Pics: Lovebird's first bath and only home three days now

[Odysseus]

Hey all!

I really want to do a blog about my experience with my bird from beginning to end. Keep a journal of sorts. But, there aren't many blogs so not sure if I would catch an audience had I posted this there. PLUS, I want to name the blog after my buddy but he is still nameless.

Day 3:

My guy is starting to get used to the family, he is loving being outside the cage and we are learning how he prefers being handled and knowing when he wants what.

In the first two days home he didn't eat much. Only time he touched his food was the night of the second day when he was ok pecking through his meal in front of family watching TV around him. But, the thing most easy to convince him to eat - millet - he has left seemingly untouched. The pressure of new surroundings has kept him on edge and he wasn't eating it which was worrying me a bit.

Today I made him a warm breakfast around 11am and offered it with a small spray of millet on top. He has been sitting in his food dish when in the cage so I added a third dish and hoped I could trick him to eat the warm food and keep him from adding his own special blend of "spices" to it. He has made plenty poop soup lately so I had to do something.

Well that went untouched and he wanted out so I have just been hanging out with him today. -Well to make a long story short- He was getting so comfortable hanging out on my head while I was on the computer I decided to bring his food dish into the office so that when he did his typical route of climbing down my face onto my arm and onto the computer desk he would notice the food and without the stress of the big mean cage...maybe, just maybe...eat some millet at least.

HURRAH! It worked. On his first trip down he went straight for the food dish and started eating millet! I was overjoyed knowing he was going to keep his weight on while adjusting here and to my warm healthy meals. Plus, he was doing all of it infront of me so I now know that he is 100% comfortable around me and trusts me.

Well, that excitement made me get his water dish and put it next to the food so if he needed a drink he could get one. Well, haha, he did! And a little bit more:

Here he is after his bath perched on my head while I take the awkward photo up close and giving him his first taste of a camera's flash. He didn't like it too much, but stayed still for the photo shoot. P.S. I am wearing a beanie to give him perfect footing while up there.



Here is a shot of where he was on my computer desk. Notice the fun he had splashing everywhere? Guess I should have though of that before bringing his water dish in by the computer.


Looks like he has dried now since his bath and he is back to his food dish eating so let me take a few pics to show off his color. For anyone wondering, yes the millet is on top of a broccoli & seed egg scramble that my little guy didn't try today, but there is more in the freezer waiting for the next time I try to see if he likes it. That food is fresh food, so it was just thrown away. Now that my guy has finished his millet spray.



Thanks for enjoying with me!

[ROYJOY]

sounds like everything is coming along perfectly fine at your house. it doesnt come so easy to most folks. thanx for the updated photos. looks like the black on his beak is disapearing. it'll be gone in another month or so. how old is he now?

as far as blogs, that is a new feature at BB i dont guess many people are going there as much as just reading threads. your little guy will get alot more exposure if you just keep an ongoing thread about him. i have some going that i havent added much to lately. see "blue baby" in the p'let forum and "hand raizing luvs" in this forum. also "joy died" in the finch forum, and many more.

[Odysseus]

Thanks Roy. I think you are right. Once I have a name for him I will make his journal a long thread and just update it. How old is he? He was born October 10th 2007 so this December 10th he will be two months old.

I noticed the pics stopped working so I reloaded them to work now.

[Odysseus]

Originally Posted by ROYJOY

sounds like everything is coming along perfectly fine at your house. it doesnt come so easy to most folks.

You know...I should add that my bird is doing so well because of some good advice I got from you, Royjoy! I took your advice and went and visited my bird three times before bringing him home. Would have been more had the thanksgiving break not come.

Without your advice I would have stuck to my misconception that the breeder wanted privacy but she seemed to really enjoy my visits and since she loves her birds it appeared she was glad to see a dedicated guardian for her baby.

So, BIG thanks for your advice. It would be so much tougher right now without it.

[Tishrei]

He is such a beautiful guy -- so sweet. Great pictures!

[Valo's Moirana]

what a handsome little guy.... thanks for sharing the pics with us - glad to hear, he's settling in well

i'm feeling stupid, as i might have missed it, but what's his name?

[Odysseus]

You aren't stupid at all, I am! I still haven't come up with a name!

Well, to be fair I am waiting on a DNA test and while I have always felt he is a guy and without expressing that feeling to my breeder first I asked her what her first thought was and she agreed. When I picked him up to bring him home she did her second pelvis check to make her best educated guess and still thinks male.

Hopefully the DNA results will come in tomorrow so I don't have to wait another weekend anticipating.

Thanks for the compliments on my little guys looks!

[Tiffany]

He is gorgeous!! You are making great progress with him. I just recently brought home my 2nd lovebird. I got her as a birthday present to myself in August. She is now getting to the point where she will fly to me, but if I try to touch her, she will bite me. That is what I am working on now. I think she sees me interact with my other lovie and realizes I am not going to hurt her. Can't wait to see what name you come up with. Keep us posted!!

[ROYJOY]

dont bank on the pelvic test too much. i had a pair who were subposed to be lution female and dutch blue male according to a pelvic exam. turned out they were both the oposite, but i still had one of each, insted of winding up with 2 of the same sex. i've herad seveal instences wher this test didnt work. might be an urban myth.

[sweetpeaches]

congrats on your new addition! they are cute little guys/girls. i have a female lovie...1 yr. old name "peaches" it's amazing how fast they grow up! just like kids. it's good you're keeping some type of journal. it just seems like yesterday when i brought her home and she was so afraid in her new cage....now 7 mos. later she can't wait to get out and get on me! it was just a couple of weeks ago that i could finally rub the back of her neck! everyday new progress and more trust. patience pays off. i just bought a caique a couple of weeks ago and now i'm starting the "baby" routine again. i love it!