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In this section, I have compiled a list of things that I have discovered over the three years I have owned a lovebird. I hope these ideas will be helpful to new lovebird owners or maybe even a current owner. They may also be helpful for other types of birds.If you have any tips that you would like to pass on, e-mail me at wrenwood@yahoo.com and I will add yours to the list.
 

  FEEDING TIPS:
 

• Using a water bottle provides your bird with fresh water all of the time. Get the kind that provides the rubber stopper/tube & hardware. Then you can provide the bottle They give a solid seal with no leaking. I have found that Snapple bottles and the smaller Ocean Spray cranberry juice bottles work the best. Beware of the kits with plastic water bottles that come with it. I have bought two of these and they both leaked.

• Expose your bird to different kinds of fruits and vegetables in addition to pellets. Give it time. It sometimes takes Tiki two weeks of seeing the food before she will try it.

• Eat in front of your bird. Sometimes they will try new food if they see you eat it.

• To reduce the mess of pellets or seeds, don't fill the bowls so full (I used to do this, but I learned -"They eat like birds!" and don't need a full bowl). Just overestimate a little what you think they might eat for that day. Clean up is great and you get to see how much they eat.

• I use the cage cups that have a high back. This also limits food from flying out of the bowl.

• I have found that Tiki will be more likely to try new vegetables or fruits when using one of the food kabobs. This is a device with a thin metal "skewer" or rod about 5 inches long. You poke it through firm fruits or vegetables like strawberries, apples, brocolli, green beans, squash, etc. and then hang it from the top of the cage. It's a food dispenser and it's a toy all in one.

• One of the cheapest vegetables I have found is kale, turnip greens or mustard greens. It weights so light on the scale that sometimes the grocery check out clerk just looks at me like, who's gonna eat this? Just be sure and remember what you got because most of the clerk I have dealt with don't know what it is. I usually clip these greens to the cage bars.

GROOMING TIPS:
 

• Be sure to take your bird to another room away from the cage when grooming.

• It helps to have someone hold the bird for you the first few times. Wrap the bird in a towel.

• When trimming feathers or nails, talk in a very quiet, soothing voice to calm the bird down.

• Don't panic if the nail bleeds, just be sure to use a bit of flour or a product called quick stop to stop the bleeding.

• After two years, I can trim feathers and nails all by myself. Tiki certainly doesn't like it but cooperates enough to get it done.

• There are special tools to use for grooming but for feather trimming, I just use household scissors and for nail trimming, I use fingernail clippers. Before I took her home, the staff at the bird store demonstrated this. I have also seen it demonstrated at bird fairs and club meetings.

TOYS:

• One of Tiki's favorite swings is called a "Boing" swing. It is a rope like spiral swing that bounces a bit when she lands on it.

• An inexpensive toy to use is the cardboard from an empty toilet paper roll. Cut these in four smaller cylinders (for your bird's safety) and hang one of them on a rawhide string or clip one on the cage. This can keep your lovebird busy all day; however, like most toys, they will get tired of it eventually. I rotate in one or two of these about every other month, otherwise it just hangs there and she won't chew it.

• Colorful (human) baby toys are also lesser expensive than the bird toys. Be sure they are washed first and supervise your bird while playing with the toy before leaving it in the cage.

EQUIPMENT:

• One of the last things I bought for my lovebird was one of the bird playpens. I thought she wouldn't stay on it but to my surprise and delight, it was one of the best purchases I made. With persistent training - returning her to the playpen consistently each time she flies off, she will stay on the playpen and play on it (maximum of about 10-15 minutes - but hey, it's a lovebird, right?). Be sure to put a cup of food on it also. I purchased mine from bird fair but have seen many advertised in pet bird catalogs.

   

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