How can I determine my Lovebird age? And some tips from you.

[Eric&Rebecca]

To be honest I'm not a fan of potty training birds and at this stage there's really no point. He's too young. You can easily remove the poop with wetwipes or special f10 wipes. Personally, I have the f10 wipes handy and every 20 minutes I watch for the bum wiggle and I can usually catch it. It's not like dog or cat poo, it doesn't smell so and it's easily cleaned up as they don't splat like normal bird poops or at least they shouldn't. The eggfood might make his poops more liquidy. If he's not drinking for himself then you need to keep up the fruits, veggies and eggfood. Birds don't tend to drink that much as they derive most of their fluids from their foods. If you do decide to go to pellets eventually you will need to ensure you feed plenty of moist foods like that however a varied diet is what I believe in but its really up to you how you want to proceed after weaning. At the moment you are doing great so don't change anything now. This will give you time to research and decide what you think is best. Personally I feed my birds on a mixture of seeds (no sunflowers except as a treat) and sometimes sprouted, pellets (TOPS), fresh fruits and veg, pulses (like beans) in a soaking mix, occassional eggfood when molting or as young birds and some treats like pellet berries (nutriberries but made of pellets) by Lafaebers. They also get cooked brown rice and sweet potatoe mash has been a particular favourite recently.

Its great you getting him on fruit and veggies ASAP. It's so much easier when they are younger. Keep up with the eggfood, if he starting to pick up seeds that's great but just keep feeding him until he starts refusing it. Although if he's refusing all foods you need to get to your avian vet. Leave a bowl of water in there for your bird he will figure it eventually

You should also monitor weight. I use kitchen scales and a bird carrier. I weigh the empty carrier, then the carrier with the bird in. Then subtract the weight of the carrier. It will give you at least an approximate reading until he's old enough to start training. Or if he will sit still on the kitchen scales that's great.

[marie83]

Please don't start your training until the birds is fully weaned and grown. Not even dogs are trained before they are fully grown and they have been domesticated for over 30,000 years...

Sorry this is complete rubbish. Dogs are usually trained to a degree well before they are fully grown, most dogs are lead, sit, heel and house trained well before they are 6 months old. I don't know of any breeds that are fully grown at that age. Even the dogs of organisations such as guide dogs, police and army dogs begin training at a matter of weeks old, usually 6-12 weeks (I feel 6-8 weeks is definitely too young).

That said an un-weaned animal is most certainly too young to begin training. A 12 week old lovebird can begin basic training imo, including socialising, carrier training, step up and perhaps target, basically life skills... Tricks and stuff can wait until they have reached maturity.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Personally, I agree with Marie83 and especially as this lovebird already seems hand tame and possibly hand reared. I've trained all of my birds ( as in the basics) from between 7-9 weeks with no problems. However they were weaned when I got them (although two had a regression but these were rescues so I half expected it and then I did not start until 12-14 weeks of age). I think the bottom line here for this bird owner to take away is that she should not begin training until the bird is weaned. After the bird is weaned then its really up to the owners. I think everyone would have their own opinions but as i've said in other threads some training is best done younger as it can make them safer i.e flight recall etc. I only started teaching tricks with Edmund around 6 months of age.

I think the stress here is that the bird should not be formally trained beyond what this owner has described the bird can already do, just until the bird has been weaned for at least 2 weeks. Then you can start the basics and then full trick or the more complex things

[shadi.maanna]

It's totally different for dogs. I taught my rottweiler in my hometown most of the basic commands before he reached 12 weeks. I think it's going to be hard to make the lovebird tame to him and my German Shepherd when I fully settle in Qatar (I won't have a problem with the dogs at this one).

As for target training. Is there another way than the stick method? He tries to stand on it when he sees it.

[Eric&Rebecca]

I agree with you as does Marie83 but you should not train your bird formally till he's been weaned for 1-2 weeks.

There are other methods of training but if he can use the target stick I'd stick with that and Michael's methods but again not until your bird is weaned. Just continue with what you're doing now and if he's flying to you and stepping up of his own accord don't discourage it just don't take part in any formal training just yet.

Build him up like you have been doing with good foods and get him vet checked. He will wean soon enough if you keep going. Don't force wean him, just keep feeding until he stops wanting his eggfood and wants his seeds/fruits and veg more and more. Even if he picking them up keep offering until he refuses completely.

Then after a week or so, pending a avian vet check you can decide how to proceed with everything. Parajita has also given some important advice and so have I although our approaches are not the same you can choose the methods you wish from research into what you feel is better for your bird.


Good Luck and we are all here if you need anything but first and foremost the avian vet check is important

[shadi.maanna]

Today he completely refused his eggfood and he is sticking to the seed. He only eats fruits once he sees us eating them.

I was told that there is an animal hospital and clinic and there should probably be an avian vet.

Other than that he became so energetic. He is always jumping on us biting everything he sees. Yesterday he was trying to take my glasses off. He is also singing more often.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Still keep offering it to him. He will still need it for moisture if he hasn't figured out how to drink so don't stop it completely just yet or he'll dehydrate very quickly. I would wait till he's figured how to drink/eat plenty of fresh foods which are moisture rich to start reducing the offering of eggfood. Although birds drink very little they should have at least some and know how to do it if required.

Ours only eat fruit and veg when we are eating next to the cage too. It makes us healthier! If that's the way it works maybe give her fruit and veggies in meals so its a routine for her to eat them? This has worked well with our cockatiels at least. Long as she eating them that's the main thing, that's just something you're going to have to adjust to in your care.

Not all animal hospitals have avian vets, avian vets are extremely rare compared to other vets. I only know of 3 within the London Boroughs and Thames Valley and only 2 of those I would see. It's important for the vet to have at least bird or exotics experience (at the very least) because vets of cats, dogs, etc have no idea how to proceed with avian medicine as its so vastly different.

Call them and check in advance about their preparations for bird care and what emergency care is in place for avian medicine. If a bird gets sick you need it to be seen within 12-24 hours, they need to have that provision. I would also make a birdy first aid kit; which should include a heat pad or covered hot water bottle if you can't get the heat pad but be careful how this is utlized read up on the internet about how to use properly, plastic tank or container or small cage to be used as a sick cage if needed, towels (washed in non scented washing powders), blunt nosed tweezers, cornflour (to be applied to bleeding areas- birds cannot coagulate as effectively as humans), thermometer (to monitor temperature in a sick cage/hospital cage as it can't be too cold or too hot)... keep a small amount of eggfood in a sealed container and replace with fresh every 6 months or so (I think this is how long the dried lasts but see the back of the packet all are different), small dropper or syringe.

Looks like things are going well. Remember to keep all the cage clean with bird safe disinfectant (you can use other natural products to clean too but don't use household products) linings and grate to be cleaned daily, and deep cleaned once per week. All bowls and perches to be cleaned daily in the same way. I put these in boiling water and small amount of f10, scrub if necessary and then sterilize the bowls by washing and disinfecting (again bird safe stuff only) and then rinsing throughly. You don't want ingestions of chemicals.

[shadi.maanna]

I called the Hospital, they didn't have an avian vet but they told me to go to a hospital for falcons there are avian vets there. Hope it works

Concerning fruits and veggies he's freaking out from everything bright of color he sees. So I am trying to mix them with eggfood. I think he is drinking water because the bowl level has decreased. He started to chew on sunflower seeds and can eat other seeds pefectly, yet very slow.

He is a highly active bird. He likes to chew on everything he sees. He loves chasing people on skype and to chew on laptop and chase the mouse cursor . He also chews on my glasses. He also started to fly around. But my concern is that he is always looking at himself at the mirror when nobody's home. Does he think somebody's there with him? Other than that he's developing a funny character

[Eric&Rebecca]

He's probably just interested because its new. Parakeet and parrots see bright colours at ten times the intensity we go so everything to them is flourescent. Just keep offering to try fruits like pear or things that are dark leafy greens to start off, you can introduce the brighter coloured things later.

Keep the mirror away from them it can be very confusing as they can't recognise their own reflections. Just cover them up and if its a mirror in a cage then remove it because they can cause lots of behavioural and psychological difficulties. They should be covered when your bird is out anyway.

Just keep up with the eggfood and try and watch if your bird is actually drinking often they fall in the water bowls, splash them or wash in them to make the water level go down so keep it up until you see that. It won't be often but just so you know he or she gets how to drink if needed.

The falcon vets should have a better idea about birds so its certainly better than nothing although they will be used to birds of prey which are different to exotics species.

[shadi.maanna]

Hey, I got a major problem right now, my lovebird is biting and showing a lot of aggressive behavior. He immediately shows signs of aggression when I'm typing on the keyboard. He immediately bites toes, though NO ONE has ever kicked him. He flies and hangs on my glasses and when I take him off he starts biting. Yet he doesn't show these signs when stepping-up or in training. What is the proper way to correct those? And how can i make him stop jumping on my glasses?

Other than that he has fully weaned and in perfect health. Yet he is developing signs of aggression and unwanted behavior and is biting a lot.

Ow and by the way, sometimes he just get crazy and fly around the house for like 15 minutes. I don't know if that's correct.