New Lovebird Pics - age??

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Hi all - Last weekend I got a lovebird from a gal off Craigslist who claimed not to be a breeder but bred this little guy that was raised by the parents, so not very hand friendly yet. He's sitting on my shoulder grinding his little beak.

The gal said she believes this is a boy based on the spacing between the legs and she said you can feel a little bump. Says he was hatched 3, 4 or 5 months ago. No black on beak at all. Not sure if you can tell age by toenails, but they seem long.

Any lovebird experts out there with advice about age?

Ideas on how to hand tame other then what I did in the past for a pet shop parakeet - talking to him lots, bringing him out of cage and putting on shoulder, letting him eat millet spray only when out of cage with me so he has something to look forward to when bringing him out to spend time with me.

He doesn't yet know how to step up on finger, so I gently put my cupped hands down and scoop him up and then up on my shoulder.

Thanks and great night.

 

[bagendhens]

hes a cutie pie

in terms fo age its impossible to tell from simply looking at him, but judging by the fact "he" is still not that dark on the head (still a washed grey) id put him in the 4-5 month range. his head will get darker with maturity.

in terms of sexing, its impossible to visually sex a lovebird, using "legs wider apart" and "i feel a bump" is a guestimate at best. the good news is if you REALY want to know his sex a dna test is quick and easy with companies like avian biotech.

with training him id do what your done in the past, sit and talk to him, feed him treats from your hand ect and just be patient.
being its a single lovebird whos still relitivly young he will bond to you pretty quickly. just be aware, lovvies can be a parrot prone to seperation anxiety and can be agressive towards anyone they think is too close to their person lol.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Thank you for your help.

He is a cutie for sure. He reminds me of a little grey cheek parrot I had in the early 80's as a single woman. Noah didn't like my new boyfriend - boyfriend who became husband didn't like Noah either. Sadly I rehomed Noah and the fish tanks because the boyfriend didn't like the sound of the bubbles.

Divorced the husband 18 yrs later and now I can have whatever I want within reason. Still single 12 yrs later because I haven't found a man that loves critters as much as I.

Great day

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Oh - do you think I should trim his toe nails?

 

[VioletandBodie]

his nails look fine pluse your still geting to know him so it may traumatize him and make him dislike you...take it slow, lots of treats and play time and he probly be best buds with you....if they little one is a female though you may just want to enjoy him for now because when hormones set in he will become a little devile males can to sadly

 

[ms.cluckling]

dont trim the nails. He can get scared of you. Plus, you can put a cuttle bone in the cage, and he may sharpen them himself. I dont have any lovebirds, but thats what my parakeets do. hes adorable, though

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

These are so pretty. I had one when I was a kid. He was very sweet.

I agree, you can't sex him by just looking or feeling. No way of knowing
with this bird unless you did a DNA test.

Have fun with him!!

 

[BeccaB00]

DNA sexing is the only way to go as far as telling the

gender of your cutie pie. DNA tests can normally be done for about

$20

He's so cute! I wish I had one!

Love the purple tail to! haha! As far as nail trimming goes, his nails

look fine. Think 'in the wild'. what do birds with over-grown nails

do in the wild? they sure don't go have them groomed! Try a 'sandy perch'

also called beach walk perches. You can also get perch covers that

feel like sand paper. They do the trick! It also trims their beaks when they

chew on them. Cuttle-bone also does this for you.

-Becca