New owner with a love bird and questions.

[MihikandJade]

Hello,

I am Jade, And my little peach face love bird is Mihik (meh-eek) were new to each other, he was born in late October of last year. I absolutely adore him. But, as much as I love my little bundle of feathers, I have no clue what i'm doing. Until last week I couldn't get him to take a bath, And I don't really understand a lot of his behaviors. So I have a few questions.

He loves to chew my hair and eye lashes, eyebrows, I have him mostly hand trained but he does occasionally bite. He loves to nibble on my cheek, nose, and lips. And constantly tries to take out my nose ring. Why is that, and is it healthy or should I train him out of it.

What age will his first molt be, or is it by seasons?

I have a mix of seeds and they have these little things that look like cracker things. Mihik refuses to eat them, and will throw them out of the dish, are they really important or will his fruits and veggies cover what ever was in the cracker pellet things. ( The lady at the pet store helped pick the food )

How do i trim his talon there really sharp.

I have his wing trimmed after he learned to fly, and he comes traveling in the RV when we travel is there a harness I can get him like we have for the dogs?

He also has a line in the middle of his tummy, that when the wind catches it the feathers lift up and his tummy is completely bare, is that a normal thing or is something wrong?

I have a lot more questions but its is probably best not to drive you nuts... So we both Thank you.

Thank you from Mihik and Jade

 

[MarciaLove]

they will try to eat anything shiny on you! mine always try to take my earrings out. They usually have their first molt around a year old and then in spring and fall. If he eats fruits and veggies thats great along with the seed however those cracker things called pellets are healthy not a huge deal that he wont eat them since he eats fruits and veggies but it would be better if he did eat them maybe try a different kind of pellets. Trimming nails is hard if you are dong it alone I wouldnt suggest doing it if you dont have someone else to hold while you trim look on youtube for some videos of how to trim nails. Here is the absolute best harness for a bird!!! I love the design its better than all the rest and this one is lovebird sized also comes with DVD on ho to use Aviator Harness and Leash, Petite Black
I have no idea about the tummy thing maybe someone else knows, none of my lovebirds or other birds have that. Good luck!

 

[AngelicaandBandit]

Hi there! Welcome to you and Mihik!
Lets get started

Okay first of all if he does that do not let him reach your face. If he is on your shoulder and chews on your face or something, remove him from your shoulder. What I did with my RB2 was if he chewed my ear I would remove him, put him down somewhere and ignore him for like 3 minutes. He caught on quickly that he was not to chew my face or ears. Try that! Although I don't mind him preening my hair, however that's your choice.

My apologizes but I don't know much about lovebirds or when they molt but I found a link that might be useful on this topic
Molting

Living on a seed mix along is deinitely not healthy for any bird. Instead of seeds get pellets, convert your lovebirds diet from seeds to pellets and always offer a variety of fruits and vegetables. Birds can not live on seeds alone. Many seeds are high in fat which can make your lovebird prone to fatty tumors!! A healthy birds diet consists of Pellets, a large variety of fruits and vegetables and other foods like nuts etc etc

You'd better get a vet to do it for you. Trimming nails is risky unless you've done it before, birds have a vein in their nails and its too easy to cut to far up your bird will bleed. If you're insistent on doing it yourself and good way to see the vein is holding it up in the light. If your bird does bleed, clot the wound with a powder stop or corn flour or plain flour. To be on the safe side, a vet should do it if its your first time.

There sure is a special bird harness for birds! The safest and best one would be the aviator, I recommend you purchase it off ebay. Or you could see if they sold bird harnesses at the pet shop, providing that it is safe and secure. Honestly, I would really recommend the aviator. For a lovebird, I think the size would be small or something.

I'm not sure about the line in his stomach. I cant really give you advise without seeing it. Maybe you could post a photo? Or if you are really really worried get him a vet check up. Observe your bird, is he acting different. Birds cleverly hide their sickness until its too late. Check his droppings, are they normal? Does he spend a lot of time at the bottom of his cage. Is he constantly sleeping? Is his feathers all fluffed up all the time? Do post a photo, its easier to tell if something is wrong.

Not at all, feel free to ask as many questions as you like! After all that what we're here for! Post photos on his stomach and Mihik in general, we would love to see your little baby boy

Keep us posted!

 

[DallyTsuka]

with lovebirds and other small parrots like cockatiels and parakeets, you want to have seed in the diet as well as pellets and veggies and as much variety as you can get the little buddy to eat.

they DO need seed in the diet, but not the only thing. the little guys should not have a diet too high in pellets (it should only be 20-30% of the diet) because the amount of vitamins and protein are too high for the little guys and can cause kidney problems later on in life. variety is the best, while having pellets as a supplement

yes, they like jewelry! my earrings are targeted all the time. i dont like them chewing it because the metal isnt necessarily good for them, some metals can be downright dangerous.

the aviator harness unfortunately is too big for lovebirds, you might have to get a Flight Suit, which i have used for my cockatiels with good results, though the Aviator is better... just too big for lovebirds sadly.

birds have a keelbone in the middle of their chest and belly, some birds have a crease in the feathers there, and there is less down there, if you only see it when the wind is on it, then it's not likely to be a concern. however, at rest if you see a crease--feel his keel bone. it should feel round and even on both sides. if it is bumpy on both sides with a dent in the middle, then your bird is fat. if it feels sharp in the middle, then he is too skinny.

nails, it's safer to file with a file if you feel unsure, but i'd have a vet show you the first time if you aren't sure what to do.

lovebirds reach their first molt at about 4-6 months old, then i notice after that they have one or two bigger molts a year. depends on the bird. some molt in small spurts all year round, others dump out a bunch of feathers only once or twice. i find mine molt in late fall and again in early summer.


would love photos