Heeeelp

[Tizylish]

A few concerns hoping I get lotsa opinions and responses!! Okay first, our new little lovie is adorable, went and got "her" some toys yesterday and a little comfy coop for her that she slept in all night, also we decided on her name to be Baby... she is such a wonderful little animal!! Okay... I read how lovies LOVE misting and bathing... not mine!! She hates it and just wants me and shakes and shakes, I was really concerned with the shaking. I wrapped her up and held her for a while then let her out to dry and she wanted right back with me. She is new here and I realize she has to get used to things. Should I keep trying the misting every week and see how she reacts or just forget about it.

Also, she really isn't playful at all... seems to not care about shiny things or toys or anything. Is this all because she so new to our environment or is she a "different" lovie. She mostly just wants to hide in my hair.

One more thing and let me say I SUPER appreciate this board... I love everyone’s different opinions and responses... very helpful. Especially when you love love love your lovie and want the best for them.
Babyfood??... I had had some people message me and say NO BABY FOOD others say it's great. Opinions?? And last but not least, does anyone make their own seed food. I really want whats best for our little baby and I was looking at the foods at the pet store and everything seems to have so much unnatural things in it. :11: Id like to make my own if anyone has a recipe. I'm gonna make birdie bread later today for a treat for her.

Again… thank you all sooo much!!! I am so glad to be part of this world!!! :07:

 

[cdog]

You should get your love bird on pellets not seeds, pellets have a lot better nutrition and they cant pick out only what they like because they are all the same.

 

[HalfInsane]

Okay, questions....

First, for bathing, some birds don't appreciate misting much. Some do. When you try misting her aim the water above her head so it falls like rain. She may just prefer bathing; offer her a nice, shallow dish full of water. For some reason the sound of vacuum cleaners and blow dryers alike seem to encourage birds to bathe. A lot of birds also love being blow dried, which will avoid the shaking you described. But a good snuggled is also always an option. And make sure the room isnt too cold.

If she is quite young she may not immediately play with her toys. Pixel didn't her first week. Now she can spend hours doing so. You'll see her personality and confidence grow the longer you have her. And try playing with the toys in front of her. If you show interest in them she may very well follow suite.

The problem with baby food is it often has tons of iron; birds don't need all that iron. If you can find an organic, low iron baby food, go for it. And as cdog said, pellets are best.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Agree with cdog about getting your lovie on pellets. You can supplement a seed mixture but the primary should be pellets. Of course this all depends if she has been fully weened.

As for the shaking, i have read in a bird book that the continued small shaking (not the big dog type shakes) is designed to assist in drying the bird. Just make sure she does not catch a draft and is not too cold while wet and try to never get her wet in the evening to ensure she is fully dry at bedtime.

Also, when misting your bird, spray upward so the mist falls down on your bird. My Molly is almost 8 months old and will not be misted at all. She hates it. She prefers to splash and dunk her head in a bowl of cool water.

Good luck!

I Recommend to never blow dry a bird because it will dry out their delicate skin.

 

[HalfInsane]

Perhaps I should have mentioned that my blow dryer has a low heat setting, and I use it at a fair distance from Pixel so it is more like a very light wind. It doesn't dry her out completely as much as it encourages her to shake herself out.

 

[PetoftheDay]

As the others mentioned, she is still new, and getting used to you, and her environment, and all sorts of things. Once she's more used to everything, toys may hold more appeal, I would not worry to much about that right now!

 

[andreavizzuso]

I agree with you all about the fact she is getting used at new surroundings;
Thus she will take the bath and she will play with her toys soon;
As far as the food I don't agree with you all;
I deem the pellets undergo a mecchanical and termic process and this process reduces in evident way the nutrional content;
I believe the seeds are natural food and a good seed mix cannot be replaced by nothing

 

[stephend]

I've gotten four birds onto pellets and found it was quite easy if I offered them pellets and seeds in seperate bowls. If you go with non-processed food you are going to need to do a lot of research on the diet of wild love birds and provide them with native seeds, along with fruits, vegitables, greens, some types of flowers and likely insects. If you do not feel comfortable taking feeding advice from this forum, I would suggest consulting an avian vet.

 

[andreavizzuso]

If you do not feel comfortable taking feeding advice from this forum, I would suggest consulting an avian vet.

Hi stephend;
is this phrase versus me or it is directed to Tizylish?
I would like to understand better!!