I just brought a beautiful baby Fischer lovebird home 5 days ago. The breeder said he is 8-10 weeks old. I think he actually might have been closer to 8 weeks, because his head was a bit darker than the other birds in the cage (or does that mean he is older?), and the breeder said they were from two different clutches.
Not sure on the sex of the bird yet. We will be going to the vet next week.
I've had several peach faced lovebirds before over the years. All were very wild when I first got them, and it took few months to tame them, to even step on my hand. Then, they were very tame and playful and cuddly. Never had a Fischer before.
This little baby seems very sweet and gentle, and not nearly as wild as the other lovebirds, even though it has been parent-raised. The first evening it was already taking millet I was holding few inches away, the next day he started tracking a stick to get a treat (millet) and was eating it from my palm, and the next he was already standing on my hand inside the cage. I move very slowly around him, keep our training sessions to about 15 minutes few times a day, and stop when he is no longer interested in millet.
Now, never having a Fischer or a bird this young before, I have a few questions:
1. He just seemed very calm, gentle, and quiet, unlike peach faced's I had. I know, it's been just 5 days, and what I've read on Fischers is that they are more gentle than peach faced, and he is still young...so my question is did I get him too young? The breeder said he has been eating fully independently on his own for about 10 days and he is eating fine at home. Since we have a training session in the morning while he is hungry, he first gets some millet for treats. Then I give him breakfast with seed mix and some pallets. I am trying to put some very small pieces of fruit in there to get him used to it, and then throw it all out after breakfast so it doesn't spoil. We are still figuring out a routine, but today I left him with more pallets than seeds in one bowl, and some crashed nutri-berries in a new foraging toy, which I don't think he figured out just yet (very simple, I built it last night). And he'll get more seed mix for dinner. I monitor him with a camera during the day, and he comes down to eat every couple of hours or so. He showed interest in new toys, but just briefly, and then went back to sit on top of his tent. Just today he started to explore the bottom of the cage. So, I think he is eating fine. He even took a bath the 3rd day. Should I be concerned that he is so quiet? He was vocalizing only a few times.
2. The breeder told me he was in a large flight cage and learned to fly. (I got him at a bird fair where he was in smaller cage) She suggested to clip his wings, which I never did for my other birds, so she clipped just 3-4 long feathers on both wings. He was cleaning him self very frequently the first two days, looking for the missing feathers, but I think the breeder did a decent job with clipping and no damage was done. I just got him out of the cage for the first time last night, while practicing step-up. The cage was on the carpeted floor, and he got a bit scared when he realized he's not in the cage and tried to fly. He made it not even two feet away and two feet up. I think he got a bit scared that the wings didn't carry him further. He made few more attempts, from my hand landed on a sofa and then flew/jumped down onto the cage. It was all too short distances to say how graceful and coordinated he his. My question: was 8-10 weeks too early to clip the wings? There is not much I can do for his feathers now if he was indeed too young for wing clipping, but maybe I can first work with him learning to securely glide to the floor, by always placing the cage to the floor when taking him out, or should he be safe with cage on the stand (side coffee table)
3. I ordered a new, much larger cage, which will be arriving tomorrow. Should I put him in the new cage as soon as possible, with more toys and more room to spread his wings, even though he is still getting used to this cage? First couple of days I had perches further away and he flapped from one to the other, but now because of the toys and food dishes they are closer together and he can't fly in there. I had my old lovebird in this cage for 11.5 years, although he was out and about whenever we were at home. (I disinfected the cage several times, let it air out in the sun...) but it is on a smaller side. Since he is already so timid, would new cage scare him again at this point, or would he be happy with more room? Even training him to step up inside of this small cage is a bit difficult because the door is small and I can't get the other hand with the millet inside at the same time. And changing food and water bowls on the new cage will be from the outside, so less stress for him.
Ok, that's it for now, I have more questions for later....
just being a concerned mamma for this little cutie.
Not sure on the sex of the bird yet. We will be going to the vet next week.
I've had several peach faced lovebirds before over the years. All were very wild when I first got them, and it took few months to tame them, to even step on my hand. Then, they were very tame and playful and cuddly. Never had a Fischer before.
This little baby seems very sweet and gentle, and not nearly as wild as the other lovebirds, even though it has been parent-raised. The first evening it was already taking millet I was holding few inches away, the next day he started tracking a stick to get a treat (millet) and was eating it from my palm, and the next he was already standing on my hand inside the cage. I move very slowly around him, keep our training sessions to about 15 minutes few times a day, and stop when he is no longer interested in millet.
Now, never having a Fischer or a bird this young before, I have a few questions:
1. He just seemed very calm, gentle, and quiet, unlike peach faced's I had. I know, it's been just 5 days, and what I've read on Fischers is that they are more gentle than peach faced, and he is still young...so my question is did I get him too young? The breeder said he has been eating fully independently on his own for about 10 days and he is eating fine at home. Since we have a training session in the morning while he is hungry, he first gets some millet for treats. Then I give him breakfast with seed mix and some pallets. I am trying to put some very small pieces of fruit in there to get him used to it, and then throw it all out after breakfast so it doesn't spoil. We are still figuring out a routine, but today I left him with more pallets than seeds in one bowl, and some crashed nutri-berries in a new foraging toy, which I don't think he figured out just yet (very simple, I built it last night). And he'll get more seed mix for dinner. I monitor him with a camera during the day, and he comes down to eat every couple of hours or so. He showed interest in new toys, but just briefly, and then went back to sit on top of his tent. Just today he started to explore the bottom of the cage. So, I think he is eating fine. He even took a bath the 3rd day. Should I be concerned that he is so quiet? He was vocalizing only a few times.
2. The breeder told me he was in a large flight cage and learned to fly. (I got him at a bird fair where he was in smaller cage) She suggested to clip his wings, which I never did for my other birds, so she clipped just 3-4 long feathers on both wings. He was cleaning him self very frequently the first two days, looking for the missing feathers, but I think the breeder did a decent job with clipping and no damage was done. I just got him out of the cage for the first time last night, while practicing step-up. The cage was on the carpeted floor, and he got a bit scared when he realized he's not in the cage and tried to fly. He made it not even two feet away and two feet up. I think he got a bit scared that the wings didn't carry him further. He made few more attempts, from my hand landed on a sofa and then flew/jumped down onto the cage. It was all too short distances to say how graceful and coordinated he his. My question: was 8-10 weeks too early to clip the wings? There is not much I can do for his feathers now if he was indeed too young for wing clipping, but maybe I can first work with him learning to securely glide to the floor, by always placing the cage to the floor when taking him out, or should he be safe with cage on the stand (side coffee table)
3. I ordered a new, much larger cage, which will be arriving tomorrow. Should I put him in the new cage as soon as possible, with more toys and more room to spread his wings, even though he is still getting used to this cage? First couple of days I had perches further away and he flapped from one to the other, but now because of the toys and food dishes they are closer together and he can't fly in there. I had my old lovebird in this cage for 11.5 years, although he was out and about whenever we were at home. (I disinfected the cage several times, let it air out in the sun...) but it is on a smaller side. Since he is already so timid, would new cage scare him again at this point, or would he be happy with more room? Even training him to step up inside of this small cage is a bit difficult because the door is small and I can't get the other hand with the millet inside at the same time. And changing food and water bowls on the new cage will be from the outside, so less stress for him.
Ok, that's it for now, I have more questions for later....
just being a concerned mamma for this little cutie.Attachments
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