what is wrong with my lovebird?
I got a peach faced lovebird 4 days ago and she is not acting like the lovebirds I read about online. She does not eat fruits or veggies AT ALL. She does however, eat paper. She just pokes holes in it and eats it instead of shredding it. She won’t bathe herself. She doesn’t “cuddle”. And she absolutely refuses to use her mineral rock and cuttlebone. Other than that, she seems to be happy. She is active, (she doesn’t really play with her toys, she just likes to climb and ride around on my shoulder) and I only put her in her cage at night (she also seems to be afraid of the dark…I read online that you should not have their cage completely dark in case they need to get a drink or whatever, so I put a small nightlight near her cage and she sits as close to it as she can all night. Is this normal?)
More than anything, I am concerned with her diet. I’ve offered her carrots, spinach, bananas, kiwi, apples, blueberries, almonds, brazil nuts and corn. (All fresh) I even tried grating the carrots but no luck. She is not interested in the least. I know that they should not eat a seed only diet, but she won’t eat anything else (and I have noticed that she picks through her food and only eats 2 kinds of seeds) she loves millet spray though.
So, what is wrong with my bird and how can I fix it?
:-/
Also…how often should her wings be trimmed, and when can I expect her to molt? (Is there a certain time of year for molting?)
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7 comments a "what is wrong with my lovebird?"
Birds don’t have to love fruits and veggies. Keep putting fruits and veggies in her cage every day until she starts eating them. You may have to wait a year or more for this to happen. Your bird may be different and may not like mineral rock. Your bird probably feels safer near the night light where she can see things better. Not all birds bathe themselves. Lovebirds are from Africa, which doesn’t have too much water, and so, by nature, she’s probably not used to bathing herself frequently. Try different methods of getting her wet and of giving her fruits and veggies.
Lovebirds usually molt around summertime, and you’ll need her feathers clipped every couple weeks, maybe once a month or even 6 months after her last clipping, depending on the feathers. One thing is for sure, though:you need to get them clipped after each molt.
aww, thats normal, my lovebird STILL dosent eat veges or fruits, ive had him for 1yr. females tear up paper in attemps to build nests, my female did that too. as for the cuttle bone, it can be ok one day and completely gone the next, just you wait. for the diet, i guess its really because of where you bought her from, if its from a local shop, this seed only diet can be expected (like mine). otherwise, hand breed ones should be eating everything. For the trimming, you can trim her when ever you think her feathers are too long and get stuck in the cage or become easy to pull out by other ppl/animals.
since you only got her 4days ago, it’ll take a while for her to adjust, give her some time.
Lovebirds ,like all birds don’t act by “The Book” what one does will not always be the same as the many.so there is nothing wrong with you bird.
There is nothing wrong with a seed only diet,have you tried her with Broccoli,Sweet Corn Cob.Soaked sprouting seed .Try her with these before you give up, try not to give too much Millet Spray .
They normally moult 1-2 times a year and it could be due now,try her with sprouting seed during this period.
You do not say how old your bird is?
Why do you want to clip her wings?has she had them clipped before?
if not then do not clip them.
To Ash I have bred Parrots for over 45 years and never nor would I feed them Pellets I have a Cockatiel going into his 31 year,fed on a seed and fruit,veg diet.
Just to mention I have a little veterinary experience also(50+years.)
Wacky—seed only diets are terrible and she should be eating either pelleted or a mash diet as a base.
Keep trying to get her off seeds. As for the fruits and veggies just keep offering them, she’s bound to try them at some point.
Molting *should–varies with health and environment etc.* be 1-2 a year. Wing trims should be checked at those times. There’s generally one moult when the whether is warmer and one during the winter.
She isn’t going to be like the birds you read about because she needs to be tamed and she is new.
Do some reading on parrot care.
Add: Wacky–I agree that seed has a good place in a parrots diet but I also know that they will pick out what they like–not necessarily what is balanced so seed as a base diet does leave room for problems. I forgot to mention that I also do not like to feed most brands of pellets given the option (because they are processed and their effects on parrots in terms of synthetics etc. are questionable) but would rather see someone who doesn’t have a lot of time/knowledge feed them pellets as a base than seed because at least there is less chance of malnutrition that way. Also, without trying to pick a fight, parrots WILL breed on a seed-based diet but it doesn’t mean that is what is best for them.
My african grey was fed a diet similar to what you prescribed for many years prior to me having him. He now eats Harrisons with fruit/veggies/nuts/seeds suplemented (the only pellets I would ever feed) as well as occaisional mash recipe and the difference is remarkable.
As for tiels they do have a higher fat requirement and do not tolerate high protein levels found in most pellets but they are also prone to fatty liver so a seed based diet is a risky thing.
As for vet experience—avian medicine is a constantly evolving field so the recommendations change all the time as you know so I tend not to go by what either vets or bird companies say and do my own research and my own experience.
Wacky is right a seed ,fruit and.vegetable diet is the correct,for Lovebirds,
I am surprised that he has revealed what he was,he does not normally tell anyone.
But I suppose he does get sick of Down markers who do not know what they are talking about.
Why does my lovebird not drink any water???
I have had my female peach faced Lovie for 6 years now. It took her 4 years to even attempt to eat Fruits or Veggies. You have to keep offering them. What got her to eat other food than seed was a brand of cook at home bird food called “Beak Appetite”, she loves “Nuts for Alfredo”. I place a cup of it in a particular spot in cage so shes come to think of that spot as a place where she can get yummy stuff. Slowly i started slipping other veggies in and offering less Beak Appetite. Now She will try anything i put in the cup. She does, i found out through trial and error, like for everything to be finely chopped almost like couscous.
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