Some questions from a beginner

[EmergencyExit]

8 months ago I was at a party and the host had a friend crashing at her place, along with his lovebird. When he let it out of the cage I was surprised by how affectionate and playful she was. 3 days ago I got my own little Peach faced, but not before doing some research and lurking these boards a bit.

I just had a few questions I wanted to ask you guys.

1) Plucking or preening? I bought this guy second hand, and he does have some plucking around his neck. The previous owner told me he has stopped plucking. He started because they had another lovebird and got rid of it, and he became depressed. They remedied it by spending more time with him everyday. That's just what I was told. He looks like he's grooming himself but I can't really tell if its preening or plucking. I don't see him yanking out feathers but after he is done sometimes he'll shake and now and then a tiny feather will float down. I'm going to observe him carefully and go get him some new toys tonight. If it appears to get worse then I'll have to go to a vet. It seems like he prefers to run his beak through the portion that is plucked. But it could be in my head cause he does go over all his feathers.

2) How do lovebirds react to musical instruments? I realize each bird is an individual so answers could vary. I have an acoustic guitar and an electric bass, but I haven't played the bass infront of him yet. I have played my acoustic and he seems to watch. And then he starts chirping very loudly and flapping his wings. I can't tell if he enjoys it and is jamming along or if it is pissing him off and he wants me to stop. The times I did it I made sure not to be in his face wildly mashing chords, I was a fair distance away and playing at a medium volume.

Extra info: He is 4 years old, and the previous owner named him Cody. I figured I would honour that and keep his name. So far he is a little shy, but quite playful when I get him out of the cage. My girlfriend slipped a pocket mirror into the side of his cage and he seems to love it, and gives his reflection kisses. Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Violet]

8 months ago I was at a party and the host had a friend crashing at her place, along with his lovebird. When he let it out of the cage I was surprised by how affectionate and playful she was. 3 days ago I got my own little Peach faced, but not before doing some research and lurking these boards a bit.

I just had a few questions I wanted to ask you guys.

1) Plucking or preening? I bought this guy second hand, and he does have some plucking around his neck. The previous owner told me he has stopped plucking. He started because they had another lovebird and got rid of it, and he became depressed. They remedied it by spending more time with him everyday. That's just what I was told. He looks like he's grooming himself but I can't really tell if its preening or plucking. I don't see him yanking out feathers but after he is done sometimes he'll shake and now and then a tiny feather will float down. I'm going to observe him carefully and go get him some new toys tonight. If it appears to get worse then I'll have to go to a vet. It seems like he prefers to run his beak through the portion that is plucked. But it could be in my head cause he does go over all his feathers.

2) How do lovebirds react to musical instruments? I realize each bird is an individual so answers could vary. I have an acoustic guitar and an electric bass, but I haven't played the bass infront of him yet. I have played my acoustic and he seems to watch. And then he starts chirping very loudly and flapping his wings. I can't tell if he enjoys it and is jamming along or if it is pissing him off and he wants me to stop. The times I did it I made sure not to be in his face wildly mashing chords, I was a fair distance away and playing at a medium volume.

Extra info: He is 4 years old, and the previous owner named him Cody. I figured I would honour that and keep his name. So far he is a little shy, but quite playful when I get him out of the cage. My girlfriend slipped a pocket mirror into the side of his cage and he seems to love it, and gives his reflection kisses. Thanks a lot in advance.

Congrats on the new addition! My bird puts up with a guitar, yours will probably be fine too. If you use an amp I would recommend playing it in a different room because I don't think they should have to be exposed to LOUD music, but gentle playing should be fine. I would definitely give your birdie a week or so to adjust and start playing a ways away in your house so he hears it softly first. Honestly though, it should be fine.

As for the plucking, keep an eye on him. I have a plucker who has gotten a lot better with more exercise and attention. Also, load up his cage with toys (foraging ones and things to shred seem to be favorites) so he has things to do besides plucking when you aren't around. What are you feeding the little guy?

In regards to the mirror - you may want to consider taking it out. If there is another bird around or a mirror, lovies can tend to bond more closely with the other bird (or reflection of one) than they do with their human. Because you have only had the guy 3 days or so, I think it would be best to remove it so that *you* are the source of social interaction and play and not a mirror. Encourage him to spend time, interact, and bond with you instead of the reflection.

Honestly, I had a hand-fed lovie who was incredibly tame and then I got a second one... While he stayed mostly friendly he wouldn't ask to be let out anymore and was less interested in spending time with me. Unless you are a busy person and can't give the lovebird the attention he needs, stick to one (and no mirrors!) so that you can develop a really good bond with him. After my experience I will probably only have one lovie at a time or will keep multiple well separated.

Oh and one last thing, try not to put really high expectations on this bird to be as friendly as the one you first met. The friendliest lovies are really the ones who were hand-fed as babies. While the others can become tame and friendly, they just do not become as comfortable and affectionate as the hand-fed babies. Do you know if yours was hand-fed?

Have fun with him!

 

[ann]

whenever you get a bird, a wellness vet check at an avian vet is important so you can make sure hes not sick or that he doesn't have a skin condition. it sounds to me that hes just preening, the occasional feather or floofie will end up falling out every now and then. if he preens excessively, than he could be plucking. just keep an eye on him and his behavior. good luck!

 

[EmergencyExit]

I've been feeding him a seed and pellet mix his owner gave me. And I'll take the mirror out.

I also think he is plucking for sure. I've seen him hold a feather firm with his beak and then yank it out. It really sucks because he seemed quite content to me. Been getting lots of attention, loves to sit with me etc. On the areas he's already plucked you can see his skin. The feathers look to be growing back but I'm afraid he's not going to let them and make other areas worse too.

I live in Toronto, Canada. Anyone have a ballpark figure for how much I should expect to pay for a vet visit? I need to get this checked out and he could use a nail trimming too it looks like. I'm going to take him to a vet, I just hope I don't get told that theres nothing he can do or something like that.