frustrated new lovebird owner

[Hannah and Azulu]

Hello i'm new here and i am also a new owner of a young lovebird named Azulu. I've been having trouble taking care of Azulu. He/she is the best bird i could ever ask for-sweet,snuggly,smart. BUT even with the months of research and thought i put into getting this bird i was still not ready for how much time it takes to care for it. I've been fine cleaning/feeding/watering but i've been having a hard time dealing with how clingy the bird is. I wanted a pet that i could spend a couple hrs with a night but Azulu is not happy unless he gets 5 hrs of sitting on my shoulder. I've bought and made lots of toys for him but he just doesn't care. If he's awake he will pace in his cage and rock back in forth which i read was a sign of stress and boredom. So i've just been really frustrated wondering whether or not he should stay with me or go to someone with more experience and more time. I'm so sad and guilty even thinking this but i feel like he'd be happier with someone else. I love him but soon i won't be able to give him 5hrs everyday. What should i do? Has anyone else experienced this when the first got their bird?

[Jally]

How young is he? My first lovebird was the same way when I first got him. You really have to understand that this little guy went from having at least one other lovebird (momma bird) to having no other birds. You are now his flock and his instinct is to stay with his flock.

He will eventually feel secure enough to go and do his own thing. Just be patient. It helps to have toys on hand when he is sitting with you so he can learn to play. I always have a small plastic basket with beads, buttons, small twigs, some paper, etc for my guys to play in while we watch tv.

[gizmodium]

when i first got gizmo she was very young she regressed and i had to feed her for a week or so and she was incredibly clingy, i could not leave the room without her creating, because i work 8 hours a day and have other birds that need time as well i could not spend all night with so i got her loads of toys and a nice big cage and she is better now, she is happy to entertain herself ,she still gets time out with me every night but not 24/7

[Pips mom]

You could also consider getting another lovebird to keep your lovie company when you aren't available, if that's an option. No guarantees that they would be friends and get along, but even in separate cages they'd still have company if the cages are near each other.

[Bubblelady]

I'm the wrong person to ask. My Buddy (now at Rainbow Bridge) was either on me or within a few feet of me if I was home and awake! She did spend hours in drawers building nests, but she had a drawer in every room so she could work on whatever nest I was nearest. I still miss her closeness. Gussie and Johari are both more independent & I love them, too. But nobirdie will ever compare to my sweet Buddy.

[Hannah and Azulu]

Thank you for the posts. All the lady told me at the petstore was that he was young,she didn't know how old exactly. But he just got the peach color on his face so i guess pretty young.

I got him( i think he's a male but not sure) from a petstore and he was in a cage along with two of his siblings. I was thinking maybe i should go back and get one of them. I just don't have the money to DNA test multiple birds and i really don't want them to breed.

[linda040899]

If your new lovebird just got his peach mask, he's right at age 6 months if the mask is full color. DNA sexing is quite affordable if you send in samples yourself to Avian Biotech (http://www.avianbiotech.com). Blood sexing is $19.95 and feather sexing is $24.95. Sexing kits can be ordered free online and you simply send payment with your sample. Yes, vets charge considerably more for this!

[peggy2002z]

I have been co parenting my babies who are about 5 weeks ,the problem is some will eat from me and so will not. I worry they are not getting enough food so I have been letting the parenst do it , I want these babies to stay tame how can I do it

[linda040899]

Attention, attention and more attention. At age 5 weeks, they are beginning an independent stage where the most interesting thing is something OTHER than food unless they are absolutely starving!! At this age, they are usually eating roughly 8 ml three times/day and looking around to "beak" anything else they might find interesting. What you might try is a cuddling session when the light is dim and their field of vision is limited. Some of our members also let them run around on the top of a bed while they stay with them and watch. This can be a trying age so I can understand your frustration!!