Greetings fellow birdkeepers

I recently joined this forum in order to help me take care of my masked lovebirds named Blue and Ivy (that were a gift) because the internet seems to lack decent information (I kept getting either budgie or newlyweds, etc information).

I am more experienced in small animal and dogs care but I had two Amazon Green Parrots, named Corki and Molly (co-ownership with all birds actually) in the past before receiving the lovebirds.


Like I said earlier I am good with small animals (hamster ownership is one of my best), dogs, and cats but birds have always been my greatest struggle. I would be playing with one the way other people did only to be bitten.

I live in Trinidad and Tobago so my birds get to meet lots of other wild birds but the variety of toys and pet items is quite low in my opinion so I rely on DIYs. I certainly enjoy doing the DIYs for my pets and hope I can do some for my birds (sadly the get destroyed in mere seconds by the lovebirds)

Welcome!

I hope you enjoy your participation here.

the thing to know is parrots aren't really pets, they all have distinct personalities and quirks and, this might sound bad but it's literally like having a pet person, they have more personality than dogs in my opinion. like chimp or dolphin level....just be prepared for the unexpected.

Welcome to you, Blue, and Ivy! I hope you'll find our Lovebird section and assorted support forums helpful. Please feel free to post any specific questions!

Welcome to you!

Welcome to the Community!!!

You found the best Parrot community/forum online here, very experienced and very caring, loving Parrot/Bird owners...And there is nothing at all wrong with DIY Bird Toys...Actually, many Parrot/Bird owners in the US/UK and other places where we have access to TONS of different bird toys, stands, perches, play-gyms, and pretty much anything else you can think of would rather DIY everything rather than buying them, due to the prices being ridiculous (1 toy costing $20+ that is just going to be destroyed in a week or less, lol), and because many of the bird products and even foods that are sold are unsafe, dangerous, and even life-threatening...So there is a DIY forum here where you'll find tons of ideas for new toys, play-gyms, play-stands, etc. that you can make yourself...There is also a Food forum that has a ton of CHOP recipes along with all kinds of other recipes for bird foods, treats, etc.

Welcome and be welcomed. SOme things to consider:

1) Lovebird pairs are ging to take a LOT of work to get to the point where they will allow you to 'handle ' them like a lot of other foks do with their parrots. They pair bond easily.

2) Keeping parrots busy destroying toys ( and woodwork and furniture etc) is essential for their mental good health and beak condition. They dont care if its a DIY or store bought toy, as long as they can chew it to bits they will be happy. Make sure DIY materials are parrot safe though.

3) Read, read read, all the stickies at the subforum tops, even if it is not specifically about lovebirds - much info is applicable to all parrot species. There is so much you can learn from the good folks here, trying to put it all into one post is impossible.

Goodluck with Blue and Ivy

Hello and welcome!