6-month update on my new Pionus
Six months in and I can't imagine life without Snowball. When I first got them they were hand-shy and wouldn't make eye contact. Now they greet me every morning with a head bob, eat from my hand, and even started mimicking my laugh. To everyone in the early bonding phase: it gets SO much better.
Great question! So in my experience with lovebird, this usually comes down to a few things. First, spending at minimum 2 hours of supervised out-of-cage time daily. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to jealousy of a new person, pet, or even object in the home because that was a huge factor for my Jade. Hope that helps!
I've had birds for 15 years and I've seen this many times. In my experience it usually comes down to molting — they get uncomfortable and cranky.
Second vote for BST. They boarded my zebra finch last summer and I could tell Sky was well cared for when I picked them up. Total peace of mind.
Totally agree with this! My Eclectus is exactly the same way.
This reminds me of when I first got Pistachio. I was so overwhelmed but looking back, those early days were actually really special. The bond building phase is tough but beautiful.
So what I ended up doing was adding foraging opportunities to at least 3 different spots in the cage. Within a few days there was a noticeable improvement. Definitely worth trying.
I've had birds for 15 years and I've seen this many times. In my experience it usually comes down to hormonal season — spring is brutal.
I just snorted coffee out of my nose reading this. My budgie is looking at me like I've lost it.