newly adopted peach face with questions.

[barw33zy]

I just picked up a beautiful and very active peach faced lovebird from the humane society, as I research more about feeding I find more and more contradicting information...

What is the truth about offering grit?

What about seed vs. pellets?

There are certain fruits that one source will specifically recommend and another will specifically forbid, such as grapefruit. What is truly bad aside from avocado?

What is the correct daily food quantity?(I read 1-1.5 tsp, then later read 2-3 tsp...)

Today I started with a cockatiel seed mix that the pet store recommended(is this truly ok for a lovebird?), a cuttlebone, and some sticks for perching and chewing.

 

[melinda]

Congrats on the new bird we need pics. From what i understandgrit can cause crop inpact. I had a pair of peach fronts that was on a seed only diet and when changed over to pellets went into moult. Once the feathers grew back in it looked like different birds the color was richer than the old owners ever saw. They started laying fertil eggs for the first time ever. They loved any green veggy and carrots. I did give them seeds as a training treat. They do need cuttlerbone at all times. When you feed pellets they may dunk them in the water bowl so you will need to change it offten during the day.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

I've heard a lot of debate about grit - I offer a very little bit on rare occasion: I just open the jar of it and let Auggie poke around. He'll throw some around, but not really eat any. If a bird is on a seed diet grit becomes a bit more important - but they shouldn't be on a seed diet.

Most fruits and veggies that are good for us are good for them - the only concern is that some fruits can act as laxatives. If they eat too much of these they can get dehydrated quickly. But in moderation this should not be a concern.

Seeds and pits of many fruits can also be an issue - don't let them chew on apple seeds for example. Many seeds and pits contain dangerous chemicals (cyanides). We don't worry about them because if we swallow a apple seed it passes through us undigested - but we'd be at as much risk if we chewed the seeds as the chemicals could absorb directly to our blood (okay, a little less due risk to our body size and metabolic differences). Anyhow, if a bird chews up lots of apple seeds, they would be exposed to cyanide. Given their body size the risks of a few seeds might be serious - I don't know how many it would take, I know for humans a few seeds, even if chewed up would do no harm.

Long story short: everything in moderation. Start with a good pelleted diet and add a mix of fruits and vegetables. Avocado is a no no - but other than that, most things that are good for us are good for them. Many things that are mildly bad for us can be really bad for them (alcohol, chocolate, etc).

 

[IolaniAviary]

I do not use grit.

You have to feed both seed and pellet, or your bird will not receive the proper nutrition. It's the difference between a Lovebird living 5-8 years and 10-15. These should be free-fed 24/7 and refilled, I mix mine. As far as fruits and veggies go, the same applies for all birds. No seeds, salts, sugar, avacado, chemicals, chocolate, and the list goes on.

I can't believe the lady told you that only Cockatiel seed was ok. You should be feeding small parrot seed and pellets around the clock, not on a measured basis. Then fresh fruits and veggies should be offered daily at a time where you can leave them in while they're fresh and remove them when they start to go bad. Proper nutrition is very important!

 

[barw33zy]

Thanks for the info. Pic of Ricky is my avatar(if he ends up being a she we'll call her Ricki instead).

It sounds like a little bit of everything is the way to go, I'll pick up some pellet next time I'm at the pet store. I gave him some carrot today and he ate a bit of it. I may try a small amount of grit as Auggie's Dad suggested.

I was worried about how untame he might turn out to be, being an adopted stray, but he has not even attempted to bite. I used a shot glass yesterday to fill some water in the dish on his mirror toy and he actually drank out of the shot glass as I was pouring. Today I hand fed him a small amount of millet and lured him out of his cage so he could fly around and excercise a bit. Although he wont let my wife or myself touch him, he has yet to try biting which is very promising.

I may try towling him in another day or two but I don't want to traumatize him if he may eventually step up on his own, since he is showing no agression whatsoever. Any thoughts or recommendations on this?

 

[IolaniAviary]

Your very lucky, I have one little hen who likes to fly out of the cage to attack. Seeing as the bird is very friendly, I'd assume at one time it was a pet. You'll want to start by letting the bird out as you have, and offering millet from your hand. Start with the entire stem distance, and slowly decrease it over time to just a small piece from the palm of your hand. By that point you should be able to coax the bird onto you, and perhaps even pet the bird. Make sure to spend lots of time! Once you have hand contact you can begin to work on the step up.

If you post a picture with good lighting I can give you the mutation

 

[barw33zy]

He will eat right out of my fingertips, but not my palm yet. He seems to be timid of hands(without millet) when he is in is cage or around the house, but he doesn't mind me getting my face close to talk to him.

I had to catch him with a towel to get him back in his cage yesterday, he put up quite a fuss until he worked his head out. I held him in the towel for about 4-5 minutes talking to him and hand fed him some more millet, but he still seemed very uncomfortable. I suppose I would be uncomfortable too if someone wrapped me in a blanket to catch me!

I'll try to post a few more pics tonight.

 

[IolaniAviary]

It should take around a week possible longer to have them eating from your palm, make sure to take your time and not rush it. The towel can be pretty scary, and with some birds it can cause more trust issues. "Forced Snuggling" should only be used on a chick in my opinion. I use a towel with my breeder birds to remove them from the cage (aka both hens), but on my semi-tame males I just pick them up and place them back. If she doesn't bite there is no reason to use a towel, it's much better to ask for the step up when they are out because now they feel like they need to get back at home at all costs. You use millet in one hand above the bird, and the other hand to push up on the breast bone and give the command. Or you can scoop her up and quietly talk to her on the way back to the cage.

Can't way to see the photos.

 

[barw33zy]

I had a lot of reservations about it but I needed him back in the cage because we were leaving the house and he would not go on his own accord. A guy at the pet store told me to towel him every day to tame him, I certainly didn't think that sounded like a good idea, and now I know. I will definitely avoid it as much as possible from here on out.

Do you have any recommendations for getting him back in his cage until he allows me to handle him? When I approach him with a millet-free hand he flys away, even if the other hand has millet. He's pretty smart hehe.

 

[Kawaii]

I had a peach/blue faced lovebird who ate everything, but LOVED pasta. Of course, we wouldn't let him gorge out all of the time, but most of the time he'd perch at the end of our dinner plates simply eat what we eat when we ate. We have a very healthy diet—by "we" I mean my family and I. We of course kept him away from sweets, but natural unsalted popcorn was his favorite because he could shred it to a million bits while eating it! He also liked to roll the seeds around in his mouth, though he never ate any of them.

On to the eating parts: Funny thing about grapefruit… I distinctly remember my bird chewing on some grapefruit, rather than eating it. I should have probably been more careful because of the acidity… but there was never really a problem. Most of the time, if your bird won't eat something it's for a reason. I know avocado is dangerous for birds because of the fat content, and coffee, sugar, and alcohol are obvious dangers.

Perches and maintenance: We just used sandpaper rolls over my birds perches, which he loved to use. We also used cuttlebones, though he was less interested at first. After, we found that pretending to actually chew on the cuttlebone made him want it even more. Birds are just that way. ;]

I think you're doing great so far, even if the bird isn't completely "tame", if birds can ever be tame. However, I think your bird must have been owned before. It sounds almost too tame to be "wild" or a "caged bird". I think taking your time with him, and just playing, talking, and feeding him will gain his affection and trust! Love birds are amazing little birds, and I applaud you for adopting the lonely little guy!
-Leia

 

[IolaniAviary]

Some people believe in force cuddling, I just personally don't. It works on some birds and upsets and creates mistrust in others (not worth the risk).

Kawaii what are you referring to as a blue face Lovebird? There is no such mutation.

 

[barw33zy]

I just got him to walk onto the back of my hand for a treat! For some reason he wont have anything to do with the inside of my hand, but he now steps on the back pretty consistently. He also will not let me move very much at all or he flies off, but I am very excited simply to have contact. He did nip a little but not hard at all, almost as if he was testing my hand for stability, but idk much about it. What is the best way to discourage nipping? I am worried a stern voice might scare him or that moving my hand will make him unsure. Also, I learned that millet spray makes a huge mess! lol.

I've attached a couple pics as requested, I hope they are good enough for you to tell the "mutation". Thanks for you time and help.

 

[barw33zy]

One more thing, do you think his beak is too long? He didn't have a cuttle bone when he was at the humane society, but he did have wood chew toys. Now he has both plus a branch that I got from a hiking trail nearby. It seems to me like it may be just a tad long.

 

[IolaniAviary]

Oh how funny looks to be an Opaline, but the blue tail says she's not. She is just a normal Green Series Peach Face.

 

[barw33zy]

hehe I like the blue tail. Is there any way to approximate age? Im just curious.

 

[IolaniAviary]

In some birds it's easier than others, but since the band on the crown is quite bright and prominent I'm guessing over a year at least. That doesn't usually fully come in until around then. But she could could be any age above 1...

 

[Remy]

When I started researching my parrot's diet I found out that seed is supposed to be very limited in the diet of a caged bird! They have a high fat content, which over time can be bad for your bird. Pellets (good ones anyway) combine a variety of foods into one place. I started using Harrison's High Potency, which is organic (and kosher, if it matters) and Puck seems to like it. Some birds have trouble switching to new diets, but Puck didn't.

The beak does look a little long. They can trim them at some bird places (along with wings and nails, if needed). I had Puck's trimmed, but I never trimmed my cockatiels' growing up and they were fine. I guess it can cause potentially problems with eating and it can be more likely to break if it's too long.

 

[IolaniAviary]

I wouldn't say the beak was too long, it's probably from a bad diet and lack of toys. I would give it a month of the correct diet and toys and see if it turns around. I've read that the only reason for a true over-grown beak is a health issue, otherwise it's usually fixable with some new goodies


Remy is 100% right, seed diets are very unhealthy for birds. Which is why it's so important to make sure you have good food! It's the difference between a long happy life, and a shorter one with possible nutrient issues. Your bird should have a nice variety.

 

[barw33zy]

Thanks for all the answers, you all have been very helpful!

Just to update you, I bought a second food dish for fruits and veggies, he especially likes apple! He will even eat it out of my wife's hand. He has also been working on his cuttle bone quite a bit so I expect to see his beak in better shape in time, and I will definitely be keeping a close eye on it.

As far as working with him, he will still only step on the back of my hand for a treat, but that is plenty for now. Yesterday I had a friend over who was able to hand feed him millet inside his cage, still no nips or bites! (I think I may be spoiling him with the millet, but he deserves to be spoiled a bit after being all alone in the wild and then couped up at the humane society)

Getting him back in his cage continues to be difficult without being able to handle him. Perhaps he is starting to think that his fun will end once he goes back inside, so today once he was finally inside I left the door open so he could come out again. Patience is working best, but it takes the most time

 

[IolaniAviary]

It's wonderful that you are doing so much research and taking such great care of this little guy! So many people bring home birds and do absolutely nothing right, most of them don't even bother to research. What a lucky little monster

It's great that he's eating fruit, I'd say once upon a time he must have had a nice owner. Leaving the cage open and "cage training" is a great idea. All of my birds will stay ON their cage, even the ones who can not be handled. It makes going back in so much easier.