provided she has someone keeping an eye on her and letting her have some out time. I got my youngest bird from a breeder when she was 10 weeks old in November last year. I had her out every morning from 5 until 7 or 8 and in the evening from whenever I got home until her bed time, so she was well socialised with myself and everyone in the house. In December I had to go away for a week and she was left in my house with my partner and brother. They are both good with her and she spent a lot of her time out of her cage while I was away. When I came back she appeared to have switched favourites from me to my partner, but she was perfectly happy being with me and with the right amount of socialisation, it didn't take long for me to go back to being her number one human. She is 6 months old now and very bonded to me.

Personally, I would go with an option that allows Twiggy to stay at your place with people she knows, but it depends on just how much your boyfriend is able to be with her. That way she doesn't have to go through the stress of a new place and back again. However, if he is only able to spare an hour or less a day, I would definitely go with your other friend.

 

[LunaLovebird]

What you can do, which might make it easier, is to take her for visits to your friend after she has settled in with you. It might lessen the stress if she has to go there for a few days. Does this friend of yours have other birds?

 

[metalstitcher]

OMG what a cutie. Congrats on your new addition.

 

[camelotshadow]

 

[annalynne]

Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome!! @LunaLovebird, it's great to hear that you had a similar situation after you first got Luna. My friend doesn't have birds, but 6-7 years ago when we were in high school and I had a budgie, she took care of my budgie every time I went away and I think they were both pretty happy with the situation I'll bring Twiggy over to her place a few times before I go away-- good idea! I can see how comfortable she becomes there and have that help me make my decision as well.

 

[Happynme]

You could also have bf stay at your place while your away....or as already suggested take her in visits to the bf.
Congrats on twiggs and I'm sure you'll have lots of stories about her soon. She looks to be a spunky muppet already!

 

[lgrikki]

Welcome!!!!! Beautiful girl and I LOVE the name!

 

[annalynne]

Thank you @Happynme and @lgrikki !!! Looking forward to talking/learning from you about these beautiful birds It's so nice to have a community of fellow bird-lovers to learn from here!

 

[Beanurita]

Why not have you BFF stay at your house with Twigs and BF can also visit.....best of both worlds and she gets to stay in her environment!!

She's a cutie!! I have pickles, a Peach Faced lovie and Kenzie, a Fischer's lovie!!

 

[annalynne]

Hi all,
Twiggy came home yesterday!! She is so adorable, I'm already totally in love.

When I brought her home, I held her for a while (she loved jumping up onto my shoulders and playing in my hair) and she seemed content and not scared. After I put her into her cage, at first she kept jumping to the edges of the cage that were closest to where I was in the room, and then I went downstairs and she started chirping loudly for the first time since I'd brought her home (she was totally quiet in the car and while I was holding her). However, after I changed and came back over to her cage, she went up into a corner of the cage and hasn't moved or chirped since (she's in the exact same place this morning after I took the cover off her cage). She seems scared now, which I would assume is normal since its her first time in a new environment. My question is: should I take her out of her cage later even if she seems scared? Or should I let her be for a day or two? I want to make sure she stays tame but I also don't want to freak her out too much. :/

 

[LunaLovebird]

What a cutie!

As for letting her out, you should play it by ear. I think the general wisdom is to give it a night or a day for them to adjust to the new environment. Perhaps after a day, just leave her cage open and let her decide what she wants? If she seems scared, I would let her be for now.

If you need to get her out later, try and get her to step up on a perch rather than grabbing her. I remember when I first got Luna as a baby, she was initially afraid of the world after coming home and when I needed her to come out I would sometimes grab her. I realised my mistake and started offering my hand to step up or a perch whenever I needed to move her. It moved things along so quickly and within a couple of days she trusted me enough to come to me and perch on me of her own free will, and not run away when I offered her my hand. If Twiggy is already happy to snuggle with you, I'd say you've both come a long way in gaining trust already.

 

[Capt T.]

Thats pretty common for most birds coming into a new house for the first time. A day or 3 and then try to initiate her coming out and sitting on your shoulder.

 

[annalynne]

Thank you @LunaLovebird @Capt T. ! I just got home and she seems much more comfortable already. I'll take it slow these first few days and pay attention to how she seems to be acting

 

[metalstitcher]

She is a total doll. She will adjust in her own time and I agree with Luna just leave the door open and she will come out on her own. Just take it slow till she gets use to everything going on around her. Talk to her and let her know everything is going to be okay. reassuring words go a long way with your bird trust me on this one lol. Just went through that with the vet visit.

 

[annalynne]

Hi all,
Great news! Yesterday when I got home from work, Twiggy was actively moving around her cage. I opened up her cage, and within about two minutes, she figured out how to get out and jumped right onto me. She stayed on me for about FOUR HOURS in total (with the exception of a few times when she flew up and sat on top of her cage. She even fell asleep on me, and at one point was grinding her beak a little (which I was concerned about at first, but then googled it and apparently that means she is content/comfortable with me?). She definitely prefers my shoulder, but also seems to be fine perching on my hand. She's also weirdly quiet-- makes no noise until I play a lovebird video for her, or I leave the room with her in her cage (then she starts chirping really loudly).

She is SO CUTE. The same thing happened today-- I got home from work about 90 minutes ago, said hello to her, and she started jumping around to be in the part of her cage that was closest to me. I opened it and she immediately jumped out and onto my shoulder. She's just sitting there right now while I type. I think I'm in love!