2 month and half lovebird care

[Luckybird]

Hello everyone, I just had my Lovebird from the breeder, he told me it is 2 months and half, but until now she can't eat the seeds. It is lazy a little bit, she doesn't drink water I have to give her water with syringe, is it normal?
When can I give her bath?
How often should I feed her the formula (I've never seen her eats the seeds)?
Any advices of how to take care of her?

 

[StormyPica]

First, take the cuddle hut out. It has a lot of loose material to chew on, which is NOT good. She can get impacted very easily from chewing that cloth. Here is the cuddle hut I use, It has no loose fabric to chew.

Robot or human?

*it's an actual link, idk about the 'robot' thing*

Second, I would be cautious of feeding water through a syringe. You can squirt too much and drown them.

Third, wean on to veggie chop and pellets, NOT SEED. Seed is commonly known as the 'death diet', because it can cause birds to develop large fatty tumors which can be fatal.

Fourth, get some natural perches in there.

 

[StormyPica]

Please show her setup!
It's obvious you care about her, thank you for coming here!

 

[Luckybird]

First, take the cuddle hut out. It has a lot of loose material to chew on, which is NOT good. She can get impacted very easily from chewing that cloth. Here is the cuddle hut I use, It has no loose fabric to chew.

Robot or human?

*it's an actual link, idk about the 'robot' thing*

Second, I would be cautious of feeding water through a syringe. You can squirt too much and drown them.

Third, wean on to veggie chop and pellets, NOT SEED. Seed is commonly known as the 'death diet', because it can cause birds to develop large fatty tumors which can be fatal.

Fourth, get some natural perches in there.

Thank you very much for replying, I will remove the cuddle hut as you suggested
And when should I start giving her a bath?

 

[Luckybird]

Please show her setup!
It's obvious you care about her, thank you for coming here!

Thank you, here is her setup.

 

[StormyPica]

Thank you very much for replying, I will remove the cuddle hut as you suggested
And when should I start giving her a bath?

My post deleted, AHHHH!
Ok, the main thing to worry about here is the cage size. It is SO SMALL. Birds need room to fly around and explore. She also needs toys and natural wood perches.

Here is a link to a properly sized cage (bare minimum):

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/you-and-me-cockatiel-large-standing-cage

Lovebirds should have at least 4 hours of time out of the cage.

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome to the forums ! Super cute new love baby. Precious!
I use huts, but fuzzy ones as those little fuzz are hard for them to spit out, and can build up in crop. I don't have love burds so I don't know if sleep tents effect them differently than they do my conures abd quakers. You can try offering a sea grass one, or one with more cans like material abd whatch for chewing .

I would not syringe water, it is definitely a choking hazard. She is old enough to drink on her own. We often never see our parrots drinking.

A seed only diet is incomplete. But seeds are not a death diet. Mine eat seeds, pellets and eat lots of veggies daily.

You can offer veggies lots of different ways to encourage eating them. Cooked and minced, fresh and cubed, or whole. Served on a shallow plate, stuffed in cage bars, using bird skewers . Some bird favorites to start with , thaw and serve frozen peas, fresh corn cut off the cob, bell peppers sliced up seeds included, whole leaf of romaine to nibble on , or some spinach, cooked sweet potatoes served warm and mashed, broccoli spears, shredded carrots or cooked carrots.

How long have you had her? Did the breeder tell you she was the weaned and needed formula?

 

[StormyPica]

A seed only diet is incomplete. But seeds are not a death diet. Mine eat seeds, pellets and eat lots of veggies daily.

Yeah, I saw the OP was feeding only seed though, and that for 10-20 years can easily be a death diet.

 

[Terry57]

First, welcome to the forum!

It sounds as if your baby either wasn't completely weaned or has regressed back to needing handfeeding. Can you contact the breeder where you got your baby and ask if they would help you to learn how to handfeed your new baby?
Also, do you know what the breeder was feeding the baby before you got her, assuming she was weaned?

Could you try a mash and see if she will eat it? Organic baby food would work as long as it is low salt and has no onions in it. If you warm it up a tiny bit she may eat it from a dish. You could ty putting a little on he beak so she can see what it tastes like. You could also try applesauce (low sugar or no sweeteners added).
The main thing right now is to make sure she is eating and getting some hydration.

It may help if you put a perch right in front of the food and water dishes.

I have adult lovebirds and they do get seeds mixed with their pellets.

While you will need a larger cage in the future, I wouldn't put a baby in a larger cage for a little while. Babies can still be clumsy at her age, and you don't want her to fall a taller distance.

Please keep us updated, and I hope you can find the answers you need.

 

[Laurasea]

Babies often revert ( temporary go back to wanting formula) when they go home with new owner. Often a few support feeds and tgey go back to eating on their own. I would contact the breeder and ask for their advice and explain what's going on.
Weaning is done by abundance . You continue to offer formula and they start to drop feeding or take less.
Babies are most willing to explore new foods just after morning formula. Its seems weird right? But with a full crop they feel confident and will nibble on stuff.
Did the Google thing as I was pretty sure would be weaned/ Weaning around 6 weeks. This was what I found
Edit!!

Weaning Age for Lovebirds

I'd like to put a little note here about weaning hand fed lovebirds. I normally let my lovebirds go between eight and nine weeks old. I must...

heartsongaviary.blogspot.com

More edit: I wouldn't offer human cereal, as to much iron and to much wrong amounts of vitamin and nutrients and sugar. Otherwise I think she gives some good tips

 

[StormyPica]

Babues often revert ( temporary go back to wanting formula) when they go home with new owner. Often a few support feeds and tgey go back to eating on their own. I would contact the breeder and ask for their advice and explain what's going on.
Weaning is done by abundance . You continue to offer formula and they start to drop feeding or take less.
Babies are most willing to explore new foods just after morning formula. Its seems weird right? But with a full crop they feel confident and will nibble on stuff.
Did the Google thing as I was pretty sure would be weaned/ Weaning around 6 weeks. This was what I found

What Is the Size & Height of a Chipmunk?

The chipmunk is a small, striped member of the squirrel family. There are 25 species of chipmunk that range in size from the smallest least chipmunk to the largest eastern chipmunk.

animals.mom.com

Umm...
'What is the size and height of a chipmunk'

 

[Laurasea]

Lol see if I can fix that

 

[Laurasea]

agree with Terry, when I've had babies i start them off in a small cage. Easier for them to find food and safer. You can line bottom tray with newspaper, makes cleaning up much easier
She is one supper cutie!! What's her name?

 

[Luckybird]

agree with Terry, when I've had babies i start them off in a small cage. Easier for them to find food and safer. You can line bottom tray with newspaper, makes cleaning up much easier
She is one supper cutie!! What's her name?

Her name is Lucky she is very cute and very delicate

 

[Birdgirl24]

Her name is Lucky she is very cute and very delicate

awe I love that!!!

 

[Laurasea]

This is a better general weaning article. And again they mention cheerios, so I don't know maybe a few cheerios crumbs are ok

Weaning Baby Birds

by Pat Pecora

www.exoticpetvet.com

Excerpt from above article
CHICAGO EXOTICS ANIMAL HOSPITAL
Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine
with a passion!

Weaning Baby Birds​

by Pat Pecora

Weaning is a gradual process in which babies learn to eat on their own. Each baby is an individual so there is no set time table or schedule in which to wean, but rather something that is done at the chick's own rate. Even siblings within a clutch often wean at very different times. Different species of birds wean in different general time frames and usually larger species of birds take longer to wean than the smaller species. A baby parrot’s weaning experience can affect him for the rest of his life. It is up to the hand feeder to make it a pleasant one in which the baby feels safe and secure and builds confidence and independence. Keeping him well fed helps him develop desired traits such as trust and happiness which enable him to be a good companion.

It is important that anyone hand feeding or weaning a baby have an accurate gram scale and a notebook. The baby should be weighed the first thing every morning before any food is fed and his weight recorded. The weight can speak volumes in terms of how baby is doing. It will also let you know if at any time during the weaning process you need to take a step back and start giving him a bit more formula. At this time I always do a quick check of the baby and make a note of anything out of the ordinary. Is he alert and responsive? Do his eyes look bright and shiny? Are his nares clean and dry? How is his posture? Are his feathers ruffed up? Is he breathing normally with no harsh clicking, whistling or raspiness? Do his feet look nice and plump. Is his mouth clean rather than sticky or slimy?

One of the most important things to do when weaning a baby is to keep him well fed. Hungry babies are far too frustrated to try eating on their own. When they are hungry they can only think of how they want that hunger satisfied. When their hunger is well satisfied they are happy, ready to explore and try new things. A full, well fed baby will go over to a crock of food and taste or eat the food, whereas a baby that is hungry might just sit there and cry waiting for someone to come feed him. As babies get a little older I often find that the first thing babies will do after a formula feeding is toddle over to their food bowl and practice their independent eating skills.

 

[Luckybird]

Axt

My post deleted, AHHHH!
Ok, the main thing to worry about here is the cage size. It is SO SMALL. Birds need room to fly around and explore. She also needs toys and natural wood perches.

Here is a link to a properly sized cage (bare minimum):

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/you-and-me-cockatiel-large-standing-cage

Lovebirds should have at least 4 hours of time out of the cage

Actually I got her this stand, but she is soo little now, and I will move her when she is older

 

[StormyPica]

Sounds good!

 

[Luckybird]

This is a better general weaning article. And again they mention cheerios, so I don't know maybe a few cheerios crumbs are ok

Weaning Baby Birds

by Pat Pecora

www.exoticpetvet.com

Excerpt from above article
CHICAGO EXOTICS ANIMAL HOSPITAL
Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine
with a passion!

Weaning Baby Birds​

by Pat Pecora

Weaning is a gradual process in which babies learn to eat on their own. Each baby is an individual so there is no set time table or schedule in which to wean, but rather something that is done at the chick's own rate. Even siblings within a clutch often wean at very different times. Different species of birds wean in different general time frames and usually larger species of birds take longer to wean than the smaller species. A baby parrot’s weaning experience can affect him for the rest of his life. It is up to the hand feeder to make it a pleasant one in which the baby feels safe and secure and builds confidence and independence. Keeping him well fed helps him develop desired traits such as trust and happiness which enable him to be a good companion.

It is important that anyone hand feeding or weaning a baby have an accurate gram scale and a notebook. The baby should be weighed the first thing every morning before any food is fed and his weight recorded. The weight can speak volumes in terms of how baby is doing. It will also let you know if at any time during the weaning process you need to take a step back and start giving him a bit more formula. At this time I always do a quick check of the baby and make a note of anything out of the ordinary. Is he alert and responsive? Do his eyes look bright and shiny? Are his nares clean and dry? How is his posture? Are his feathers ruffed up? Is he breathing normally with no harsh clicking, whistling or raspiness? Do his feet look nice and plump. Is his mouth clean rather than sticky or slimy?

One of the most important things to do when weaning a baby is to keep him well fed. Hungry babies are far too frustrated to try eating on their own. When they are hungry they can only think of how they want that hunger satisfied. When their hunger is well satisfied they are happy, ready to explore and try new things. A full, well fed baby will go over to a crock of food and taste or eat the food, whereas a baby that is hungry might just sit there and cry waiting for someone to come feed him. As babies get a little older I often find that the first thing babies will do after a formula feeding is toddle over to their food bowl and practice their independent eating skills.

Thank you! Very helpful

 

[Luckybird]

Thank you! Very helpful

I have another question, does the sound of snapping my fingers makes her afraid or angry, because I was playing with her and was snapping my fingers and she flapped her winngs very fast, and also when I whistle