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.