New Owner

[Fixit33]

Hello everyone,

I am new in de Lovebird section. Last friday we took over a lovebird from a relative. its a female Agapornis roseicollis. The thing is with the previous owner she together with a another female lovebird but they weren't getting allong. so she got bitten en ever since then she got scared.
we have her since friday. I read on the internet that it takes a lot of time and patience to get her used to the enviroment and people because in the previous situation there was only one person and we are with a family of five. She goes out of her cage and flies around. But we notice that she is very quiet bird at times and not curious about new things. Also feels like she is very lonely so we spend a lot of time near her cage. Does she become very active and curious in the upcoming time when she gets used more to us? or is there a way to train her? What is like a good routine for her and what food can we give her because we dont want her to only eat seeds and stuff. I would appreciate a lot if i could get some tips and tricks.

P.S. she is 5 months old

 

[Zara]

Hello, Welcome to Avian Avenue!

It is very normal for her to be quite timid right now. She got attacked and she is in a new place, new people - she will need some time to adjust. I have a hen who took a bonk to the beak before I found her on my doorstep and she was very shy and timid in those days, but now years later she is full of sass

5 months old is still a young bird, and a good age to adjust easy. Most people only bring home their lovebirds at 3-6 months old.

Before training, you can focus on letting her settle in, and offering her your company and enrichment to lessen any lonliness. Spending time nearby talking to her, offering her millet spray (the stuff that comes on sticks, you can cut it down to smaller pieces), offer her some toys to play with - you might need to show her how to play with them.

Do your best that every interaction she has with you or your family are all positive ones, this will help build trust.

You can start offering new foods now if you like. She might not eat them at first, so only offer a little, and do it regularly. For veggies, just offer her the offcuts of whatever veg you are cooking for dinner - peppers, carrot, broccoli, sweet potato (cooked), peas etc Just no aliums (onion, leek, garlic) or avocado. Try giving as a chunk, or try finely dicing it, see which she gravitates towards, but remember that she may not accept any of it for a while, but keep trying. You can also add in pellets (buy from a reputable brand), you could leave those in her cage in a secnod bowl.

She will get used to you over time, just by interacting with her daily. If there is ever a day you have gotten busy or something comes up and you can't let her out of the cage, be sure to interact with her via the cage bars, maybe even feed some treats through the bars to not miss out on any progress.

 

[Fixit33]

Hello, Welcome to Avian Avenue!

It is very normal for her to be quite timid right now. She got attacked and she is in a new place, new people - she will need some time to adjust. I have a hen who took a bonk to the beak before I found her on my doorstep and she was very shy and timid in those days, but now years later she is full of sass

5 months old is still a young bird, and a good age to adjust easy. Most people only bring home their lovebirds at 3-6 months old.

Before training, you can focus on letting her settle in, and offering her your company and enrichment to lessen any lonliness. Spending time nearby talking to her, offering her millet spray (the stuff that comes on sticks, you can cut it down to smaller pieces), offer her some toys to play with - you might need to show her how to play with them.

Do your best that every interaction she has with you or your family are all positive ones, this will help build trust.

You can start offering new foods now if you like. She might not eat them at first, so only offer a little, and do it regularly. For veggies, just offer her the offcuts of whatever veg you are cooking for dinner - peppers, carrot, broccoli, sweet potato (cooked), peas etc Just no aliums (onion, leek, garlic) or avocado. Try giving as a chunk, or try finely dicing it, see which she gravitates towards, but remember that she may not accept any of it for a while, but keep trying. You can also add in pellets (buy from a reputable brand), you could leave those in her cage in a secnod bowl.

She will get used to you over time, just by interacting with her daily. If there is ever a day you have gotten busy or something comes up and you can't let her out of the cage, be sure to interact with her via the cage bars, maybe even feed some treats through the bars to not miss out on any progress.

Thank you very much for your reply . We will definitely do our best to feel home here. Thank you for all the tips! How long should spend a lovebird outside? Right now she spends like 3-4 hours and sometimes 7 hours if she feels like it. Or is it important to let her stay in the cage in the beginning?

 

[Xoetix]

Hello and welcome!!

 

[Fixit33]

Hello and welcome!!

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Thank you very much!

 

[Zara]

How long should spend a lovebird outside? Right now she spends like 3-4 hours and sometimes 7 hours if she feels like it

Let her out to fly now, what she will have in her future. If you can keep up the 4 hours, then 4 hours Given they sleep 11-12 hours, remember to include some cage time to build independence. The cage is not a bad place, it is not punishment, it is a safe place for her, have toys, treats and activities in there to reinforce that.

 

[Sparkles99]

Welcome!

 

[Emma&pico]

 

[Tyrion]

 

[Fixit33]

Let her out to fly now, what she will have in her future. If you can keep up the 4 hours, then 4 hours Given they sleep 11-12 hours, remember to include some cage time to build independence. The cage is not a bad place, it is not punishment, it is a safe place for her, have toys, treats and activities in there to reinforce that.

Thank you very much for your advice she is such a cutie. I could watch her for hours with the things she do

 

[Zara]

Feel free to share photos here...